Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 25 i Pip Magazine

https://pipmagazine.com.au/ Stay in touch with topics that matter Gain access to exclusive offers and giveaways Get your regular Pip fix between issues www.pipmagazine.com.au “Pip wants to do more than just inspire you to live your best life. We want to lead by example, practise what we preach and live by the ethics of earth care, people care and fair share. And although permaculture is a concept created 40-odd years ago, these ideas aren’t new. Indigenous people all around the world have been living like this for tens of thousands of years. Pip acknowledges the traditional custodians of this land; past, present and emerging. Created on the lands of the Yuin Nation, Pip respects the great wealth of knowledge and rich tradition which has cared for this country for millennia. We…

This large tussock-like plant, which grows in clusters along streams and in areas where there is plenty of moisture, is one of eastern Australia’s most versatile native grasses. Spiny-headed mat-rush Lomandra longifolia, whose botanical name literally refers to ‘long foliage’, has many uses. Aboriginal use of native plants is often threefold. It may be valuable in the manufacturing of tools, weapons and utensils. It may also provide an ingredient that has medicinal value or be a valuable and versatile source of sustenance. AS A FOOD All parts of lomandra are edible, the leaves, root, flower and seeds. The leaves form in smaller clusters within the mother plant, and the new shoots in the centre of the cluster can be extracted with little effort. If a leaf cannot be removed quite…

“Living mulches act as helpful companions to the main crops around them by complementing their growing needs and protecting the soil” One way to support good soil is to keep it covered using an organic mulch. We’re all familiar with mulches like straw or woodchip, but the benefit of growing a living mulch also needs to be considered. Healthy gardens are built on healthy soil. Without it, it’s impossible to create the living and sustainable foundation an abundant garden needs. Mulching your garden provides plentiful benefits. Not only does it retain soil moisture and protect precious top soil, it helps minimise weeds and fosters an active soil ecosystem of microbes, fungi, bugs and earthworms to support thriving, happy plants. In annual garden beds, it can be useful to have the…

The earthy Huon Hemp Haus in southern lutruwita/Tasmania was designed to be energy efficient, sustainable and to stay warm over the long chilly winters. The popularity of passive-solar hemp homes is booming in Tasmania, where residents are drawn to hemp’s warmth and its ability to continue to sequester carbon after the build is complete. It’s becoming so popular that in tiny Police Point in far southern Tasmania, with a population of just 82, there are now three hemp homes. One, the Huon Hemp Haus, belongs to Rebecca Scott, a self-described climate refugee who moved from Victoria to Tasmania two and a half years ago. She’d already built her own off-grid straw-bale home in central Victoria in 2012, which she loved, but she felt the need to move to cooler climes.…

FROM $3.50/MONTH Every article Pip has ever published is now live and searchable online. Whether you need a hand in the garden, help in the kitchen or advice on your latest project, Pip’s ideas, information and inspiration will be at your fingertips. Accessible on any device, membership includes monthly giveaways, exclusive access to content, sneak peeks of upcoming issues, Pip partner discounts and plenty more! GET YOUR DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION TODAY! www.pipmagazine.com.au…

NOOSA FOREST RETREAT Noosa Forest Retreat and Bellbunya Eco Retreat offer residential and online permaculture courses as well as education and techniques around syntropic farming. There’s a free online introduction to permaculture course and a fun design certificate from $49 per week. www.noosaforestretreat.com (07) 5409 7599 STUDY ONLINE, AT YOUR PLACE Get new skills and habits for a better life with Permaculture Living - learn 40+ practical ways to embed permaculture principles into YOUR life. And now Milkwood has taken its acclaimed Home Mushroom Cultivation course online, too! www.milkwood.net/courses ROBIN CLAYFIELD’S DYNAMIC GROUPS Held at Crystal Waters Permaculture Ecovillage in southeast Qld, Robin offers a wide range of permaculture and leadership courses. Next up is Crystal Waters Co-op PDC (28 Aug-11 Sept), Social Permaculture (8-9 Oct) and Dynamic Groups (May 2023).…

We love seeing what kids are growing with their families in their gardens, so snap and email us an image of what you’re harvesting at the moment. Send the photo to editorial@pipmagazine.com.au – and you might even pick up a snazzy prize! This issue’s winner is five-year-old Ilona Arnott from Kalaru, NSW. SHOW US YOUR GARDEN Hamilton Public School’s Green Team What tips can you share? Magnus: Once you have some plants, you can get the seeds and grow more plants. Bethany: It’s easy to make slug traps with a container, bread and water. What’s your favourite plant to grow and harvest? Rio: Sweet potato, because I like digging them up. I thought they were going to be small but they were actually ginormous! Theo: Cabbage, because it’s very yummy.…

