The Transition Leytonstone/OrganicLea stall outside Matalan, is there as usual tomorrow (Saturday, 10:30 to 3pm) with its organic produce. Mushrooms, samosas, rhubarb, grapefruit, lemons, swede, etc etc From the newsletter:...... About the Produce Mushrooms (Suffolk): They are back! Mushrooms are a stalwart of the hungry gap and there have been no organic mushrooms to be found the last few weeks….Capel Mushroom farm in Suffolk had some problems with their compost, which meant the spores weren’t sporeing and there’s been a gap in their production. Seems to have been sorted, so we welcome mushrooms back! Purple sprouting brocolli: Roman Emperor Tiberius, 14 BCE to 37 BCE, had a son named Drusius who took his love of broccoli to excess. Excluding all other foods, he gorged on broccoli prepared in the Apician manner for an entire month. When his urine turned bright green and his father scolded him severely for living precariously, Drusius finally abandoned his beloved broccoli. Our PSB may make you want to eat as much as Drusius and now would be the time to indulge, an ideal season for growth and filling our plates with something special in the hungry gap. Increadibly good for you and great stir-fried, raw, steamed or boiled. Rhubarb and Fig Jam This makes a lovely jam with the small fig seeds suspended throughout. 1/2 lb (225g) dried figs with the woody stalks removed (or substitute apricots or dates) 2 lb (900 g) rhubarb 2 lb(900 g) sugar grated rind and juice of 1 lemon Soak the figs in water overnight. Wash and trim the rhubarb and chop into small pieces. Put in a large bowl with sugar and leave to steep overnight. Drain and chop the figs finely. Transfer the rhubarb and syrup into a large pan and add the grated lemon rind and juice and the chopped fig. Mix well and bring to the boil. Cook over medium to high heat until the jam is thick and has set. Make sure to stir it regularly or it may stick. (To test for set, drop a small amount on a chilled plate and allow to cool. It is set when a skin forms on the surface.) Remove from heat for 3 minutes, stir, and transfer to warm sterile jars and seal. Store in a cool, dry place. A Taste of Local & Seed Swap Saturday 22nd March Leytonstone Stall & Saturday 29th March Hornbeam Stall Come join us for a Seed Swap from 12-12.30pm, bring seeds, exchange your surplus or pick up local seeds, meeting other local growers. From 1-3pm, the stalls will be showcasing a Taste of Local with tastings of local produce, from Chingford Rhubarb to Walthamstow Bread and Leytonstone preserves and Lea Valley Honey.,,,and of course Organiclea’s mixed leaf salad, come find out what leaf is in season! Festival Time It’s almost here and it’s all over the borough… the Cultivate Festival showcasing and promoting urban food growing. Here are just a few of the events, see more at cultivatewf.org Get your Veg on this Saturday! Saturday 22nd March, 7-10pm Hornbeam Cafe Join the Hornbeam café team for a night of vegetable-themed fun to be remembered... poetry, quiz, tapas, drinks... and vegetables! Julie Mullen will be reading from her book Erotic Poetry for Vegans and Vegetarians, local poets Mo Gallaccio and Teresa van Straten will delight us with some more vegetable poetry and there will be a vegetable quiz with fabulous vegetable prizes to be won! Tickets are £5 each and include a delicious vegetable cocktail. Tickets can be reserved by emailing café@hornbeam.org.uk Spring Herb Walk with Hedge Herbs & Wholistic Medicine Saturday 29th March, Walk on Walthamstow Marshes meet at The Mill, Coppermill Lane, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm Meet at The Mill with Walthamstow community herbalists Rasheeqa and Charm to ramble over the marshes & look to see whats growing now, discuss folklore, gathering and preparing of spring herbs for food and medicine, and head back to Walthamstow around 1pm. Cost: £10 - includes herbal info sheet & bag of herbal tea All are welcome - please get in touch with [email protected] or call Rasheeqa on 07784 506 494 to book as places are limited. Cultivate Festival – calling local growers and chefs Are you a keen allotment grower interested in selling your surplus into the local food economy? Or do you have a friend who works at or is a chef for a local café or restaurant in the borough? We invite you to join us for an event as part of the Cultivate Festival: ** Getting more food onto local plates – a guide for buyers and growers** - Hear from Organiclea, local ‘Cropshare’ growers and local chefs who work with local produce. Saturday 29th March at Waltham Forest College, 11am – as part of the ‘Food-A-fair’, a whole day of stalls, talks and workshops on local food. We would also welcome any contacts from local schools, hospitals, care homes, nurseries who are interested in local food procurement. Pathways to Food Sovereignty: Lessons we can learn from around the world 7pm – 10pm Hornbeam Café A discussion event exploring what we can learn about the pathway to food sovereignty from the Global South. Speakers will highlight key policy changes that have helped communities around the world to take control of their food systems and improve their food security. We will then discuss the presentations and ways in which the ideas could be adapted to the UK. Composting Made Easy Workshop Tuesday 25th March, 4–6 pm Oliver Road Food Growing Site (free) Interested in composting? Reducing food waste? Join a practical workshop and learn about composting at home and in your community. What to compost and choosing the best compost system for you, and build a compost bay from recycled materials.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 22:14:41 +0000
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