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Welcome to the NSCF February 2016 E-News  

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
The Management Committee would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the visioning and planning processes over the past year and shared their view of the future of the farm. This has led to the development of the Strategic Plan, which will help guide the activities of the Farm.
 
To find out more about NSCF governance and what the Management Committee does, have a look at our page on the website: Management Committee

 

Upcoming Events

Sustainable Living Workshops
Saturday 5th March
Miso,Tempeh and Soy Sauce Making 
Saturday 5th March
Lactic Fermentation 
Saturday 12st March
Bush Regen K.I.T.: Knowledge, Inspiration, Tools 'n' technique
Saturday 12st March
Coil Stitch Weaving Circle
Saturday 19th March
Prints from Plants
Saturday 19th March
Bee-Keeping
Saturday 26th March

Superfoods in your garden
 
Free workshop Series
28th February: 10-11am Bush Regeneration with Tali Shelley

Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course
Friday April 1st to Friday July 8th
 

Other courses
Introduction to Permaculture: 21 & 22 May
Permaculture basics: Organic Herbs and Vegies Saturday 4,11,18 & 25 June
 
A Professional Development workshop for pre-service and in-service teachers
Building Ecological Literacy: Outdoor Learning & Sustainability across the Curriculum: Monday 16th May (see School Activities and Group Tours section for more information).

 
CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY

Clean Up Australia Day at the Farm
 
Sunday the 6th of March, 8am
Meet up at the end of Edmund St.

 
Come down to the farm and help clean the river by canoeing and walking along the banks of the river. Bring gum boots/suitable boots, gloves, hats, water bottle & good vibes.
 
EDUCATION & SUPPORT TEAM
By Emma Brindal
PERMACULTURE COURSES
The next Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course starts on Friday the 1st of April 2016, running each Friday until May 21st. There is an early bird discount for full payment one month before the course starts. Book in now!

We also have two other courses running throughout the year. Here’s what one student said about our course last year:
“I gained a thorough grounding in a wide range of topics relating to permaculture and garden design from this course. The classes were varied and interesting, taught by a range of specialist teachers. I feel that I gained an excellent grounding in permaculture and its principles. It was a fun, enriching and demanding experience.” - Disa Martin, Student

Permaculture Design Certificate Courses 2016
  • Fridays: April 1st to July 8th  
  • Intensive: September School Holidays – 17th Sept – 2nd Oct
  • Saturdays: August 6th – Nov 19th (break for October long weekend)
 2 Day Introduction to Permaculture: May 21&22, 9am-4pm with Morag Gamble
Introduction to Permaculture is a wonderful weekend immersion in permaculture. Explore the basics of permaculture principles, design and action. Learn simple and useful skills that will really help you to create an abundant permaculture garden at home, in your street, at school or in your community.  Come and get your hands in the earth and learn by doing.
Cost: $200/ 170
For more information and to book, please visit: http://www.nscf.org.au/permaculture-design-course-brisbane/
 
Permaculture basics: Organic Herbs and Vegies
Saturdays4,11,18 & 25 June, 9am-1pm
with Carmel Harris and Adrian Holbeck
In this practical course, you will learn about understanding and enriching your soil with compost, worms and tonics, and to grow herbs and vegies for healthy, year-round harvests.
Cost: $200/ 170
FREE WORKSHOP SERIES
We are now holding a free workshop on the last Sunday of each month from 10-11am. There is no need to book in - just turn up on the day. The next one is:
28th February: 10-11am Bush Regeneration with Tali Shelley
 
SCHOOL ACTIVITIES & GROUP TOURS
Book in now for a 2016 school activity or group tour! Our school activities include: ‘Feeding the World’s People’ for high school students; ‘Cob Oven Cooking’ for grades 4 -12; and ‘Farm Life’, ‘Earth Arts’ and ‘Basic Farm Tour’ for all ages. We can also tailor an activity to your needs.
For bookings please visit our School activities page: http://www.nscf.org.au/school-tours/
Or the group tours page: http://www.nscf.org.au/group-tours/
 
A Professional Development workshop for pre-service and in-service teachers
Monday 16th May, 9am - 3.30pm
with Emma Brindal
Building Ecological Literacy: Outdoor Learning & Sustainability across the Curriculum. 
This workshop will introduce you to: ways in which the Australian Curriculum cross-curriculum priority area of sustainability and simple themes of ecology can be embedded in teaching across the Learning Areas; approaches that you can use with your students to increase their ecological literacy and stewardship; and how these approaches can support students to have the knowledge, understandings and skills to engage in creating a more sustainable world. The workshop is focused on primary school teachers, but the material can also apply to secondary teachers.
Cost: $110 school-funded / $70 student/unwaged
 
FREE FARM TOUR
The weekly free Farm Tour is on every Tuesday at 9.30am. Meet at the farm kitchen. The tour is followed by a volunteer induction session.
 
