NEWSLETTER JUNE 2014

Casino Community Garden

Monthly Newsletter #15 Issued June  2014

  

Around Casino Community Garden this Month

Gardening:  Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 8.30am

BYO Lunch: Every Wednesday 12 noon.

Monthly Meeting:  First Wednesday of Month.

Lunch 12 noon, MEETING  12.30 for about an hour. 

Thanks to Aly Gray for the poster

News from the Meeting

Wednesday 4th June 2014

Welcome to Winter Garden Clinic—Saturday 14th June 1pm to 4pm

•  Publicity is being distributed around town
• Mark is bringing along his solar BBQ and will boil water and cook chat potatoes to demonstrate how it works.
• The cob oven will be going for pizzas
• The stainless steel bench will be in place by then and members are looking forward to having the use of it.
• The marquees will be set up as usual.
• The Garden has been successful in receiving a 356 grant from RVC for purchase of marquees and equipment for future events.
• Opening of new pathway. 

Snapped leaving meeting on new path, Jo, Keith, Bobby, Aly and Doreen

Power

Power will be connected in the next fortnight. Trying for a coin operated mechanism.

Thanks to Richmond Valley Council for assistance with this.

High School Students

Two groups of students came along last week and Linda is happy with the way the 8 week program is working.

Planning Day

Would be good to set up a planning day on how to go forward.  Will be in late July.  Details next newsletter and on Facebook.

Small jars and old newspapers

Appreciate if people could save small jars for home made chutney etc for future garden clinics, and also old newspapers for weed control, to be covered with wood chips.  Drop in to the garden on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Thanks !!

Andrew and completed path, pic Jo Nemeth

June Feature —  Sustainable Gardening Australia 
on Weedicides

When trying to live sustainably, we want to reduce the incidence of harm caused by the products we use. 
And how difficult is this getting!!!

According to the Environmental Protection Agency in the USA, there are over 84,000 chemicals in overall commercial use with between 500 and 1000 added each year. Many of these have some degree of toxicity for humans or the environment. 

At SGA, we want to minimise harmful effects. So, together with the Burnley College of Melbourne University, we developed a rating system for commercially available garden products so that we could differentiate between those which had low, medium or high undesirable impacts.

An important observation is that products containing glyphosate, are rated as medium impact. This is particularly so because the glyphosate-containing Roundup is widely used in agricultural contexts. Canola, which is the source of cooking oil and is used in much processed food, has been released in NSW in the genetically engineered Roundup-Ready form. This means that the crop still grows after being sprayed with glyphosate to kill weeds. Many different weed killers for domestic use also contain glyphosate.

So, let’s look at each of the rating criteria:

Is the product made from “natural” non-synthesised ingredients?  

Chemicals that have been synthesized have generally caused the consumption of more energy during their manufacture than natural materials such as vinegar and salt. For most weedicides, the answer to that question is “no”.

What is the Schedule heading? 

By law, chemical products must be labelled according to the Poisons Schedule which is primarily directed to protect human    safety. Products have a “schedule heading” (a number preceded by “S”) and a “signal heading”. Products with no schedule heading i.e. below S5, are deemed safe to use. But they may have a signal heading such as “keep out of reach of children” or “read safety directions” .Those labelled S6 have a heading of “poison” and those classified as S7 have a heading of “Dangerous Poison”.  S7 chemicals are not permitted to be sold, stored or used in domestic situations. Clearly products with sche.dule headings of S5 or higher have higher potential impacts than those that are unscheduled.                                                       

Products containing glyphosate are classified as S5 and carry a signal heading of “Caution” and usually with advice to keep out of reach of children and to read safety  directions. This is because if it is mishandled it can cause irritation of the skin, respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts and eyes, Some other chemicals in weed killers scheduled S5 on the basis of animal testing are propyzamide (carcinogen), MCPA (2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid) (affects liver and kidneys) although their concentrations and other chemicals in products can increase their schedule heading to S6 Poison.

Is it hazardous to bees, amphibians, pets or fish?  

Who sprays weedicides on pets, frogs or fish? Most of us draw the line at that, but need to remember that we are effectively doing that if the chemical finds its way into streams or ponds or if pets are around when the product is being used. For example, glyphosate is harmful to aquatic organisms and dicamba and MCPA have slight toxicity to fish.

Is it pre-mixed and ready to apply? 

Products which are pre-mixed and ready for use are less hazardous than those that require dilution and mixing since they are less likely to spill on either people, soil or non-target organisms.

Is it an aerosol and Schedule 5 or more?   

 Substances sprayed from cans or bottles can easily be inadvertently inhaled from the aerosols, so S5 products which have a caution warning, and, of course, S6 products can cause problems. Trigger sprays produce larger droplets than pressurized cans, and these droplets are less likely to travel far enough to be inhaled or reach non-target plants or animals.

