The Grocer
Get friendly at the Community Crop Swap in Woodridge
Food & Drink

Get friendly at the Community Crop Swap in Woodridge

27 Mar 2014

Online food gardening community, Logan Food Gardeners is hosting its first Community Crop Swap this weekend. You can book a spot and set up your little patch to share your homegrown fruit and vegetables, homemade preserves, plants or baked goods, swapping and trading with other stallholders. Alternatively, if you wake upon Saturday morning to a dried-out rosemary bush or sad tomato plant, you can still attend the swap and simply purchase goods on the day. Held this Saturday March 29 from 9:00–11:00 am in Woodridge, the event will also see demonstrations of worm farming, growing micro greens, pH testing and alternative ways to make jam. And should all these backyard farmers get you inspired to start your own crop, there will be variety of vegetable seedlings available on the day. The avid gardening group plans to continue to host the swap every two months. more

The Grocer
TWE Julia's Pantry, Kenmore
Food & Drink

New Julia’s Pantry settles into Kenmore

20 Mar 2014

The scent of hot butter melting on the stove wafts through the air and plump homemade meringues greet your eyes as you enter Julia’s Pantry in Kenmore. Tucked in the busy corner pocket next to coffee connoisseurs The Single Guys, Julia’s Pantry is the namesake larder of Julia Matusik, focusing on fresh wholesome edibles and locally sourced cooking staples. more

The Grocer
TWE Ripe Near Me
Food & Drink

Ripe Near Me uncovers homegrown produce in your suburb

20 Mar 2014

If you’ve been watching episodes of Better Homes and Gardens or flicking through the pages of a Little Veggie Patch Co. book, you may have an itch to establish your own edible plot of land in your backyard. While delving into urban agriculture or creating a backyard veggie patch may not be possible for every budding green thumb’s dwelling, luckily there’s a few folk out there who are plough-handy and willing to share their earth’s bounty. more

The Grocer
Take up the challenge this Meat Free Week
Food & Drink

Take up the challenge this Meat Free Week

20 Mar 2014

Eat less, care more, feel good. Do you feel a smile tilting up at the corners of your mouth just reading those words? This is the driving force behind Meat Free Week – a national campaign that was founded by Lainie Bracher and Melissa Dixon in 2013 and will be held every March. more

The Grocer
TWE 100 Mile Table
Food & Drink

Be one with fellow locavores at 100 Mile Table

20 Mar 2014

Secret supperclubs, long-table lunches in community gardens, pop-up picnics – the realm of community-minded eating is an ever-growing excitable affair. Celebrating provenance through locavore-style food and wine events, 100 Mile Table hosts lunches in unique locations from the Bangalow Guesthouse to a paddock, barn or private home. Using local, seasonal produce sourced from within 100 miles of wherever the event is held, creator Sarah Swan sets the table, pours the wine and cooks the nosh at these foodie events that encourage conversation around a shared table. Based in the hinterland of Byron Bay, Sarah finds the region is a constant source of inspiration for creating her clandestine feasts. Keep an eye on the website and Facebook page for upcoming events like the Mother’s Day Lunch at Coorabell Hall. more

The Grocer
TWE Rooftop Honey Harvest
Food & Drink

The Street Photographer: Rooftop Honey Harvest

06 Mar 2014

Up a stairwell, then a ladder and on to the sunlit rooftop above Gerard’s Bistro we climbed, before donning beekeeping attire to eagerly discover the busy pollinators up close. Jack Wilson Stone of Bee One Third walked us through the layers and activities within a hive frame. We then descended to ground level to extract the honey from the frames – gently scraping off the outside layer of sticky honeycomb in a mesmerising process that leaves spectators entranced, eyes locked on the slow-falling gold liquid. The frames are then placed in a drum and spun at high speed to loosen the honey from the comb – the hard work rewarded by a plentiful pool of raw sweetness. Check out this rooftop honey harvest on The Street Photographer. more

The Grocer
TWE The Great American Wheat Harvest
Food & Drink

Follow wheat harvest crews across America

06 Mar 2014

While some kids might think cereal grows in cardboard boxes and bread is picked in bakeries, farmers are all too familiar with the hard work and hardship that goes into cultivating and harvesting wheat. Upcoming documentary The Great American Wheat Harvest follows harvest crews as they toil on the land, giving viewers a fascinating insight into the processes and people that help feed the population. more

The Grocer
TWE International Day of the Pig
Food & Drink

Celebrate the International Day of the Pig

27 Feb 2014

That dapper little Porky Pig may not have needed any PR, but some of the lesser-known breeds of pig could certainly do with a little help. Saturday March 1 marks the International Day of the Pig and Pig ‘N’ Whistle Indooroopilly is using the occasion to raise awareness of some breeds that are in danger of becoming extinct. In a weird contradiction, experts say the best way to see these breeds survive is to boost demand by consuming them. If you’re partial to a little pork, settle in for an epic feast featuring a spit roast of Wessex Saddleback, and wash it down with cider tastings from Stanthorpe’s Sutton’s Farm and beers from Newstead Brewing Co. Pig ‘N’ Whistle executive chef Deniz Coskun and a pig farmer will be on hand to discuss at-risk breeds and answer any questions, while live music will round out the festivities. more

The Grocer
TWE OMG GMO
Food & Drink

Learn about genetically modified food in GMO OMG

27 Feb 2014

The quest to find food that hasn’t been genetically modified takes one inquisitive father from his family’s dinner table in the US to Haiti, Paris and Norway in the award-winning documentary GMO OMG. Filmmaker Jeremy Seifert argues that consumers have a right to know what they’re putting into their bodies, and asks if the world food system has gone so far that we now have no way back. This controversial and provocative film explores grassroots movements around the world and asks major corporations the big questions. more

The Grocer
TWE Nature's Happy Meal
Food & Drink

Tuck in to Nature’s Happy Meal

20 Feb 2014

The phrase ‘Happy Meal’ can conjure so many conflicting emotions, from the almost unbearable excitement of unwrapping childhood treats to reviewing the questionable contents with older, wiser eyes. Nature’s Happy Meal, however, will leave you with only upbeat emotions, as the film takes a look at the emerging local food movement in Cape Town, South Africa through the eyes of those leading the charge. more