Food Sustainability is an initiative to support human food futures and urban resilience.
Franco is a local farmer who WANTS TO GROW BEAUTIFUL, HEALTHY, ORGANIC FOOD.
Such local legends need civic, commercial and community support so their efforts can benefit local people.

Franco is a landholder who believes meaning and money are of equal importance, and that both require care, effort and design.

Broccoli, Bean and Pasta Soup
from the Riverford Farm Cook Book

A lighter, quicker version of the Italian pasta e fagioli, with lots of broccoli added for
freshness and colour. You will need good chiicken stock for the best flavor. To make
the soup more substantial, you can serve it over some toast drizzled with Obi Obi olive
oil.

Serves 6

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed
½ tsp dried oregano
leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme
500g broccoli, finely chopped (including the stalks)
2 x 440g cans of haricot or cannellini beans
(alternatively use soaked and pressure cooked beans)
1 litre chicken stock
100g small pasta shapes (or use broken spaghetti)
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and cook gently for about 10 minute, until soft.
Add the garlic and cook for a further 2-3 minute.
Add the herbs and broccoli and cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the beans and chicken stock.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Add the pasta and cook until it is al dente.
Season well.
Serve sprinkled with the parmesan.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
On Tuesday 17 April 2012, Reciprocity (www.reciprocity.com.au) , in conjunction with Food Connect (www.foodconnect.com.au) organised the first event ever to be held in Australia to commemorate La Via Campesina’s International Day of Peasants’ Struggle.

This special event was held in Brisbane at the Food Connect Homestead in the suburb of Salisbury. Over 20 Food Connect staff and farmers came along to learn about La Via Campesina and find out how Australian family farmers can become a part of this amazing international organisation that campaigns to put the power back into the hands of the farmers.

The morning started with the traditional LVC mistica, where participants divided into groups and wrote versus to form a poem that expressed the values and ideals important to them for the continuation of Australian small scale farmers and their rural life. As an expression of solidarity, each person in the group stood up and read out their verse, and the poem finished with the last verse being spoken by all.

A delicious wholesome breakfast was then served by one of the Food Connect staff, and while everyone ate, the partners of Reciprocity gave an overview of Reciprocity’s vision to support the LVC, as well as background information on LVC history, membership and their struggle for the rights of peasants, and the reason for the establishment of the International Day of Peasants’ Struggle.

Then came the inaugural Australian screening of the La Via Campesina video La Via Campesina in Movement – Food Sovereignty Now!. Immediately following the video, everyone participated in a fun non-trivial pursuit game which consisted of answering 10 questions related to the understanding of La Via Campesina’s goals and objectives. Each group received gifts of Annette Desmarais’s book, La Via Campesina, and a framed copy of the 2012 International Day of Peasants Struggle poster.

An information pack was handed out, which included information sheets about La Via Campesina and its goal to realise food sovereignty and stop the destructive neoliberal process as well as an extract from the latest report from Grain on Land Grabbing.

There was lively discussion about the extent of land grabbing in Australia, which came as a surprise to many of the participants.

The event finished with the sharing of Australian native seeds.

The people attending this event showed genuine interest in the work of La Via Campesina and support for their food sovereignty campaign and their struggle against transnational corporations. It provided them with encouragement to continue the work they are doing towards achieving an alternative world, because they had discovered that other folk around the globe were working towards a similar goal.

This recipe was sent in by our prolific Mt Tamborine grower, Geoff Buckley.

Ingredients

8 tamarillos
1 cup sugar
¾ cup boiling water
2 teaspoons gelatine
1 cup whipped cream
2 egg whites
Method

Place tamarillos in boiling water until skin splits.
Peel fruit and leave to cool.
Alternatively cut tamarillos in half and scoop out the flesh.
Blend with sugar and leave for 15 minutes.
Blend gelatine and boiling water and stir into tamarillo mixture.
Place in refrigerator until the mixture starts to set.
Whip cream and stir into mixture.
Finally add stiffly beaten egg whites after the rest has almost set.
Refrigerate.

Join Michael Ableman for ‘Beyond Organic’ Film Screening, Q&A Discussion & Delicious Dinner from the Food Connect Community Kitchen

This award winning film (narrated by Meryl Streep) tells of Michael’s amazing farm in the middle of some of the most expensive real estate in the US. Managed by Ableman for 20 years, this 12 acre organic farm has become a model of sustainable food production and community involvement.

6PM – Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Food Connect Homestead
1/8 Textile Crescent, Salisbury

Tickets: $50 waged/ $40 unwaged / $120 per family
RSVP Essential: 3216 7777 || seva@foodconnect.com.au

“Ableman is a gracious rebel who knows that industrialized farming wrings the life out of both soil and communities. His joy in stewardship and in people celebrates a psychic sustainability that won’t appear on spreadsheets.”
Sierra, Magazine of the Sierra Club

Kids and Teenagers welcome – we’ll be screening parallel movies for them that are age-appropriate.