Friday, June 15, 2012

The Red Gum Food Group Festival


“A thriving household depends on the use of seasonal produce and the application of common sense.” Olivier de Serres (French agronomist sometimes referred to as the father of French agriculture 1539-1619).
Enjoying seasonal produce is one of life’s most simple and healthiest pleasures. Tender fresh herbs and baby new potatoes in spring, thirst quenching watermelons and ruby red grapefruit in the height of summer, Barham Avocados’ giant creamy Reed avocados and crisp new season apples in autumn and the arrival of mandarins and sugar snap peas at the commencement of winter are some of my personal favourites.
Beginning next Thursday 21st June, our inspirational seasonal produce producing foodies, the Red Gum Food Group will be holding their first big workshop festival, conducting twelve different workshops and events over four days.
The impressive array of workshops include learning all about succession vegetable planting and composting at Barham Primary School’s Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden; curry making; sourdough bread making at Barham High School; matching wine with food; a winery tour and wetlands walk at Jo and Don Hearn’s Restdown Winery; talks by acclaimed food writer and The Age newspaper columnist Richard Cornish; a family (food) movie night at the Faulkner Pavilion; making pasta and cheeses; join a panel of experts to discuss Australia’s Food Security; cooking with fire… culminating in an undoubtedly hotly contested camp oven cook off on the Sunday. Organizers are hoping to entice the district’s many enthusiastic weekend camp oven cooks out into the open for the afternoon competition (you know who you are).
With Club Barham holding their very popular annual four-day Jazz Festival at the same time (next Thursday to Sunday), locals and visitors alike can relish food together with great music by attending a mix of both events. Food, fire and music, is there a better way to enjoy wintertime?
Next Tuesday if all goes according to plan Edgar and I will be setting off on our epic excellent adventure to the other side of the world. With the itinerary looking nothing short of spectacular… keep watching this space.


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