Organics Christchurch

Celebrate Sprng with a Potluck Extravaganza

2011-09-11T23:55:00.000-07:00

Join us for a potluck lunch at Seven Oaks.
Our Soil and Health lunch will coincide with the Seven Oaks monthly working bee (11am-1pm), so come along and admire this central city green oasis.

Please bring some food to share and your own glasses, plates and cutlery. Drinking water will be provided.

When: Sunday 25 September 12.00 -2.00 pm

Where: Seven Oaks Education Centre, 35 Hassals Lane (off York St), Opawa

DVD Screening - Homegrown Revolution

2010-07-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

An award winning short movie about Jules Dervaes and his family, living on an urban homestead in LA. Jules visited Christchurch recently and spoke to a packed meeting in New Brighton. If you missed his visit, then here is your chance to catch his inspiring message.

The DVD will be followed by our own Bob Crowder speaking on a pertinent topic of his choice.
We’ll finish up with a pot-luck feast with mulled wine or cider

Where: WEA, 59 Gloucester St
When: Thursday 5 August, 7 pm

Members free, non-members gold coin donation

Garden Visit Sunday 23rd of May

2010-07-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

Jan’s Jungle

If it had been 20 degrees warmer visitors could easily have imagined that they had been transported somewhere north of the Equator. Crammed with an incredible array of rare fruits and vegetables Jan’s Garden has a distinctly tropical feel. Jan has even managed to make paved areas and pathways productive by filling them with an impressive collection of potted herbs and shrubs.

After being welcomed with a hot cup of Jan’s delicious pumpkin soup, visitors were introduced to some of Jan’s more interesting vegetables. “People are always giving me strange things to grow” says Jan, gesturing towards a table overflowing with a cornucopia of unusual edibles.

Skirret

Jan likes to eat skirret root in salad. Although related to carrots this perennial root vegetable is now seldom grown. Skirret’s long white roots can be boiled, stewed or roasted, but the core is inedible and should be removed before cooking.

Tasty tubers

Another of Jan’s favourite salad ingredients is yacon. Yacon has a tuber that looks a lot like a dahlia’s, but unlike the dahlia it is not poisonous. The tubers are crisp and sweet, tasting a bit like apple or watermelon. The yacon is related to the Jerusalem artichoke, another tuberous plant which Jan cultivates. By selecting the “least knobbly tubers” Jan has created her own distinct varieties that are smooth and round. Jerusalem artichokes can sometimes cause indigestion, but Jan assures us that if you peel them and make fritters out of them they will not induce flatulence!

Many of Jan’s tubers come from South America. Ulluco is widely grown throughout the Andes and is a significant food crop. The multi-coloured tubers are sometimes available in Christchurch supermarkets, and can be easily propagated, however, don’t sell them or you might be harrassed by Crop and Food Research who have sole rights to them in NZ. Another less common Andean tuber is the anu, a tuberous nasturtium that is often grown together with ulluco and potatoes.

Preserves

Being a keen preserver means that Jan doesn’t let any of her produce go to waste. For those of you lucky enough to sample Jan’s pumpkin soup the magic ingredient was Jan’s sweet chilli sauce (recipe below). In addition to making traditional chutneys and sauces Jan also creates unique beverages and fruity wines.

Supreme Sweet Chilli Sauce

250g mild chillies
2 red capsicums
8 large cloves garlic
1 kilo tomatoes

Chop the above ingredients in a food processor, or cook first and then mouli.

Add 4 grated apples
2 ½ cups white vinegar
1 kg sugar
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cayenne
3 tsp salt
2 Tbsp pickling spice (in a bag)

Boil for 1 hour, then bottle.

Chillies – original recipe said “seeded”, but I like the seeds appearing in the sauce so leave them in. For hot chillies with seeds I reduce the quantity to 100g, as it is meant to be a SWEET chilli sauce.

Jerusalem Artichoke Fritters

1 egg (free range)
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp wholemeal flour
freshly ground pepper
½ tsp freshly chopped rosemary
500g scrubbed Jerusalem artichokes
cooking oil – organic sunflower is nice

Method

To create a batter beat the egg in a large bowl, then add flour, baking powder, rosemary and seasonings.

Grate the unpeeled artichokes into a colander, then squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Add drained artichokes to the batter and mix well with a fork.

Heat a thin layer of oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Place a large spoonful of mixture in the pan and flatten with the back of a spoon. When brown turn over to cook on the other side. Drain on absorbent paper and keep warm.

Serve with sour cream or yoghurt, or one of Jan’s favourite chutneys/sauces.

Thank You

A big thanks goes out to Jan, it was great to be able to look round your fabulous garden and to learn some of your preserving secrets. Soil & Health Canterbury wishes you all the best for the next growing season.

Garden Visit and Preserving Demonstration

2010-05-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

Visit Jan Mackenzie's wonderful organic garden. See what incredible bounty you can achieve on a small suburban section, and learn how Jan creates delicious preserves and wines from her autumn harvest.

A fascinating afternoon for sure!

When: Sunday 23rd May, 2.00 to 4.00 pm
Where: 37 Cleveland St, St Albans

Free for Members, Non-members gold coin donation

Silver Medal for Style and Sustainability

2010-03-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

Soil and Health Canterbury wowed the judges at Ellerslie, this time winning ‘Silver with Distinction’ for their garden Sustainability with Style, created in partnership with fellow organic group The Good Gardeners’ Association.

Designed by Phil and Linda Ducker of The Good Gardeners’ Association, the garden featured elegant architectural structures - lych gate entrance, pebble mosiac and summer house – all built from recycled materials and sustainably harvested timber.
Surrounding a central lawn area, raised beds overflowed with an abundant variety of flowers, herbs and vegetables, and fruit trees were planted strategically along the garden’s boundry.

A compost heap and potting area were also thoughtfully integrated into the final design. “We love compost, and it was great to see composting being promoted at Ellerslie”, said Matt Morris (Chair Soil and Health Association NZ), “compost heaps are a thing of beauty and so magical in the way they transform waste into a healthy product to enrich the soil”.

“Ellerslie is a great place for Soil and Health and The Good Gardeners’ Association to get their messages out to a wide audience which would not normally be exposed to its ideas”, said Matt Morris.

A big thanks goes out to Donn Hampton, Dave Evans and Brian Morris for their incredible efforts with this project, and to Phil and Linda Ducker from Good Gardeners’ and the rest of their team.

Open Home - Sunday 18 October

2009-11-24T15:14:00.000-08:00

Sustainable Living in Spreydon
The October open home in Spreydon was a great success, with over fifty people turning up to learn more about Elvira’s productive orchard and no-dig vegetable beds. Having a relatively large section – just under 1000m2 – has enabled Elvira to devote a large area of her garden to food production, while still allowing space for a wide border of native trees and shrubs. “When I bought it, the house was a ‘handyman’s dream’ and the garden was a big area of grass with a few new trees (tags still on them) planted strategically”, says Elvira. Twenty years later large native trees create a lush evergreen backdrop, contrasting beautifully with deciduous fruit trees and berry crops. Close to the house two large vegetable beds and a small glasshouse provide the family with year round produce.

