Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 24 i Pip Magazine

LYNDA BRIGHTON Lynda Brighton is a self-described creative and curious wanderer. Creativity and originality are two of the attributes she admires greatly and strives for constantly. Lynda embraces life to the full through her love of travel and experiencing local culture, craft and outdoor pursuits. One of her favourite quotes is by Roy T Bennett, who said ‘it’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow, and transform.’ DENISE CULLEN Denise is a freelance writer who specialises in food, farming, travel and lifestyle. She contributes to a range of local and international publications and coaches emerging writers. Denise is also a forensic psychologist who works in prison and private practice settings. She lives with her husband, children and a menagerie of animals on the…

Sun Seeker SUN-TRACKING APP This comprehensive sun-tracking app is the perfect companion when planning your vegie garden, greenhouse or considering solar panels. Using GPS, a magnetometer and gyroscope, the app will tell you the correct solar position and therefore the exact path the sun will take across your yard at any time of the day or year. As well as various other handy features, it shows the sun’s direction in hourly intervals (in a flat compass or augmented reality 3D view), seasonal sunlight hours and sunrise calendar. $14.99 www.apps.apple.com/au Cream Collection DYNAMIC GARDENER APRON Available in two sizes and seven different colours, this unisex apron is one of three gardening-specific garments in a range catering to both gardeners and cooks. Made in Australia from 98 percent organic cotton which is…

As well as producing a sweet edible stem, Australia’s native cherry has important ceremonial and protective properties. The native cherry (Exocarpus cupressiformis), also known as cherry ballart, cypress cherry or wild cherry belongs to the sandalwood family and is endemic to Australia. A partial parasite, the tree lives in harmony with the host tree, particularly eucalyptus, without causing it any harm. The plants work together to support each other and in Aboriginal teachings, it is used as an example of how working together is of benefit to all. DESCRIPTION Known as mamaadja in Dhurga (the Indigenous language of the south coast of NSW), the native cherry favours forests, shallow soils and granite outcrops throughout New South Wales, Queensland and eastern South Australia, and can grow up to eight metres tall.…

Moon planting The moon’s phases and its associated gravitational pull has a significant effect on the behaviour of tidal oceans, so it’s easy to understand how the moon can have a similar effect on the moisture in our soils and plants. By planning what you sow to coincide with the phases of the moon best suited to the type of vegetable and how you’re planting, you’ll give yourself a higher chance of success as well as increase your yields. NEW MOON In the new moon phase, light increases and lunar gravity pulls water higher. In the garden, this means balanced plant growth. A new moon phase is ideal for sowing plants with edible leaves and seed heads. 1–8 May 30 May–7 June 29 June–6 July FIRST QUARTER Light increases further…

So much more than a place to record your successes and failures in the garden, a diary can help you to connect with your patch, understand your environment and maximise your yield. It might seem like just another task that’s taking you away from the time you’ve set aside to get stuck into your garden, but jotting some things down about what you observe and learn along the way can make a significant difference to how much food you’re able to harvest from your patch. At the time, certain successes and failures can seem like something you’d never forget, but as each season passes, and new highs and lows occur in your garden, it’s easy for things we learn to slip from our minds over time. So by noting things…

This Blue Mountains home was designed to integrate seamlessly with the outdoors and to hold a comfortable temperature all year round without the need for air conditioning. Tim and Madelyn, with their daughter Frankie, were ready to move away from city living, so bought a property in the Blue Mountains in 2017. The 1800 m2 block slopes east-west, with high surrounding hedges, creating a secluded private oasis. The original house was demolished, with minimal disturbance to the land, as it was beyond economical repair. All masonry products, timber, steel and plaster was separated and sent to separate recycling facilities. A new 300 m2 energy-efficient home was built. The design follows the slope of the land, split over three levels. KNOCKDOWN AND REBUILD Tim and Madelyn engaged Diego Villar, of Villar…

Most of us already know how effective worms are at turning kitchen waste into rich garden goodness, but there are other ways they can help around the home. Worm farms have become an increasingly common sight in productive backyards and urban gardens over the last few decades. And given their compact design, lack of odour and minimal labour investment, it’s easy to see why. While worm farming (also known as vermicomposting) remains one of the best ways to convert organic waste into soil-improving compost, the system also has the potential to do some heavier lifting for us around the house. Recent studies have shown vermicomposting is also an excellent option for treating grey and black wastewaters, stabilising heavy metals in soils and even degrading persistent chemicals within our soils. HOW…