For more details as well as booking information, please see our website
Education enquiries: education@nscf.org.au
Education bookings: info@nscf.org.au

 
FARMING TEAM
Gardens
The gardens are in transition, with crops finishing and preparation under way for the new season’s planting.

Market garden irrigation system continues to be refined, while kitchen garden irrigation has been shut down due to insufficient water in the header tank.

Seven additional garden beds have been installed in the market garden, with two more being considered.

Interns and volunteers
Internship program is currently on hold.

Volunteers have been joining in with the WEX projects with success.

Allotments
All allotments are currently full.
Donna is planning to install ‘free-for-all’ produce beds and shared flower beds for beneficial insects.

Animals
Worms: redesign of worm farm will be supported by WEX project

Compost
New WEX participants are enthusiastic; increased numbers will make this task easier.
OFFICE HOURS
Tuesday- Thursday 9am-4pm

City Farm Nursery 
Thursday - Saturday  9am-3pm and
Sunday 6am-11am

Sunday Organic Farmers Market
Every Sunday 6am-11am

 

I hope you can come along and join in with one of our activities.
See you around the Farm!
Ronni Martin 
Education & Support Team Manager


 
ENTERPRISE & EVENTS TEAM
 ORGANIC FARMERS’ MARKET   Sundays 6am to 11am
Sunday mornings are Northey Street Markets. See you there.


Again it has been a busy month at the Northey Street City Farm Organic Market. 
 
We had a lunch for the stallholders early in February where we shared stories and suggestions over some lovely food prepared by City Farm staff- thank you all you helped! We chatted about the future we all want for the market, to be the best place for sustainable, ethically sourced, organic food in Brisbane. 
 
Mangoes are out unfortunately but we are looking forward to new seasonal fruit and vegetables. Stone fruit was exceptional at the market this week. 
 
We have some great new stalls. Organic Coconut Ice-cream anyone?? Or perhaps you would like a henna tattoo using organic henna? And starting February 28th we have a 7am yoga class (payment by donation).
 
Keep checking our social media pages and website for updates. 

 
CITY FARM NURSERY
At the City Farm Nursery we want to play our part in helping society to transition from unsustainable consumerism with the goal of economic growth. to a goal of meeting our human needs for wellbeing, happiness, community and connectedness.
We aim to stock the best quality organic, and wherever possible, locally and sustainably produced products. Shortening the distance between producer and consumer reduces our reliance on fossil fuels, and carbon emissions. By supporting local producers we are participating in building a local resilient economy and developing a sense of connection to place and products. Your money is invested in the local community, helping to generate new livelihoods, training opportunities, grow innovative new ideas, unique businesses and a local identity.
In exchange you receive quality products, informative advice, exceptional customer service, a beautiful place to spend some time sharing ideas, a sense of community, an opportunity to learn and try and the satisfaction of greater self-reliance.
Our raw, organic honey is rich in health enhancing enzymes and anti-oxidants. Farm grown honey stocks are limited because the honey produced from now on will be left in the hive to sustain our bees over the winter months. To keep you well supplied we have also sourced a range of uniquely flavoured raw honey from a variety of local producers.
Our volunteers are kept busy developing some innovative techniques for harvesting the different types of seeds from our Farm stock plants. We are diligently building our seed bank so that we can offer you a wider variety of freshly harvested, locally grown, resilient, open pollinated and heirloom organic seeds. Months of experimentation with our very own organic seed raising mix, available to buy whenever we have an excess, has yielded a nutritious medium which produces reliably strong, healthy seedlings and plants.
New Arrival: We now have a ‘Dr Grow It All’ refill station in the Nursery, so don’t throw away your ‘Dr Grow It All’ containers, you can bring them in and fill up for a very affordable $8 a litre. We love this product and use it every week on our Nursery plants. Locally produced on the Sunshine Coast, it is an easy to use, liquid organic biostimulant plant nutrient and soil rejuvenator suitable for all types of plants. It contains beneficial bacteria which promote microbial activity in the soil, and it enhances plant root growth and yield, increases pest resistance and we think, by increasing the nutrient levels in the plants, makes them taste more delicious
.