No-Dig Yes-Mulch
To maintain the health and productivity of her trees, berries and vegetable beds, Elvira regularly mulches with compost, sheep manure and leaf mould. “I use a thick layer of leaves, mainly oak, which I collect from a kindergarten, parks and Church Square, Addington”. No organic matter leaves the property, old plants and weeds are either chopped up and left on the garden as mulch or are composted in a heap along with kitchen waste. Any prunings too woody to be applied directly are piled up at the back of the shed and left to slowly decompose.

Fertilisers
To get seedlings off to a good start Elvira usually throws a small handful of compost, Zoodoo, sheep pellets or worm compost into the planting hole. Homemade seaweed brew also helps to boost growth and keep plants healthy. “I also dig in bokashi from time to time and have found it is great for brassicas’, says Elvira.

Tree Health
As well as regularly mulching her fruit and nut trees with compost, Elvira also underplants them with calendula and nasturtiums. Elvira successfully grows a diverse range of fruit and nut trees – peaches, plums, nectarines, apples, walnuts, hazelnuts, citrus and feijoas – as well as grapes, currants and berries. Mulching and companion planting keeps her plants free of disease. However, last year one of her ‘Gravenstein’ apples got a white fungus for the first time, so any tips on how to combat this would be much appreciated. She is currently trying a baking soda spray and has heard that diluted milk can also be used to combat fungal diseases.

Water Recycling
Elvira also showed just how easy recycling water can be. You don’t need a fancy grey water system, or even a network of pipes. Elvira simply places a large bowl in her kitchen sink to collect waste water which she then empties into the garden. “If you only use a small amount of detergent (Ecostore brand) you can safely use the dishwater to water plants”.

Plant Sale
Inspired by the popularity of Diana’s honey and grapes at her open home in March, committee members potted up a range of seedlings for sale on the day. There was an interesting array of plants on offer; purple sprouting broccoli, Argentinean tomatoes, lettuce ‘marvel of the four seasons’, to name but a few. The seedlings sold quickly and the sale proved to be a great fundraiser.

A big thanks to Elvira Dommisse for hosting the day’s event, a great afternoon was had by all.

Posted by Charlotte McHaffie

Open Home Discussion – October 18

2009-10-05T17:18:00.000-07:00

Sustainable Living in Spreydon

Starting with a virtually empty section 20 years ago, Elvira Dommisse has created a unique garden that combines her love of native plants, with her desire for food production. Natives
co-exist alongside heritage berries and grape vines, while mandarins and lemons fit snugly under the north facing eaves. Elvira uses a range of composting techniques to maintain the productivity of her small orchard and no-dig vegetable garden. Visit Elvira's home in Spreydon to learn more about edible landscaping and no-dig gardening methods. There will be a limited number of seedlings for sale on the day.

Where: 48 Neville St, Spreydon
When: 2.00pm on Sunday 18 October
Cost: Members free, Non-members $2.00

September Talk – Organics NZ

2009-09-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

If you have ever wondered what it would be like to be a WWOOFer (Willing Worker on Organic Farms), come along to our September talk and hear all about Philippa Jamieson’s volunteering adventures. As author of ‘The Wild Green Yonder’ and editor of Organic NZ, Philippa has a unique view of where the organic movement is at in New Zealand.

Expect to meet some new faces, as this month’s talk is a joint meeting of the Good Gardeners and Canterbury Soil and Health. We look forward to seeing you all there. Non-members are also welcome.

When: 7.30pm on Monday 21 September
Where: The Oxford Terrace Baptist Church cnr Oxford Tce and Madras St
Cost: $2.00 per person (to cover hall hire)

GE Discussion - Thursday 6 August

2009-09-07T22:02:00.000-07:00

Genetic engineering is no longer the hot topic it once was, and without the vigilant attention of people like Steffan Browning (Soil and Health Spokesperson) and Clare Bleakley (GE free NZ) it’s likely that we never would have known about the accidental release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into Canterbury. Local Soil and Health members were lucky to get the full story from Steffan Browning when he recently gave a talk on busting the GE brassica field trial at Lincoln. Elvira Dommisse, a former GE scientist, and Soil and Health National Council member, also gave a quick presentation on the situation of GE crops worldwide and answered people’s technical questions.

GE Brassica Field Trials

Although there was much public resistance to GE field trials, with 948 submissions opposing the GE brassica field trial alone, the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) granted Crop & Food (now Plant & Food Research) permission to conduct field trials in May 2007.

Risk of Genetic Pollution
Many of those who opposed the trials were concerned that experiments in the field would lead to the uncontrolled release of GMOs into the surrounding environment. In an attempt to allay their concerns ERMA imposed the following conditions:

1. Prevention of flowering
To prevent pollen from escaping from GE brassicas to non-GE brassicas, the brassica plants used in the trial were not allowed to go to flower. All plants in the test site were to be monitored to detect onset of bolting (early flowering), and any bolting plants were to be removed and taken to a containment facility.

2. Destruction of all genetically modified plant material
To prevent the uncontrolled release of GMOs, all GE brassicas were to be killed by composting— which does not completely destroy the GE DNA— or autoclaving (heated to 121C by pressurised steam).

Breach of conditions
Despite the assurances from scientists that there was no risk of GMOs escaping into the environment, GE brassicas were found to be flowering by Steffan Browning in December last year. Rather than destroying the GE plants at the conclusion of the trial, Dr Mary Christey and her assistants had simply cut the brassica plants off at the base, leaving the stalks and roots in the ground. The stalks subsequently re-sprouted and initiated flowers, and the discovery of a seed capsule indicated that GE pollen had been released. Further investigations of the scientist's logbooks showed that this was not the first time GE brassica plants had been allowed to flower. Photographs taken during the trial clearly showed bolting GE broccoli and GE cauliflower plants.

Scion GE Tree Field Trials
Similar breaches of conditions also occurred in relation to the Scion GE tree trial in 2007-2008. While visiting the trial site Steffan discovered the following: GE tree seedlings growing in pots had been allowed to initiate pollen. Trees in the field that were supposed to be topped to 2m, to allow scientists to monitor for pollen bearing cones, had been allowed to grow to over 3m. Prunings from GE trees were left to rot in the field, instead of being autoclaved, and security fences that were supposed to keep out browsing animals, had been tunnelled under by rabbits.

It is clear from both field trials that even when strict conditions are imposed scientists are unable to safely contain GMOs. In light of the breaches of conditions Soil and Health and GE Free NZ called for an immediate halt to all GE field trials.

GE Issues World Wide
Unfortunately there wasn't enough time for Elvira to cover GE issues in any real depth. If you would like a copy of a talk Elvira recently gave to the WEA on GE Issues please send an email to organicschch@gmail.com Some of the main issues are summarised below, with links to more information.

Monsanto continues to aggressively enforce its patent rights, with dire consequences for many farmers. The most infamous case being the story of Percy Schmeiser, a Canadian canola farmer who was sued by Monsanto when self-sown 'Round Up Ready' canola plants were found on his property.

Many of Monsanto's GE cotton crops failed in India, causing large numbers of farmers to go bankrupt. Many of these farmers went on to commit suicide.

To make it easy to identify GE crops scientists introduce use antibiotic-resistant markers. These antibiotic resistant genes can be taken up by stomach bacteria when GE crops or foodstuffs containing GE DNA are eaten. The antibiotic-resistance DNA can then be transferred to disease-causing bacteria making them resistant to antibiotics.