A GUIDE TO THE CREATURES IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD BY THE URBAN FIELD NATURALIST PROJECT (MURDOCH BOOKS 2022) Whether it’s an afternoon of exploring or a walk to the letterbox, A Guide to the Creatures in Your Neighbourhood is your ticket to slow down and get curious about urban nature. No matter where you live, you’ll have a front-row seat. MORE FISH, MORE VEG SIMPLE SUSTAINABLE RECIPES AND KNOW-HOW FOR EVERYDAY DELICIOUSNESS BY TOM WALTON (MURDOCH BOOKS 2022) More Fish, More Veg is a collection of go-to recipes that helps you put meals featuring sustainable seafood and seasonal veg on high rotation at your place. This book is bursting with easy-to-make recipes that celebrate the abundance of top-quality seasonal ingredients. EARTH RESTORER’S GUIDE TO PERMACULTURE BY ROSEMARY MORROW (MELLIODORA 2022) With…

KETAH SILVESTER Ketah has a PhD in engineering and a wealth of environmental consulting experience. In conjunction with Rotary and Food Plant Solutions, Ketah runs not-for-profit community education initiatives helping everyone successfully grow their own food. Ketah and her family have established experimental food forests in Queensland and evaluated the potential of thousands of edible plants for our changing climatic conditions. Ketah works hard to raise awareness of alternative edible plants via community gardens, educational institutions and through www.brisbaneediblegardening.org. HEATHER GALLAGHER Heather Gallagher is a freelance journalist and children’s author living on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula. She’s a passionate environmentalist and proud mother of two ecowarrior young adults. She writes to make a positive difference in the world; no matter how small. Her latest picture book Scaredy Cat is based on…

NPY Women’s Council MINDFULNESS PANNIKIN This triple-fired enamel mug is a reminder from the Ngangkari traditional healers in the remote western desert of Central Australia to take a moment for yourself and relax. Handmade in Poland, the eight centimetre-diameter mug features words in language on the outside which mean ‘take a long, slow breath’ and ‘Have a cuppa, take a deep breath and relax’ is inscribed on the inside. $39.95 www.npywc.org.au Binkabu EASTERN ROSELLA EARRINGS Designed and made in Brisbane in Queensland, these handmade acrylic earrings are just one of scores of bird-themed earrings, brooches and stickers offered by Aussie company Binkabu. The acrylic is sourced and laser cut in Australia, while the posts and rings are hypoallergenic surgical stainless steel. Lightweight and unique, the Rosella earrings are seven centimetres…

Just because you’re enjoying a well-earned break, it doesn’t mean you need to stop your good composting habits. Now borders are open, a road trip across Australia is once again an option. It’s sometimes all too easy to leave our good recycling habits at home when we hit the road. Of all waste types, food is both the easiest and the most challenging to recycle. Easy in that all it wants to do is decompose and it will do it over time whether we want it to or not. But the biggest challenge when you’re on the road is finding somewhere to empty your bucket of scraps. KEEP, MEET, GREET Because of the increased awareness over the last decade, composting while on the road is actually pretty easy. All around…

“We want to empower ourselves with the knowledge and skills that bring self-reliance and equip us to care for our families” Engaging with wild food sources is reconnecting with the old stories of our ancestors and finding a sustainable way to interact with and learn from your surroundings. Foraging, or at least the idea of harvesting wild food from the land, is now in the mainstream. In the face of the interconnected challenges we’re confronting, we want to empower ourselves with the knowledge and skills that bring self-reliance and equip us to care for our families and communities. We now feel the urgency, and have the opportunity, to create new narratives and move towards coexistence based on shared values of compassion and understanding for all species. FULL CIRCLE Agriculture may…

Is it possible to run a market garden using permaculture principles in the middle of the desert and make it viable? On the outskirts of Alice Springs in view of Tjoritja, the MacDonnell Ranges, with the red desert sands stretching for thousands of kilometres from his back fence, Rod Angelo runs a market garden. Known as The Happy Farmer, Rod supplies fresh greens to the residents of Alice Springs, and he makes his business viable by turning waste streams into inputs that would otherwise cost money. The climate in The Alice is unforgiving to growers. Miss just a single one day of watering and you will have to start again. With temperatures regularly over 40 ºC during summer, growing food is an art and requires dedication and local knowledge in…

