It is mid June and all the fungi that are usual here in my garden and surrounding bush in April / May are making their appearance. Some a bit battered from pushing their way through my hard soil, others perfect and my favourite looking like an escapee from a coral garden in the Great Barrier Reef.
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The Sandholme Salon .This art exbibition is the annual See Change festival’s main visual art show presenting the works of more than 25 artists working across diverse media: painting; photography; drawing; illustration; sculpture; textiles; ceramics; digital multi media. I am the curator for this year and have just finished the layout and e-catalogue listing. Installation was completed on Tuesday 22 May and the exhibition opens on Saturday 26 May and runs through to 11 June. Within the main body of the show sits a discreet exhibition, Reading the Bherwerre Wetlands, a group exhibit presenting multiple artists’ responses to local land under environmental restoration. The Sandholme Salon exhibition is being held at the Sandholme Guest House, which is a unique property situated in Huskisson. The large scale and proportions of this significant local building are perfect for presenting this rich variety of art in a salon environment. This is a mainly community exhibition, with a high proportion of local artists, others from outside of the Shoalhaven region usually have close connections with the area. The quality is high and across a broad range of mediums and styles. The catalogue can be viewed by clicking HERE. A few of the works are also shown in the slideshow below : Rosellas - Hibiscus sabdariffa Growing up in Queensland I can remember my Mother growing Rosellas in the garden mainly for making jam from the red fleshy calyx or "fruit" that holds the green seed pod in its centre. I found my seedling at the Sydney Wildflower nursery in the native food plant section, although while many think it is native to Australia, like a lot of us it is an immigrant that has been around so long it is an "Aussie".
Very fast growing, in three months it was fully grown, nearly 2 mtrs high and fruiting, it is an annual and will die off in winter. Have been experimenting with cooking, only with the calyx to date but the whole plant is edible or usable young leaves as a green vegetable, the seed apparently can be ground into a flour and the fiberous stalks made into string. I made jam with the first light crop. Fairly simple remove the red calyx from the green seed pod, discard the seed pod and simmer the red flesh in a small amount of water, when tender add equal quantity of sugar and boil until setting point. Some recipes suggest that the seed pods should be boiled to extract pectin and some of the water then added to the calyx pot to aid setting. Alternatively add lemon or commercial pectin. I found that this first set without any extra effort, just the calyx, sugar and water. Have also used the red calyx with some apple as a sauce with pork, ( apple and rosella calyx and a dash of red wine give a tart fruit sauce) Great with chops and with traditional English pork sausages; would also go well with roast pork. Have made an apple and rosella pie and in fact just treated the crop in ways that rhubarb is treated. The "fruit" can also be made into a sweet syrup used for cocktails or added to sparkling white wine, or as a cordial but at this stage I am happy to use in less sweet recipes. I understand the calyx freezes well and will leave some to dry out on the plant to give seeds for next years plants. Max Dingle April 2018 New Zealand Symposium of Gastronomy and Food History 2018 Napier, Hawkes Bay 30th November - 2nd December Venue: The Napier Little Theatre Theme: Migrate The 2018 Symposium will be held in Napier over the first weekend of December. The formal presentation of papers will begin at 9am on the Saturday and close at 4.30pm on Sunday, in time for flights out of Napier. An informal meal and Hawkes Bay wine tasting will be held on Friday evening and the annual banquet on the Saturday evening. The theme is "Migrate", a word that may be interpreted in whatever unique linguistic, etymologic or phonetic manner presenters may desire - it is not intended to be interpreted solely in terms of human migration. We welcome presentations from amateur story-tellers, gastronomes and academics, on (or off) the theme, and invite others with a passion for food and food history to join us for what is always a damn good weekend. Napier is a popular venue for food, wine, sport, the arts and architecture. For those intending to come to the Symposium we therefore suggest making your airline and accommodation bookings as soon as possible. As well as being New Zealand's Art Deco capital, Napier is surrounded by over 200 vineyards and 35 cellar doors where some of New Zealand's best Chardonnay, Syrah and Cabernet blends are produced. Consider arriving early or staying on after the Symposium to visit some of these wineries. The Symposium venue, The Napier Little Theatre, is at 76 McGrath Street, at the southern end of Marine Parade and within easy walking distance of the Napier CBD. The call for papers will open in July and registrations from the beginning of August. Check for updates on http://www.aristologist.com/2018-symposium.html The 22nd Symposium of Australian Gastronomy, 16–19 November 2018. Female Orphan School, Western Sydney University, Parramatta. The 22nd Symposium of Australian Gastronomy, 16–19 November 2018. Female Orphan School, Western Sydney University, Parramatta. The Symposium of Australian Gastronomy aims to bring together a veritable banquet of specialists, scholars, students and interested independents from all disciplines—history, anthropology, sociology, science and technology, writers, educators, artists, food producers and providors, chefs and industry specialists. Exploring themes of identity, culture, gender, socio- and geo-politics and economics, craftsmanship, alchemy and environment, each Symposium is characterized by its location and organizing committee. It is the only symposium in Australia devoted solely to the discussion of matters related to food, and in particular, gastronomy. The Symposium is a ticketed event and all attendees will need to register to attend. Details will be available at http://www.gastronomers.net, where you can subscribe to the mailing list. The theme for 2018 is OUT OF PLACE ‘Out of place’ speaks to locale, to the physical characteristics—climate, soil, hydrology, landforms, geology etc.—as well as the cultural, social, economic and political forces that have shaped food production, distribution and consumption at the level of place. ‘Out of place’ can also relate to ‘not of a place’, to not belonging and to food and foodways that no longer have a place at our tables. Introduced, and perhaps inappropriate species, customs and tastes, or newcomers, foreigners, refugees, ‘misfits’ and marginalised communities, including people who struggle to find their place in society are also ‘out of place’. This interpretation of ‘out of place’ is not however always determinedly negative. Some actively seek to be ‘out of place’, disagreeing with the mores of their society and so valuing out of place-ness and difference. On one hand ‘out of place’ relates to home and the everyday; to tradition and connection; to foods and practices that are accepted, comforting and comfortable. But the traditional can also be old fashioned, xenophobic, unimaginative, restrictive and predictable. Alternatively, ‘out of place’ can conjure the exotic, the adventurous and challenging, and suggest opportunities, alternatives and possibilities along with thoughts of dislocation and disruption, rebellion, pollution, contamination and discomfort. |
AuthorMax Dingle, artist, independent curator and writer resides on the south coast of NSW, Australia Archives
November 2023
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