PERMACULTURE COURSES & OPEN DAYS John Champagne uses Brogo Permaculture Gardens on NSW’s south coast to illustrate his two decades of permaculture experience. From open days and introductory courses through to the permaculture design certificate. www.permaculturedesign.com.au (02) 6492 7306 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN PERMACULTURE WORKSHOPS AND TOURS Absorb sustainable living skills on a mature and productive organic farm. Specialist tutors are hosting a large variety of open days and short courses from growing food to strawbale construction, or fully immerse yourself in our PDC featuring David Holmgren. www.foodforest.com.au (08) 8522 6450 ROBIN CLAYFIELD’S DYNAMIC GROUPS Held at Crystal Waters Permaculture Ecovillage in southeast Qld, Robin offers a wide range of permaculture and leadership courses. Next up is Dynamic Groups (8–13 May), Crystal Waters Co-op PDC (28 Aug–11 Sep) and Social Permaculture (8–9…

Books WELCOME TO COUNTRY (2ND EDITION) A TRAVEL GUIDE TO INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIA BY MARCIA LANGTON (HARDIE GRANT EXPLORE 2021) Review by Kel Buckley This is activist and academic Marcia Langton’s 16th book on Indigenous culture and was produced to help local and international travellers discover important lands and waters, and to do it by making cultural connections through the people who know it best. An updated and revised second edition of the 2018 release, this 530-page hardcover book not only guides us towards the culturally significant places, events and experiences each state and territory has to offer, but also has a quiet word in our ear about ensuring visitors are respectful and ethical in all situations and dealings. Split into two parts, Part one, called Introducing Indigenous Cultures, takes the…

“In these crises, we’re repeatedly seeing the power of community” Wow, what a time we find ourselves in. Now more than ever it is feeling like the world is in crisis. From recent flooding, to war, to the pandemic and just the general effects of global warming and climate change. It feels like we are reaching a tipping point. But in the grips of all these crises we’re repeatedly seeing the power of community and how the support and generosity of everyday people to their fellow humans is what is making a difference. Don’t get me wrong, we need governments to create change on a large scale, but it is at the community level that the most immediate effects are being felt. In the recent floods, it wasn’t the governments…

Powerless preserving I’m wondering if you have any ideas or tips about the best ways to store vegies without putting them in the bottom of the fridge? I live in Tasmania, and now we’re heading into winter, I figure that a Tassie winter is probably the same temperature as lots of people’s fridges anyway! I prefer the idea of storing my organically grown food somewhere natural rather than poking it into an expensive artificial climate, so I am hoping someone might have some experience with outdoor larders or root cellars? Erin Fields via email That’s a good idea for an article, Erin. We’ll look into it for you. Robyn LETTER of the ISSUE Food connections I just thought I’d share a fun thing a friend and I have started doing…

Native to Asia and Europe, this lemony edible plant has naturalised widely in Australia and is commonly found in backyards. WHAT IS SHEEP SORREL? Sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella) is a species of flowering perennial weed in the Polygonaceae family. The name sorrel is derived from the Germanic word ‘sur’ and the old French word ‘surele’ meaning sour. Sometimes referred to as field sorrel, garden sorrel, sour weed or sour dock, it favours acidic soils and sunny positions. With a high concentration of vitamin C, sheep sorrel has been consumed as a tea for a very long time, as well as being added to a variety of foods. HOW TO IDENTIFY IT Sheep sorrel is most easily recognised by its arrow-head shaped leaves with two distinct basal lobes. It grows in…

For Tasmanian-born chef Sarah Glover, cooking over fire is as much about place and connection as it is about flavour. Author and chef Sarah Glover grew up in a large family in Tasmania. It was before internet and on-demand TV and meal times stick in her memory as the most enjoyable times of the day. ‘I remember meal times in my family with such fondness,’ she says. ‘They were such an important time for us to come together, to create our own entertainment and connections.’ It’s those connections which set Sarah Glover on the path she’s on today. Connections to food, to place, to community and to her Tasmanian roots. And it all begins around a fire. FROM START TO FINISH As well as writing cookbooks, Sarah spends her days…

