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Spending a lot of time hunched like a prawn in front of a computer at the moment, as I work towards my book deadline. So daily injections of colour colour and nature and healthy food are a high point. 🌈 Ps - that celery is gonna come good. Just wait and see! Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 3: Obtain a yield 11: Use edges and value the marginal #AttainablySustainable #RentalPermaculture #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Got mushy fruit? Make your own fruit leather! It’s an excellent low-waste snack. Perfect to make with loads of autumn or summer fruits, and mixing & matching is a great way to use up the odds and ends of fruit. Instructions: 🍑 Pick ripe fruit. Any type should work. Berries, stone fruits and appley/peary types are particularly great 🍓Wash and de-stone/core fruit (if applicable) 🍒 (Optional - if fruit is hard, like apples etc) Chuck fruit in a pot with a little bit of water (this will vary depending on how big your pot is, but essentially it’s just to stop the fruit burning before it begins to release its own juices) and simmer until a bit mushy 🍎 Turn fruit into smooth pulp. Either push it through a sieve or whack it in the blender 🍐 (Optional) Add some sugar. Whatever type you like, and do it to suit your tastes 🥭 Add some spices at this stage if you want. Vanilla powder/sugar/essence goes well with pretty much everything, but experiment with cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, or even pepper and chilli! 🍉 Dollop onto dehydrator trays lined with regular baking paper. Spread it out but leave it quite thick (5-10mm), as it will dry much thinner! 🥝 Dehydrate at 60-70 degrees Celsius until it is no longer pulpy, and just tacky to touch. This can take up to 18 hours depending on the thickness of your paste 🍏 Cool, cut into strips (still on the paper), and store (flat or rolled up) in airtight containers. Like with fresh fruit, eating too much fruit leather WILL give you the runs, so as delicious as these are, try to limit your daily intake 😂 Todays batch is using up some verrry squishy pears, foraged apples, quince, crabapple & hawthorn. It comes out tasting like the best sour lollies you’ve ever eaten😍 Save this to make next time you’ve got fruit that needs using up! Permaculture Principle 2: Catch and store energy #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #DehydratedFood #CatchAndStoreEnergy #FruitLeather #AutumnFruit #LowWasteLiving #LowWaste #ReduceFoodWaste #Foraging #ForagedFood #TraditionalSkills #TraditionalKnowledge #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Exciting things ahead! Fitting in some seasonal foraging photography today for the book we’re producing with @hardiegrantbooks that will be released internationally early next year. Can’t wait to share more 😍💛🧡❤️♥️🤎 Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 2: Catch & store energy 3: Obtain a yield #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #Foraging #Foraging #Forager #SustainableLiving #PermacultureLiving #EatSeasonal #SlowLiving #TraditionalKnowledge #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

I’m especially thankful and grateful to be celebrating my beautiful, clever & strong mamma this year with a foraging picnic for Mothers Day. 🥰 An incidentally colour-themed lunch in the lovely still air outdoors; pretty fungi (some edible, some toxic, some possessing the ability to glow in the dark! 👻🍄 pic 6); stunning autumn colour; decadent treats; capped off nicely by snigglesnuggles with Lil’Bit. Oh! And the universe put on a special light show as well, which felt fitting.🎆 Happy Mothers Day @ullakarinsgarden - I’m so glad we got to spend it together ♥️😘 xo Anna Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 2: Catch & store energy 3: Obtain a yield 11: Use edges & value the marginal #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #Foraging #Foraging #ForagingSafety #WildFoodLove #TraditionalKnowledge #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

We’re back for our monthly segment on @abc Radio, nationwide!🎙📻🥳 Since foraging has come into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons this past year, our chat with @sirine_demachkie this month will be covering foraging safety: what potential risks to be aware of; what to look for; and how to effectively learn more so you can grow as a lifelong forager. Tune in live at 9pm (local time anywhere in Australia) today, the 3rd of May, to: 🎙Your local ABC Radio station (eg 774 in Melbs) in the @abclisten app or on a good old-fashioned wireless, 🎙Your local ABC Radio station on the ABC website (Find your local station via the Linktree link in our profile) 🎙At ‘Weekend Evenings’ on the ABC website. If you’re tuning in from overseas, head to the ABC Weekend Evenings website at 9pm AEST, or any time after that for a week to hear the recorded show. Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 3: Obtain a yield; 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback 6: Produce no waste 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #PermaculturePrinciples #ABCEveryday #Foraging #LowWasteLiving #Forager #urbanforaging #ABCWeekendEvenings #WeekendEvenings #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

