Shop Local – Shop Fresh

Grubby Grower to Grateful Cook!…….. Transition Streets 3.17 Where do you start? There are local food swaps – a great way to swap excess food, meet local folks, talk about gardening and sustainability, and just generally get some hints, and buy a little food – like this food swap group in Darebin, Victoria. Some areas have VERY active community networks … Read More

Sustainable Seafoods

Sustainable fishing

What Fish is That?…….. Transition Streets 3.16 More than three-quarters of our world fish stocks are fished right up to their limit. Commercial fishing methods also kills millions of animals every year, including turtles, dolphins and seabirds. Very few fisheries are actually certified as sustainable throughout the world. But we can make good choices and still enjoy seafood today, while … Read More

Free Food

urban food forest

Low Cost and Free Food…….. Transition Streets 3.15 There are many ways to get low cost and free fruit and vegetables. The most basic is guerrilla gardening – cultivating otherwise unused spaces, and establishing food gardens and edible forests. There are also organised systems of sharing excess produce – like Spare Harvest and Ripe Near Me.   You can also search … Read More

Efficient Cooking

Save Energy while Cooking…….. Transition Streets 3.14 Treehugger website wrote a recent general article on The Green Kitchen  and there is a good post –10 Ways to Save Energy while Cooking plus there is more on Efficient Cooking methods here.– pdf And if you are keen – check out this from Harold McGee.

Everything Gets Eaten

leftover recipes

What to do with Leftovers?…….. Transition Streets 3.13 Thoughtful planning means no wasted food, just enough for the one meal, or a cascade of left-overs into other meals. Lacking inspiration? Check out these 28 leftover recipes from the BBC Or these 49 recipes from the Jamie Oliver Kitchen

Can I Compost This?

green waste compost

Is this Compost?…….. Transition Streets 3.12 Compostable Food Waste? The most basic is fruit and vegetable peelings and cuttings saved for your compost bin. What you can compost this way is outlined here from Sustainable Gardening Australia. But by using a Bokashi type fermentation system, prepared foods, meat, dairy, egg, coffee & tissues can also be turned into compost. This … Read More

Ready to Eat the Additives?

e numbers additives

Is this Engineered Food?…….. Transition Streets 3.11 Ready to Eat – highly processed foods, while convenient and tasty, have an ingredients list that highlights the salts, sugars, colourings, and flavour agents needed to give these an appealing appearance, a long shelf life, and to use up cheaper base ingredients. There is little choice, you have to check the ingredients list –  … Read More

Long Life Foods

pickled cucumber

Can I preserve this?…….. Transition Streets 3.10 There is real value in having longer life preserved foods – dried fruit, vegetables, and meats; dehydrated products like spaghetti; bottled and canned foods (oxygen, bacteria, and mould free); jams & passata. It is convenient at meal time, and help us extend seasonal foods. Check out these Preserving Basics on a handy web … Read More

Raw and Fresh – Safety First

food safety

Is it safe to eat now?…….. Transition Streets 3.9 Raw & Fresh – hygiene and storage. Wash all food preparation areas, wash and scrub home harvested produce before bringing inside, and wash and rinse produce just before eating or making into the meal. Go here for more from the Food Safety Council guidelines on handling fruit and vegetables. And more … Read More

Help Me Recycle Plastic!!

plastic bottles

Can you recycle it?…….. Transition Streets 3.8 There is no reason (apart from economic) why food packaging is not fully recycled or reused. There are government standards that label recyclable plastic, and programs like REDcycle that manage soft plastics that otherwise are rejected at transfer stations and then become land-fill waste. Sustainability Victoria has a guide to the types of … Read More