Pip_CoverBanner_Issue_18

Growing Corn: Sow, Grow, Cook

Sweet and juicy, dried and ground, grilled, boiled or popped, it’s easy to understand why corn is a favourite all-round staple.

Fresh, frozen, ground into flour or made into porridge, polenta and tortillas. Hugely versatile, you can snack on corn raw, feed it to livestock, turn…

Continue reading

Fruit Fly: Protect Your Crop

Australia is home to more than 150 native species of fruit fly, but only a few of them pose a threat in the garden.

There are two main types of fruit fly. The Drosophilidae family, often called the vinegar fly which is the one you see…

Continue reading

Earth & Straw: Building From Nature

It was 13 years coming, but couple Mara and Ralph have created a sustainable, efficient and loving home that was well and truly worth the wait.

I was singing Italian folks songs at the Boite Singers’ Festival when my partner Ralf asked for a second time…

Continue reading

Help Yourself: Eating The Suburbs

Becoming an urban forager means tapping into a resource of free and abundant food. But whether it’s foraging edible weeds, redistributing excess produce or even diving into a dumpster, there’s far more you can gain than just a free meal.

The savvy urban forager can dine…

Continue reading

Flour, Water, Salt: Sourdough 101

More than just a food fad, sourdough is an ancient practice of breadmaking that has captured our imaginations for centuries.

Among many things, a sourdough starter bubbling away on your kitchen bench means you’re taking care of your gut health through the proper preparation of grains….

Continue reading

Self-reliance: A New Normal

A rise in interest in permaculture during the pandemic has highlighted the important role its practices play in building household and community resilience.

Faced with limited access to goods and services, many Australians turned to permaculture practices as a solution to the pressures associated with the…

Continue reading

Medicinal Herbs: Beneficial Bounty

Growing your own medicinal garden is easy and the benefits of having fresh herbs on hand – both medicinal and edible – are immeasurable.

It’s difficult to know the age and viability of dried herbs, so growing varieties which are suited to both your climate and…

Continue reading

Burning Issue: Fire-Proofing Our Future

Fire is an intrinsic part of the Australian landscape. With the opportunity to both reduce carbon emissions and build community resilience, Australia should be leading the world in transitioning to renewable energy to reduce the severity of bushfire.

Fire has become more destructive since European colonisation….

Continue reading

Drawing Inspiration: Brenna Quinlan

A much-loved permaculture illustrator and educator, Brenna Quinlan’s drawings guide communities away from consumerism and towards living a life brimming with meaning, beauty and community connectedness.

Brenna lives at the idyllic Melliodora property established by the co-originator of permaculture David Holmgren and his partner Su Dennett,…

Continue reading

Upcycle: Hooded Beach Towel

This long, enclosed and wearable towel is the perfect project to give new life to tired towels. Great for coming straight home from the pool or the beach without getting changed and ideal for when you need to discreetly change out of your bathers somewhere…

Continue reading

Living Drinks: Ginger Bug

When it comes to fermented drinks, most people think kombucha or water kefir, but good old-fashioned ginger beer can be just as beneficial for gut health and really easy to make yourself.

It might seem unintuitive, but the link between fermentation and good health is bacteria….

Continue reading

Carve by Hand: Swedish Smörkniv

For the love of good cutlery, we all need a hand-carved Swedish butter knife in our lives. And the best thing is you can carve your own smörkniv from trees growing in your garden.

Hand-carved butter knives are strong, sturdy and a work of art. They…

Continue reading

Permayouth: In Their Hands

Credo is a 12-year-old refugee in Uganda and just one of many young people around the world who are using permaculture to build a bright and sustainable future.

Helping vulnerable people access permaculture needs to be a priority. With one percent of humanity currently displaced and…

Continue reading

Clover is an Edible Weed

Many people are surprised to learn that clover is an edible weed. We all know it well having grown up with it, wishing away sunny afternoons as kids searching for that elusive four-leaf clover.

Clover is the common name for plants of the genus Trifolium which,…

Continue reading

Quandong

Considered a godsend by many a weary outback traveller, the bright scarlet-coloured fruit of the quandong tree – also known as the desert peach – has many beneficial uses.

Quandong (Santalum acuminatum) trees are widely dispersed throughout the arid inland and coastal regions of southern Australia…

Continue reading

Vetiver Grass

Permaculture design works with Bill Mollison’s ‘each element performs many functions’ principle. So when choosing your plants, look for species that can perform multiple functions. Whether it’s in small suburban gardens or on large-scale properties, vetiver grass does exactly that.

Vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides) is a…

Continue reading

Broad Beans

Vicia fava – vicia was the name for vetch in Latin and fava for the bean itself.

Origin

Broad beans have been cultivated since prehistoric times in Europe. They were unearthed in the ancient city of Troy, found in Egyptian tombs as well as with Bronze Age…

Continue reading

Kids’ Patch

Our kids patch winners for this issue are two-year-old Wilde from Bright in Victoria and five-year-old Ryann from Geraldton in Western Australia. Congratulations, you’ve both won a copy of Grow Do It by Formidable Vegetable Sound System.

Next issue we are giving away a copy of…

Continue reading

International Projects

One of many Ecosystem Restoration Camps around the world, Contour Lines is helping to protect the Guatemalan rainforest by working with local Mayan communities to transform corn monocultures into abundant food forests. Through regenerating degraded farmlands, the camp hopes to demonstrate the benefits of regenerative…

Continue reading

PIP Picks – Things We Like

A useful reference for anyone interested in growing vegetables at home using organic methods. Useful to apartment dwellers and backyard roamers alike, the book covers everything you need to know to get the most food out of your space.

This amended edition of the best-selling Australian…

Continue reading

Letters to the Editor

We’d love to see if we’ve inspired you to embark on any projects. Email your letters and photos to editorial@pipmagazine.com.au. Each published entrant will receive a limited-edition Pip Magazine print featuring archival inks on textured 300 gsm rag paper.

For the mums

My name is Anita and…

Continue reading

Brains Trust

Questions answered by Emily Stokes of @fermaculturefarm who has been running sourdough workshops for 10 years, teaching people how to keep their sourdough starter fit and healthy.

SOURDOUGH

How long can my starter go without being fed?

If you are leaving your starter on the bench all the…

Continue reading

Pip Noticeboard

More readers, more content and we’ve been nominated for a gong! And it’s all thanks to you

In these uncertain times, we want to take a moment to spread the positive tidings of Pip’s very bright future. Between a significant spike in reader engagement, a switch…

Continue reading

Read & Watch

A novel set in the 2030s in a future where the effects of climate change and global warming are starting to have serious effects. Set in both Melbourne and Northern NSW, this book follows the journey of one family and their communities’ experiences in a…

Continue reading

November-February

What to sow

NOVEMBER

Basil, beans, beetroot, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, chives, coriander, cucumber, English spinach, kohlrabi, leek, lemongrass, lettuce, marjoram, mint, onion, oregano, parsley, parsnip, pumpkin, radish, rosemary, silverbeet, swede, sweet corn, tarragon, thyme, tomato, turnip and zucchini.

DECEMBER

Asian greens, beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower,…

Continue reading