Dreamtime and Creation stories exist to teach people how to look after the land, its creatures and their custodians. But to truly appreciate their significance, we first must understand what is meant by the Dreamtime and the Dreaming. According to Indigenous beliefs, the Dreamtime is the period when creation spirits or ancestral beings walked with humans and shaped the world. And depending on the local beliefs and stories, the creator could come from the sky, the land or the sea. Creation ancestors laid down the foundations of all life, including what people had to do to maintain their part of this interdependence. This is Indigenous lore. The lore ensures each person knows his or her connectedness and responsibilities to family, to Country and for their ongoing relationship with the ancestor…

PRACTICAL WORKSHOP Join horticulturalist Narelle Happ for a no-dig, small-space gardening workshop. Use repurposed materials to build structures to create microclimates for a productive edible patch, including raised and wicking beds and a herb spiral. Held 28 May in Wollongong, NSW. Book online. www.green-connect.com.au (02) 4243 1537 POCKET CITY FARMS Pocket City Farms useurban farming environments to cultivate fair food, community connections and knowledge through education. Offering a range of tours, workshops, volunteering and a hands-on, urban-focused PDC. www.pocketcityfarms.com.au 0411 274 838 BEEKEEPING NATURALLY Natural Beekeeping Courses with a focus on Kenyan Topbar Hives. Join Adrian Iodice on one of his Natural Beekeeping Courses available in variouslocations. Or visit his Beekeeping Naturally YouTube Channel for some handy tips on sustainable beekeeping practices. www.beekeepingnaturally.com.au STUDY ONLINE, AT YOUR PLACE Get new…

Making your own ink, dyes and art materials from the natural world around you is a deeply satisfying and almost therapeutic process. It not only grows your intimacy with the plants and soils of the place you live in, but also is a far more sustainable art practice, reducing transport, packaging and toxic ingredients. Creating useable colour from an earth or botanical source is not a new thing; human knowledge of landscapes and their relationship with the natural world is how the first colours emerged to be transformed into paint pigments, fabric dyes or ink. In many places today the use of plants and soil as pigment continues as cultural practice; in other places it was taken over by industrialisation and man-made alternatives, but there’s now a rising interest in…

Our kids’ patch winners for this issue are Elkie and Kade from Light Pass, SA, you’ve won a Patternation Eco-City magnetic game which lets you design your very own sustainable city! Choosing from 140 tiles, Patternation allows you to incorporate elements such as community gardens, renewable energy, recycling and emissionfree transport to create a great place for the community to live. SHOW US YOUR GARDEN Smithfield, Queensland Names Archer and Ayla Strauss How old are you? Archer: I’m five and a half. Ayla: I’m three and a half. What do you grow in your garden? Dragon fruit, citrus, bananas, custard apples, beans, tomatoes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, miracle berries, herbs, tropical spinaches, pepper, pineapples, taro, paw paw, peanuts, eggplant, peanut-butter fruit, yams, elderberries, flowers and lots more. What’s your favourite thing…

LILY AND MAUDE Founded in 2018 to bring sustainable, organic and ethical products to the crafting world, Lily and Maude offers naturally coloured, unbleached and undyed fabrics, as well as upcycled yarns. Lily and Maude offers responsibly sourced alternatives to the increasing number of products that are overly packaged or made from materials that are not environmentally thoughtful. Use the code PIPLILY for a 10 percent discount. www.lilyandmaude.com CREAM COLLECTION LIFESTYLE Colourful Australian-made aprons and homewares. Designed by Australian artists for gardeners, cooks, bakers, florists, artists and homemakers. Ethically made from certified-organic cotton or linen and a planetfriendly shopping experience with compostable packaging and carbon-neutral delivery – it’s planet friendly from start to finish. Look and feel great, whether you’re in a world-class kitchen or getting creative at home. www.lifestyle.creamcollection.com.au…