One happy side-effect of getting into permaculture living is that ‘shopping’ for birthday presents gets a lot simpler (and cheaper). We’re celebrating one of our beautiful work-sisters today, and knowing that she’s keen on homegrown, homemade, artificial chemical-free foods, we’ve put together a little hamper pack with things from the pantry and garden. Mixed herbs for cooking; immune-boosting fire cider; and a selection of edible plant and pollinator attracting plant seeds. Ingredients in most things are homegrown and preserved, we’ve used secondhand jars, and the seed envelopes are made from an old calendar. Happy Birthday Annie - we hope you have a lovely day, and a year full of good things ahead! xo Permaculture Principle 2: Catch and store energy; 3: Obtain a yield; 6: Produce no waste; 10: Use and value diversity #rentalpermaculture #AttainablySustainable #permacultureprinciples #permaculture #producenowaste #towardszerowaste #zerowastecooking #zerowasteliving #preserving #homesteading #waronwaste #reducewaste #traditionalskills #nannaskills #slowfood #slowfoodmovement #theurbannanna #urbannanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern

Choko, chayote, mirliton, chouchou, christophine - all different names for the same plant, Sicyos edule. An excellent addition to any permaculture garden, as it fruits throughout the leaner months of the year, and is an incredibly versatile food source. Young shoots can be sautéd, added to soups or stirfried. Young firm fruits can be eaten raw and are great on a dipping platter. Fruits ‘store’ for months on the vine, and mature fruits can be used in soups, stirfries, baked dishes, pickles, steamed or boiled with salt & served with butter, added to risottos, fried… so useful!! All it takes to grow a prolific vine is one fruit from the greengrocer. Let it sprout in a windowsill until the shoot is around 20cm long, then pop sideways in some rich soil. Depending where you plant it, it may take a couple of years to get fully established, so it’s great to plant somewhere you can forget about it. As a clambering vine, it does need support to grow lush, so it’s a great one to plant against fences. We chucked ours in the dinky little bit of soil next to our worm farm, and once we noticed it trying to take over the house, we added some extra climbing frames we found secondhand for free. Lots of flowers are happening now (autumn), and they’re being pollinated by ants, so hopefully we’ll have lots of fruit this year! Permaculture Principles - all of them!! 😄 #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #SmallSpaceGardening #GrowFood #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Prepping for a dehydrating workshop tomorrow, under the ever-present watch of Little Bit. 😄 Foraged apples make excellent dehydrated snacks, either sliced whole, chopped into bits, or stewed into a paste to create fruit leather. Because they’re usually quite tart, they actually benefit from being aged a bit, as the sugars have a chance to concentrate as the moisture dries out. When you dehydrate them, they end up as this beautiful sweet & tangy mix that’s wayyy better than the super-sweet treats you get when you dehydrate commercially grown apples. Permaculture Principle 2: Catch & store energy 3: Obtain a yield 10: Use & value diversity 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #CreativelyUseAndRespondToChange #ProduceNoWaste #FoodWaste #ZeroWaste #TowardsZeroWaste #ForagedFood #UrbanForager #UrbanForaging #LowWasteLiving #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Home Foraging week yesterday stretched a bit to include actual urban foraged ingredients too. Some positively ID’d mushrooms from a contaminant-free zone; sprouted wild onion grass bulbs; dandelion; cleavers; oxalis; lesser plantain; wild onion grass; warrigal greens; nasturtium; beetroot leaves; and some eggs. Delicious, and somehow extra nourishing because the meal included a solid 3hrs outdoors whilst gathering 😍 Remember folks: there are lots of potential stumbling blocks when it comes to foraging, and it’s not just about doing your homework and studying