PASSATA MAKING DAY AT BALLART COMMUNITY GARDEN - JOIN IN

Picture above from here
together with how to make passata if you can't get to the class
listed below at Ballarat Community Garden.

The post below is from Better Together -  Passata Day

Saturday 28nd February 2015, 9 a.m. sharp-till ?

Once more into the Red! Ballarat Community Garden will be hosting a passata (tomato bottling) day on the 20th of February. Come learn how to preserve tomatoes and enjoy a day of work, fun and community. We'll have a meal and share a good time! Participants will take home approximately 6 litres of tomato puree.

The cost will be $20 dollars which will include a 10kg box of tomatoes, tea & coffee. Please bring a plate to share for lunch. Payment must be received by Deb Ramsey (0401 824 110) by the 16th of February. Numbers will be limited, but children, friends and family are all welcome to come and help. You will be responsible for bringing glass jars or beer bottles. You will need to have your own safe, undamaged lids for jars, but we will provide bottle caps for beer bottles.

Things to bring:

• Plate to share for lunch.
• Large pots will be vital so please be sure to bring those. Vital! (Stainless steel please, as aluminium may leach.)
• Anyone who has a camp stove or gas burner and bottle please bring those along.
• cutting boards and knives are vital
• aprons and pot holders
• funnels
• large stirring spoons
• ladles
• pouring jugs
• Stick blenders would also be very welcome.

Celebrating Fair Food Week at the Jiggety-Jig Farmers Market in #Ballarat

I trotted off jiggety-jig to market, this morning. 

No, I didn't buy the fat pig of the nursery rhyme. 

Being vegetarian, I steered clear of the meat that was available

and focussed on bread and veges. 

 The Jiggety-Jig farmers market was on this morning. 

 Local producers. 

 It costs a little more to purchase the food available at good farmers' markets 

but it is worthwhile to spend a just a little extra 

to purchase local food of good quality 

which has not travelled far from the farm; 

where you can be absolutely guaranteed that free range eggs 

are actually free range.

It is also wise to remember that
if we don't support our local producers and makers
then, one day in the not too far away,
we will lose them.
If we lose them and make ourselves slaves
to imports and cheap foreign government subsidised food,
with these people will go the skills that
ensure that we can feed ourselves.
So purchasing from the locals
is like making a down-payment on
a sort of food insurance policy.

Below is an album of my purchases. 

Some good eating is contained therein