Kitchen wins I just wanted to say thanks for the Whole Plant Harvest article (Issue 23) and share a few tips I’ve learnt since playing around with the zucchini-stem penne recipe. First of all, what a great idea! I had no idea that part of the plant was edible and with so many zucchinis in my garden at the start of this year, it was such an awesome way stretch the patch even further. Even my fussiest child now likes it, which is really surprising. My kids prefer it cut a lot shorter – think ‘rotelle’ rather than ‘penne’ – and when I cooked it in a homemade bone broth rather than plain salted water, one of the kids even used the words ‘best dinner ever!’ Thanks Pip, not only…

Raphanus sativus – from the Greek raphanus meaning ‘easily grown’ and the Latin sativus, which means ‘cultivated’. ORIGIN Radishes have a long history of cultivation and their origins are not certain. Alphonse de Candolle (1886) mentions that wild specimens were found near Mt Ararat in Turkey, and in Palestine and Armenia. It is thought there were two major centres of origin: the warmer parts of Europe and Asia. DESCRIPTION The radish varies enormously in size and shape, from small red ones to large white ones. CULTIVATION Radishes can be sown quite close to each other and the thinnings, leaves and all, can be eaten. They need a mature compost-rich soil to become crisp and mild-flavoured. In summer, they prefer to grow in the shade, even in really cool climates like…

“With careful selection and enough space you could have an extended berry harvest from spring, throughout summer and into autumn” Winter is the perfect time to prepare your patch for that crop of summer berries you’ve always wanted. No more plastic punnets, an unrivalled depth of flavour and the joy of being able to pick the sweet taste of summer straight from the bush. Coming in many shapes and sizes, berry bushes and vines are a delicious and prolific addition to the edible garden. The group of plants we commonly call berries includes cane-grown fruits like raspberries, bush-grown fruits like blueberries and small plants like strawberries. Cane-fruiting berries can be unruly ramblers and usually require trellising, while bush-fruiting berries grow as compact-sized bushes or low spreading plants, and can be…

All too often our preserves sit at the back of the pantry gathering dust. But using them is just as important as making sure your homegrown goodness doesn’t go to waste in the first place. You’ve worked hard all season in the vegie garden, watering, weeding, mulching and nurturing your garden. You’ve harvested in fits and starts as your precious food ripens, you’ve shared and swapped your abundance with others but, even the most disciplined succession planter, or the grower who learns to limit certain things to just one or two plants (we’re looking at you, zucchini), is inevitably left with a glut. Hauling basketfuls of food into your kitchen and working them into the preserve pantry is an enormously rewarding exercise in virtuosity. Because come winter, when the vegie…

Science is starting to catch up with what gardeners already know – growing food and caring for a garden is hugely beneficial for the body, mind and spirit. Research is still unravelling the mysteries of the human microbiome, but it’s certain that getting your hands dirty in the soil is really good for you. According to the Austrian Institute of Soil Research, soil and the human gut contain roughly the same amount of microorganisms. However human gut microbiome diversity is only 10 percent that of soil, and even that has decreased dramatically with the hygiene associated with today’s lifestyle. One 2019 study noted that soil ‘was essential in the evolution of the human gut microbiome and it is a major inoculant and provider of beneficial gut microorganisms.’ WHAT WE KNOW…

“It’s taking a resource that people have been so negative towards and just really exposing people to the benefits that they have” Seen by many as harmful feral animals, the humble camel has been put centrestage by a forward-thinking farmer at a regenerative dairy farm in Queensland. In a classic case of ‘use what you have’, Paul Martin is not only addressing Central Australia’s exploding and problematic population of feral camels, he’s successfully integrating them into a diverse and sustainable farming business in southeast Queensland. As well as transforming camel milk into a large range of low-lactose food products and skincare products suited to sensitive skin, Paul is finding ways to minimise the impact the large hard-hoofed animals have on his land. But for Summer Land Camels, it goes far…

The large woven stockfeed bags may be designed for single use, but they’re strong, sturdy and far too good to throw away. Polypropylene can potentially be recycled and used to manufacture other forms of plastic, but we can delay that process by turning them into robust tote bags. Often adorned with images of the animals their original contents were once destined to feed, with some simple cutting and sewing, you can create a unique shopping bag that will reliably carry all your awkwardly-shaped, bulky goods. WHAT YOU’LL NEED As well as your feed bags and a good pair of large scissors, you’ll need a tape measure, sewing pins, cotton sewing thread and a sewing machine – preferably with a new sharp needle fitted. It’s advantageous to have thought ahead to…