 
Upcoming Sustainable Living Workshops 
 
For information and bookings:
http://www.nscf.org.au/sustainable-living-workshops-brisbane/
For enquiries email info@nscf.org.au
 
Saturday 5th March, 9:30am-12:30pm: Miso, Tempeh and Soy Sauce making workshop with Elisabeth Fekonia
Learn how to make your own miso, tempeh and soy sauce from organic soy beans!

Saturday 5th March, 1:30pm-4:30pm: Lactic Fermentation Workshop with Elisabeth Fekonia
Make a whole range of items from sauerkraut and pickles to kimchi and kombucha tea.

Saturday 12st March, 9am-4pm (Full day or Half day): Bush Regen K.I.T.: Knowledge, Inspiration, Tools 'n' technique with Tali Shelley & Jono Shelley
Gain knowledge, concepts and practical tools for enhancing and protecting our local environment.

Saturday 12st March: 
Coil Stitch Weaving Circle with Weva Deva
Discover a plethora of natural and recycled materials used to weave together spiraling coils of fibre into your own unique art piece.

Saturday 19th March, 9am-4pm:
Bee-Keeping with Richard Nielsen
Learn about the traditional Langstroth honey bee hive, and how to manage one as well as harvest and bottle honey.

Saturday 19th March, 9am-4pm:
Prints from Plants with Nancy Brown
Learn to create stunning prints from plants on a range of natural or upcycled materials.

Saturday 26th March, 9am-4pm: Superfoods in your garden with Morag Gamble
Learn how to grow these amazing superfoods in your garden and taste some recipes for them.

Saturday 2nd April: 
Black Gold from Earthworms with Hedrick Kwan
Learn how simple it is to keep worms and create incredible fertiliser for your garden.

Saturday 9th April, 9am-4pm:
Twist Weave Weaving circle with Weva Deva
Learn the Twist Weave (Dilly Bag) technique and how to harvest, prepare and weave with lomandra, an incredibly strong and flexible fibre.

Saturday 16th April, 9am-4pm:  Introduction to Organic Gardening with Morag Gamble
A hands on workshop to learn about planting, growing, and maintaining your own home organic garden.

Friday 22nd April, 9am-4pm:  
Native Stingless Bees with Dr Tobias Smith presenting Tim Heard’s workshop
A practical and theoretical course about stingless bees, their nests, hives, harvesting and more.
Saturday 7th May, 9am-4pm
Incredible Edibles with Morag Gamble
Learn how to grow, harvest, use and propagate perennial permaculture plants for a subtropical climate.


Saturday 7th May, 8am-4pm
‘Thinking of a Tree Change’ Lockyer Valley Tour with Dick Copeman

Get inspired by visiting a number of sites practising permaculture in the Lockyer Valley.

Saturday 14th May, 9am-12pm
Table Farming in your Kitchen with Hedrick Kwan
Come and taste different type of sprouts and have hands on experience in making your own table farm anywhere.
 
Monday 16th May, 9am-3.30pm:
Building Ecological Literacy: Outdoor Learning & Sustainability across the Curriculum with Emma Brindal
A Professional Development workshop for pre-service and in-service teachers

Saturday 28th May, 9am-4pm
Lantern Making with Nancy Brown
Make a lantern for your garden or special event, using Rattan and translucent paper.

Saturday 28th May, 9am-12pm
Garden to Fork with Hedrick Kwan
Learn about edible plants and weeds, harvest them and bring them back to the kitchen to prepare a dish with other basic staples.

Saturday 11th June, 10am-12pm: Botanical Fibre Papermaking with Lesa Hepburn  
In this workshop you will create paper to take home using recycled paper, botanical leaves and fibre.

Saturday 11th June, 9am-4pm:
Weaving circles: Melon Basket with Weva Deva        
Come and learn the warp and weft weave, and make your own unique large market basket to take home.

Sat 25th June, 10am-4.30pm:
Natural Bee-Keeping with Adrian Iodice           
Come and join Adrian Iodice and for a fascinating and informative day learning natural, organic, biodynamic, bee-centric Bee-care using Kenyan Top Bar Hives.
Copyright © 2016 Northey Street City Farm, All rights reserved.


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