The March "Chill Out" bee at Albert Street

A cooler morning for a working bee saw a return of good numbers in the garden.

Arden checks the toms,

and finds a bean to munch.

Chill Out visitors find out about the garden 

Felix and Richard come for a squizz too.

Fe prunes out the dead wood and helps the children gather some yumness.

Ian cuts up prunings while Meg turns compost

Jeremy and Jasper harvest parsnips

The toms finally start ripening.

Patrick prepares pruned nectarine leaves as green waste for the compost.

Lindy, Tia and Meg take it all too seriously.

Lena and Patrick listen to Hepburn Community Radio gardening presenter, Mike Brown.

Woody does some garden biking.

Meg demonstrating happy soil bacteria really exists.

Zero digs for mice in the compost.

Thank you to everyone who came along to the bee, and to everyone who came by to drop off seeds and seedlings to be planted and to be shared in the free food stall out the front. Next month's bee is on Saturday April 9 at the Albert St garden from 10am-12pm. Hope you can make it. xx

A damp and modest but definite May bee

A wet and cold morning wasn't exactly conducive to gardening, but with winter upon us, though only May, there was not a lot that needed tending. Jo and Tony came early to do some mowing, and also something that had been in the pipeline since January came to fruition. A suitable area to present and gift free food to the community was discussed back at the January bee and Patrick had produced a rough design.

Local builder Nicko Andrews knocked up the structure and brought it to install with the help of Tony and Patrick.

Earlier on some kind person had left a bag of their freshly dug potatoes, so these earthly fruits became the first produce made available on the stand.

Nicko's children Grace and Joey joined their dad on the morning's mission. Thanks Nicko!

Also since the April bee the ever industrious Peter Jenkins installed removable slats for the front of the compost bays, increasing their capacity, and making them far easier to maintain. Thanks Peter!

The timber was donated by Brian Bowes. Thanks Brian!

NEXT BEE : SATURDAY 13 JUNE

Summer's here and the time is ripe... for a cycle, a song and a pickle!

Two Fridays ago (January 30) saw the first Daylesford Critical Mass bike ride for some time... people met around 6.30 at the Albert Street garden before doing a couple of circuits of Vincent Street between the roundabouts...

The bike ride was followed by a gathering of gardeners, families and friends to picnic in the garden and enjoy the wonderful accordion, mandolin and guitar playing and singing of Salvatore Rossano and Haley Egan... a peaceful and convivial summer evening...

Meanwhile in the garden, vegetables continue to grow, and none more plentifully and vigorously than the splendid zucchini (and we all know the old joke about not leaving car doors open in summer)...

The zucchinis have not gone unnoticed by garden visitors, or the ever-observant Lena who has been in touch with the following:

Here is a great zucchini recipe from Sicily that can absorb some of the glut of these gems in harvest season, if you like pickles I can almost guarantee you’ll love these:

Pickled Zucchini

Wash and slice young zucchini fine (3-4mm thick)

Place in colander, salt at 1/2 cup per 2kg, or to taste. Toss the slices until all coated.

Leave to drain for 10-12 hours – a lot of the water will drain off.

Rinse briefly under cold water, squeeze out the water.

In a saucepan prepare a brine of 1/3 white wine vinegar and 2/3 cold water 

(enough to just cover the zucchini).

Boil up slowly, keep simmering for 3 min.

Very important not to exceed three minutes, this timing is really important 

(they will be mushy if over boiled).

Drain again, squeeze out the water. Place on or wrap in clean tea towels, for 10 hours, 

to absorb more moisture.

Add slices to a bowl, mix with chilli, garlic, chopped mint and olive oil (to taste).

Pack into clean jars, topping up with extra oil. Store in the fridge. 

The pickle will keep for several months. Enjoy!

And here's a pic of Lena and Patrick, sampling a drop of Patrick's full-bodied home-made red, crafted from the Library garden grapes, literally!

Also this week's issue of The Local carried a free ad for the garden... thanks Donna and Kyle... if you missed the ad here it is again.  

NEXT WORKING BEE 10AM THIS COMING SATURDAY 14 FEB

September Bee

Another freezing and wet working bee didn't see our typical swarming numbers. 

But what we lacked in numbers we made up for in colour.

Scarf and beanie weather brought out the hardiest of gardeners.

We cleared the way for council to remove an old septic tank (later in the month), replanting a number of annual vegetables towards the back of the garden.

Next working bee is on 13 October. See you there!

A five acre food forest?

Yes, we're still in the middle of planning a fourth community food garden, but in the meantime we are also talking to Daylesford Secondary College about the possibility of a fifth garden at the school. The edible, ecological and educational possibilities of this site are potentially huge.

L-R Dave Stephens, Robert Hewat, Veronica Pellet and Alexis Pitsopoulos. Photo: Patrick Jones

Last Friday a first meeting was arranged by Dave Stephens (local forest activist and future parent of the school) who invited Alexis Pitsopoulos (local forager, herbalist, locavore cook and edible weedsman), Robert Hewat (local botanist, parent), Patrick Jones (community food system activist, designer and poet) and Veronica Pellet (French WWOOFer) to look over the site. We look forward to working with the school.

Autonomous Art at Albert Street

Thanks this week to artist-essayist Jeff Stewart for his beautiful stencil work and to tattooist-illustrator Heath Todd for his handy sign-writing.

Jeff has lived in Daylesford for over 20 years and has contributed significantly to the cultural life of the town. Heath is a visitor from NZ and is in Daylesford to learn more about permaculture and community food systems. Both your crafts are much appreciated and welcomed within the gift economy of DCFG. Thank you Jeff and Heath!