Film – Future of Food
The 'Future of Food' provides people with a good overview of the issues surrounding genetically modified food, and is available from Alice in Videoland. The film's trailer can be watched on Youtube.

What You Can Do

With climate change constantly in the spotlight it's easy to forget other important issues such as GE. As concerned consumers we must remember to keep the pressure on. One of the only things holding the GE industry back is consumer resistance. Ring up your local supermarket and remind them that GE-free matters to you. Supermarkets know that a call from one person represents 100 other individuals who feel the same way. For a list of GE free foods, check out the Greenpeace true-food guide.

Discussion Evening

2009-07-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

We are hosting a discussion evening about GE issues soon, and we would love to see you there!

Who: Soil & Health National Co-Chairs Steffan Browning and Dr. Elvira Dommisse
When: 7pm, Thursday 6 August
Where: 14 Harrison St, Shirley (home of Matt Morris)

What: Steffan will present on his discovery of the botched GE brassica trial at Lincoln, and the consequence of this, and Elvira, a former Crop and Food scientist, will talk more generally about GE and its dire consequences worldwide, with bits about what’s happening in NZ. There will be plenty of time for discussion and questions.

Members of our branch can come for free, non-members entry by gold coin donation.

GE has gone off the boil in the media, but, as we will hear, the issue is very much alive. A great opportunity to get up to date from leaders in the GE-Free campaign, and to meet up with other Soil & Health members!

We look forward to seeing you there.

For more information, please contact Matt Morris, theyellowroom@xtra.co.nz

Hardy Winter Greens

2009-07-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

As the days grow shorter salads often slip off the menu, and we find ourselves eating copious amounts of roast vegetables and hot pumpkin soups. Although warm and filling, a winter diet consisting primarily of starchy vegetables can lead to sudden cravings for ‘winter greens’. Unfortunately in the depths of winter it can be difficult to source quality organic greens - broccoli, kale, spinach and rocket always seem to be in short supply.

Timing is crucial
Growing winter greens successfully can be tricky, as over the coldest months vegetable plants go into stasis and barely grow at all. To ensure plants are large enough to harvest over winter you need to plant your seedlings by the end of February! But at the height of summer who is thinking about kale and cabbage? Usually it isn’t until the end of March that we begin to anticipate the onset of winter, and by then it’s often too late.

Favourite Winter Greens
Soil and Health members list their best picks for winter.

Pak choi is Dave’s number one choice. The plants photographed here were planted as seedlings in late March. “Although great in stirfries, I like to eat pak choi lightly steamed so that it retains some of its crispness”.

Endive is Charlotte’s favourite winter green. A member of the chicory family, endive is a lot hardier than lettuce and better suited to Canterbury’s cold wet conditions. "I mainly eat endive in sandwiches, as it is a great lettuce substitute", says Charlotte. The endive shown in the photograph is a 'broad leaved endive' and was sown mid-February. The curly-leaved endives ‘frisee’ are better grown in spring through to autumn, as they are less tolerant of damp cold weather.

'I also eat a lot of mizuna and rocket', says Charlotte. Mizuna is a mild tasting form of mustard. The one photographed here is ‘Red Coral', which is available from Kings Seeds. For winter cropping mizuna can be sown late summer through to mid autumn.
The purple varieties of mustard and mizuna help to brighten up winter salads.

Donn chose rainbow silverbeet, a colourful version of the old classic. Apparently there is not much left of Donn’s silverbeet as he and Linda have eaten it down to the stalks. The plants shown in the photo were sown mid February.

Chickweed comes top of Bonnie's list, simply because it’s always in abundance, grows year round and is easy to harvest. “I love this weed – so tasty in soups, salads, smoothies, stews and pancakes”.

What winter greens are you growing?
Share your growing tips with other readers. We would love to know what ‘greens’ have been successful for you this winter. Post a comment to let us know which varieties you are growing and when you sowed/planted them.

Open Home Discussion – Sunday 22nd of March

2009-04-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

Diana Kirpensteijn’s Food Forest
The unsettled weather on Sunday didn’t deter the large group of gardeners keen to visit Diana’s home and garden. Diana (left), a long time member of Soil and Health, has lived at her Opawa property for 23 years. In that time she has converted a barren suburban section - once dominated by a large macrocarpa windbreak - into a fruitful forest. ‘For every plant I removed, I planted three fruit trees,’ says Diana. A diversity of flowers, herbs and edible perennial plants co-exist under the groves of fruit trees, and raised garden beds provide areas for intensive vegetable production. ‘It was important that the garden was low maintenance,’ says Diana, which makes a lot of sense when you consider the size of the garden - ½ an acre if you include the adjoining property which the Kirpensteijns also own.

Nutrient Cycling
In keeping with organic principles Diana cycles all her organic waste back into the garden. Green leafy weeds and kitchen scraps are given to the chooks, and the manure is put through the compost heap. ‘Occasionally I buy some blood and bone, or sheep pellets, but overall I try to avoid bringing in a lot of materials from outside as it involves a lot of extra work. However, I have recently started adding rock dusts to my compost heaps to correct mineral deficiencies,’ says Diana. Diana also makes comfrey tea which she feeds to tomatoes and other heavy feeding vegetables.

Renegade Chooks
Diana originally planned to ‘tractor’ her chickens around the garden using them to dig over empty beds, however the chickens had alternative plans and were forever escaping to greener pastures. ‘If you’re going to have a “chicken tractor” make sure your chickens can’t dig their way out,’ says Diana, recalling the loss of leek and garlic seedlings scratched up by a runaway chook. ‘I’ve decided that it’s easier to have a permanent chicken run, and cycle the waste through the compost’.

Friendly Bees
Unlike the chooks, Diana’s bees are free to go where they please. Being in close proximity to a neighbouring school Diana always makes sure she buys friendly queens. The four hives, situated in the far corner of the garden, supply the family with 110kg of honey a year. But being a bee keeper is no easy task, you need to be registered, and MAF carries out regular hive inspections. Unfortunately, with the arrival of varroa mite, Diana is faced with a tough decision, treat her hives with chemicals, or stop being a bee keeper altogether. Although organic solutions do exist they are unlikely to effective during the initial establishment phase, which is expected to last 3 to 4 years.

Living Mulch
When asked how she kept her fruit trees free of pests and diseases, Diana explained the importance of a living mulch. Fruits trees do a lot better when they don’t have grass growing up to their trunks. A living mulch of organic matter (straw, leaves, bark . . .) combined with perennial herbs like parsnips and comfrey, creates a great habitat for ground beetles. Ground beetles are voracious predators that like to snack on juicy larvae, codling moth larvae being no exception, so having a healthy population of ground beetles helps to control this unwanted pest. A living mulch also helps to reduce fungal diseases, as it encourages microbial diversity and increases the chance that fungal spores will be out competed or consumed by beneficial microbes.

Pest Barriers
One of the downsides of mulch, is that it can harbour slugs. Diana avoids mulching in the spring when the slugs are most prevalent, and protects her tender seedlings with plastic pottles that have had their lids cut out. Another physical barrier that Diana finds essential is shade netting over the carrot beds, ‘growing carrots is a waste of time unless you have nets to keep out the carrot fly,’ says Diana.

