Fig Preserve

Issue 65 of the Permaculture Magazine (UK) had lead articles in it on 'Transition Trees' and 'Useful Trees in Public Spaces' on networks and activities like ours. On page 14 there is a great recipe for preserving figs, as follows.

Wash and core — or scald and peel, and core — 2.4 kg of fresh figs. Make a syrup by boiling together 500 ml vinegar and 500 ml water with 2.4 kg sugar for ten minutes. Now drop the whole fruit into the syrup and very gently cook for three to four hours. Bottle in sterile jars while hot and seal after cools.

Orange and its fruit and nuts

The annual Orange F.O.O.D Weekis on again in April. Orange represents a great neighbouring bioregion for fruit and nuts and is definitely worth a visit. Find a list of local producers at the Orange Farmers Market site.

Note in the Blue Mountains Gazette this week, that the council is treating blackberries so the advice is to avoid eating spray with your berries by going without when you see berries grown on public land. Also go to the council's website to notify the Noxious Weeds team leader if you need to be put on its Chemically Sensitive Register to be notified when they spray nearby.

BM Food Co-op turns 30

The Blue Mountains Food Co-Op is the easiest place for residents in the upper mountains to share, sell or buy surplus fruit and nut produce. When I browsed on Friday there were blackberries, hazelnuts, pears, apples, and more ... all grown locally.

Now the biggest and longest opening outlet of its kind in Australia, it is located in Shops 1 & 2 Jones House, Ha'penny Lane (under the Katoomba Post Office). Phone: 4782 5890.

Our NFP food co-operative specialises in organic wholefoods, encourages local produce and minimal packaging. There are transparent mark-ups and bulk discounts.

The co-operative will celebrate its 30th birthday Saturday March 12th at Phillip Hall & Park in Blackheath, 10am–10pm. Slow Foods has a stall where you can see BM FNTN flyers and can sign up to our e-list for bulletins about our activities.