species names. No-one is checking what you put in your basket, and there are definitely lots of things out there that can make you unwell if you don’t know what you’re doing. Risks from cross-species confusion, animal or chemical contaminants, legal or physical safety - if you want to confidently and safely forage food to eat, know that it’s not necessarily difficult, but it does take time to learn properly. All this is to say - relying on ‘pictures wot you done seen on the interwebs’ is not enough to keep you safe. But there are heaps of learning resources out there, so if you’re interested, grab a foraging guidebook, attend a course, and start paying attention to what’s growing around you. We’ve got lots of foraging & permaculture content on our website, and a book on the way, but diversity is life, so the following experts are well worth checking out if you want to work towards becoming a forager yourself: 🇦🇺 In Aus, check out @theweedyone, @veryediblegardens (books co-authored by Adam Grubb), @milkwood, Alison Pouliot & Tom May. 🇬🇧 In UK, @cotswoldforager, @eatthecountry, @chefjoebartlett and @eduliswildfood. 🇺🇸 In US, @blackforager, @pascalbaudar and @foragerchef are all amazing. Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 3: Obtain a yield 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback 11: Use edges & value the marginal #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #Foraging #Foraging #ForagingSafety #WildFoodLove #TraditionalKnowledge #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Day 2 of Home Foraging week. There was leftover Mexican mince, sour cream and wraps from yesterday, plus some lettuce that’s 8 days past it’s ‘use by’ date that needed using, so we’ve gone for a greener version of what we had yesterday. Tonight’s dinner makes use of leftover Mexican mince frozen around a year ago; wraps we’d bought on special and frozen a while back; a small wodge of cheese; a wibbly ninja cucumber (we found it hiding artfully at the back of the crisper); Jekyll & Hyde mixed lettuce (half lovely & fresh, the other slimy and nasty); spring onions that’ve been regrowing in water since we chopped the tops off 2 weeks ago; sour cream; and some weedy greens from our rental permaculture garden to bulk out the lettuce mix. Wash, slice, pick, shred, schmear, heat, sprinkle and scoff. Delicious wraps all round. Oh - and that sad looking like from yesterday got a trim and is enjoying a swim in some home-infused gin & soda-stream fizzy water, which is always nice for a midweek dinner.🍹 Check out our previous post for more info on Home Foraging: it’s a small and simple way to break up with food waste, and can help you save money too! Permaculture Principle 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback 6: Produce no waste 11: Use edges & value the marginal 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #ProduceNoWaste #WasteFreeCooking #ZeroWasteCooking #TowardsZeroWaste #LowWasteLiving #TraditionalSkills #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern #UrbanNanna

We’re having a Home Foraging week, which means the only food we’re buying this week is milk and bread. Everything else will be courtesy of our fridge, freezer, pantry and garden. Tonight’s dinner makes use of some leftover Mexican mince we froze around a year ago; wraps we’d bought on special and frozen a while back; a small wodge of cheese; some very wrinkled old cherry tomatoes; a tin of corn found on The Community Corner; an onion bought over 2 months ago; the wibbly end of a cucumber; sour cream; a juicy lime in need of a better skincare routine; homemade fermented hotsauce & garlic powder; and some pickles. A bit of slicey-dicey very nicey, some squish’n’sizzle, whack it all on a fancy plate, and we’ve got quesadillas and salsa to make anyone happy on a Tuesday evening. Home foraging is an excellent way to save money, reduce waste, and deepen your connection with the the resources already in your living system. It gives you a chance to learn adaptable cooking skills, which is invaluable when you’re working towards a low-waste kitchen, as it forces you to use what you’ve got and get creative with it. And quite often, when you’re forced to try new things, you discover new things you like! Some of our favourite dishes came about thanks to a home foraging week. Permaculture Principle 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback 6: Produce no waste 11: Use edges & value the marginal 12: Creativrly use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #ProduceNoWaste #WasteFreeCooking #ZeroWasteCooking #TowardsZeroWaste #LowWasteLiving #TraditionalSkills #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern #UrbanNanna