Tasty Treats
Those people who were lucky enough to be able to stay until the end of Diana’s talk were rewarded with pink grape juice made from Diana’s favourite grape ‘Iona’. Diana had also baked a spiced apple cake – recipe courtesy of the late Rod Donald – and had potted up plants and honey for sale. Diana insisted that people weren’t to leave until all the ‘black boy’ peaches had been picked and given away. All in all everyone had enjoyable afternoon, and no one left empty handed!

Posted by Charlotte McHaffie

Bronze at Ellerslie

2009-03-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

When Project Lyttelton and Soil and Health teams got together at Ellerslie to celebrate the completion of their display garden, they were amazed to find out they had won a Bronze Award!

"Getting Bronze was a fantastic result. Many adjacent displays had spent tens of thousands of dollars, while ours was put together with voluntary effort and lots of sponsorship . . . The judges said that they kept coming back to our garden because they loved the concept and really enjoyed how place specific it was," said Matt Morris.

The display is named 'Dig This' Community Garden, and celebrates the 'planting, harvesting and feasting of good organic food in your local community'. The silhouette of the port hills, coupled with the metal bollards and shipping rope captures Lyttelton's unique landscape.

A big thanks goes out project managers Wendy Everingham and Rod Lawrence from Project Lyttelton who did an outstanding job, and Soil and Health members Donn Hampton and Brian Morris who put in many days of hard work on the construction. Thanks also to all those members who were on hand during the show to talk to people and give out leaflets.

If you’re planning to visit the show this weekend make sure you check out'Dig This'. Hopefully our award winning garden will inspire other communities to work together to create a more sustainable city.

Posted by Charlotte McHaffie

Open Home Discussion - March

2009-02-28T14:12:00.000-08:00

Maximising Food Production

Visit Diana Kirpensteijn’s garden in Opawa to learn how to get maximum food production for minimum effort. Diana’s ‘multi-purpose’ garden has been carefully designed to ensure year-round productivity. A variety of different fruit and nut trees, as well as large vegetable gardens, supply the kitchen with seasonal produce. Eggs and honey are also often on the menu, thanks to Diana’s hens and bees.

If you’re keen to learn more about organic food production, and would like to meet other Soil and Health members, make sure you come along to our March talk.

When: 2.00pm on Sunday 22 March
Where: 5 Ombersley Tce, Opawa
Cost: Members free, Non-members $2.00

For more information email: organicschch@gmail.com

We Need Your Trees

2009-02-19T16:49:00.000-08:00

Recent fires have damaged much of the native plantings on Southshore Spit. The Southshore Residents Association and the City Council’s Coast Care Rangers need your help to continue the ecological restoration of the Southshore Spit Reseve.

Interested people are invited by the residents association to contribute ‘self propagated’ seedlings of local native species which may be self seeding and growing ‘wild’ in their gardens, often beneath power lines and tall trees etc.

Plants may be potted up and transferred to a nursery area at Tim Sintes property in Tern St, where they will be watered and cared for, or they can be potted up and cared for at peoples homes and brought along to a community planting day planned for the autumn. Empty pots can be supplied by the council by contacting Pete Neal on 3884706

The plant species sought are N.Z. coastal natives (capable of surviving in this tough environment) such as N.Z. Ngaio, Coprosma, Broadleaf, Five finger, Kowhai, Karaka, Akeake, and Cabbage tree, etc.

Please ring project co-ordinator Peter Neal on 388 4706 for more information or e-mail him on PANEAL@xtra.co.nz

Rodney Chambers
Coastal Area Head Ranger
Christchurch City Council

Peter Neal
SSRA

Southshore Self-Sufficiency

2009-02-13T14:24:00.000-08:00

You wouldn’t expect to find an edible garden paradise at the end of Southshore Spit, but that is exactly what Pete and Marion Neal have created, albeit with some help from willing neighbours. “At the moment five neighbours give us all their garden waste and kitchen scraps, unfortunately one is leaving, so hopefully we will be able to train up somebody new,” says Pete. Pete has even modified his fence to make it easier for neighbours to deposit their waste into his compost bins.

Compost Secret to Success
Each year Pete and Marion produce about 1.5 cubic metres of compost; after living on their property for 38 years they have managed to build the soil up 30cms in places. ‘We’ve never brought in any top soil, when you do that you end up with other people’s problems,’ says Pete. Apart from compost, the only other fertilisers they are use are sheep manure, blood and bone, and lime. Looking at the rich layer of organic matter its hard to believe that a couple of spade widths down its pure sand.

Two Bin System
To make their compost the couple use a two bin system, each bin measuring approximately 1 metre x 1.5 metres. When the first bin reaches capacity, the contents are turned over into a second bin. If the compost appears dry, water is added during the turning process. “You need enough water to keep the process going, but not so much that you put out the fire,” says Pete. After turning, the compost is covered with an insulating lid, which helps to keep the compost hot and prevents the rain from getting in. Pete uses a piece of metal coated polystyrene as a lid, but you could use two pieces of 6mm plywood separated by a 20mm gap.

Food in Abundance
Marion and Pete grow more vegetables than they need, which means they always have surplus to give away. ‘The neighbours give us their garden waste, and we give them vegetables,’ says Marion. The couple grow enough potatoes, pumpkins and onions to last them the whole year. A small orchard also supplies them with peaches, pears and apples.

Although Pete is quick to point out that he isn’t a ‘greenie’ because he doesn’t ‘have a beard or wear jandals,’ the couple’s self-sufficient lifestyle tells a very different story.

Posted by Charlotte McHaffie

Gardening at the Beach

2008-12-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

It was great to see such an awesome turnout on Saturday, when thirty people turned up to North Beach to hear Charlotte talk about her coastal garden.

Establishing the Vegetable Beds
When Charlotte and Scott first moved into their place eighteen months ago, the property already had a lot of established native trees and shrubs. However, to get their vegetable garden started a little more effort was required. Knowing just how hungry sandy soil can be, they decided to kick start their garden with a few cubic metres of top soil. A layer of topsoil (10-15cm deep) was laid onto the grass and edged with bricks from the old chimney. Before planting they lightly forked a layer of composted chicken manure into the new beds. ‘It is always a good idea to dig in some compost first, as topsoil often contains silt and clay, which can bake hard and crack in the sun’, says Charlotte. Compost is a wonderful substance that improves all types of soil; while compost helps light, sandy soils retain moisture and nutrients, it also improves aeration and drainage of heavy soils.

Green Manure and Seaweed
The best vegetable bed — seen above — was enriched with seaweed and green manure over the winter. Seaweed was laid in shallow trenches and covered with soil. Oats, lupins and broad beans were sown over the top in April, and the green manure was dug-in during August. The soil in the green manured area is noticeably better than the soil in other beds. The organic matter has broken down to create sticky humus, which binds the sand particles together, enabling the soil to hold water and nutrients.