“The aim of using permaculture design in the home garden is to imitate nature” Implementing permaculture design into the home garden doesn’t have to be a complex and drawn-out process, you just have to look at what nature is doing and follow her lead. The aim of using permaculture design in the home garden is to imitate nature and allow your garden to maintain itself with minimal input from humans. In nature no element stands alone. Our natural ecosystems are made up of complex synergies where plants, animals, insects and the elements are all working together supporting and nourishing one another. In healthy ecosystems all these parts are effortlessly working together, feeding and creating habitats for one another to survive. You too can create a garden where you can allow…

You don’t need a pattern to make a new top, just a well-loved one you already own so you can replicate the best bits and know it’ll fit. And because the straight seams of this freehand design makes it easy to hand stitch, you don’t even need a sewing machine. As the weather warms up and we’re pulling off our jumpers, now’s a great time to be whipping up a top or two to celebrate the new spring season. Picking up a vintage sheet from the op shop is a really economical way to buy fabric. In fact, you can generally pick up a queen-sized sheet for less than you’d pay per metre when buying fabric new. And because it’s secondhand, it’s usually worn-in and well-washed, so you know it’s…

ATS EASY TUFTER By Kel Buckley If you’re interested in making a tufted rug and don’t fancy the idea of using a hook to pull each individual thread through, then a tufting gun is what you’ll need. There’s a few different versions on the market; ones that form looped pile, ones that make a strand pile, ones that do both and even pneumatic tufting guns which use compressed air. But if you’re starting out, a simple strand pile tufting gun like this one is the probably the best place to start. In simple terms, once you’ve threaded the gun with your chosen colour and thickness of wool, and you’ve stretched the specific backing fabric tightly over a frame, you press the gun firmly against the stretched fabric and then guide…

“We all need to be supporting one another at the moment” This is our 25th issue and we have been publishing Pip for nearly nine years now. During that time we have had the work of many artists featured on our cover. You may have noticed we have given our cover a revamp this issue and we hope you like it. Pip is evolving and growing up and we wanted the cover to reflect that, too. Thanks to those of you who have been with us since the beginning when our beautiful duck waddled out onto our very first cover. And for those of you who have recently joined us, welcome to the Pip family. Your support is what keeps us going. We all need to be supporting one another…

SHARE AND WIN! The Letter of the Issue will receive a Bokashi One Starter Pack valued at $196.00 Accessibility I’ve had a life-long interest in gardens but as I age – I’m now nearly 77 – I’m not so agile. I’m interested in tips for composting, worm farms, weeding and herbs. But I can’t kneel down. Dianne via website You must have amassed a wealth of knowledge over the years and this is where sharing a garden can be such a great idea. You could share that knowledge with a more able-bodied person and together you could do great things. Otherwise everything raised is the go; raised beds, raised worm farms and smaller manageable compost systems. We’ll keep the articles coming. Robyn Reusable glass I love the magazine, thank you.…

Lactuca sativa – Lac, latin for ‘milk’ referring to the white sap, and sativa for ‘cultivated’. ORIGIN The origin of cultivation dates from early days in the temperate parts of Caucasus (Azerbaijan and Georgia), in Kurdistan, Kashmir and Siberia. The Romans grew a pointed, narrow-leafed Cos just like the Rabbit’s Ear lettuce that we know today. It was only in the 16th century that the head lettuce was described for the first time. CULTIVATION Lettuces need to grow fast with adequate water in hot Australian summers. They’ll do better and are more tender grown under a shade cloth or a bush than in full sun. To ensure that Romaine lettuces heart up, it’s best to grow them close to each other. Tender hearts can also be obtained by binding the…

Returning from the backyard with an armful of freshly harvested fruit is a true pleasure. While sprawling acres make fruit tree growing easy, don’t think you have to miss out if you’re short on space. The backyard orchard is a goal for lots of gardeners and the vast array of fruit tree varieties often leads to questions about how to fit it all in, especially if you only have a small piece of land to grow on. Luckily, there are some clever ways to squeeze more fruit trees into tight spaces without compromising on harvest or tree health. Choosing dwarfing varieties, clever planting methods, growing in pots, making use of vertical space and trellising can all help create an abundant fruiting garden in even the smallest yard. WHY GROW TREES…

Making tempeh is one of those projects that demonstrates how amazing home-fermented food can be when measured up against its pasteurised, store-bought alternative. The aroma of a freshly grown batch of tempeh is incredible – floral, aromatic and mushroomy, and will differ depending upon the ingredients you use to make your tempeh. Making it is remarkably simple, provided you have the ability to keep a tray of tempeh at a stable temperature for around 40 hours. That is because the spores of the fungus Rhizopus oligosporus need a nice warm environment in which to grow and colonise the material that you are inoculating. Very much an artisanal process, because every legume or grain that you use to make tempeh – and the options are very broad and varied – will…

