Sharing during soup season

Recently Sonja from Beaumaris contacted Fair Food saying she had a giant bay tree and thought it would be fabulous if she could share her bay leaves with other soup makers.

A few weeks later a Fair Food driver picked up two big boxes of fragrant glossy bay leaves and brought them back to the Fair Food warehouse where they were split up and packed into people’s orders.

So if you found a bay leaf branch in your Fair Food box last week and were wondering where it came from thank Sonja and her tree.

If you were wondering where bay leaves came from in a wider sense, laurus nobilis aka laurel originated in Asia, was taken to Europe where it was widely used in cooking as well as crowning Olympians, Roman Emperors and various other high achieving laureates.

If you’re wondering what to do with your bay leaves, you can use them fresh, or store them in an airtight container, they’re great in soups, stews, shepherd’s pies and Bologneses, they go well with braised potatoes and even in sweets such as custard or panna cotta.

We love nothing more than sharing the surplus at Fair Food – not only does it prevent food waste, it doubles as a reciprocal reminder of Mother Nature’s endless generosity.

If you have a harvest you’d like to share then get in touch and we’ll do our best to help you find it a home.

The word’s out

Speaking of generous spirits – over winter and into spring we are continuing our waste-free cooking workshops with Alanna and our friends at Open Table. 

The word is out – lately more and more people have been turning up to Alanna’s warm and collaborative cook ups but this morning her okonomiyaki workshop was so popular we had to create extra spots.

It’s very friendly and informal, you can cook along with the group or simply join with a cuppa. 

Alanna is hosting three more workshops on the last Sunday of every month from 11-12pm. Here’s the menu;

–       August 28th – Homemade Ricotta & Citrus Tart

–       September 25th – Carrot Rosti with Miso Greens

–       October 23th – Gazpacho with early spring tomatoes

Alanna’s Making the Most of it workshops are free and you can booking here.

ReBoxCo

When Brunswick architect Martyn Zdanius saw ReBoxCo’s recycled timber pod outside the Merri Café at CERES he fell in love with it.

Martyn’s firm Landprojects thought the pods and ReBoxCo’s recycled garden beds fit the brief perfectly for an outdoor seating area they were doing at St. Michaels Primary in St Kilda. 

The pods are clad with reclaimed timber that Francis Gretch, ReBoxCo’s manager, salvaged from a house that was being demolished in Brunswick.

The planter boxes are a combo of recycled hardwood fencing and timber from CERES Fair Wood.

ReBoxCo is CERES’ newest social enterprise – its mission is to save the mountains of  timber from house demolition destined for landfill and turn it into super sustainable, very beautiful outdoor furniture.

Francis and his team have been making pods, planter boxes, outdoor furniture, parklets and all kinds of custom pieces for cafes, councils, corporates and everyday folk.

Francis figures every pod or planter box he makes from reclaimed fence palings is one less tree that needs to be cut dowm.

If you’re keen on a pod or planter box or something special of your own you can find ReBoxCo here or in-real-life at the Fair Wood warehouse 31-33 Raglan St, Preston.

Have a great week,

Chris