Nothing Wasted
Scott and Charlotte don’t like to take any organic matter off their property. A huge pile of tree prunings sits in the middle of the garden as testament to this philosophy. ‘One day we will get a mulcher’ says Charlotte, ‘in the meantime the pile is home to many invertebrate species, and is fondly known as the “spider cave”’. Weeds, grass clippings and old vegetable plants are mixed with straw and composted; all the household’s kitchen waste is recycled using bokashi buckets. Occasionally the pair source enough manure and straw to make a large compost heap, but most of the time they just use rotted down seaweed, or buy in composted chicken manure. ‘If you are using manure make sure it isn’t contaminated with herbicides. Sometimes farmers spray herbicides on their fields to kill broadleaf weeds and these contaminants can get into the manure’ says Charlotte.

Hardy Coastal Plants
Although most of Saturday’s talk was devoted to the hows and whys of vegetable gardening, Charlotte found some time near the end to recommend some hardy coastal plants. ‘It is a good idea to plant wind and salt tolerant trees on your NE boundary ’, says Charlotte, ‘once you have established your first line of defence it is possible to plant more tender plants on the leeward side’. The plants Charlotte recommends for coastal gardens are listed below:

Trees
Ngaio Myporum laetum
Coprosma lucida, C. robusta, C. repens
Pittosporum tenuifolium, P. eugenioides, P. crassifolium
Broadleaf Griselinia littoralis
Kowhai Sophora microphylla, S. prostrata
Olearia paniculata, O. ilicifolia, O. avicenafolia, O. traversii
Akeake Dodonea viscosa
Kanuka Kunzea ericoides
Cabbage tree Cordyline australis
Corokia x virgata, C. cotoneaster
Coast banksia Banksia integrifolia*
Olive Olea europaea*

Shrubs
NZ lilac Heliohebe hulkeana
Hebe species (especially H. odora, H. salicifolia, H lewissii, H. speciosa, H ballensii)
Marlborough rock daisy Pachystegia insignis
Kaka beak Clianthus puniceus
Brachyglottis greyii
Muehlenbekia astonii
Coprosma propinqua C. virescens
Rock rose Cistus sp*
Coast rosemary Westringia rosmarinifolius*
Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis*
Lavender Lavandula sp*
Wax flower Eriostemon myoporoides*
Grevillea sp (choose frost tolerant species)

Herbaceous
Rengarenga lily Arthropodium cirratum
NZ Iris Libertia peregrinans
Dianella sp.
Gazania hybrids*
African daisy Arctotis hybrids*

Ground cover
Native daphne Pimelea prostrata
Pratia angulata
Fuchsia procumbens

Ferns
Shield fern Polystichum vestitum, P. richardii
Hen-and-chickens fern Asplenium bulbiferum
Hound’s tongue fern Phymatasorus diversifolius

All plants are native to New Zealand, except those marked by an asterix* .

Posted by Charlotte McHaffie

Tuscan Kale Recipe

2008-11-30T19:09:00.000-08:00

The Tuscan kale (also known as black cabbage, cavolo nero and black kale) generated a lot of interest at Saturday’s gathering. For those of you who were keen to try Scott and Charlotte’s favourite kale and potato dish - here it is. This recipe is from Faith Willinger’s book Red, White and Greens – The Italian Way with Vegetables (1999).

Massimo’s Penne with Tuscan Kale and Potatoes

Serves 4-6

1/4 -1/2 pound of Tuscan kale, or curly kale
5-6 quarts water
2-3 Tbsp coarse sea salt
1 large yellow-fleshed potato, peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes
14-16 ounces penne
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
3-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Freshly grated pepper

Carefully clean the kale, removing tough central ribs and washing carefully to remove all dirt. Cut the kale into thin strips.

Bring 5-6 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add the kale and 2-3 tablespoons of salt and cook at a rolling boil for 5 minutes.

Add the potato to the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Add the pasta and cook until it offers considerable resistance to the tooth, around three quarters of the cooking time.

While the pasta is cooking put the garlic in a large non-stick skillet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Place the skillet over moderate heat and when garlic beings to sizzle remove from heat.

Drain pasta and vegetables. Reserving 2 cups of the cooking water.

Put the drained pasta and vegetables in the skillet with the garlic and add 1 cup pasta cooking water. Cook over highest heat until the pasta is cooked, surrounded by a creamy sauce. Add more cooking water if sauce dries out.

Serve pasta in bowls, topped with a drizzle of the remaining extra virgin olive oil and freshly grated pepper.

Posted by Charlotte McHaffie

Organic Groups Show Off

2008-11-25T18:32:00.000-08:00

Show weekend traditionally marks the beginning of summer in Canterbury. If you weren’t outside planting your tomatoes and cucumbers, you might have been one of the thousands of Cantabrians who headed along to the show grounds to check out this year’s events.

Somewhere hidden amongst the woodchoppers, candy floss and blue-ribbon winning roosters, was the organics stand. Jam packed with yummy organic products, and featuring its very own steaming compost heap, the display was quite a hit.

Lots of organics groups came together to promote organic growing and sustainability: Organics Aotearoa NZ, Organic Garden City Trust, Soil and Health, and Canterbury Organics to name but a few. A big thanks to Ceres, Fresh Direct, Breadman, Simply Squeezed, Functional Wholefoods and many other companies for the free giveaways — what better way to give people a taste of organics.

Overall the stand generated a lot of interest and lively discussion. The organic products and ‘green’ ideas were positively received by all. A big thanks to everyone involved; it was great to see so many organisations and businesses working together to promote organics.

Open Home Discussion – Sat 29 November

2008-11-08T16:56:00.000-08:00

Growing Vegetables at the Beach

Sandy soils and salt spray can make growing vegetables a challenge. For Soil and Health member Charlotte McHaffie, living 200 metres from the beach is a mixed blessing. Visit Charlotte and Scott at their house in North Beach to learn how they have created an edible garden on the sand dunes. Accompany them on a guided walk to discover which plants grow best on the coast.

If you’re interested in learning more about beach gardens, or would like to meet other Soil and Health members, make sure you come along to our November talk.

When: 2.00pm on Saturday 29 November
Where: 50 Cygnet St, North Beach (just north of the North Beach Surf Club)
Cost: Members free, Non-members $2.00

So the speaker has an idea of numbers please R.S.V.P.
Ph 388-7353 or 021 037-5716
email: organicschch@gmail.com

Donn's Champagne Recipes

2008-11-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

Celebrate the beginning of summer, with a glass of fruity fizz.

There is more than a subtle hint of rhubarb in this rosé. Dare to abandon those delicate fruity overtones for a wild blast of sherbety sweetness.

Donn’s sparkling bubbles lit up many winter committee meetings (along with Linda’s wonderful cake).

Rhubarb Champagne
2 lbs chopped rhubarb stalks (2-3cm pieces)
1 ½ lbs of white sugar
1 ½ Tbs of white vinegar
2 lemons sliced
4 ½ litres of water

Elder Flower Champagne
5 – 7 elder flower heads
The more flowers the stronger the flavour; Donn and Linda generally use five average sized heads. Shake the flower heads to dislodge dust and beetles etc but do not wash.

4 litres of water
2 1/2 cups of sugar
2 lemons sliced
2 Tbs white vinegar
4 Tbs citric acid (optional extra for those who prefer a tarter beverage)

Method
Put the sugar and boiling water into a large clean bucket (not metal) and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the sugar solution. Mix thoroughly and cover with a clean cloth. Let stand for 48 hours.

