Saving Australian farming

On January 31, 2012, in the nose, by pauline
0

THIS year 2012 is The Australian Year of the Farmer and a dedicated web site has been set up so one can learn more about this not for profit, non political organisation. The Australian Year of the Farmer aims to reach out to every Australian to involve and bring together rural and urban communities, schools, farming organisation, suppliers and the producers. There will be year-long program of events across the nation.
Australia’s farmers should be recognised and celebrated: for feeding the nation and for leading the world in farming techniques and innovation. Read more.
Save Australian Farming organisation’s web site suggests we break the habit of doing our weekly shop at one of the two big supermarkets. Grow our own vegetables and schedule a weekend visit to one of the many Farmers Markets that are springing up around Perth.

Tagged with: • • • •
 

Arboreal Archaeology

On January 17, 2012, in the nose, by pauline
0

FOR well over a decade the adventures of Livio and Isabella Dalla Ragione have been recorded by the Italian Press and in 2005 the New Yorker recorded their story of ‘fruit exploring’. The Dalla Ragiones were spurred on by knowledge that in Italy as in USA there is no Government repository with encyclopedic collections of apple and other fruit varieties of the countryside.
For decades after WW11 Livio had been searching out the forgotten fruits. To help preserve these varieties he bought a property on the border of Umbria & Tuscany and started growing them, and so an arboreal archaeologist was born.
Read article in Gastronomica of 2010.
The New Yorker article by John Seabrook “Renaissance Pears”, saving the favourite fruits of the Medici is also a fascinating story of the Dalla Ragione’s search and reintroduction of many of these fruits. Isabella believes that to help preserve these fruits it is necessary to create a market for them.
The Earth report gives a compelling argument explaining why these ancients fruits should be nurtured and reestablished.
Anyone interested in visiting their property can find the directions on their web site.
In fruit palettes there is an interview in the series Eating Art with Isabella.

Tagged with: • • •
 

Preserving memory

On January 10, 2012, in the nose, by pauline
0

BARBARA Massaad founding member of Slow Food Beirut, author of several books has just produced her third book in her journey of preserving memory. “Mouneh” is the winner of the Gourmand Cookbook 2010. She is also an international delegate of the Terra Madre Community. In her words, ‘the very best memories connect us to time and place and are often stimulated by the tastes and smells of childhood, but the reality for many of us is that we no longer enjoy such a strong connection to our culinary roots’.
Read further.

Tagged with: • • • • •
 

Regenerative Agriculture in Australia

On December 27, 2011, in the nose, by pauline
0

ABC Bush Telegraph interview with founder Tony Coote of the biodynamic Mulloon Creek Natural Farm and founder of the Mulloon Institute is an amazing positive story of regenerative agriculture in Australia. The institute serves as a research centre for regenerative agriculture. Listen to interview.
The Mulloon Institute is a not for profit organisation that develops knowledge through its research and education programs, that is then used by the farm managers to improve the farming methods being applied, showing that they can be proven to work at a farm scale. Read more and listen to Tony Coote explain his story.

Tagged with: • • • •
 

City agriculture

On December 7, 2011, in the nose, by pauline
0

INDUSTRIAL sized roof top garden planned for Berlin, this massive 7000 square metre former factory roof is earmarked for a sustainable garden producing both fish and vegetables for local residents. This could be a model for future city farms. Read further

Tagged with: • • • •
 

Organic Collective

On December 2, 2011, in the nose, by pauline
0

ACCORDING to the West Australian article, online orders are driving the organic food trade. Organic Collective is a West Australian owned business that primarily supports Western Australian farms and local growers as a priority. Read more about this enterprise.

Tagged with: •
 

Foodbank expands school programme

On November 27, 2011, in the nose, by jamie
0

FOODBANK WA regional strategy team member and Slow Food Perth committee member Stephanie McFaull tells us that Foodbank is taking its mission of ‘An Australia Without Hunger’ one step further. It is expanding its nutrition education and food skills programmes statewide. ‘Not only is the charity providing direct food relief to those most disadvantaged, it is also facilitating school, adult and train-the-trainer workshops in regional and remote WA,’ Stephanie says. ‘Participants in Foodbank’s free Food Sensations programme are equipped with meal planning, purchasing and preparation skills via hands-on cooking classes. The regional team of two has travelled nearly 25,000 kilometres and delivered the Food Sensations programme to 1,688 students, 55 parents and trained 38 educators over the last six months.’ For more information about the programme follow this link.

Tagged with: •
 

Tasmanian Wasabi

On November 24, 2011, in the nose, by pauline
0

SHIMA Wasabi was created in 2007 after four Tasmanian wasabi growers saw the need to work together and now still with one of the original growers have won “From the Earth Category” of the Delicious Awards this year. Wasabi, originally from Japan, (Eutrema japonica) is better used fresh and the green wasabi paste is made not from the roots but from the stems, read more about this exciting product

Tagged with: • •
 

Food Rescue launched

On November 11, 2011, in the nose, by pauline
4

THIS just and worthy cause “Food Rescue” was launched last night by the Governor General Malcolm McCusker AO QC, his wife Tonya and founder Jacqui Jordan. Food Rescue has already provided 45,000 meals to the homeless shelters, women’s refuges, youth crisis accommodation centres, drug and alcohol crisis centres, struggling families and the aged community. Food Rescue is the missing link between thousands of tons of fresh nutritious food thrown into landfill each year by the food industry and the thousands of hungry and disadvantaged Western Australian people in need.
The Food Rescue blog is full of up to date news on important issues around food. Read more about this valuable social, not for profit organisation that is now in place to show compassion for all humanity and the environment. Thank you Jacqui and your team for all your hard work and an uplifting evening.

Tagged with: • •
 

Small store succeeds

On October 27, 2011, in the nose, by pauline
0

A fine example of a small store influencing how people think about food is found in Sam Mogannam,s Bi Rite store in San Francisco. Slow Food’s San Francisco Convivium interviews Mogannam on film about the rise of the small store and peoples increasing interest in where their food comes from.
San Francisco Magazine notes, that ever since Mogannam took the reins from his father and uncle, sales have grown by $1 million every year. No wonder other retailers want to visit and see what all the fuss is about, especially in an economic time when it is not rare to hear about small businesses that are losing that kind of money each year. Bi-Rite’s sales have increased exponentially from $1.25 million in 1998 to $13.8 million in 2010.
Bi-Rite seems to be ahead of the curve on exceeding not only consumer demand for more locally produced, sustainable, fresh food, but consumers’ desires to learn about where that food comes from and how it is produced. Read more

Tagged with: • • • •
 
« Previous Entries Next Entries »