Recipe for Success

On January 20, 2013, in the nose, by pauline
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WEEKEND Australian article by Necia Wilden highlights chef, farmer, culinary activist Michael Stadtlander’s work in Canada. Stadtlander will be appearing at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival and speaking at the Theatre of Ideas in Melbourne in March this year.
Stadtlander according to the Earth Day Canada is one of the world’s most accomplished chefs and one of Canada’s most ardent promotors of local, organic food and is actively involved in the Slow Food movement. His passion is to “connect chefs to the land in solidarity with farmers”
After establishing a couple of successful restaurants in Canada he decided to move with his family to a remote spot at the top of Ontarios’s Niagara Escarpment in 1993. Eigensinn Farm was established. The produce that surrounded him, wild mushrooms, apples, maple trees, wild leeks, wild ginger, trout, bees for honey helped shape the menu for his small twelve seater restaurant at the farm. This restaurant made the top ten of the World’s best restaurants and has become one of the world’s great food pilgrimages. Stadtlander does not have a website or own a computer.
Stadtlander was also one of the activist for the food and music event, “Foodstock” being established. This was a community based protest against a quarry being developed in the heart of Ontario’s farmland. This would have made it the second largest quarry in North America. Read about Foodstock
View Stadtlander’s film about his Islands Project which featured seven dinners on four British Colombian islands where he was joined by chefs, artists, farmers, oyster cultivators, environmentalists and loggers during the summer of 2006 and prepared delicious meals in the open, using the local food.
Read the archived article from the New York Times “The chef who got away”

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Indigenous farms in Western Australia

On January 16, 2013, in the nose, by pauline
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READING the initiative of local Western Australian indigenous families and farming brings to mind Slow Food’s project of 1000 gardens in Africa.
There are 70 indigenous properties throughout Western Australia. Recently in the news is the Mallard family’s Mt. View Station and the Colbung family’s Walitj Mia Mia property.
Mt View Station is situated on the northern part of the wheatbelt and recently harvested their first ever wheat crop (2012)
Walitj Mia Mia property on the south coast of Western Australia is a serious farming enterprise. They achieved 100% lambing rates in 2012. It is not just a successful farming enterprise but for the last 10 years it’s been a focal point of training and work preparation.

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Peoples Food Plan versus the National Food Plan

On November 4, 2012, in the nose, by pauline
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THE Peoples Food Plan is the people of Australia’s alternative to the Federal Government National Food Plan. It is being driven by the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance and developed through peoples input from the kitchen table to forums around

Australia.
ABC’s Bush Telegraph interviews Nick Rose, National Coordinator of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance. He presents a clear view of what the issues are between the two groups.
Find out more about the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance
Here is the link to all the submissions to the National Food plan.

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Soils for Life

On October 27, 2012, in the nose, by pauline
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SUE Neales, rural reporter of the Australian, reports on “Soils for Life“. Soils for Life is one of the not for profit o

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nisations that former Governor General Major General Michael Jeffery set up under the Umbrella Group “Outcomes Australia”.
“A phasing-out of agricultural chemicals and inorganic fertilisers and a return to better understanding of hydrology and organic-style farming are part of his vision”. Read Jeffery’s vision.
Healthy soils are fundamental to regeneration and sustainable food production. Over the past tens of thousands of years and particularly over the past 100 years soil health has drastically diminished. Not only have we cleared 75% of the earth’s primary forests but we have depleted over 8 billion hectares of our former deep organic soils and created over 4 billion hectares of man made deserts.
Why do we need to change? Read further
“While soil may not be sexy and rarely rates a mention in parliament or politics, Jeffery believes it is the crucible that holds the twin solution to many of Australia’s environmental problems and agricultural productivity decline”.
Last week the Prime Minister appointed Jeffery as the first National Advocate for Soils.

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Generation Food

On September 12, 2012, in the nose, by pauline
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WELL known writer, activist and academic, RAJ Patel’s new project is the documentary/book “Generation Food”. Quoting from his web site, “Everyone knows we live with a broken food system, but often it is easier to focus on the bad news rather than

the good. In fact, we are surrounded by communities that already know how to feed the world for our generation, and for generations to come. From Malawi to Michigan, people and organizations are building better ways to eat today so that all of us can eat well tomorrow. This knowledge demands to be shared and spread.

Changing the food system couldn’t be more urgent. All signs point to that conclusion, whether you consider the droughts, floods and fires caused by climate change, the rise in global food prices, or that the health effects of our current food system is predicted to shorten children’s lives. Better, SMARTER ways of growing food, and feeding the world are needed, now. Read further from Raj Patel.

Stories need to be told and shared, see the web site set up to develop this project.

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What is natural beekeeping

On May 26, 2012, in the nose, by pauline
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EVERY colony of bees is entirely dependent on stored honey in the hive for its survival. The bees use it continually for their own nourishment and for feeding the young larvae.
The decline of bees has now become a serious problem. Reports started in 2006 in the United States about the collapse of honey bee colonies. Workers were dying or failing to return to the hive and without the worker the hive dies. Honeybees are arguably the insects that are most important to the human food chain. They are the principal pollinators of hundreds of fruits, vegetables, flowers and nuts.

This new phenomenon is being referred to as Colony Collapse Disorder and three new studies link bee decline to pesticides.

The Natural Beekeeping Trust was set up in response to the critical situation of the honeybee. Some beekeepers are questioning the methods of conventional beekeeping. Sustainable agriculture may be considered as one of the core issues as there are no insecticides or pesticides which are safe for bees. Natural Beekeeping attempts to mimic the natural nest structure of the wild bee colony and give every opportunity for the bees to thrive.

Read Tim Malfroy’s Australian web site on bees.

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Looming crisis in Australian seafood supply

On February 11, 2012, in the nose, by pauline
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NICK Ruello talks to ABC’s Bush Telegraph program presenter Cameron Mitchell about the looming crisis in our Australian seafood supply. Seventy two percent of seafood eaten in Australia is imported says Ruello who is an independent seafood consultant, listen further to the discussion.
Noted also by the Australian Marine Conservation’s recent posting on their web site, “World Heritage Shark and Chips” that Sharks are leaving the Great Barrier Reef in vast numbers. But they are not leaving to find food or a place to breed. They are leaving in boats with their fins hacked off and their flesh packaged up as frozen meat, and often their flesh ends up as ‘flake in Australian fish and chips shops.

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Saving Australian farming

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

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Small changes make a difference

On January 19, 2012, in the nose, by pauline
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CAROLYN Steel, architect and author of Hungry City used to think about the city through its built environments, now she thinks about it through food. She wants us to to see cities that have food at their centre. For Steel this is one of the

most urgent tasks facing the potential 5 billion or 61 percent of people that will be living in cities by 2030.
‘Because we don’t see food’s influence, we leave it up to Coles and Woolworths and Tesco,’ says Steel. ‘We no longer value food.’. “Steel believes that this invisibility leads to unrealistic expectations of cheap food – and allows us to ignore the land and water degradation that result.
“80 percent of global trade in food now is controlled by just five multinational corporations. And if we look to the future, it’s an unsustainable diet.
Further information from Carolyn Steel’s “Hungry City” web site
Journalist Alan Saunders from ABC’s “By Design” poses the question “How can we change things? “Small changes make a difference, ‘sharing food, knowing where your food comes from and cooking it seasonally and locally. Listen to interview

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Regenerative Agriculture in Australia

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

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