Is the packaging well-designed and robust in relation to the schedule heading?

Robust plastic bottles with safety screw tops are difficult to be accessed by children, while trigger spray bottles are more prone to accidents.

OR go the really low impact route – hand pulling of weeds!

 From post by Helen Tuton -June in Your Patch 2014   http://www.sgaonline.org.au/

Apologies to those who have read this in the SGA newsletter.

Pic from Google

Vegetable Planting Guide by Gardening Australia For June

Beetroot, Broad Beans, Cabbage, Carrots, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Endive,    Florence Fennel, Garlic, Huauzontle, Jerusalem Artichoke, Kale, Collards, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Malabar Greens, Mangle-Wurzel, Mitzuna, Mustard Greens, Onion,     Parsnip, Peas / Snow Peas, Radish, Rocket, Shallots, Silverbeet, Spinach.

 http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/vegieguide/

Rocket

Still not well known, Rocket is a leafy green that grows well at this time of year without running to seed.  It adds a delicious peppery taste to salads and food  dishes. Raw rocket offers protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals in small amounts, but the greatest nutritional offering comes from its vitamin K content for bone strength and blood clotting. However people on blood thinning medication would know to be careful of vitamin K.

Silverbeet 

Why isn’t my silverbeet as green as what we see in the shops?

Nitrogen gives plants their dark green color and increases leaf and stem growth. The crispness and quality of leafy vegetables such as lettuce, silverbeet, swiss chard and spinach is influenced by nitrogen levels. Plants deficient in nitrogen have light green to yellow leaves and appear stunted.

Silverbeet prefers a slightly alkaline soil with at least a pH of 6 or above, and like all vegetables, needs well-drained, well composted soil that has the addition of animal manures.

Silverbeet seems to be more popular than spinach in Australia. Silverbeet is a cool climate plant that grows just as well in warmer climatic zones. In warm areas it can be sown almost all year.

Source: various online.

Recipe Corner

Eggplant Parmigiana  - by Jean Lawrence

This eggplant parmigiana is served with a rich napoli sauce and is ideal for vegetarians.

· 2 large eggplants cut into 1cm thick slices

· 1/4 cup olive oil

· 4 cloves garlic unpeeled

· 20 g butter

· 1 tbsp plain flour                                          

· 1 cup milk

· 1 cup tomato pasta sauce

· 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

·  1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 200 °C or 180 °C fan. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Lay eggplant on trays, brush with oil. Place whole garlic among the eggplant slices. Bake for 10 mins, turn eggplant slices and bake for further 10-15 mins until golden. Squeeze roasted garlic from skins and spread over eggplant.

2. Meanwhile, make sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan on medium. Add flour and cook, stirring for 2 mins until mixture comes away from sides of pan. Remove from heat. Gradually add combined milk and pasta sauce, stirring constantly until thickened. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 5 mins. Remove from heat.

3. Spread a little sauce over base of a 23cm square baking dish. Top with a layer of eggplant slices, a layer of sauce and half the cheese. Repeat layers once more.

Bake parmigiana for 20 mins until golden. Rest for 5 mins before serving with salad.

http://recipes.coles.com.au/recipes/51/eggplant-parmigiana/

   From https://www.facebook.com/sustainablegardeningaustralia?fref=photo    

                

By turning food scraps and organic garden waste into compost you can:

· Improve soil quality and garden vitality by releasing the rich nutrients in the compost into the soil of your garden  

· Prevent greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging the aerobic breakdown of organic material reducing the amount of garden and kitchen waste going to Landfill

· Recycle valuable nutrients and reduce the use of artificial fertilisers

· Save money   

Info: http://www.cleanup.org.au/au/LivingGreener/composting.html

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Suggestions and photos welcome, by email  to Jo or

Jan—email casinogarden@gmail.com 

or bring  to lunch Wednesdays or the meetings.  

Ask Jo about  being a member of the Garden— $5/ annum

Join us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CasinoCommunityGarden    

See current  and back issues at our newsletter blog.

 http://casino-garden.blogspot.com.au 

  Words and photos by Jan Brine unless otherwise stated.

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Casino Community Garden

A Project of the Casino Neighbourhood Centre

Contact: Jo Nemeth on 6662 5435 Email: coordinator.cdp@cnci.org.au

Location: Head for Entrance to Queen Elizabeth Park at South Casino—

Garden on Left—corner Adam & Hartley Streets

  

______________________

WELCOME TO WINTER 2014

Thanks to member Aly for the new poster for our next garden clinic.  Come down for BYO lunch on Wednesdays to keep up with all the garden news. Next monthly meeting 12.30 on Wednesday 4th June.