Strain the solution through muslin cloth and pour into bottles. Plastic soft drink bottles work well. Do not fill the bottles to the top as the drink becomes very fizzy. Make sure the tops are screwed tight as loss of pressure will cause the drink to go flat.
To check progress lightly squeeze the bottles, they will go tight as the brew matures.

In warm weather the champagne is ready in 1-2 weeks, but it is best left for at least a month to let the flavours fully develop.

When making rhubarb champagne, you can use the strained rhubarb pieces to make a tasty desert.

Seed Swap

2008-10-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

Many of Christchurch’s keen gardeners look forward to the Southern Seed Exchange’s annual spring seed swap. For Seed Exchange members it is the much anticipated day when they can collect their seed orders and fossick around the swap table . It’s hard not to be greedy when there are so many varieties to choose from. For my annual subscription of $20.00 I received several brown and white envelopes carefully packaged by diligent volunteers. Many thanks to the guardian seed savers, and all the people who helped write newsletters, seed lists and fill orders. I can’t wait to start sowing my seeds, as many are new varieties that I’m growing for the first time.

Spring Sunshine at Number 4
This year the seed swap was held at 4 Riccarton Ave. Many Soil and Health members will remember this house fondly as it was once the home of Matt Morris, our current branch president. The day couldn’t have been better, the air was soft and warm, and full of sunshine. People gathered eagerly around the swap table, seeking out interesting plants, cuttings and seeds. I picked up some unusual black and white striped runner beans. These will have to wait until next year however, as I have already sown a variety called ‘Devils Defiance’.

SSE Fieldtrips and Monthly Get-Togethers
In addition to maintaining its seed bank the Southern Seed Exchange has recently started holding fieldtrips and monthly get-togethers . Unfortunately I couldn’t make it to Martin’s fieldtrip on seaweeds (edible seaweeds and seaweeds for the garden). There is a chance he could be running it again in November, so if you’re interested in this event, or would like to get on the mailing list for future events ring Martin on 03 325 1310 or email: southernseed@paradise.net.nz

Blog On

2008-10-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

Kia ora and welcome to our new blog, a place where Soil and Health members can share news, information, and ideas. We value contributions and comments from readers. If you would like to write an article, or let us know about an event, please email us at: organicschch@blogspot.com

August Talk – The Benefits of Eating Flax Seed Oil

Earlier this month, Soil and Health member Christopher Musgrave hosted a talk on the health benefits of flax seed oil, also known as linseed oil. Christopher introduced us to a wide range of nutritious products, and told us the interesting story behind his family farm at Waihi Bush.

The Plant
Flax seed oil comes from the delicate, blue flowered Linum plant, not to be confused with the New Zealand native flax, Phormium sp.

Waihi Bush
Originally inspired to grow flax after the oil was recommended as a cure for his son’s eczema, Christopher’s father David Musgrave, pressed his first lot of oil in 1993. Starting off small, using equipment supplied by a Canadian company, the Musgrave’s business now employs 18 people.

Fifteen years ago New Zealanders would have struggled to find organic flax seed oil on the shelves of their health food store or supermarket. Now thanks to Waihi Bush, there are a number of different flaxseed products to choose from.

Health Benefits
Eating flax seed oil has many benefits, so many in fact, that Mahatma Ghandi once said that "whenever flax seeds are part of the peoples diet, then their health will be improved". While flax seeds have been part of the Indian diet for centuries, many New Zealanders have yet to discover their benefits.

Flax seed contains two kinds of fatty acid, Omega-3 and Omega-6, both of which are essential nutrients. To maintain optimum health the body needs balanced amounts of both fatty acids. Modern diets tend to be high in Omega-6 and low in Omega-3, this is largely because the most common oils, with the exception of olive oil, are high in Omega-6 but contain little or no Omega-3.

The body uses Omega-3 fatty acids to send messages to different parts of the body. One of its most important functions is to switch off the inflammation response. When people do not get enough Omega-3 in their diet they can develop a variety of inflammation related diseases, for example arthritis, eczema and psoriasis. Omega-3 fatty acids also reduce water retention by regulating salt excretion, and help to boost the body’s natural immune system.

Fresh is Best
Both flax seed oil and fish oil contain high levels of Omega-3’s, but fish oil contains secondary Omega-3’s, which a healthy body can make from the primary Omega-3 found in flax seed oil – you need both to be healthy. Because Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids decay rapidly when exposed to light and air, these foods need to be carefully packaged. Fresh, unrefined foods, generally contain higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids. Before the advent of industrial farming and processed food, people’s diets probably contained more Omega-3’s. For example the meat, milk and eggs from free-range, grass fed animals, tends to have higher levels of these essential nutrients.

Daily Dose
Including flax seed oil in your diet is the easiest way to make sure your body gets the right amount of Omega-3. Unless you are treating a specific health issue, a tablespoon of oil a day is usually all you need. Eat the oil directly, or mix it in with your food. Including the oil in salad dressings is a great way to make flax seed oil a tasty part of your daily meal.

Branch Happenings

2008-05-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

The following update can also be found in Organic Matters July 2008.

Meetings
The Committee have met regularly over the last 12 months every six weeks or so, at my house. During these meetings we have worked through all of the internal issues that have been built up over the year. These aren’t very glamorous, but they include a bank account that needed to be closed, tidying up our branch constitution so that it matched reality, investigating and confirming our tax status with IRD, and re-defining our work. These issues are now all sorted.

In recent meetings we have had guests coming to talk with us about related projects in the community. In December we had a great end-of-year meeting at Seven Oaks, where Margaret Jeffries of Project Lyttelton told us about what they were doing on the site. As usual, this was very inspiring – growing salads for the Lyttelton Market and local businesses on a large scale, part of a satellite system of community gardening. Earlier this year we had a visit from Rhys Taylor to update us about Transition Communities in Christchurch. Our branch committed to being involved in this process, which is very dynamic and very NOW. At our last meeting we had the Manager of the Ellerslie Flower Show come to talk to us about how groups like ours could participate in March next year, and I’ll come to that in a moment.

We have had a great series of meetings, usually helped along by Donn and Linda’s cakes and fabulous elderflower, rhubarb or quince champagne for which the committee have been very grateful!

Open Home Discussions
We have agreed to adjust our meeting structure, now that the internal work is out of the way, and open several of them to our members and the public. These will still be held in our homes, with a talk about a particular thing we can do at home to be sustainable. This might be growing mushrooms, gardening in circles or eating more flax oil! We would be delighted to have you along to these gatherings and will let you know when and where they are happening.

Tilth Newsletter
Mia Colberts has continued as our newsletter editor this year and has put several of these together for us. We have had some good discussions about how to involve other organisations in this newsletter, making it more of a networking tool and letting you know the great organic events that are coming up around our communities. Sadly, Mia is stepping down from our committee so won’t be continuing in this role.

At the same time, the Organic Garden City Trust has started up again and will be producing its old newsletter, Organic Matters. This used to be made in conjunction with our branch and, given the timing, I’d recommend to the branch that we revisit this again and see how we can work in together.

Library
Donn Hampton has continued this year getting our branch library operational. He has done a great job as our librarian and thankfully will continue in this position over the coming year. In doing so he has worked in with Margaret Jeffries and Wendy Everingham at Project Lyttelton, setting up the library in their building with their help. We are very grateful for the help Project Lyttelton have given us, even finding a bookcase and painting it – a wonderful shade of purple – for us! We think it will be wonderful to have this beside the community garden and we believe there is lots of potential to build the library up again over the next few years.