Climate anxiety is rife among young people right now. On Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula, a rundown corner of a carpark is helping youth understand how small actions can lead to big changes. On a small pocket of disused land in rural Victoria, a quiet youth-led revolution is taking place. An ugly patch of land behind the Ocean Grove Library’s carpark has been transformed into a vibrant Youth Guerrilla Garden where local teenagers grow, tend and harvest produce. The project is the brainchild of community planner and teacher, Fiona Cadorel, who was inspired by US-based guerrilla gardener Ron Finley. Fiona, part of Bellarine Community Health’s Healthy and Connected Communities team, is passionate about engaging and supporting youth. ‘I have a background in student wellbeing, and I listen to young people and what…

If you love plants, you’ll know there’s always more to them than meets the eye. For Bardi artist Juanita Mulholland, coming to know native plants and their uses through weaving, sculpting and eco-dyeing, has helped her find herself, and reconnect with her heritage. Juanita grew up on Yawuru and Bardi/Djawi country in northern Western Australia, with her feet in the red earth and her heart filled with ancestral stories of the land. But after moving to Victoria to be with her father’s family, which she describes gently as ‘a bit of a sad story’, Juanita grew up feeling out of step – as though she didn’t belong in either mainstream or Aboriginal culture, despite the latter being an ever-present reality in her life. That feeling, followed by the birth of…

Time spent in the garden can be precious, so make the most of it by always being able to put your hands on the tool you need as and when you need it with this handmade garden-tool caddy. Does it ever feel like you spend more time looking for where you left your tools than actually achieving what you set out to do in the garden? This time of year when we’re pulling out the last of the winter crops and prepping beds for summer plantings, it’s easy to move between various jobs throughout the garden, leaving a trail of misplaced tools behind you as you go. HANDMADE SOLUTION A simple but effective homemade solution is a basic timber box with a handle, and by always knowing where everything is,…

Books MABU MABU AN AUSTRALIAN KITCHEN COOKBOOK BY NORNIE BERO (HARDIE GRANT 2022) Review by Kel Buckley This book brings to homes what Nornie Bero energetically gives to diners in her two Melbourne-based restaurants which champion Torres Strait Island flavours and Australian native produce. Part autobiography and part cookbook, Mabu Mabu begins as the fascinating story of how a girl who grew up ‘with a spear in my hand’ in the far east Torres Strait ended up as the executive chef, CEO and founder of Mabu Mabu, a restaurant in Melbourne’s Yarraville and Big Esso, a 130-seat restaurant and bar in Federation Square. When Nornie arrived in Melbourne as a young woman of colour in the late 1990s, it was the city’s multiculturalism that struck her. ‘And how we share…

Pip partners with brands who align with its values. Ethical companies producing good-quality products that don’t harm the planet, instead aiming to improve it. Browse more ethical companies you can choose to support at www.pipmagazine.com.au BOKASHI COMPOSTING AUSTRALIA Bokashi Composting Australia is an Australian–owned family business that is proud to supply the Bokashi One Kitchen Composting System and the EnsoPet Pet Waste Composter. Both of these innovative systems keep waste out of landfill while enriching the soil with macro and micro nutrients, which add life and vitality to your garden. www.bokashi.com.au CREAM COLLECTION LIFESTYLE Colourful Australian-made aprons and homewares. Designed by Australian artists for gardeners, cooks, bakers, florists, artists and homemakers. Ethically made from certified-organic cotton or linen and a planet-friendly shopping experience with compostable packaging and carbon-neutral delivery. www.lifestyle.creamcollection.com.au…

After a tough few years of bushfires and Covid-induced travel restrictions, a new major music festival will provide the NSW Sapphire Coast’s economy with a much-needed boost. And sustainability and community are high on the list of priorities. The NSW’s Sapphire Coast will play host to a new major music festival which will have a strong focus on sustainability and community. Set to be held in Pambula over 23–25 September, the Wanderer Festival will be the first of its size in the region, with over 70 local and international acts including The Dandy Warhols, Ziggy Alberts, Sarah Blasko, The Teskey Brothers and local Indigenous choir Djinama Yilaga among many others. ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERIENCE Having created 44 festivals over the last three decades, event organisers Simon Daly and Mella Morgan are well…