Kitchen gardeners will applaud the ACT government's Community Garden Grants program which continues to provide funding for local projects that can contribute to developing a Capital Food and Fibre strategy. Environment Minister Rebecca Vassarotti has announced the nine local projects that will receive grants, totalling $41,145.
The recipients met at Charnwood Community Garden with convenor Teresa Rose where a 2020 garden grant had provided a weather shelter refuge. This year Charnwood will receive funding for raised garden beds with easy access and adjustable heights for less-able-bodied people to grow organic food.
Among the new projects are The Good Works Garden, a joint initiative between Dirty Janes, Argyle Housing and Vinnies in the Dirty Jane's precinct in Fyshwick for a community garden with wicking beds and compost facilities run by volunteers.
Other new projects include opening the Margaret Hendry School Community Garden for public use; and at the Spence Community Garden, run by YWCA Canberra, there'll be a small local farm of fruits and vegetables for children and families.
Stage two projects include: enhancement of the sustainable garden at Downer Preschool Community Garden to support educational and community led activities and additional vegetable gardens; Hawker Community Garden will plant fruit trees and create a bush food garden and education workshops; Holy Spirit Community Garden will add a composting program and wicking beds for growing produce, accessible to the parish and wider community at Amaroo.
Yeddung Mura Community Reflective Vegetable Garden in Fadden will develop a vegetable garden and rainwater irrigation system to grow fresh vegetables for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Justice Clients and their families and local elders.
Towards Zero Waste at the Council on the Ageing ACT, near Hughes shopping precinct, will provide a facility to process local organic waste and grow healthy food at low cost. Growing medium and tools will be provided and there will be raised garden beds and hard paving surfaces to allow access for people with mobility issues.
Gardeners' dreams
Winners of Charlie Albone's book Garden of Your Dreams (Kitchen Garden, August 2) were Gina Howlett, of Chapman; Lyn Philipson, of Narrabundah;and Michelle Thomas, of Kaleen.
Lyn grows fruits and vegetables and they have a hen palace. However she wants chill out spaces for relaxation with her husband, cat nip for the felines and cool grass for their labrador. What special touches will be added to the scene?
Michelle has a backyard patch that refuses to be shaped into a useable, let alone stylish, area. Over the years it has been home to a passionfruit that died, a kiwi fruit that flourished but never fruited, and an archway with hanging plants that toasted in summer. It is now a storage area as she is out of ideas. Also they have the world's most adorable and naughty dog who munches on the irrigation system and the mulch. Will Charlie provide the lightbulb moment?
Gina has a vege garden on castors that she calls The Coffin as it was constructed at the time when her 18-year-old labradoodle was on her last legs. She wants to hang mini gardens from brick walls filled only with cut flowers or edibles and needs inspiration.
Father figure tastes
Last week a 16cm-round brown cake appeared on my porch. It came with a note: "I am an interesting cake with a mystery ingredient." Slices were shared with a male who said satisfying, two women guessed the mystery taste was beetroot or kidney beans, and a 36-year-old said amazing and yummy. The vegan recipe came from Woolworths, online.
Fungal Wizard and Urban Kulture founder Aaron Boyer emailed details of a trip to Ubud in Bali where he is running hands-on mushroom courses, including grain spawning production, on his eco farm. It is opposite a hotel and near a river. (Only seven places left). I watched a video of the rooms being built from bamboo. Or give a father figure a home-growing mushroom kit.
Espresso mystery cake
Ingredients
- 125g unsalted butter, chopped
- 250g dark chocolate, chopped
- 2 tbsp instant espresso coffee powder
- 125g caster sugar
- 125g button mushrooms
- 125g hazelnut meal (or quinoa flour)
- 5 free range eggs, separated
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line base of a 22cm round springform tin with baking paper.
2. Place butter, chocolate, coffee and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until mixture is smooth. Set aside.
3. Process mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped. Add hazelnut meal and process to combine.
4. Beat egg yolks into chocolate mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until smooth. Stir in mushroom mixture.
5. Beat egg whites with electric beater until firm peaks form. Gently fold into chocolate mixture. Transfer to tin and bake for 50-60 minutes until set. Cool completely in tin.
