Pip’s Issue 32 is packed full of inspiration and information to start the new season on the front foot. As well as showing you how to create a diverse living pantry at your place and providing an in-depth guide to pruning fruit trees, we take…

Pruning deciduous fruit trees promotes reliable harvests and supports your trees to grow both stronger and healthier. But knowing when and how to prune them is the key to success.

Fruit trees benefit from being pruned annually, but understanding how to prune your trees can seem…

Said to have the ability to both battle climate change and restore soils, biochar has plenty of benefits for backyard growers.

Biochar is charcoal made by burning woody materials, agricultural waste or any dried organic material like manures in a low-oxygen environment. Unlike charcoal, biochar is…

Much can be made of pasta but ultimately its beauty lies in its simplicity. In its most basic form, fresh pasta is simply flour plus hydration in the form of water or eggs.

The simple act of making pasta is an act of love. Watch any…

Embracing seasonality is about understanding the cycles of the land and the climate – even, or especially, as it changes – and knowing they have the ability to make things taste the best possible versions of themselves.

Seasonality has a unique ability to present fresh foods…

One owner-builder’s story of creating a small sustainable home for herself using her experience and love of permaculture.

Megan Cooke spent 17 years building her dream home and permaculture garden with her husband-at-the-time. Then they separated, and she had to leave it all behind. She took…

There’s a successful shared-farming arrangement playing out in Lismore, NSW that was born out of a pretty extreme set of circumstances. But it proves that if we can shed the societal expectation that all exchanges around gain need to be financial, the benefits can be…

Like nature all around us, we’ve had a busy autumn. We have been frantically storing autumn’s bounty, socialising in the warm weather and ticking off to-do lists. We are ready to curl up in a warm spot and hibernate. But how do we surrender to…

More than just an edible garden, designing a functional living pantry is to create a thriving ecosystem that nourishes itself and all those who visit it.

A living pantry is place of repose, a feast for the senses, a celebration of diversity that not only sustains…

Amanda Jane Reynolds is a Guringai Yuin woman. She’s an artist, storyteller, possum skin cloak maker, curator and a sharer of knowledge.

Amanda lives on Yuin Country at Burrill Lake on the New South Wales south coast. She regularly travels to Sydney to maintain her cultural…

Wave goodbye to cold hands this winter with these easy-to-knit fingerless gloves.

As we head into the cooler months, do you have memories of your hands being too cold to do a fiddly job, or even so cold that they ache? These fingerless gloves will keep…

HERITAGE HARVEST

The Heritage Harvest weekend at Sovereign Hill is celebrating the abundance of autumn in an immersive two-day event looking at both food-growing and preserving practices brought to Australia from around the world. The 25–26 May event forms the culmination of the 10-day Ballarat Heritage…

QToys
WOODEN MICROSCOPE

This timber microscope allows curious minds an introduction to the world of microscopy. Measuring 27 cm wide and approximately 17 cm in both height and depth, the lightweight design means it can be used on a table or balanced on a lap. It…

If every council supported community-led urban agriculture, what would our cities look like? In Victoria, Canada, the council is getting behind urban food growing because it realises the benefits to the community: promoting health, wellbeing, social interaction and environmental education, as well as increasing food…

While we’re all familiar with honey as food, you might be surprised that its medicinal usage stretches back thousands of years. Honey is a potent antioxidant and anti- inflammatory, and modern research suggests it is useful in countering antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

By combining honey and herbs, you…

Is there a difference between cabbage moths and cabbage white butterflies?

While the term cabbage moth and cabbage white butterfly are fairly interchangeable, they’re actually two different species. However when we talk about either the moth (Plutella xylostella) or the butterfly (Pieris rapae), we’re talking about…

We’d love to receive your feedback, questions, ideas or to see if we’ve inspired you to embark on any projects. Email your letters and photos to editorial@pipmagazine.com.au

Mad with mildew

I am 14 years old, I have loved gardening since I was very young when I was…

One of the greatest ways we can connect to and care for Country is to observe, watch, listen and understand.

To care for Country, we need to develop relationships with ecosystems. Our Old People did that for thousands of years and have come to understand our…

Apium graveolens var. dulce – apium means celery, graveolens ‘strong-smelling’ and dulce ‘sweet’ in Latin.

ORIGINS

From Sweden to northern Africa and eastern Asia, celery grows wild in salty soils and marshes. There are records of its cultivation in France before the 16th century, and in Italy…

A close wild relative to our modern-day lettuce varieties, prickly lettuce or wild lettuce (Lactuca serriola) is an edible and widely spread weed that is found in most parts of Australia.

Native to Europe, Asia and parts of Africa and a member of the asteraceae family,…

Seasonal garden guides for Australian climates. What to plant in Winter including May, June, July, August. As seen in our kitchen garden calendar.

Moon planting

The moon’s phases and its associated gravitational pull has a significant effect on the behaviour of tidal oceans, so it’s easy to understand…

We love seeing what kids are growing with their families in their gardens, so snap and email us an image of what you’re harvesting at the moment. Send the photo to editorial@pipmagazine.com.au to win a copy of Harriet’s Hungry Worms by Samantha Smith and Melissa…

The books, films & podcasts inspiring you to make a difference

BOOKS

CREATIVE FIRST AID

THE SCIENCE & JOY OF CREATIVITY FOR MENTAL HEALTH

BY CAITLIN MARSHALL & LIZZIE ROSE (MURDOCH BOOKS 2024)

Being creative is good for us: it lowers our stress hormones, calms our nervous system and can…

Where we use and review products that nourish us and the planet

Felco
SECATEURS

Review by Julie Bennett

As someone who’s worked in vineyards, orchards and market gardens, I have a healthy appreciation for high- quality secateurs. I’ve used a lot of different brands over the years and…

Pip partners with brands that align with its values. Ethical companies producing good- quality products that don’t harm the planet, instead aiming to improve it. Browse more ethical companies you can choose to supportat www.pipmagazine.com.au

Witnessing firsthand the benefits of eating healthy organic food set Ken Henderson on a path that saw Nature’s Cuppa launch in 1984.

It was the transformation he saw in a friend that convinced Ken Henderson to quit his job in radio and get involved in the…

Welcome to our winter issue of Pip. For me winter means the lighting of the fire in the evening, the smell of woodsmoke, growing winter vegies, exhilarating surfs in ice-cold water, knitting, fermenting and trying to find some time to rest.

As Nat Mendham explains in…