On Sunday October 9th, Vicki and Celia set up shop to promote this wonderful local Seaweed product. There was lots of interest and we sold quite a lot of product on the day. This was a good follow on from the lunch we held earlier in the year with Pia Winberg at the Old Schoolhouse, Gerringong
Phyco Food Co. will be featured on ABC Landline in coming weeks and BBC have been filming new recipes too. Pia recently won a gold medal at the Melbourne Good Food Awards for the Phukka (Dukka) seaweed blend product. Check out http://www.phycofood.co/
Thank you Tricia for providing us a table at your stall.
On Thursday October 8th a small group of members met for the first of hopefully more breakfast meetings. The AGM was soon completed and the office bearers, Celia as Leader and Michael as Treasurer will remain for 2016/17. We have a couple of new committee members to welcome too.
Tess from Jamberoo Valley Farm provided a tasty morning tea, then gave us all a fascinating tour of the farm, pigs, chickens, ducks and fish as well as beautiful health herbs and vegetable flourish. She shared her plans for the future Agrarian Kitchen with us.
Celia and Tass
Thank You Tess for sharing your Slow Food way of life with and we look forward to sharing and supporting your ventures in the future.
Earlier this month 36 members and friends were treated to a fabulous lunch created by Kirsten McHugh of the Gerringong Schoolhouse using Dr Pia Winberg’s Phyco Food Co. Seaweed products produced in the Shoalhaven. Pia uses a bi-product from the Manildra plant to grow the seaweed and explained how pre-biotic fibre and Omega 3 is very beneficial to our gut health and how gut health is instrumental in our general health. Pia gave a very informative talk on her recent Bio Belly research and these results are in the process of being written up for publication in scientific journals. She also talked about the research she has undertaken with the Nowra Prison inmates and the Omega 3 deficiencies she found in this study. She has now branched out into a commercial venture marketing Phyco Food Co.* products online www.phycofood.co. The seaweed pasta was nominated at the National Food Awards in Melbourne recently.
Jack, Kirsten and PiaThe Schoolhouse at Gerringong is a great venue for this type of event.
Kirsten’s imaginative house made menu included Phukka* dusted grissini and crackers with Phycotein*spiced Schoolhouse Haloumi for starters, then the most delicious entree of eggplant and wakami wontons in a spiced wakami broth. The main course consisted of a tasty nori and nettle gnocchi and served with a nori-enriched beef ragu (beef from Helen and Bernard’s Eagleview Farm at Foxground) and a crisp salad of cabbage, fennel, lemon and Australian Ulva. Dessert was Schoolhouse Yoghurt Pannacotta with Davidson plum syrup and delicate seaweed dusted meringue. It was a very busy day for Kirsten, however she managed to introduce us to each dish. Kirsten’s cheeses and yoghurt products are available through Greenbox each week at www.greenbox.org.au
It was wonderful to share this event with the orignial founders of Slow Food Saddleback, Kirsten McHugh and Jack Timbs. Oh! and I almost forgot, (kidding) Jack gave a well researched and very entertaining introduction to Pia on the day.
Thank you Pia, Kirsten and Jack, we hope we can share another event in the near future.
Kiama Farmers Market invited Slow Food to participate in the Seniors Week festivities on 6th April. We decided to focus on “end of summer corn” We prepared lots of corn on the cob and corn fritters from Bill Granger’s recipe served with an avocado and finger lime salsa and a tamarillo chutney.
Look for the recipe in the recipe section.
(Corn is a particularly good example of the importance of the Slow Food Movement. After reading the Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, his description of GM corn and its impact on farming communities in the USA inspired me to join Slow Food Saddleback. He describes the importance of diversity, thinking and questioning farming methods used in food production today) Its worth the read to help you grasp the SLOW in the Slow Food Movement.
Celebrity Chef James Reeson of WIN TV Alive and Cooking entertained the crowds by cooking a selection of market produce during the afternoon.
Twenty members and friends enjoyed a fun evening at the Berry home of Judith and David Ball on March 19th. We shared the evening with their grand daughter and her friends to celebrate a belated 13th Birthday. It was a fun evening and the pizza concoctions were amazing.
Judith and David guided us through their secrets of pizza making from the dough, topping and cooking process. David walked us through his productive vegetable garden and we sampled his home brewed beer that he has perfected over many years.
This was a very special evening and we hope we are invited back. We could maybe have a pizza competition. Judith and David could be the judges.
Slow Food Members and Friends enjoyed a tasty seafood paella day on February 28th, to see in the end of summer.
Daniel and Margarita from Oscars Deli at Warrawong guided the group to make the paella from beginning to end. It was a lot of fun especially when Murray’s sangria and the tapas were passed around the busy workers. The tapas included some chorizo and spanish style jamon produced in Sydney. Helen made a tasty marinated fish tapas dish as well. Beverly did a great job setting the Spanish theme in the Gerringong Town Hall. Dessert was delightful spanish cream pots with slices of locally grown tamarillo.
Trisha Ashelford, the coordinator of the Kiama Farmers Market gave an informative chat about the workings of the Farmers Market, the growth in the two years its been operating and it’s success in pulling the local community together each Wednesday afternoon was applauded. She works really hard in her role and it is good that Slow Food Saddleback can help with special events like the up coming Seniors Week Market on the 6th April where we will showcase locally grown produce.
A day full of fun and learning for everyone.
Looking forward to our next event EARTH HOUR at the home of Judy and David Ball for homemade pizza on 19th March 2016
Celia and Ronnie had lots of inquisitive people visit the special Sunday Market Stall. Once again the Warrigal Greens Pesto was featured as a local foraged treat for visitors to sample. The Kiama Market supported SMH Good Food Month as a special regional event.
Gerringong Public School will share in $35,000 for sustainability projects thanks to the Jemena Junior Landcare Sustainability Grants. The idea behind funding was to support schools and youth groups projects in making a positive difference to the environment and educating young people about energy safety and efficiency. The school had to put forward a creative proposal of how they would use the money under the theme of living, growing and exploring sustainability. The Garden Grubs are purchasing a native bee hive for their garden.
Penny Rushby-Smith designed this garden. She and her father Leon Sadubin have an exhibition ‘From the Tidal Zone’ featuring Penny’s artwork alongside furniture made by her father. Check out the exhibition 31st October to 8th November, 10am-4pm at unit 7/11 Bergin Street, Gerringong .
