the hills food frontier inc. (thff)very reasonable. trish says she is more interested in keeping her...
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Good Food News D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 V O L U M E 2 - I S S U E 3
A B O U T
T H F F :
We promote
Good Food &
Good Food
Activities in
The Hills
‘Good Food’ is
nutritious,
wholesome,
affordable and,
where possible,
is grown ethi-
cally by local
farmers and
producers
We are a
community
driven good
food initiative
Food is Free now in Tecoma The concept of Food Is Free is simple.
With an excess of food from home
gardens or from bought produce, no
single person should be without healthy
food. ‘Food Is Free' is an international
food movement towards food security
for all. It started as a simple community
garden in Austin Texas January 2012 and
grew into a worldwide movement now
involving over 350 cities.
Food Is Free Tecoma is a community
initiative and collaboration between
Tecoma Uniting Church and The Hills
Food Frontier, assisted with funding from
the Shire of Yarra Ranges. The aim is to
reach out into the local community to
provide a source of free, healthy, and
where possible, organic foods.
Food is Free has come to Tecoma and
we are very excited to be a part of this
international movement toward food
security for all. The launch in October
was a huge success with approximately
100 community members joining us.
After the opening, community members
were able to participate in a variety of
activities which included the Popup Straw Bale
planting, Children's Story telling, Hot Compost
Building and talks about the Coolgardie Safe and
Wicking Garden Beds.
With many households and individuals struggling
to make ends meet, opting to pay bills and/or
rent/mortgage, rather than having food on the
table, or worse, Food is Free Tecoma can assist
them.
Food can be accessed on the verandah of the Te-
coma Uniting Church, 1566 Burwood Highway in
a Coolgardie Safe. Our Coolgardie safe has one
side which serves as a pantry for dry and tinned
goods whilst the other side, the wicking cabinet, is
for fresh produce i.e. fruit and vegetables.
We have been delighted to see food being
delivered daily and even more delighted to see
that food is being taken and used. After only one
month of the launch our Facebook page, Food Is
Free Tecoma, celebrated with 500 'likes'.
We encourage you to leave any surplus fruit,
vegetables, herbs, seedlings and seeds, dry/tinned
goods and/or take what you need. Here's to the
continued success of Food Is Free Tecoma!
The Hills Food Frontier Inc. (THFF) Growing, cooking, sharing & learning about good food in The Hills
Food Security
Imagine feeling hungry; picture your home without
sufficient food. Your family is starving. You fight for
any food you can find, each day is a battle and the
cries of your children are heart breaking. This is
food insecurity. Don’t think it can ever happen to
you? Think again. Easter Island was once a paradise
where a small population thrived for hundreds of
years. It is now known that they ran out of food
due to increasing population and poor farming
techniques. They removed all the trees which lead
to rapid changes in the arability of the land.
In Australia we have limited land situated on our
coastal fringes that provides most of our food.
Overseas investors are buying farms and land as a
way to provide food security for their rapidly ex-
panding populations and to make up for the degra-
dation that their land has suffered due to poor
farming practices. Sound familiar?
Australians can no longer rely solely on farmers to
provide our food into the future. Farmers are leav-
ing their land in droves, disillusioned and impover-
ished. Much of this land is being sold for housing
development or to foreign investors. It is time we
all had a better understanding of food security.
Food security is when the community has
access to reliable and sufficient quantities of
local, affordable, and nutritious food.
To develop high levels of food security, land used
for food production must be protected by using
sustainable and regenerative practices such as or-
ganic farming or permaculture.
Permaculture is a proven way to support and re-
generate land. Permaculture is a system of
agricultural and social design principles centred on
simulating or directly utilising the patterns and fea-
tures observed in natural ecosystems. It includes
ecological design, ecological engineering, environ-
mental design, construction and integrated water
resources management that develops sustainable
architecture, regenerative and self-maintained habi-
tat and agricultural systems modelled from natural
ecosystems.
P A G E 2
G O O D F O O D N E W S - D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5
You can do your bit to develop higher levels of food
security and regenerative practices by:
Learning to grow your own food and when you have an
excess participating in food swaps
Supporting farmers markets
Participating in shared meals using your own and
shared produce
Becoming an active member in a community
Garden
Joining local networks and ‘learn how to grow’ groups
Getting to know your local farmers and supporting
them
Eating seasonally and knowing where your food comes
from, and buying locally or within 100kms of your
home
Joining a food buying group that supports local farmers
Choosing carefully where you go to eat out. The Hills
has many cafes that use local organic and organically
grown fresh produce and Fairtrade options
Asking Councils to make spare crown land
available for sustainable food growing
Reducing your reliance on supermarkets
Buying organic and organically grown wherever possi-ble
Enrolling in a permaculture course
Avoiding processed food and fast food
Reading labels and educating yourself about
ethical products
G O O D F O O D N E W S - D E C E M B E R
P A G E 3
Sounds great but don’t know where to go for all
this? That’s where we at THFF Inc can help you.