Dehydrating fermented food. It’s an awesome thing to try, especially when a ferment ‘goes wrong’. Fermenting is one of the safest methods of preserving food, as even if things don’t go to plan, the resultant food will still almost always be safe to eat. But every now and then, things like Kahm yeast, or mould, or just leaving something for so long the food gets fizzy or too soft will leave you with a ferment you’re not that keen to eat. When that happens, rather than piff or compost the lot, we like to see if we can at least catch and store the umami-rich flavours. We had two old batches of kimchi that had gone a bit too squishy and fizzy for general enjoyment; some ‘bread & butter pickles’ that were completely mushy; and some sauerkraut from 2019 that was still crunchy & good under the surface, but had developed a bit of yeast bloom on top which made the taste a bit more cheesy than we like. We blitzed the kimchi & pickles, and then laid everything out in thinnish layers on baking paper and popped in the dehydrator at 65°C for 10-12 hours. Being in smaller bits means they’ll dry quicker than if we’d left them in chunks, which means less electricity used. Once they’re all crispy dry, we’ll blitz the kimchi & pickles into delicious umami powders to use over eggs, avo, rice, soup, sandwiches and more. The kraut we’ll leave as little crispy bits to enjoy sprinkled over a hot dog 😍 Whenever food ‘goes wrong’, we can reduce waste by creatively responding to the situation. It often results delicious discoveries, and builds our skill set so we waste less food in the future too. Permaculture Principle 2: Catch & store energy 3: Obtain a yield 10: Use & value diversity 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #CreativelyUseAndRespondToChange #ProduceNoWaste #FoodWaste #ZeroWaste #TowardsZeroWaste #LowWasteLiving #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Stacking functions: a daytime bath. 🛁 Permaculture is all about stacking functions: when Stuff and Things in our living system do more than one job or satisfy more than one purpose, it means we need less Stuff and Things in our lives. This reduces our overall impact on the planet, and quite frequently saves us time and money too. For example, a daytime magnesium bath: 🔥cools down slower, meaning you can enjoy it for longer without topping up the hot, thus saving energy on heating water 🌬doesn’t require heating of the bathroom as the air is warmer than if you had a nighttime bath 💪🏼eases aches and pains in tense muscles, which reduces need for commercially packaged medications 🤎supports local sustainable business like @thesourceburwood as we buy magnesium flakes packaging-free from there. So it’s also reducing waste in packaging too. 💦saves water, as we’ll use the cooled bath water to hydrate & feed our potted plants (magnesium is useful in the garden for lots of things). 🧘🏽helps improve mental health by forcing you to slow down. 🧠provides an opportunity to exercise the brain in different ways. Puzzles, crosswords, reading, thinking. (this logic puzzle book was from an op-shop, and the texta is one I used as a teacher 12 years ago - labelling & taking care of it means it’s still going strong, meaning I don’t have to buy more!) There’s probably more functions hidden away in a daytime bath, but even just thinking about it at this level is adding value, as it encourages a deeper connection with myself and my surroundings, all of which makes me feel more grounded and ready to live a life where I’m aware of my impact on the earth everyday. Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 3: Obtain a yield 11: Use edges and value the marginal rental Permaculture #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #EcoConscious #Mindfulness #Permaculture #LowWasteLiving #StackingFunctions #StackedFunctions #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Heading into the cooler months, you could do worse than make up a batch of Fermented Ginger & Turmeric. If you mix raw honey & sliced ginger & turmeric together and leave it at room temp for a bit, it’ll ferment, turning it into and absolutely brilliant source of vitamins and good bacteria. Which makes this stuff great to eat during Autumn & Winter to help boost your gut health and immune system. The recipe’s almost offensively easy. We’ve simply adapted the Fermented Garlic Honey recipe we’ve got written up over on the website, but here’s the basic rundown if you don’t fancy leaving Instaland 😊: - Wash and peel some ginger and turmeric. - Chop them and pop in a jar. - Cover with raw honey. The ‘raw’ bit is important, as most of beneficial stuff is removed when honey is pasteurised. - Mix thoroughly to remove air pockets. - Leave loosely-covered