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June Newsletter

Hi <<First Name>>

Welcome to new members

We have plenty of new members signing up, as well as renewals. If you have yet to renew for this year, go to our website and complete a new membership form, then pay your annual fee directly into the Sustainable Macleod bank account - details on the website.

Welcome to: Ann, Linda, Noel and Chris.

Membership now stands at 219.

Cancelled: Vegie Swap - this Saturday

The June Vegie Swap has been cancelled for this month due to an abundance of caution about COVID and the lousy weather.
lettuce and kale seelings
May swaps
Fruit and vegetables 28.8kg
bunches of herbs 20
packets of seeds 23
preserves 17
plants 459
empty pots and jars. 

A delight was to taste Midyim berries, an Australian native berry, grown by Catherine Haar.

The weather on the day of the swap was truly awful but nevertheless, we had almost a full turn out and enjoyed standing in the rotunda at one point with hail pelting down 360 degrees around us.  It was quite an experience to be dry and warm and surrounded by hail.

April swaps, which seemed a bit meagre at the time of recording, were minus 6kg of fruit and veg, 5 bunches of herbs and 5 plants.  A sheet was found at the back of a clipboard when we were preparing for May with this additional produce.


For those new to Sustainable Macleod, the vegie swap is held on the third Saturday of the month. Swaps are weighed, recorded and placed on tables between 11am and 11.30am, while we chat. After announcements at 11.30am, people choose what they would like to take home, being mindful that everyone needs to receive a fair share. Swaps can include fruit, vegies, herbs, seeds, plants, eggs, preserves and home made food items, and garden items.

Postponed: Pizza Night this Saturdaypizza night on 19 June has been postponed

Unfortunately, the Pizza Night to Celebrate Winter Solstice this coming Saturday has also been postponed.

We'll let you know when we've rescheduled it.

 

Rhubarb, strawberry, asparagus & horseradishrhubarb growing in soil

Some fruit and vegetables are grown from crowns and these require careful planting. A crown is defined as a part of a plant where stem and roots meet. Examples are rhubarb, strawberries, asparagus and horseradish.

For rhubarb and strawberries, it is important that the eye or bud of the crown is planted at, or just above, soil level as this prevents crown rot. Each is best grown in a dedicated bed in sunny, moist, well-drained conditions and both do well with a generous mix of well-rotted manure and compost annually. 

Read more

The role of urban agriculture in a Banyule food strategy

a mix of freshly picked vegetablesIn a previous newsletter (March 13, 2021), I have written about the importance of a food strategy for Banyule.

A Banyule food strategy would address issues such as the climate emergency, a secure supply of nutritious food for all residents, regardless of income and would reduce waste substantially.

There are a number of possible practical outcomes of a well-designed food strategy, with one of the most obvious being support for urban agriculture.


Read more

World Environment Day: “Let’s get active, not anxious”

batteriesLast year was stressful, and so many of us were very grateful for our leafy suburbs and parks to walk, ‘forest bathe’ and spend time in. Though it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the environmental problems we’re facing, I’m choosing to use those beautiful places and experiences to encourage me to take action.

Following the advice of the UN, let’s do something rather than just ruminating over all the things we wish had been done differently and government inaction.

The following are a list of just some suggestions of things you can do right away (if you haven’t already!)

Read more

Good news about single use plasticsplastic straws

The blight of plastic pollution is a frequent reminder of our throw-away convenience culture. But in Victoria at least, the end is near for the pesky large and small single-use plastic items.

From February 2023, the state government is banning from sale or supply items such as single-use straws, cutlery, plates, drink-stirrers, expanded polystyrene food and drink containers and cotton bud sticks.

Read more

Banyule Queensland Fruit Fly Strategy

queensland fruit flySustainable Macleod is developing a simple and effective Queensland Fruit Fly Strategy for Banyule. We will be rolling it out in a series of blogs and seminars and collecting data to help keep track of results. Using the strategy at the Macleod Organic Community Garden, people can learn by observing or participating in the strategy.

Right now – yes, in June – is the time to start so please read our first blog below. Being prepared early is half the battle!

Queensland Fruit Fly: Blog #1

Start right NOW!

Did you know that male fruit flies overwinter in Melbourne in warm microclimates in your garden? Reducing the number of males NOW gives you a head start in eradicating Queensland Fruit Fly from your fruit. Queensland Fruit Fly will hatch as late as April.

lemons on lemon treeThe males can survive high in the canopy of evergreen trees such as lemons or other evergreens until late August, these evergreens house warm microclimates within their canopies.

West facing trunks and branches absorb heat during the day and act as a thermal mass. Air inside the canopy will be much warmer than the air outside.

