The Incredibles / Come down to the farm
Almost as soon as I landed in the UK, I began seeing evidence of their handiwork. Around Lambeth in South London I ran into a community orchard, a community greenhouse, raised veggie beds at bus stops. Later in two towns in Devon I see rows of edible beds holding pride of place in parks, roadsides and outside […]
The welcome we all want / Senape your time has come
June 20th is World Refugee Day. As you know a big part of Fair Food’s mission is to provide permanent jobs for asylum seekers while they rebuild their lives in Australia. Since World War II Australia has welcomed people from all over the world seeking safety from conflict and disaster. Embracing asylum seekers has made our country richer and our […]
Aki's wombok, carrot & apple salad / Behind the scenes of Beetroot & Parsnip Fortnight
Behind the scenes of Beetroot & Parsnip Fortnight The other day Kane Busch called from his family’s farm near Bairnsdale on the banks of the Mitchell River. “We’ve got a lot of beetroot and parsnips, could you help us out?” “I reckon we could do something. How much do you have?” “A lot.” “Well….we could make it beetroot and parsnip fortnight.” […]
Ian and his intense kiwi / Beetroot & Parsnip Fortnight
Like seasonal clockwork feijoas drift out of our fruit bowls as kiwis appear. Hoddles Creek kiwi grower, Ian Cuming, spent the beginning of May with five highly motivated young backpackers (three Germans & two South Africans) picking his 15 tonne kiwi crop in two weeks versus the usual four. When they finished Ian left a couple of kiwi pallets out of his […]
CERES: different & good / Tamil Feasts go on the road
CERES doing different and good In the beginning, back in the early eighties when Brunswick’s textile industry was packing up and heading for China. Back when local businesses were still using the Merri Creek as a sewer. Back when a culture of community mindedness was becoming swamped by a culture of shopping. A small group of people decided to do something different, something good […]
First principles: it all comes back to lemons & boxes.
The lemon economy Back in 2000 right around winter solstice while I was walking down a quiet Thornbury street I saw a basket of lemons sitting at somebody’s front gate with a “take one” sign. I gratefully pocketed my lemon and went about my day. But the lemon basket sparked an idea that grew to become the Urban Orchard […]