on the bench for a few days. Mix it up daily. - When the bits stop rising above the liquid every day, seal it and pop in a cool dark place. Will keep for months and months if sealed properly. A teaspoon of this honey, or a bit of the roots, eaten daily is a great way to keep yourself healthy, so make enough to see you through a couple of months at a time. Permaculture Principle 2: Catch and store energy #rentalpermaculture #AttainablySustainable #permaculture #permacultureprinciples #fermentedginger #fermentedturmeric #ferment #fermentedfood #fermenting #guthealth #healyourgut #naturalremedies #naturalmedicine #traditionalknowledge #traditionalskills #traditionalrecipe #homesteading #slowfood #slowfoodmovement #slowliving #slowlifestyle #rentalgarden #rentalpermaculture #theurbannanna #urbannanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern

We spent a delightful morning on a private little foraging outing with our favourite NZ comedian @thomassainsbury (go see him while he’s in Aus. You’ll be so pleased you did!) and @lally_erin yesterday. We found lots of edible weedy greens, fruits and nuts to discuss, including plantain, pine, dandelion and lots of its cousins (cat’s ear and sow thistle/puha in the pic), hawthorn, walnuts, three cornered leek, blackberry nightshade, fat hen/Goosefoot and many more. So nice to be out in green urban spaces, exploring what’s growing in autumn, and as always, finishing with a picnic of foraged foods makes it all the more enjoyable. Thanks for the company Tom & Erin 🍁♥️ Ps - Tom is the best person I’ve ever seen at spotting four-leafed clover. He found 2 in just half an hour!! 🍀🍀 Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 11: Use edges and value the marginal #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #Foraging #Forager #WildFoodLove #UrbanForaging #TraditionalKnowledge #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Attention Melbourne East-siders! We’ve got a fantastic new presentation happening this weekend at Box Hill Community Centre, courtesy of @whitehorsecitycouncil, all about simple ways to become more sustainable when you‘re a renter. As it’s such an exciting event, we’re doing a joint giveaway with Whitehorse of some awesome sustainable resources, including a worm farm & compost bin! 1st prize: Tumbleweed worm farm, @pipmagazineau issue #19 with an article we wrote on sustainably retrofitting rentals, “Do With Su” zine filled with simple sustainable skills from @catieofthesouthernwild & permaculture elder Su Dennett. 2nd prize: Tumbleweed compost bin; Essence of Permaculture booklet full of small sustainable actions. 3rd prize: Weed zine from talented @brenna_quinlan 4th prize: Copies of our own Urban Foraging educational booklets. All prizes also include this year’s gorgeous @permacultureprinciples calendar, complete with moon planting guides; and a handmade packet of seeds grown in our potted rental garden right here in Whitehorse. To participate, just register for the event (links in our bio), and show up on the day! Winners will be drawn at the end of the presentation. Lalala - giveaway not endorsed by Meta etc etc. Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 9: Use small & slow solutions #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #ZeroWaste #ZeroWasteLiving #PlasticFreeJuly #LowWasteLiving #PermacultureLiving #Sustainability #SustainabilityEducation #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

We get quite a few questions about *how* we use all the different foods we dehydrate, so here’s a simple ‘recipe’ we make often, adapting it according to what flavours we’re chasing, and what we’ve got in the pantry. We like to call it Scraptastic Salad Sauce 🥗, and we’ll usually make up a jar of it to use over a week or two. As such, measurements are a bit rough cos it depends on the size of the jar. Ingredients - dried garlic - dried herbs - dried citrus zest - salt - pepper - something sour (vinegar, lemon juice, fire cider) - oil Method: 1. Add dried ingredients to jar. 2. Full jar 1/4 full with vinegar/lemon juice/fire cider. 