Growing Abundance is an initiative of the Castlemaine Community House that aims to minimise waste, reduce food miles, support local farmers and strengthen our local community and economy.

The four main activities of Growing Abundance working toward a resilient, localised food system are:

• The Harvest Group – harvesting and sharing excess backyard produce; sharing gardening skills through workshops and classes; and more
• Castlemaine Abundance Kitchen Enterprise (C.A.K.E.) – sharing kitchen based skills and knowledge through catering, workshops and seasonal feasts
• Local Produce Guide and local/regional food logos – making it easier to source and buy locally produced food
• Food for Thought – regular film screenings and discussions around food security issues

Join our mailing list  for regular news, updates and invitations to Growing Abundance events.

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Reclaim the Curb Competition

Look at us being all bountiful! Growing Abundance has co-sponsored a competition run by the good people at Reclaim the Curb. With support from Cultivating Community, Energy for the People, One Planet Living and Growing Abundance, Reclaim the Curb is making a minimum of $2000 available to share across three exciting projects that put people and food, together, on curb-sides across Australia. Check their website for more details:www.reclaimthecurb.org/competition/.

 

Grow Great Fruit

Local farmer and Growing Abundance volunteer/collaborator Katie Finlay and her partner Hugh Finlay are offering a series of workshops that, taken all together add up to a comprehensive course in growing healthy and productive fruit trees, without pesticides or artificial fertilisers. And they’re giving Growing Abundance volunteers a 10% discount!

Topics include:

• Building Healthy Soil
• Grow Your Own Fruit Trees
• Pest and Disease Control for Healthy Trees
• Pruning Deciduous Fruit Trees
• Worm Farms and Compost Tea
• Yearly Fruit Tree Planner

Check out workshop details, dates and costs here. To get your discount, Growing Abundance volunteers need to book through us (email Lucy on lucy@cch.org.au or phone 5472 4842.

 

Today the canteen; tomorrow …

Growing Abundance group C.A.K.E. has won the tender to run the canteen at Castlemaine Secondary College. While change will be gradual, the transition to healthy and sustainable options for the canteen means both campuses are already enjoying more locally sourced and organic ingredients in their food. C.A.K.E. and the school welcome feedback from students, parents and guardians.

We’re also seeking volunteers to help us out. Please let us know if you are interested in volunteering 2-3 hours a week in the canteen. Tasks include chopping, serving, assembling food and cleaning up. Contact the Growing Abundance team by phoning the Castlemaine Community House or by email lucy@cch.org.au.

Read more about C.A.K.E.’s canteen project on the C.A.K.E. page!

Coming up:

Workshops

Cook Fresh, Cook Local

Cooking and preserving with locally grown, seasonal food over four full day sessions.

 

 

 

 

Gardening Workshops:

Pruning:

Sunday 9^th June 10-2pm – Castlemaine (venue will be confirmed upon booking)
Saturday 22^nd June 10-2pm – Castlemaine (venue will be confirmed upon booking)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natural Pest Control: Sunday 21^st July, @ The Hub Plot

Sunday 21^st July, 10 am-2 pm – @ The Hub Plot, Templeton St, Castlemaine

Sunday 18^th August, 10 am-2 pm  – venue TBA

 

 

Grafting: includes hands on experience of a variety of techniques taught by local orchardist with over 50 years experience from the Mount Alexander Fruit Gardens, Merv Carr. Sunday 8^th September – 10-2 pm in Yapeen  (venue will be confirmed upon booking)

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The Growing Abundance Project in the media:

• Project leaders Lucy Young and Sas Allardice were interviewed on ABC Radio’s Bush Telegraph on 22 Feb. 2011.  It was a great introduction to the project and to encourage other communities to take up our ideas!
• Jane Curtis from ABC Bendigo came harvesting and recorded it  in pics and vimeo
• The Age  Epicure supplement reported on the Local Produce Guide and the work of the Harvest Group.
• The Castlemaine Mail and the online Castlemaine Independent have reported our activities regularly.

If you want to know more about Growing Abundance, contact lucy@cch.org.au or watch this web page for updates!

Bernie and his bees

Bernie Kriss has been helping Growing Abundance members to learn about beekeeping for fun and profit. He’s been profiled in a short (3 minute) film for ABC Open, and here it is:

Related projects:

Neighbourhood foraging: see this article about foraging in Melbourne by foragers’ group Sharing Abundance.

Check out the Local Harvest Project.  In the first week of April – take the Local Harvest Challenge!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Growing Abundance is a project in partnership with the Mount Alexander Sustainability Group, Transition Mount Alexander, Mount Alexander Volunteer Network and the Mount Alexander Shire Council. The project seeks to connect people through food. The project draws on the work of the international Transition Towns movement which has successfully developed a range of community partnerships to increase local food production and create local abundance. Growing Abundance is run through the Castlemaine Community House, and was supported by the Victorian Government through Sustainability Victoria.