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.

Fresh food is important to you? Woolworths Fresh? Then you'll take on board compulsory pokies with that?

Here it is -the Woolworth's other 'Happy Christmas' advert courtesy of Getup. Please blare and share and dare your...
Posted by Gypsy Jack on Monday, 21 December 2015

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 

Ramadan --- and food

Australia these days is a multi-cultural,multi-faith, interfaith society. Ramadan - a season as huge as Christmas - is being celebrated around the world by our Muslim brothers and sisters. To bring a food emphasis to this season, I have found Karima's Crafts - an interesting site with all sorts of things relevant to Ramadan including crafts for the kiddly-dids.

The fruit smoothies look fabulous. 

But to really know what Ramadan is all about, 

please go to the document below. 

What is that fish you are eating? Where does it come from? Answers are available ... see below

 

If you'd like to make sure you're eating seafood sustainably, we have just the thing for you with the release of our one-stop-shop sustainable seafood guide plus eCookbook The Good Fish Book. You can joyfully exchange $15* for a crisp copy of the eBook hot off the (e)press via our online store here.

 

What's inside?

The Good Fish Book is perfect if you're looking for an easy-to-follow guide to sourcing, preparing and enjoying sustainable seafood. If you're confused about which fish to buy, sick of eating the same old varieties and want to save money, this eBook is for you.

Inside you'll find:

·   22 delectable and sustainable seafood and veggie-full recipes from celebrated chefs and personalities including Sarah Wilson, Tom Kime and Mark Jensen

·   Our 9 favourite sustainable seafood species with short video instructions for prepping them, including how to fillet fish, de-beard mussels, clean calamari and other such slimy tasks

·   A quick-reference Switch Your Fish guide, showing you how to substitute common and overfished species with their sustainable alternatives

·   Fast Fishy Facts – an easy-to-understand low-down of the issues

·   Links to handy online resources including a Sustainable Seafood Supplier directory and more.

*All proceeds from book sales support our national & international Projects.

To BUY NOW or take a SNEAK PEEK, visit our online store here.

Thank you and we hope your taste buds enjoy The Good Fish Book.

Bon apetit
The Sustainable Table Team

Cabbage Steaks - givng a new twist to a traditional vege

This recipe comes from my friend Alida.

Haven't tried it yet - but it sure does look yummo!

Worth a go, could use other spices or Dukkah. Caraway always complements cabbage too.

Garlic Rubbed Roasted Cabbage Steaks

If you love cabbage, you are going to freak out about how good this is. Now, if you are on the fence about cabbage, you need to try this because this might be the recipe that converts you to a cabbage lover.

This is a simple side dish worthy of a dinner party and couldn’t be easier to make. Four ingredients, a couple of minutes to prepare and toss in the oven for an hour.

Ingredients
1 (approx 2lb) head of organic green cabbage, cut into 1″ thick slices
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
2 to 3 large garlic cloves, smashed
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
spray olive oil OR non-stick cooking spray

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F and spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Pull outer leaf off cabbage (it’s usually dirty and nasty looking), cut cabbage from top to bottom (bottom being root) into 1″ thick slices.

2. Rub both sides of cabbage with smashed garlic.

3. Use a pastry brush to evenly spread the olive oil over both sides of the cabbage slices.

4. Finally, sprinkle each side with a bit of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

5. Roast on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Carefully flip the cabbage steaks and roast for an additional 30 minutes until edges are brown and crispy. Serve hot and Enjoy!

Of your charity, remember the prisoners during Christmas tide - and Paul Kelly tells of how to make gravy

My own recommendation is
the usual flour in the fat and add water etc. 

But there is a significant ingredient
to getting rich brown gravy every time. 

That ingredient is Parisian Essence.

Handle carefully. Not too much now. 

A few drops gives rich brown gravy -

even when you are cooking white meat like lamb or chicken.