3. Fill the remainder of the jar with oil. 4. Seal, shake well & drizzle as needed. Store in the fridge, and use on salads, over veggies before roasting, drizzled on eggs or avo on toast. It’ll separate as it chills, but just shake well before use. When it comes to how much dried ingredients to use, we go for about 1 tablespoon (total) per every cup of liquid. Go for a majority of herbs, then about a quarter as much garlic & citrus powder, and then salt & pepper to taste. Remember you can always add more, but it’s less easy to remove once blended 😄 This batch used dried powder made from parsley stalks, citrus skins and garlic stubs & skins; smoked salt, olive oil and homemade fire cider (recipe for that on the website). Dehydrating tops & tails, skins & scraps of veggies and fruit is an excellent way to reduce food waste and boost your cooking creativity too! Permaculture Principle 2: Catch and store energy; 3: Obtain a yield; 6: Produce no waste; 9: Use small and slow solutions 10: Use and value diversity; 11; Use edges and value the marginal #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #PermaculturePrinciples #RentalHomesteading #SlowFood #SlowLiving #Dehydrating #LowWasteLiving #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Calling all Bayside folk! Come join us at @baysidelibraries Brighton where Nanna Anna will be giving a free presentation on small changes you can make to get started on your zero-waste journey. It’s packed to the gills with ideas and tips, and is designed to take the confusion and difficulty out of managing waste, shopping efficiently, and saving money whilst also looking after the planet. This popular presentation is generously being hosted by @baysidecitycouncil at Brighton Library, and is the first in a series of waste-conscious presentations and workshops being hosted by council to help residents upskill on sustainable living. For details and to register for our presentation, check out the Events page on our website or Bayside City Council’s events calendar. Links are in our bio. And do get in touch if you’d like to book a talk or workshop - we’ve got loads of options available in our food-waste and sustainable living series, and are currently taking bookings for (Plastic Free) July. 😊 Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 2: Catch and store energy 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback 5: Use and value renewable resources and services 6: Produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #ZeroWaste #ZeroWasteLiving #PlasticFreeJuly #LowWasteLiving #PermacultureLiving #Sustainability #SustainabilityEducation #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Of you missed last week’s ABC Radio spot on Frugal Winter Warmers, join us tomorrow morning for a do-over with @lisasleong on ABC Sundays🎙📻🥳 We’ll be focussing on frugal winter food: how to make simple swaps to increase the nutritional value (and flavour) of your meals, while saving some coin and reducing your impact on the environment too. We’ve got lots of tips and recipes to share, and we’d love to hear from you too! Tune in live at 11:40am AEST to ABC Melbourne, tomorrow the 14th of April, to: 🎙 ABC Radio Melbourne (774 in Melbs) in the @abclisten app or on a good old-fashioned wireless, 🎙ABC Melbourne on the ABC website (Find it via the Linktree link in our profile) Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 3: Obtain a yield; 6: Produce no waste 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #PermaculturePrinciples #ABCEveryday #ReduceWaste #LowWasteLiving #ZeroWaste #TowardsZeroWaste #ABCSundays #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Thanks to @bunnings Springvale for hosting today’s talk on Scraptastic cooking as a way of upskilling local community on ways to reduce food waste, eat healthier, and save money. Lots of lively discussion, and some brilliant ideas bounced around in the group. Can’t wait to come back and share more ways to lead a sustainable permaculture lifestyle, no matter where you live! 💚💚 If you’d like to book The Urban Nanna to run a presentation or workshop in your local council, library, school/uni or workplace this year, get in touch and we’ll pop through a list of our offerings. We can cover anything from fermenting to foraging to growing your own food in pots, or we can tailor something to suit your sustainable living needs. 😊 Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 2: Catch & store energy 3: Obtain a yield 5: Use & value renewable resources and services 6: Produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details 9: Use small and slow solutions #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #permacultureliving #PermaculturePrinciples #ZeroWaste #LowWaste #LowWasteLiving #ReduceWaste #SlowLiving #SlowFood #EcoConscious #SustainableLiving #TraditionalSkills #Nannaskills #Scraptastic #TheUrbanNanna #urbannanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Reduce food waste: Leftovers Permaculture Principle 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback Life gets busy, and for many households, this is where food waste can creep in as an issue. One thing I’ve learned over the years about my eating habits is that I *hate* eating the same food two days in a row. It’s silly, and privileged, and bordering-on rude, but - whether