If you eradicate Queensland Fruit Flies in the canopy, where they congregate in groups of around 10, your early fruit won’t be affected. In fact, you won’t have a problem until January but by then you will know how to prevent it.

So, relocate your Protein taps or Pheromone lures (Ecolures) high up (around 2m), inside the canopy on the north or west side of your lemons trees and in any other evergreens which are close to a source of warmth, such as your house, chicken coop, hot water heater or compost heap. Putting up a number of these traps better protects you for the future.

Our recommendation is to use an Australian made trap, the Envirosafe Fly Trap. These bottles are made to catch flies but remove the bait and replace it with Ceratrap liquid (a protein bait for males and females) or Wild May (males only). These traps are sturdy, easy to use and yellow, which attracts Queensland Fruit Fly. Bunnings sell them for $9.99 and we will have bulk supplies available soon as well as the liquid to revitalise pheromone wicks (so keep your old lures but put them in your trees for now).

Instructions for homemade bottle traps and DIY protein baits will be provided as we proceed.

Please join us to control this emerging pest in our area.

Queensland Fruit Fly: Blog #2

fly trapHere are Sustainable Macleod’s 5 simple steps to protect against Queensland Fruit Fly.

1. Hang pheromone lures (Ecolures) in trees from May onward to monitor male Queensland Fruit Fly and to kill those males overwintering in evergreen trees, especially lemon trees.
2. Hang protein baits in trees in September to kill both male and female Queensland Fruit Fly.
3. Use white exclusion netting either 2mm x 2mm or 1mm x 3mm weave and weigh down the hem or tie it to a tree. 6 metre wide netting is available at Bulleen Art and Garden off the roll for $4.95 per metre.
4. Spray from August onward with Kaolin Clay. Cover fruit and leaves so that it drips off. This has a high success rate and also protects against gall wasp if sprayed from the 3rd week of October, fortnightly till the end of the1st week of December.
5. Collect any fallen fruit at least weekly (more often is better), and either double bag it and solarise it, drown it, or ferment it in a lidded bucket, freeze or microwave or cook it in other ways. Double bag the residue and put it in the normal waste bin.

Sustainable Macleod will have a range of items that you will need at wholesale prices including lures, baits, pheromone liquid and possibly Kaolin Clay. Watch our blog for notification of when available and for actions to take each month. 

Both blogs written by 
Robin Gale-Baker.

Upcoming events


Thursday 1 July 9.30 - 10.30am
Children’s Nature Treasure Hunt

Macleod Organic Community Garden
FREE school holiday event
Organised by Rodolfo Maia who is a Parks Vic ranger and Sustainable Macleod member, this event will delight youngsters. It will be held in the Macleod Organic Community Garden.

Saturday 3 July, 12-1pm
New members session
Macleod Organic Community Garden
Come along and learn all about Sustainable Macleod, the Macleod Vegie Swap, the community garden and upcoming workshops and social events, and meet other new members.
Free.

Monday 5 July, 6.30pm dinner, 7.30pm meeting 
Potluck dinner and monthly meeting
5 Fairlie Avenue, Macleod (Robin and Paul's house)
At 7.30pm we will watch a film on prevention of Queensland Fruit Fly with expert Andrew Jessup.
Please bring a plate of food to share.

Wednesday 7 July, 1-3pm
Kids in the Garden
Macleod Organic Community Garden
FREE school holiday event
Bring your kids to the community garden to learn about compost, worms and seed planting.

Saturday 10 July 1-3pm
Tree Pruning Workshop

Join us at the garden for a demonstration of fruit tree pruning including plums and apples. Learn which fruit trees to prune when, and the difference between heading cuts and the 2 types of thinning cuts and their purposes. Learn how to keep your trees low for safety, fruit accessibility and netting and when and what to spray them for. Led by Robin Gale-Baker.
Free to members; $15 non-members.

Sustainable Macleod Event Recap

Our first major event was the open day at Robin and Paul's home which attracted 30 people and was very well received. Robin and Paul conducted 3 tours during the 2 hour opening, explaining the permaculture and aesthetic principles that underlie the design of their edible garden. 

Undoubtedly a highlight of the month was the Mad Hatter's Tea Party at the community garden, celebrating loose leaf tea in 'real' teapots, kept warm in insulative cookers.  Mad hats abounded, the afternoon tea was spectacular but most of all members enjoyed getting to know each other better.
mad hatters tea party
mad hatters tea party

The vegie swap took place in terrible weather but nevertheless was almost at full capacity in terms of attendance.  Over 28kg of fruit and vegies, 459 plants and lots of other goodies were swapped.

The new members' session was attended by 5 enthusiastic people.