(Near Queen Elizabeth Park, South Casino 2470)

NEWSLETTER MAY 2014

CASINO COMMUNITY GARDEN

Monthly Newsletter #14 MAY 2014

Around Casino Community Garden this Month

Gardening:  Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 8.30am

BYO Lunch:   Every Wednesday 12 noon 

Monthly Meeting: First Wednesday of month.  Lunch 12 noon.

Meeting 12.30 for about an hour.

Interesting to see a balloon come into view and hover in the direction
of Casino Airport on a recent Saturday Morning

News from our May meeting at the Garden
Wednesday 7th May 2014

Topics and Speakers for our next Garden Clinic

  Saturday 14th June.  1.00pm to 4.00pm

"Welcome to Winter"

1.00 Pm Tour of Garden with Mark
1.15pm   Intro to Garden Clinic, Jo Nemeth - Co-Ordinator
1.20pm   First Speaker
2.00 pm  Second Speaker
2.45pm   Offiicial Opening and Thankyous Solid Entrance Path donated by business and generous people of Casino, Novaskill and Jobfind.
3.00pm Chat with Speakers and friends, and Produce / Plant Stall
3.15pm Afternoon tea.  Gluten free food/ pizza will be available.

Topics
Home Cheesemaking
Talk on home cheesemaking by Louise Woolbank.  Louise is from The Wicked Goat Dairy at Coraki and has years of experience producing different dairy products from her home business.

Louise will run through the basics of making different cheeses at home.

Louise offered to bring two goats along on the day.

Second Topic and Speaker to be Advised
Please watch for details on Facebook, and on Aly's "Welcome to Winter" poster when it is put up around town.

Info Sheets and Recipes for Lend-a-Hand

We have had a request for info sheets and recipes for the veggies that some people may not have used before.

Andrew offered to prepare the sheets to send along when those items of produce are taken to Lend-a-Hand.

Free  Volunteering Expo 10.00am to 4.00pm Thursday 15th May

Several Casino Community Garden members will be on duty at our "stall" at the Expo, at the Casino Community Centre, to answer queries about the garden, and others will be attending.

Weekday Workshops
Mark has mentioned he gets queries from people wanting help with their home gardens. Is there enough interest to run weekday workshops?

Picking Veggies

Thanks to those who responded to our appeal for help on Tuesdays from 8.30am to 10.00am to pick veggies for Lend-A-Hand. Still needing helpers, anyone who has some time.

Casino High School Students

Preparations finalised for several students to be involved at the garden on Thursdays from 11.00am to 1.00pm, starting in May with Linda Brooks supervising.

The Crew with Stage One of the new path completed.

Preparation for final section.

May Feature - Seed Saving

Seed saving: an important aspect of gardening.

Mention seed saving at the Garden and Mark brings out a box with various brown paper bags of saved seeds, and he is very willing to share his extensive knowledge on the subject, and show us through the seeds that he has collected, for use in seasonal propagation. Look out for Seed Saving at a future clinic.

However one of the issues at the garden is that some veggies that have been chosen to set seed, and not be harvested, are being picked by casual visitors to the Garden. 

Milkwood.net  No doubt seed saving has been going on as long as there has been agriculture, but it is interesting to read about the seed-saving network founded by Jude and Michel Fanton of Byron Bay. They started The SeedSavers in Australia in 1986 to preserve local varieties of useful plants and have since played a crucial role in over 37 countries, within communities and networks motivated to preserve seed sovereignty.

Today there are over 100 active seedsaver network nodes in Australia, still actively swapping, preserving and growing many local, heirloom and adapted varieties of the food we eat every day, ensuring their ongoing availability with the small but huge gesture of seed saving.

They also wrote the definitive book on Australian seedsaving "The Seedsavers Handbook", which should be in every public library as it contains invaluable, do-able information on how to save seeds to ensure future harvests of every scale.  Since then Jude has written "Seed to Seed: Food Gardens in Schools".       Pic Internet.

Meet the Seedsavers

Fact Sheet: Seed Saving by Jerry Coleby-Williams 

Jerry says the most important seed saving rule is to save seeds from the best plants and eat the rest.  It is important to only save seed from non-hybrid plants and these are commonly referred to as heritage, old-fashioned or open pollinated plants.  They are the plants most likely to produce offspring - in the form of seed - that closely resemble their parents.

Most seed, such as lettuce, are dry.  To save them it's simply a case of removing them from their capsules and storing them somewhere cool and dry.  For fleshy seeds such as tomatoes, there are two ways of saving seed.   A traditional method is to soak the pulp in water overnight to allow it to ferment.  This removes the natural germination inhibitors and, after washing and straining through a sieve, the seed can be dried and stored.   Or slice tomatoes, squeeze the pulp directly onto paper towelling and let them dry.  When ready to sow, cut off a piece with four to six seeds on it and sow in a pot.

