Category 31

Issue 31 Flipbook

Issue 31 Digital

Pip’s Issue 31 is packed full of inspiration and information on a diverse range of earth-conscious topics.
Hannah Maloney takes us to the South Australian farm that kickstarted her love of permaculture, learn how to attract native birds to your garden using native plants and hear how a woman is confronting death head-on using family, friends, love and colour.
We dig down into getting the best from your root vegetable crops this autumn and look at the pros and cons of the various ways to keep your patch hydrated. We’ll show you how spices can add warmth and complexity to your favourite desserts and look at the decades-old preserving recipes that have stood the tests of time.
As well as our regular pieces on foraging, seed saving and reducing waste, you’ll tour a sustainably built house that’s home to a family practising intergenerational living and learn how to breathe new life into old furniture.

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GOING TO GROUND – Your guide to growing root vegetables

root-veggies

Root vegetables like carrots, beetroots, parsnips and radishes are staples in our kitchens and vegetable gardens. Let’s dig down into how to grow your own bunch of crunchy carrots or bountiful beets.

Root crops are versatile vegetables that produce an edible swollen root or base of stem, either below or at the soil surface. Interestingly, not all are from the same family – swedes, turnips and radishes are from the Brassica family, beetroot is a relative of silverbeet in the Amaranthaceae family, and carrot and parsnip are part of the huge Apiaceae or Umbelliferae family.

All prefer to grow in full sun (at least six hours) and have similar requirements when it comes to soil and climate. They have provided a valuable food source of minerals, carbohydrates and fibre as staple crops throughout history and, with only a little effort, could be a tasty addition to your vegetable garden too.

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WELL WATERED – Finding the best way to water your garden

water

Water is the lifeblood of a garden – but should you hand-water, install an irrigation system or plug in a sprinkler? Let’s consider the best way to water your garden that will help keep our plants happy and hydrated.

Without water, plants would not survive. It makes up the majority of their cells and carries essential nutrients around the plant. Water is both used and produced during photosynthesis, a chemical process occurring in the plant’s cells to convert energy from the sun and carbon dioxide from the air into oxygen and energy the plant uses to grow.

Water also helps plants regulate their temperature by being transpired, or evaporated, from tiny pores in their leaves. Plant cells plump with water are also more flexible and able to better withstand wind and heat – cells that dry out will show up on the plant as brown patches or tips on leaves and stems.

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TESTS OF TIME – Old-fashioned family preserving recipes

flavors

Throughout history and across many cultures, humans have always found ways to preserve food. As we farewell summer and her generous abundance, the Pip team recalls some old-fashioned family favourites.

Every family has one or two recipes that have been prepared, eaten and handed down through generations. Recipes that evoke memories of family gatherings, holidays and special occasions, harbouring a strong emotional connection through both their taste and aroma. However, the tradition of handing down preserving recipes between generations is probably as much about practicalities as it is about cultural and familial considerations, because families engaged in food preservation can save money, reduce waste and increase the likelihood of having a stable food supply throughout the year.

Whether critical to surviving harsh winters, to provide nutrition during long voyages or simply to ensure no food ever went to waste, preserving gave the ability to consume certain produce out of season and played a vital role in human survival throughout time.

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DESSERT SPICES – How spices add warmth and complexity to desserts

spices

Commonly associated with savoury dishes, spices can add a warmth and complexity to your sweet desserts – a tasty way to use up the last of your summer produce.

In sweet cookery, spice can provide a delicate fragrance, hard to put your finger on but one that gives backbone to a dish. It can balance tartness and tone down things that are overly sweet.

Flavours can be enhanced by a thoughtful addition from the spice cupboard, making chocolate more chocolaty and fruit taste more of itself. Added not in shouts but in whispers, an intrigue of spice deepens allure.

You can’t enjoy spices in isolation, they need foods to bounce off, so cooking with them is an art of creating relationships. Like any successful marriage, when paired with the right ingredients they will bring out the best in each other.