Soil and Health Booklets
Charlotte McHaffie has undertaken the job of revising our branch information booklets. Many of you will know these – on companion planting, planting calendars, pests and disease etc – and it is about time they were updated. She has even suggested writing a new one, on fruit forests! Very exciting. David Barwick has started producing original illustrations for these new booklets. Thanks to him and to Charlotte for the energy they are putting into this valuable work, which will also be a fundraiser for us. Donn Hampton is providing additional support in the revising process, and thanks go to him as well.

Ellerslie Garden Show
The branch has agreed to put on a stand at Ellerslie next year. This is a big undertaking and we will definitely be calling on branch members to help out where they can. At this stage we haven’t determined exactly what we will do, partly because we are discussing with some other groups whether we could put on a combined display. However, we know that we’ll be there bringing the organic message to the Show.

Committee
I would like to personally thank everyone on the committee for their ongoing commitment to the branch over this past year. I would especially like to thank Annmarie Banchy, who is a past president of the branch and who has decided to step down from the committee. Also, thanks to Mia Colberts who, as I mentioned, is also leaving the committee. Mia has done valuable work not only in producing and distributing Tilth each quarter, but also as our membership secretary.
Thanks to Melanie Morris, Donn Hampton, Charlotte McHaffie and to Peter Green for their input this past year, and to Holger Kahl as our branch mentor and to special guest committee attendees and defacto committee members Ami Kennedy and Christopher Musgrave for their presence and valued input. I have personally really enjoyed this past year, and think we have made good headway in preparing to take on more outward-looking work, keeping that organic space alive so that we can now take it again into the community.

Do you want to help?
Particular roles that we need to be filled are a secretary, workshop organiser/s and newsletter organiser/s. We will also need people to help us with the Ellerslie Show display. If you would like to join us on our committee, please do feel free to put your name forward.

Branch President
Matt Morris

Tilth Newsletter December 2007

2007-12-01T21:24:00.000-08:00

New Committee Members
A big welcome to our two new committee members, Charlotte McHaffie and former Branch President Peter Green. This is a really encouraging sign!

As you will see from this issue, our branch is once again becoming more and more engaged in the wider organic community.

At our AGM this year we talked about ways we could give life to our branch vision statement, which reads: "We are the custodians of sustainable growing systems for healthy, affordable, accessible food for our community and future generations." We looked at what we had to offer, and realised we had our membership, our networking abilities, our library and our newsletter.

Library
We have made some good steps in terms of getting the library back up and running. It used to be a core component of the branch way back in the 1950s, in fact the newly joined and quite young George Maslin was an early librarian back then. Donn Hampton, our librarian, has taken on the job of transporting the books and other materials over to Lyttelton, where they are now housed in the Project Port Lyttelton building. They are all ready to go, we just need shelves! We hope that our members will be able to call in and take a book or two away with them to read, and we think they could be useful to the community gardeners who share the building.

Organic Garden City Trust Revival
In July some of the old members of the Organic Garden City Trust (OGCT) got together to celebrate its tenth anniversary. During the lunch-time conversation the idea was raised of reviving the Trust. Those present decided to test the waters and contact individuals who had expressed an interest in the OGCT in the past to see what the general level of interest was, with a follow-up meeting planned to report back.This process is still underway. The OGCT was always about its projects, and these, especially Kids' Edible Gardens, the Canterbury Commercial Organic Group and the Christchurch Community Gardens Association, are still active while the Trust itself has not been operational for some years. This means new project ideas have not been incubated while the established ones have had to look elsewhere for support.

Seven Oaks Project
Project Port Lyttelton (PPL) are currently negotiating with CPIT for use of the site at Seven Oaks campus in Opawa. The organisation has been gardening on the site for several months since negotiations began, and are already harvesting from the site and selling produce to an organic shop and local restaurants in Lyttelton. The main aim is to make available good quality (organic) produce produced locally for the Lyttelton community. "We want to be able to do that at affordable prices. It will link in with the various gardens within Lyttelton to achieve that aim," says Project Leader Margaret Jefferies. She is very enthusiastic about the Seven Oaks project, remarking on the special qualities of the site, which has had so much organic love poured into it over the years and which has nurtured so many members of the organic community. The long-term future of the site is still uncertain, but Margaret believes it's value as a food producing site in the metropolitan area will only become more pronounced as the effects of climate change and peak oil set in.
If you are a former organic student from Seven Oaks, and would like to be kept in the loop about the PPL project there, please contact Margaret Jefferies to become a 'Friend of Seven Oaks'. Email: margaret.jefferies@clear.net.nz

New Community Gardens
At a meeting of the Shirley Papanui Community Board in November the Friends of Edgeware were given permission to continue developing a community garden on the old Pool's carparking area. A report is still to come from council staff on security issues, but planting and garden building has commenced.
Discussions have also begun about the possibility of a new community garden in the Papanui area, with a meeting held between council staff, a keen resident and the Chair of the Christchurch Community Gardens Association (Lily White). Ideas are being tossed about at the moment for this, but if you know of a good site for a community garden there, please let us know.
Transition Towns
Soil & Health Canterbury/Waitaha is set to participate in the Transition Towns project currently being guided by members of Sustainable Otautahi Christchurch. For more information on transition towns, either google that phrase or look up http://www.transitiontowns.org/.

Tilth Newsletter April 2007

2007-04-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

It seems right, that now in autumn, with the quinces, peaches and apples ripening, that we let you know some of the things that have come to fruition within our branch.

Our Vision
In February we held a visioning workshop at Lyttelton, which was very successful. The meeting was a lot of fun and a tremendous input from all attendants. First in over 60 years, a Visioning Quest! Matt Morris, Branch President asked: “Where do we fit in and where do we go? What are we trying to achieve? The goal of the meeting was to develop a vision statement. At the end the following statement was decided:

‘We are the custodians of sustainable growing systems for healthy, affordable, accessible food for our community and future generations.’

A warm thanks to all participants. The committee has agreed to hold a follow-up workshop, on action-planning, to be held in conjunction with this year's AGM (date to be finalised!)

Another project our committee has slowly been working on is re-establishing our branch library, which was once an essential component of our branch. Although there is some work to do, Project Port Lyttelton has agreed to host the library in the Marriot Building, St David’s Street, where we held the visioning meeting.

Furthermore, long-term committee member Donn Hampton has agreed to be branch librarian. This is great as it means energy will be focussed on this resource.

We have also continued with some overdue housekeeping. Part of this has been a reorganisation of our committee, so, for your information, it now looks like this:

President, Matt Morris
Membership Secretary, Mia Colberts
Treasurer, Melanie Morris
Librarian, Donn Hampton
Immediate Past President, Annmarie Banchy
Committee Member (and National Co-Chair), Holger Kahl

We will be holding an action-planning meeting in conjunction with our AGM this year, but in the meantime, if you have any thoughts about where you’d like the branch to go, please let us know.