it’s a symptom of my personal brand of autism, or it’s just a bad habit - that’s how it is. So, rather than fight it, I accept that quirk as feedback, and use it to shape the way I manage food in the fridge. Instead of making massive batches of food, I’ll make enough for 3-4 serves. Then, as soon as it’s cold, I’ll divvy it up straight away and chuck in the freezer. This way, it won’t sit in the fridge until it’s freshness grows questionable, and I end up having to piff it because I left it too late to safely freeze. It also means I’ve got more wiggle room (in terms of how many days I can use it for) after it’s defrosted too. Accepting feedback about my personal habits allows me to apply self-regulation that ends in less waste, and saved money, both of which are good and pleasing things. Permaculture Principal 2: Catch & store energy 4: Apply self regulation & accept feedback #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #PermaculturePrinciples #LessWaste #ReduceWaste #TowardsZeroWaste #ZeroWasteLiving #FoodWaste #ReduceFoodWaste #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

My favourite winter house-socks have worn through again, so I’ve got them out for some more darning. The original darned patches I did last year (in grey wool) have held up really well, so I’ll just do more of the same ☺️ Mending clothes so you need to buy less new ones is one of the quickest ways to change the shape of the Fast Fashion crisis in your life. I’m largely a learn-as-you-go mender, and I’m thoroughly enjoying the process over the years. Sometimes I go in with a design in mind, other times I just wanna patch something up in the sturdiest way possible. I try to use materials that I already have, or can source secondhand, and quite often I’ll just have a go and see how something turns out. I can always unpick it if I don’t like the outcome. What I’m loving now that I’ve been mending for a few years is an excitement over seeing how I’ll mend future problems. I’m really coming to love certain pieces because of the character they’re developing as they age. The flow-on effect of this is that I’m really considering anything before buying new now: I stop and think “how will I mend this when it tears/snags/wears thin?”. And if the answer is “it’ll be quite tricky”, then I’m mostly reconsidering that purchase. It’s pretty cool. Check out @modernmending and @visible_creative_mending for inspiration and tips on how to get started mending if you’re keen - both are wonderful books, and gorgeous online profiles as well. (As usual, no kickbacks here - just sharing good people doing great things to help fight the war on waste 😍) xo Anna Permaculture Principle 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback 6: Produce no waste 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #Mending #VisibleMending #ReduceWaste #StopFastFashion #Darning #CreativeMending #TraditionalSkills #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

If you’re in the eastern suburbs of Naarm and you’re keen to learn about Scraptastic cooking, come along to this free event that’s been organised by @bunnings Springvale on Saturday! We’ll be sharing lots of info, examples and resources to help you upskill in ways to fight food waste, and save on your grocery bills as well! You’ll even get to taste some of the thrifty & delicious Scraptastic creations we talk about too! Bookings for this free event via the link in our profile. 💚💚 If you’d like to book The Urban Nanna to run a presentation or workshop in your local council, library, school/uni or workplace this year, get in touch and we’ll pop through a list of our offerings. We can cover anything from fermenting to foraging to growing your own food in pots, or we can tailor something to suit your sustainable living needs. 😊 Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 2: Catch & store energy 3: Obtain a yield 5: Use & value renewable resources and services 6: Produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details 9: Use small and slow solutions #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #permacultureliving #PermaculturePrinciples #ZeroWaste #LowWaste #LowWasteLiving #ReduceWaste #SlowLiving #SlowFood #EcoConscious #SustainableLiving #TraditionalSkills #Nannaskills #Scraptastic #TheUrbanNanna #urbannanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Recipe 💚Inspired by a makrut lime tree on our local walking track, we rummaged through the fridge & freezer and whipped up a batch of ‘Use-it-up Curry Paste’. Loosely based on @recipe_tin’s recipe, we used what we had to create a chunky paste that’ll be divvied up in an ice-cube tray for freezing. That way, we’ve not only saved some of this sad-looking