

The Onion Family: Growing Alliums
If there is a plant group considered a staple in the modern diet, the onion family is it. From the ubiquitous brown onion to edible chive flowers, the diversity in the onion family is matched only by the many uses…

Observe & Interact: Soil Health Card
The Northern Rivers Soil Health Card was developed as a practical tool for the region’s farmers and landholders to use to monitor the health of their soils. While it was developed in partnership with NSW Agriculture, it’s got lots to…

Root-to-tip Eating: Whole Plant Harvest
You might score yourself highly when it comes to making sure you’re minimising food waste, but what about when you consider all the parts of a food-producing plant that are edible which end up either in the compost, the chicken…

Brains Trust
RESPONSIBLE BEEKEEPING
How do I know how much honey to take at the end of summer to ensure the bees have enough honey to last them through winter?
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Letters To The Editor
We’d love to see if we’ve inspired you to embark on any projects. The letter of the issue will receive a limited-edition Pip magazine print featuring archival inks on textured 300 gsm rag paper. Email your letters and photos to…

Indigenous – Spiritual Connection
Connecting to country is about being still, asking permission and using your senses in order to reveal what she is really saying.
Spiritual connection to country is important for me; I will always make…

5 Common Pests & Diseases
It sometimes feels like as soon as we begin to enjoy our garden, so do the pests and diseases! Warm and damp weather can promote lush growth on our plants, which seems to send a signal to pests and diseases…

Permaculture Planting: Fruit Tree Guild
Create a thriving and productive mini ecosystem that supports your fruit tree by designing a guild – a permaculture technique in which a group of plants are chosen to complement and support a central plant.
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Storyteller: Cheryl Davison
As a visual artist, a business owner and a creative director, Cheryl Davison is creating and maintaining beautiful and important cultural connections.
Cheryl Davison is a proud Walbunga and Ngarigo woman. She is an…

Urban Foraging – Neptune’s Necklace
Neptune’s Necklace (Hormosira bansi), also known as sea grapes or bubbleweed, is made up of fronds of water-filled beads attached to the substrate by a thin disc (holdfast). When foraged responsibly, it makes a healthy addition to your diet and…

Save Your Seeds – Parsnip
Pastinaca sativa – pastura in Latin means food and sativa means cultivated.
Origin
The parsnip we know today evolved from the wild parsnip which is still growing in…

In The Garden – February-May
Seasonal garden guides for Australian climates
Moon planting
The moon’s phases and its associated gravitational pull has a significant effect on the behaviour of tidal oceans, so…

Zero Waste: Kitchen Scrubbers
Produced using plastics and metals, today’s store-bought kitchen scourers can be notoriously bad for the environment. But by repurposing everyday household waste, you can very easily make your own
These homemade kitchen scrubbers pose…

Fold Your Own: Paper Pots
Folding your own pots is an inexpensive and sustainable way to raise your seedlings. Not only are you eliminating plastic from the process, but it’s better for your plants, too.
There are so many…

Tried & True
Where we use and review products that nourish us and the planet
Fruit press
HONEY HELPER
Review by Julie Bennett
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Natural Ferments: Living Drinks
Homemade fermented drinks are a delicious and popular alternative to alcoholic beverages. And in this highly sanitised world we’ve found ourselves in, they’ve probably never been more important.
Low-alcohol alternatives are popping up all…

Kids’ Patch
Our kids’ patch winner for this issue is Taj Sol from Rosebank, NSW. You’ve won a Patternation Eco-City game which lets you design your very own sustainable city! Choosing from 140 tiles, Patternation allows you to incorporate elements such as…

Look & Listen
Costa’s new book has been a long time coming. This is the culmination of all the ideas and knowledge that Costa has been sharing verbally to people and communities across Australia for the last few decades.
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Editorial
Welcome to Issue 23 of Pip and our eighth year of bringing you great content. I’m realising our content is now more relevant than ever and I can see the growing interest in the importance of being more sustainable and…

Building Materials: Natural Selection
Whether you’re planning a new build or renovating your existing house, there are lots of natural materials to ensure an efficient, beautiful and healthy home.
When deciding which natural building material is best suited…

Pip Noticeboard
Off-Grid Festivities
The 2022 Off-Grid Linving Festival is being held over 9–10 April at Centennial Park in Eldorado, Victoria, just 75 km southwest from the border town of Albury. Now in its fifth year,…

Pip Picks – Things We Like
Mikkoa Travel Yoga Mat
This foldable, machine-washable yoga mat has a non-slip base made from natural rubber and a moisture-wicking vegan suede top which is free of chemicals, plastics, silicones or phthalates. The mat…

Permie of the Year: Mandy Milburn
Dedicated to building resilience and food security through respectful community connections, Pip’s 2021 Permie of the Year recipient personifies the three key ethics.
‘Open hearted’ is how the 2021 Pip Permie of the Year…

Good Intentions: Reclaiming Ritual
Humans are by nature inclined to repeat their practices. It keeps us calm, builds confidence and assures us of who we are. We challenge, question, encourage and participate in the activities that lift us up and fill our cup. This…

Permaculture Around The World
PERMACULTURE LAND CENTRE
Organiclea is a community farm at the northern edge of London in the Lea Valley next to the ancient woodland Epping Forest which,…

Issue 23 Flipbook
What you’ll find in Issue 23 :
Easy home soil tests to help create better soil
Learn how to grow your own onions, garlic, leeks and chives
Our guide to natural building techniques
Get the most from your harvest with root-to-tip eating
Make your…