Do you want a corporation in another country deciding what supplements, drugs and medical devices can and cannot be sold in New Zealand?
The Therapeutic Products & Medicines Bill is being considered in parliament RIGHT NOW to regulate ALL therapeutic products in NZ as drugs under the management of an Australian run corporation ANZTPA - an amalgamation of the TGA & MedSafe. We understand
New Zealand will be allowed one vote to Australia four.

The ANZTPA are not accountable to YOU, NZ parliament or “the Crown” therefore will not be able to be voted out by successive governments. Our Sovereign Rights are about to be sold to an Australian bully who is pushing the law to be passed in time for their next election. In NZ 1000’s of supplements and remedies will become illegal to sell overnight. Herbal ingredients for Maori, Chinese and Ayurevedic Medicine may disappear off the market.
Supplements that remain are expected to rise in price by as much as 100% because of high compliance and registrations costs.

Harvest time or Ngahuru
Ngahuru is the old Maori word for ten and means the crop lifting tenth month or Kumara harvest. This is a wonderful time of the year to see the fruit of our labour, but before you start harvesting ask yourself if by doing so, will you get the best benefit from all the vitamins and nutrients of your vegetables?

Did you know?
That fresh vegetables can lose up to 10% of their minerals and one quarter of their vitamin C when left in the refrigerator for just one day, and up to half in five days? For long term storage, freezing is the best option, but remember to blanch them first to hold high vitamin A levels.
However the best option is to leave your brassicas in the ground until needed and cut only the amount required, leaving the rest growing. Place a leaf over the cut portion and when you make the next cut you will just need to trim the edge that was exposed to the air. This was a tip from the Good Gardeners’ Association Newsletter, which I like to share with you.

Tilth Newsletter February 2007

2007-02-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

Te Waru/Lughnassadh/First Harvest
This is a very busy time for most gardeners and traditionally in Celtic times a celebration was held during the Full Moon (this year on the 2nd of February) to celebrate the harvest of First Fruit in the expectation of an abundant harvest. Lugh was the God of grain and life, who conquered darkness; and a good harvest meant the survival and conquering of the harsh dark winter in Celtic time. Nasadh means feast, held at this time of the yearly cycle to thank Lugh for the first fruits of the earth and the abundant harvest that was expected to follow. In the old Maori calendar this was the 8th lunar month, Me te terakihi e papa ana I te waru (Like cicadas chattering in the 8th month). For both cultures this was the berry time, but in Maori culture the first Kumara was not as yet harvested, while the European grain harvest was now in full swing. While the European ovens were full with bread baked from the first harvested grain, the Maori rua (storage kumara pits) were still empty and it was a lean time for them. (Batten, Juliet, Celebrating the Southern Seasons. Tandem Press, Birkenhead 1995. P.124 and 135)

Visioning Workshop
Soil & Health Canterbury/ Waitaha Branch RevisioningThe Canterbury/ Waitaha branch of the Soil & Health Association is rethinking its role and revisiting its objectives, and we'd like YOU to be a part of this. At its well-attended 2006 AGM, those present expressed a strong desire to keep the 63 year old branch going, and floated some exciting ways of taking organics to the next stage in this area. Since then, the committee has been tidying up some house-keeping matters. Now we want to develop our vision at a special
Visioning Workshop to be held on
Sunday 11 February, 1.30pm-4.00pm,
At Marriott House, Lyttelton,
Right beside the Lyttelton Community Garden
(entrance via the Community Garden, through the double wire
gates on St David's Street, between Exeter Street and
Stevenson Steep).

We hope you can come along to share your thoughts. We want to capture the fullest possible picture of what our organic community needs and wants. At the end of the session we will have our new vision statement and some strong ideas about projects, as well as a mandate to proceed. The committee will then be well placed to meet our community¹s expectations. The visioning meeting will then be followed by a brief Special GeneralMeeting, in which we will elect a new Treasurer and possibly new committee members, and discuss a slight wording change to our constitution for IRD purposes. An agenda for the meeting will be sent to members beforehand, but if you are not a member and would like more information, please feel free to ask. Email Matt Morris: theyellowroom@xtra.co.nz.
We will, of course, also be featuring an organic chocolate and parsnip cake, and other organic nibbles to celebrate this next step for the branch.

Lunch in Ashburton with the Wastebusters
This was attended by Matt Morris, your President and Don Hampton and myself and was much enjoyed. The name of Waste Busters, proudly displayed at the entrance of the refuse station, is also very positive and encouraging. There were other interesting names such as “Mitre 13” where all sort of tools, metal constructions and motor parts were displayed and for sale. It is a joke in the Ashburton community that if a woman has lost her husband, she will go to Mitre 13 to look for him as that is the place he is most likely lost and to be found.

I do not have the exact statistics of what % ends up in the landfill and what is actually “busted” and put to very good use, but it was very encouraging and certainly much better than in Christchurch. The Waste Busters centre is also very friendly and inviting and the coffee room next to the 2nd hand clothing and preloved toy shop is a meeting place for locals to have a chat and a browse. Ashburton certainly sets a shining example for Christchurch City to follow.

Mandatory additives to our food.
The decision of compulsory Folic Acid Fortification to ALL flour, including organic is still on the agenda, even though the decision has been delayed. However a delegation of OANZ met with Food Safety Minister Annette King, who was willing to consider the possibility of an organic exemption. To Mass Educate is better than Mass Medicate 4 million people of NZ to prevent 8 spina bifida is the message of OANZ, and Soil and Health will continue with their efforts to achieve this. The latest Magazine of Organic NZ, 2007, Vol.66, Page 45 has full details of the discussions and issues.

Tilth Newsletter October 2006

2006-10-01T23:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you for responding to our first newsletter and returning our flyer. We appreciate your interest in being a member of the Canterbury Branch and are very grateful for your subscriptions and donations.

Visioning Process

The committee has followed the advice and example of Project Port Lyttelton and is committed to working with members to develop a vision for our branch. We consider that after 60 years it is time to examine our values, remember what has worked in the past and dream about what we want in the future so that we can more effectively engage with and act upon good project ideas.

A special workshop meeting will be called shortly to develop this vision. It will be announced in the next issue of Tilth, due in the first week of November. If you have particular thoughts about this, please let us know.

Library

The branch library has historically been an important asset. Kept for some years at the Christchurch Environment Centre, it has been in storage since the Centre closed. It has found a new home with Kids’ Edible Gardens at Rowley House, where it will be a useful reference collection once again. The long-term location for this library may be one aspect of the visioning process.

Webpage

Tilth is now hosted on the Soil & Health Association website, where it can be accessed by the general public. All branch members and Organic NZ subscribers from Canterbury will be notified by email as each new Tilth is uploaded, courtesy of Hamish Hopkinson, National Soil & Health Association Manager. Our thanks to him for this commitment.

http://www.organicnz.org/page/Canterbury

Food and Shopping
LabelWatch - Cool Killed - Who cares where our food comes from?
Unfortunately, our Government has recently blocked a bill that would have let consumers know where their food comes from. The new Organic NZ Vol. 65 no 5 features an article by Dr Robert Anderson about this. For more information also visit:

http://www.greens.org.nz/searchdocs/other9985.html

Videos

A member would like to get hold of a couple of videos:

“Ancient Futures” by Helena Nourberghody and

“Farming with nature” by Zepp Holzer.

Please contact us if your know where to borrow or buy this.