When sowing your own seed generic variations might become apparent, most plants stay true to type, but you may propagate a plant that is an improvement,

Saving seeds helps to adapt plants to your garden conditions, for example plants from cooler climates may slowly adapt to our subtropical conditions.

Jerry concluded "Seed saving has given me better adapted plants and my own personal cultivars.

From internet.

Vegetable Planting Guide by Gardening Australia for May

Beetroot, Broad Beans, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Burdock, Cabbage, Carrots, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Endive, Florence Fennel, Huauzontle, Jerusalem Artichoke, Kale, Collards, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Malabar Greens, Mangle-Wurzel, Mitzuna, Mustard Greens, Onion, Pak Choy etc, Parsley, Parsnip, Peas / Snow Peas, Radish, Rocket, Shallots, Silverbeet, Spinach, Turnips/Swedes.

Veggie Guide

Featured Vegetable

Alugbati also known as Malabar or Ceylon Spinach

Thanks to Agnes for notes and also getting the Alugbati established in our garden.

Alugbati is a common vegetable in the Philippines and is also known as Malabar and Ceylon Spinach, and although not a spinach, can be used as a substitute in salad, stir-fry or curry and other recipes.  It has a wealth of nutrients as well as other health benefits as seen online in Philippine Medicinal Plants.

It is listed as low calorie and an excellent source of calcium and iron, and a good source of vitamins A, B, C and high in fibre.

There are several types, green stem, red stem and variants of green and red, and it grows several metres in length.  It is propagated by cutting or seeds, and planted on hills with a trellis.  Plant in full sun.  It prefers warmer temperatures.

Also grown in Asia, Africa and Malaysia, and used as a dye and for folkloric, cosmetic, veterinary and pharmaceutical applications.

Recipe Corner
Fish Lasagne with Cheesy Topping

Make a tasty main meal with a 425g can of mackerel, and lasagne sheets from the pantry.
Any canned fish, or fresh or frozen could be used. 

What you need:

Lasagne sheets, regular or gluten free, heat in boiling water on stovetop, to soften, drain.

Can mackerel or other fish, drained, mashed and flavoured with half finely chopped red onion (optional).

50 grams butter, 50 grams flour (or gluten free) and 600 mls milk for the sauce

Carrot grated

2 or 3 silverbeet leaves from the garden or baby spinach, chopped.

Salt and Pepper

Grated cheese to taste, about a  cup.

To Make the sauce:

Place saucepan on a low to medium heat, melt butter and quickly stir in the flour.

Stir and cook for two minutes.

Gradually add milk and, stirring with a wooden spoon, bring to a gentle boil until it thickens to a smooth custard-like consistency.

Add half of the cheese, salt and pepper if liked.

To Assemble lasagne:

Pour a little sauce into your large oven-proof dish and spread evenly to make a thin layer. (I use a large round pyrex casserole dish).

Add lasagne sheets to cover the sauce but don't allow lasagne sheets to overlap.

Add another thin layer of sauce, then one third of the fish on top, then a thin layer of  spinach and carrots.

Add next layer of lasagne sheets and repeat until there are three layers of pasta, sauce, fish and veggies.  The lasagne should be the top layer.  Press down with hand to level.

Top with remainder of sauce and sprinkle rest of grated cheese on top.

Bake in 180C oven for 25 minutes or until lasagne is piping hot and the cheesy topping is golden brown.

Serve with garden salad or steamed veggies to taste.

I   adapted this recipe from one on the internet intended for children with several "how to" segments.    

Fish Lasagne Recipe

Worm Farm Workshop

A workshop was held at The Hive, Mid Richmond Community Garden at Evans Head.

Clayton demonstrated how to set up and maintain a worm farm, and answered questions so that everyone had a clear understanding of setting up, and feeding the worms with kitchen scraps and equal amounts of dry matter, and what to expect in the way of castings and liquid fertiliser and how to use them.  Also how to start and maintain a worm farm in broccoli boxes and an old bath.

It is another step in reducing waste to landfill, and cutting costs in the garden with the nutrient-rich fertiliser.

Everyone enjoyed Clayton's yummy muffins too, and the friendly atmosphere.

 These pics and more: Facebook page of The Hive, A Mid Richmond Community Garden

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Suggestions and photos welcome, by email to Jo or

Jan - email casinogarden@gmail.com

or bring to lunch Wednesdays or the meetings.

Ask Jo about being a member of the garden - $5/ annum

Join us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CasinoCommunityGarden

If you are new here, scroll down for back issues of the Newsletter.

Words and photos by Jan Brine unless otherwise stated.

_____________________

Casino Community Garden

A Project of the Casino Neighbourhood Centre

Contact: Jo Nemeth on 6662 5435  Email: coordinator.cdp@cnci.org.au

Location: Head for Entrance to Queen Elizabeth Park at South Casino

Garden on Left - corner Adam & Hartley Streets.

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