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HOME MADE – A sustainable home for intergenerational living

three-generation

Nestled in the rolling hills of New South Wales’ far south coast stands a solar-passive place that’s home to a family reaping the benefits of intergenerational living.

Home to Honey and Stu and their two kids Ocean (nine) and Forest (four), as well as Honey’s mum Leonie, this home has been purpose built to support the family’s needs and lifestyle.

Seven years ago, not long after the birth of their first child, Honey and Stu started asking the big questions about where they wanted to live long-term. So, with Leonie, they left their home in Far North Queensland, where Honey and Stu both grew up and, with Leonie, headed south.

‘We were realising that as temperatures started increasing with global warming, Far North Queensland was going to be too hot to live,’ Honey says. ‘We specifically moved because we wanted to live somewhere that could handle an increase in temperature.

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THE FOOD FOREST – The farm that kick-started Hannah Maloney’s love of permaculture

Annemarie and Graham

If you’re interested in permaculture, chances are you’ve heard about, or visited, The Food Forest. An award-winning property spanning 50 acres, it is a certified-organic, permaculture farm and learning centre based in Gawler, an hour north of Adelaide, and is the life’s work of Annemarie and Graham Brookman.

Now in its 41st year, The Food Forest was established in 1983 with the intention of demonstrating how Australians can grow their own food, create a productive and diverse landscape, live in a low-energy, passive-solar house and earn a comfortable living, all while living relatively softly on the planet.

But this couple isn’t messing around. On their semi-arid property, they produce over 150 varieties of fruit including grapes (and wine), nuts, grain and vegetables and sell most of their produce at the Adelaide Farmers’ Market (which Graham helped found in 2006). All while raising two topnotch kids, juggling off-farm jobs in the earlier farm years and running a calendar of workshops – including their renowned Permaculture Design Course.

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JOJOBA OIL – Homemade natural skincare products

jojoba oil

Completely natural and long lasting, jojoba oil is an excellent choice for nourishing your face, body, hair and nails as it mimics the naturally occurring oils in our skin.

Pronounced ho-ho-ba, jojoba oil can be used in so many ways for everyone’s skincare routine. It’s a natural, gentle and effective way to take care of all skin types – including sensitive, dry, oily, blemished or mature skin.

Jojoba has a unique botanical chemistry that makes it very versatile and well-suited for human skin on its own. As well as being an effective all-over moisturiser for everyone including babies, jojoba oil can be used as makeup remover, a hair and beard treatment, nail oil or to help reduce scars and stretch marks.

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NATIVES FOR NATIVES – Choosing native plants to attract native birds to your garden

hollow

Using native plants to attract birds not only brings life, colour and song to our gardens, it also helps keep our local ecosystems balanced because of the roles birds play in pollinating plants, dispersing seed, controlling insects and, in some cases, even keeping rodents in check.

Bird habitats throughout the country are continually being cleared or destroyed, threatening vulnerable species. We have an opportunity to counter some of the imbalances this causes, by satisfying some or all of our local birds’ needs in our own garden. Their needs are simple; food, water, shelter and a place to nest. Choosing the right native plants for our gardens is one of the best ways to attract and support our native bird species.

Before starting to plan your bird-friendly garden, you can start by finding out what birds live in your area. Like us, they all have their individual likes and dislikes. Some love nectar while others prefer seeds or fruit. There are all manner of insects that birds enjoy and some will nibble on foliage and even bark.

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AUTUMN ANNIE- Meet the woman facing death and challenging traditions

annie

We sat and talked while feasting on homegrown chickens and vegies and a friendship started. With two young kids, a beautiful love story and big dreams, Annie and Genevieve were living an idyllic life with big plans for the property and their future. Since then, they’ve built their dream house, their kids are now teenagers and their handmade house has grown and evolved into home filled with love, cooking, craft and colour.

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