THFF FLAME Garden group has a community gar-
den which is based at the Tecoma Uniting Church.
They hold regular ‘Grow It’ mornings and working
bees and is now linked to the Food is Free Tecoma
Project. See www.thehillsfoodfrontier.com for
dates and details. They love to meet and support
people who are new to gardening or who don’t
think their land could grow anything
Upwey has a community garden and they also hold
regular sessions to introduce new people to food
growing. Check out THFF Facebook pages for
more information
There are various local food markets and famers markets in the area; Monbulk, Kallista,
Cockatoo , Belgrave , Belgrave Big Dreams and the
Upwey food swap. See the back page of our news-
letter for dates and times.
Community Harvest Dinners and shared meals are
held in various homes each month. See back page
of Newsletter for details.
Some of the Hills cafes that are well known for
supporting food security by their ethical
practices are: Evolve Fair Food Store and The
Laughing Owl in Belgrave, The Deli Café and
Providore In Mt. Dandenong and The Real Food
Café in Tecoma.
You might want to ask some questions when you
eat out e.g.
- Where do you source your produce from?
- What organic/organically grown options do
you have?
- Are your eggs free range and where do they
come from?
- Is your meat free range and ethically raised and
where does it come from?
- Is your coffee local and if not is it Fair
trade?
If the business is really interested in supporting
food security they will love to tell you what they
are doing!
Good Food Cafes
The Deli Platter-Delicatessen and
Providore in Mt Dandenong village. The winter
edition of Yarra Ranges Magazine
declared it to be a food gem. Trish Cullen manages this
quaint Deli that was recently featured on
Postcards. From truffle tastings to real pretzels, French
and local cheese, pates, terrine,
rillettes and pies. They sell ethical products
such as, The Stock Market range of grass fed and free
range bone broth said to have amazing healing qualities.
Their food is home-made and sourced from ethical and
organic growers. The best thing is that the prices are
very reasonable. Trish says she is more interested in
keeping her food affordable than big profits. The Deli
Platter offers artisan, farmhouse products. They use
family recipes and are dietary aware
offering Paleo, Gluten-free and sugar-free options. The
best thing is the warm and welcoming atmosphere and
the food is delicious.
Evolve Fair Food Store is in Belgrave. One of
Melbourne’s favourites according to Broadsheet and
voted to have the best brekky by The Age. Evolve
Fair Food Store is the vision of local woman Denise
Sangster-Green and her family. They believe that pro-
duce has to be fair from the farm to the plate. Their
food is all organic, ethically sought and locally bought.
They offer a great range of food and beverages. Wink
Models say that the easiest way to eat healthy is to eat
at Evolve Fair Food Store. Keen to support the local
community Evolve Fair Food Store has hosted THFF
Good Food Buying Group and has shown The Fair
Food Documentary. This store is also beginning to
grow their own produce and composts its waste with
the help of local permaculture experts. It is child
friendly (with a special place to play) with gor-
geous food served with love and drinks served with
wisdom.
P A G E 4
G O O D F O O D N E W S - D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5
What have we achieved over the last 12 months? The Hills Food Frontier recently held its’ first
Annual General Meeting. Here is an extract from
the annual report
“So much has been achieved. With much
voluntary work from a small team, we have gained
the support and respect of the Hills community. We
are seen as a group who would be missed if we
weren’t around. From little things big things grow.
Many, many hours have been dedicated to the better
good of something that we all believe in, and know is
right. Our Community Development approach with
the underpinnings of a Community Health and well-
being perspective has meant that we have spread the
knowledge of THFF around the Hills quite broadly, in
an inclusive manner.
