Welcome to our November newsletter!
We would like to start by acknowledging the D’harawal Season we have just entered, The Time of Parra’dowee – Gooray’murrai.
What a full past two months we have had, with the highlight being our very own Connecting over Fair Food + Crop Swap event! We celebrated Global Climate Change Week, shared local produce, heard about different issues in the food system, and re-connected with many of the fair food initiatives we have here in the Illawarra.
November is #UrbanAgricultureMonth, a month-long celebration of growing good food in cities. Utilising the urban environment to grow fresh and local produce, from a few herbs or a flourishing backyard or community garden are all steps towards increasing food security. Keep an eye out for events happening for the occasion.
Read on for:
- Our Fair Food Champion: Cody Regan a volunteer at the UOW Community Garden
- The recap of our Connecting over Fair Food Event
- How to organise your own crop swap
- Urban Agriculture Month events
- Our timely Fair Food Gift List!
Go gentle, be kind & eat Local!
D’harawal Season: The Time of Parra’Dowee
The time of Parra-Dowee – Gooray’murrai. Warm and wet. (November/December). The time of the parra’dowwe (eel) signifies the time to prepare for the very hot weather which will, within the next two moons, scorch the land and the people.
Click here to read the full story
Fair Food Champions: Cody Regan
Cody is the Community Outreach Leader of the UOW Community Garden and our Fair Food Champion for this issue! The food grown within the garden helps to stock the Pulse Pantry which assists students facing hardship.
Click here to read the full story
Fair Food Event + Crop Swap: Recap
On the 18th October, we hosted our annual Fair Food Event and Crop Swap. There were numerous stalls and a great night to hear about our local food system.
Click here to read the full story
Organise your own Crop Swap!
Swapping local produce is a great way to decrease surplus goodies you have grown or preserved while helping fight for a fairer food system! In light of our recent Crop Swap we held, we have created a resource for you to organise your own! Click here for more info
Urban Agriculture Month
November is the month dedicated to raising awareness of Australia’s urban agriculture movement. Register your own event, or check out the events on!
Click here to find out more
Nominate your fair food champion
Do you know someone who would be a great #FairFoodChampion to be featured in our next newsletter? Our FFC segment is a great way to recognise and celebrate the amazing champions we have in our community, all working towards a fairer food system. Click here for more
Invest in Our Local Food System
It has never been clearer that eating local produce is a powerful way to take action on climate change. The Wollongong Online Farmers Market is here to grow a more resilient, sustainable and local food system. Click here to order now!
PS. Delivery is HERE and Buena Vista ARE BACK!
Our ENSURING FOOD SECURITY FOR ALL Fair Food Field Guide talks about how food security is a basic human right. Follow the below links to find more information on how to work towards a fairer food system!
Levels of food insecurity can vary from feeling uncertain about the ability to obtain enough food for your family, to always being hungry. Click here for more.
A direct opportunity to help ensure food security for all is to volunteer. Whatever your interests, the Illawarra has a range of volunteer opportunities. Click here for more.
We must collaborate and share our skills and expertise in order to address food security. Click here for more.
Food literacy is about understanding food and its impact on your health, the environment and the economy. Click here for more.
Want more? Head to the Ensuring Food Security for All section of
our Fair Food Field Guide to find:
Our FAIR FOOD EVENTS CALENDAR is filled with exciting opportunities to participate in – from workshops and seminars to markets, community garden days, and more. We’ve listed a few exciting events coming up:
Sydney Urban Agriculture Forum
11th November 2022 | 9:15 am – 2:00 pm | Sydney
This Forum will be a celebration of the 2nd national Urban Agriculture Month and reflect on the fantastic work underway across Sydney to strengthen the city’s food system in face of mounting and serious challenges.
Click here for more
Popes Produce: Open Garden
12th November 2022 | 10am – 11am | Woonona
Join this FREE tour of Popes Produce backyard market garden as part of Urban Agriculture Month.
Click here for more
Women Illawarra: The Women’s Patch / Garden Workshop
25th November | 10 am – 12 pm | Wollongong
Join in the organic garden workshop where Louise Charman from Soul Signature will be hosting a meditation session and showing how to create a special place in the garden to use as a healing space.
Click here for more
Deakin Food Policy Dialogue
13th December 2022 | 9:30 am – 4:30 pm | Online
Join for FREE for some informative and thought-provoking presentations, a panel discussion, and breakout sessions on policies that support equitable food systems.
Click here for more
Podcasts
| The threat to our food is here to stay Spend 15 minutes of your time listening to this great segment by 7am Daily News. Click here to listen 🎧 |
Uncovering the Hidden Harvest
Public Health Nutrition from Foodies in the Field present Uncovering the Hidden Harvest, with Maree Thomson.
Click here to listen 🎧
Fair Food Gift List
Online Course: Preserving Tomatoes
Tomatoes are in season in Spring and Summer, so what better way to make the most of seasonality then to preserve some yourself! This is an online course, and will run you through the preserving process.
📍 Online
Click here to buy now
Make your own Chilli Oil
Are you friends with a spice lover? Why not make your own Chilli oil to gift them? Start collecting some jars now, so you have containers to store the goods.
📍 LOCAL, your own kitchen
Click here for a recipe
Build your own Local Produce Hamper
Head to the Wollongong Online farmers Market and fill your cart with anything from Darkes ciders, Local honey soap and seaweed salt, to crunchy granola and seasonal seedlings. Check out the huge array on their website.
📍 LOCAL, Wollongong
Click here to order now
Make your own Tea
If you want to get creative, you can buy some herbs from local growers, or see if any friends have surplus herbs and dry them out to make your own tea. Why not make a lemon concoction by drying out some lemon myrtle?
📍 LOCAL, from a friends backyard
Click here for a recipe
Fruit & Veg Seedlings
Getting a gift for a green thumb individual? Why not buy them some seedlings, herbs or even a fruit tree? The gift that keeps on giving!
📍 LOCAL, from your own local nursery
Permaculture Starter Guide
This free downloadable guide from Milkwood is a great resource to gift yourself, or to gift a loved one who is wanting to get started in permaculture. It has 7 climate positive actions you can start right now.
📍 Online
Click here to download now
Make your own Christmas Garland
Get into the festive spirit by making your own decorations. Gather a couple of friends and make a day of it or gift one to a loved one. You can even dry out citrus for cocktail garnishes.
📍 LOCAL, from your own kitchen
Click here to learn how
From Scratch Cookbook
Written by Fiona Weir Walmsley, the owner of Buena Vista Farm located in Gerringong. The cookbook is a cheerful collection of recipes, and a simple guide to making your own food and staples, starting at the very beginning.
📍LOCAL, from Gerringong
Click here to buy now
| Proudly hosted and governed by Healthy Cities Illawarra since 2005 We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of D’harawal Country where our organisation is located. We pay our deepest respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. While FFI takes every reasonable effort to ensure that the information contained within this newsletter is correct at the time of issue, we recommend that the individual takes care to confirm details, as events especially are subject to last minute changes, and run at the organiser’s discretion. |
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