June Garlic Hint

spanish roja garlicThere is not much to do for garlic in June - it is now too late to plant it. Presuming you have weeded, mulched and watered your patch, you have done all you need to.  Now it is time to wait until the shortest day after which garlic heads will develop.

Garlic is sensitive to length of day and temperature rise.  Before the shortest day, garlic puts its energy into developing shoots and roots. After the shortest day, as days lengthen and get progressively warmer, garlic bulbs form and swell.


Written by Robin Gale-Baker & photo of 'Spanish Roja' garlic thanks to Gabrielle Guthrie.

News from Macleod Village shops

Music in the rotunda 
Music in the rotunda on Saturday 3 July will feature 'Out of Nowhere'.

Thanks to DVCS Op Shop
Many thanks to Carmel at the DVCS op shop for giving Sustainable Macleod a range of quirky teapots, sugar basins and milk jugs for the Mad Hatter's Tea party.  The pieces certainly enhanced the party.

New shops
The shopping strip is to get a 6th coffee shop where the green grocer used to be.  We wish the owners well while holding our breath that it won't be one too many for our shopping strip.  The strip will also get a second real estate agency in the premises formerly occupied by the butchery.  A psychology practice is opening in the shop that was The Beauty Box.

Save the date!
The Macleod Community Fete will be held on Saturday 18 September.  With organisations from the Macleod community being invited to showcase their wares and services, this is an event not to be missed.  There's nothing like an old fashioned fete.  Congratulations to the Macleod Traders for staging this event.


Written by Robin Gale-Baker

President's note

Volunteers' Week
Sustainable Macleod has been celebrating Volunteer Week from 17-23 May, which recognises the contribution made by those who give up their time to work in the community without pay.

We are proud of the work our volunteers do, freely giving their time with the primary aim of building a stronger and more resilient community.

A Banyule food strategy - our submission
Sustainable Macleod recently made a submission to Banyule City Council to have development of a Banyule Food Strategy funded in the coming budget. 

Sustainable Macleod's submission asks the Council to approve $30,000 in the budget to engage a consultant to develop a Banyule Food Strategy.  This would fund an expert group, such as Sustain - the Australian Food Network, for a 6-9 month consultation. 

The submission also asks Banyule City Council to lead development of the Banyule Food Strategy in partnership with Sustainable Macleod.  Sustainable Macleod would be able to work closely with interested groups including Local Food Connect and other Transition groups.

For more on the Banyule Food Strategy, see the article from the March Newsletter.

You are welcome to contact me via email to discuss the food strategy.


Paul Gale-Baker
President

Lead contamination in suburban vegie patches

childs hands podding peas in the gardenArticles have recently appeared in both The Age and The Guardian about the high and dangerous levels of lead being found in some Melbourne gardens.

With no safe level of human exposure to lead (especially in children), it's a real concern for anyone growing vegetables in contaminated soils. While it seems Banyule and Nillumbik have less to worry about, there are high levels being detected in some areas in Darebin.

We definitely think it's worth reading the stories and potentially sending a sample of your soil for testing by the VegeSafe team at Macquarie University.

A glut of... lemons!

Moroccan Preserved Lemons
Preserved lemons cost quite a lot to buy, but they are super easy to make. I use them in tagines, stews, traybakes, salads, dips and lots of other things.
  • lemons (Meyer lemons work really well, but any lemons are great)preserved lemons
  • fine sea salt*
  • water, boiled then cooled
  • a few fresh bay leaves, a big pinch of coriander seeds and/or black peppercorns, chilli, cinnamon quill (all optional and use to taste).
 
  1. Thoroughly clean a large jar and lid, and rinse well with really hot water. 
  2. Clean your lemons (sit them in a bit of vinegar and water and give them a scrub if they have been sprayed or have scale on them). 
  3. Place 1 tablespoon of salt in the bottom of the jar.
  4. Cut the nubs off both ends of the lemons.
  5. Cut lemons lengthways with 2 cuts (as though you are quartering the lemon). Leave a couple of centimetres at the bottom uncut so it still holds together.
  6. Put about 1 tablespoon of salt inside each cut lemon. 
  7. Squeeze lemons cut side down into the jar until half full.
  8. Really push them down so they squash and juice runs out.
  9. Place a cinnamon quill, a bay leaf, coriander seeds, peppercorns, dried chilli etc. down the inside wall of the jar.
  10. Keep pushing more cut and salted lemons into the jar.
  11. Fill the jar with lemons tightly packed. If there isn't lemon juice at least halfway up the jar, add more lemon juice. 
  12. Top up the jar with the cool boiled water. 
  13. Seal lid (preferably a non-metallic one, but alternatively you can place a piece of baking paper to stop the salt rusting the lid) and leave on the bench.
  14. Give it a gentle shake and turn upside down a few times every day for a few days. 
  15. Place in the fridge for a month or so and when the rinds are soft to bite, they are ready to use.
To use: a little goes a long way.  Wash to reduce saltiness before using. Traditionally only the rind is used, so discard the pulp.