Our major achievements have been:
Development and ongoing maintenance of the
FLAME community garden (Food life Art Music
Education)
The FLAME Garden & Food festival
Development of Food is Free Tecoma
In terms of community outreach we have
achieved:
The building of relationships with Shire of Yarra
Ranges
A strong, willing and wholesome partnership
with Tecoma Uniting Church
Promotion of many cafes
An ongoing supportive relationship with the
office of Minister James Merlino
Ongoing sponsorship of the wicking garden
boxes at FLAME
Regular working bees at the FLAME garden
Regular education sessions via ‘Grow It ‘ project
Partnership with South East Food Hub with
THFF food buyers group
Support of local farmers and discussion around
food security
Shown the Fair Food Film to two enthusiastic
audiences
In terms of research and information we:
Attended local community meetings and confer-
ences regarding relevant topics
Attended Shire workshop regarding local food
security and marketing.
Project groups which are either strength-
ening or beginning to form are:
The FLAME Garden Group Project
Food is Free Tecoma Project
Preserving in the Hills (PITH ) Project
“Grow it “ Group Project
In terms of Promotion we have achieved:
Regular information sharing by way of news-
letters, social media and website
Attendance at a local farmers market
The building of a platform where community
can share ideas and thoughts around all
things Good Food
I very much look forward to a fruitful and
healthy year ahead for THFF . Great work every-
one!” Holly Desmond - President THFF 2015
The Hills Food Frontier thanks the whole
community for the support we have been given
in 2015 and wishes you all the best for a safe and
happy festive season and wonderful new year.
FLAME Garden vegetable boxes
P A G E 5
G O O D F O O D N E W S - D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5
Thank you to all our sponsors for 2015
We would also like to thank the Shire of Yarra Ranges
for funding received for various projects we have accomplished
in 2015 and have set for 2016
P A G E 6
Hills Happenings... Tecoma FLAME Garden Working Bees
Stay tuned via the website for
dates in 2016
Grow it! Gatherings
Stay tuned via the website for
dates in 2016
Food Truck Fridays
84 Main St Upwey from
5.30pm
The Herb Society Monthly on 3rd Wednesday
8pm at Belgrave Library
Upwey Garden Club Monthly on 2nd Wednesday
8pm at Upwey Hall
Permaculture Breakfast Every Sunday 10.30-11.30am at
Abitza Cafe, Upwey
Ranges Organic Growers
Association (ROGA) Monthly on last Fri-
day “The Studio” Corner
Alma Ave & The Avenue,
Ferntree Gully Lwr 7:45pm
Community Gardening
Monday mornings at
Coonara CH
Cooking Club
Last Tuesday each month,
11-1pm at Kallista CH.
Call to book in.
Dig In Cafe Last Friday of every month at
Emerald CH
Tucker at the Tin Shed
Free meals twice a month
every 2nd and 4th Tuesday, 5-
6.30pm Belgrave
Community Harvest Din-
ners Shared meals on the first
Thursday of every month.
Different venue every month.
Call Christina on 0424 100
420
Upwey Food Swap
Last Saturday each month
outside Magpie House from 10
-11am. Swap, sell or buy local
fruit, veg, herbs and plants.
Call Michelle on 0409 526 862
Bee Keeping Club
Monthly on 2nd Wednesday
7.30pm at Coonara CH
COMMUNITY HOUSE
Contact Numbers
Belgrave Sth CH: 9754 2274
Cockatoo CH: 59688 9031
Coonara CH: 9758 7081
Emerald CH: 5968 3881
Kallista CH: 9755 2622
Olinda CH: 9751 1264
Selby CH: 9754-2039
LOCAL MARKETS:
Belgrave Big Dreams Second Sunday monthly in St
Thomas Moores Primary
School grounds
Belgrave Farmers
Market Second and fourth Saturday of
the month at Mater Christi
College car park from 8.30am
Belgrave South First Sunday monthly at the
primary school. Produce from
8.30am
Emerald Second Saturday monthly, in
Emerald Village
Gembrook Fourth Sunday monthly 9-3pm
at Gembrook Railway Station
Kallista First Saturday monthly in the
Village Green
Monbulk Produce Market Second Saturday monthly from
8am in St George’s car park
Mt Evelyn Last Saturday monthly at RSL
49 Birmingham Road
Cockatoo
First Saturday month in
Cockatoo
G O O D F O O D N E W S - D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5
Find your way
around all the good
food activities in
The Hills . . .
E-mail: [email protected]
Check out all the latest news at:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/
The-Hills-Food-Frontier
Get Involved at:
https://www.facebook.com/
groups/539055269540892/
Go to:
www.hillsfoodfrontier.com
“Growing, Cooking, Sharing and Learning about good food in The Hills”
A big thank you
goes to James
Merlino MP,
State Member for
Monbulk in
assisting us to
print this
newsletter