*the fineness of the salt is important to make sure it dissolves, I use sea salt as it doesn't have preservatives or anti-caking agents.

Submitted by Jen Willis

Got a lemon recipe?

lemonsIf you've got a recipe to use up a glut of in-season lemons - we'd love to see it.

Go to our Instagram or Facebook page and share it.

Don't forget to tag us @sustainablemacleod though!

And we'd love you to use the hashtag #sustainablemacleod as well.

Macleod Organic Community Garden news 

Hours of opening
Wednesdays and Saturdays 1 - 4pm

Garden tasks accomplished in April & May*:

  • Composting, including mowing of all plant material for compost
  • Paving completed and shed moved to line up with pavers
  • Garlic planted  - about 800 cloves - some brassica seedlings and root vegetable seeds
  • Potting of seedlings
  • Top up of garden beds and orchard with vegie mix, cow manure and rock dust
  • Netting of garlic to protect from cockatoos and corellas
  • Netting of brassica family to protect from white cabbage moth
  • Weeding of paths and beds and laying of new mulch
  • Cleaning and rubbish disposal and sorting of tool shed and polytunnel 2
  • Washing of pots and trays and cleaning of tags
  • De-podding of seeds
  • Replacement of 2 kiwi plants and a blueberry 
  • Pruning, taking cuttings and transplanting red currant bushes
  • Pruning the mint pots
  • Digging out the dahlias and dahlia bed
  • Erecting the noticeboard
  • Transplanting tomato plants in polytunnel 1 to see if they will survive and produce early fruit
  • Children's day: kids planted peas, did pollinator count, planted punnets to take home, pulled out the enormous zucchini vine and harvested the last zucchini, learnt about composting and the garden.

May harvest
Basil 2kg, berries 2kg, capsicum 300g, chilli 100g, eggplant 400g, feijoa 3.1kg, figs 4.05kg, finger lime 500g, leeks 500g, lemons 3kg, lettuce 150g, pomegranate 1kg, potato 300g, raspberries 800g, rhubarb 2.2kg, rocket 3.1kg, sorrel 400g
Total 23.9kg

Free mulch
Mulch is now available for free. Bring a trailer, bags, or tubs and your own tools. You can drive in on Saturday afternoons but not on Wednesday afternoons.

For sale at the garden
20 litre buckets of cow manure $2 - sold out temporarily
20 litre buckets of potting mix $5
20 litres vegie mix $5 
10 litres perlite $5
Buy in bulk. Save money and avoid plastic!


Thanks to those people who did out-of-hours jobs for Sustainable Macleod:
  • Chris for shopping and paying the bills
  • Sandra for packaging seeds
  • Robin for attending the April Macleod Traders' Meeting
  • Marie-Claire for co-ordinating the April Vegie Swap and Bev M for the May swap 
  • The Communication team Jen, Suzy, Carol, Gabrielle, Amanda, Chris, Robin and Paul for the newsletter, website and social media posts
  • Paul, David and Nina for lighting and monitoring the pizza oven for the AGM and Paul for organising the AGM
  • Elizabeth and Jane for working on the Events program
  • Paul and Marie-Claire for attending Group Work training on behalf of Sustainable Macleod
  • Emily and Catherine Haar for compiling the garden produce statistics
  • Emily for setting up the new enrolment system
  • Bev for running the new members session
  • Robin for shopping at BAAG
  • Terry, Chris, Sandra, Robin and Paul for organising Children's Day at the Garden
  • Paul and Robin for organising the Easter Egg Hunt for kids and Marsha and Marie-Claire for hiding the eggs
  • Nina, Robin and Rhonda for organising the Mad Hatter's Tea Party
  • Robin and Paul for opening their garden to members
  • Chris, Sandra, Robin and Paul for working on our Queensland Fruit Fly Strategy
  • Lou for opening the garden

*A gremlin got to MOCG news in May and gobbled up important info and thanks to people who did out-of-hours jobs - hence the above covers April and May.
Sustainable Macleod website
Sustainable Macleod on Instagram
Sustainable Macleod on Facebook
Sustainable Macleod on YouTube
Email
Sustainable Macleod acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people as traditional custodians of the land on which our Garden rests, and we pay our respects to Elders, past, present and emerging.

aboriginal flagtorres strait islands flag

 
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