produce from the compost pile, but we’ve also reduced the need for buying ultra-processed paste in the future, so we’ve cut down our overall curry carbon footprint by a heap. In this blend we added - 7 wrinkly green chillies leftover from filming 4 weeks ago - 2 lemongrass stalks from the glacial depths of the freezer - 1 bunch of tired coriander and some desiccated frozen coriander leaves - 3tbsp grated ginger, rescued from a slimy-skinned piece hiding in the ‘crisper’ drawer & some from the freezer - juice of one patchy-looking Tahitian lime - zest from 1 makrut lime - 3 makrut lime leaves - 4 shallots - 6 cloves garlic - 1tbsp bagoong (Filipino shrimp paste) - 2tsp each ground coriander, cumin & turmeric Things were chopped, then blitzed with a little bit of water until we had a paste-like finish. You could get it much smoother if you have a vitamix or bulky blender, but 🤷🏻‍♀️ We like thinking of recipes as ‘guidelines’ these days. This batch will be different from any other batch, and that’s fine. No-one’s coming to our kitchen to grade our dinner. If you’re ever in doubt with recipes, we say just use what you’ve got and try to loosely stick to the ratios of the original. And don’t forget, if it’s not a standout success, it’s just a meal. You’ll be fed at the end of it, and you can do it better next time once you know what you didn’t love about this batch! Permaculture Principle 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback 6: Produce no waste #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #ProduceNoWaste #ZeroWasteCooking #LowWasteLiving #TraditionalSkills #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern #UrbanNanna

With the cost of living steadily increasing, it helps to have a few supercheap recipes for delicious, nutritious and filling meals on hand for weeks when you may be feeling the financial pitch. As the cooler months roll in, slow-cooker meals, soups and carb-based recipes are always something we gravitate towards. We put together 22 of our favourite frugal winter warmers including soups, pastas, pies and desserts ready for you to start making the most of every dollar you spend at the supermarket, while keeping bellies full and your family happy. Head to the website (or the link in our bio) for the full list, and links to every recipe so you can easily bookmark them for future use. ♥️ Permaculture Principle 2: Catch & store energy 3: Obtain a yield 6: produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details 9: Use small & slow solutions 10: Use & value diversity #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #ZeroWaste #SlowFood #BudgetCooking #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

We’re back for our next monthly segment on @abc Radio, nationwide!🎙📻🥳 This week in our chat with @sirine_demachkie we’ll be focussing on frugal winter food: how to make simple swaps to increase the nutritional value (and flavour) of your meals, while saving some coin and reducing your impact on the environment too. We’ve got lots of tips and recipes to share, and we’d love to hear from you too! Tune in live at 9pm (local time anywhere in Australia) today, the 5th of April, to: 🎙Your local ABC Radio station (eg 774 in Melbs) in the @abclisten app or on a good old-fashioned wireless, 🎙Your local ABC Radio station on the ABC website (Find your local station via the Linktree link in our profile) 🎙At ‘Weekend Evenings’ on the ABC website. If you’re tuning in from overseas, head to the ABC Weekend Evenings website at 9pm AEDT, or any time after that for a week to hear the recorded show. Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 3: Obtain a yield; 6: Produce no waste 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #PermaculturePrinciples #ABCEveryday #ReduceWaste #LowWasteLiving #ZeroWaste #TowardsZeroWaste #ABCWeekendEvenings #WeekendEvenings #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

It’s cordial time again! Calling on our trusty local lemon-juicing legend to help with our regular homemade lemon cordial order for @campground.kitchen. We’re 1/4 of the way through at 11L 🤪 There are loads of things you can do with lemons (we wrote a big list of them over on the website), and one of our favourites is making cordial. It’s quick, it lasts practically forever, and it’s zingy, zappy, zesty and delicious! This recipe can be adapted for use with all citrus fruits, so stow it away for use each winter. The full write-up is, as usual, over on the website, and we’ve got a video version saved in our Reels, but the basics are as follows: INGREDIENTS (Makes ~12x 750ml bottles) 20-24 well-washed lemons or other citrus fruit (enough to yield 1L juice) 8kg white sugar 4L water 240g citric acid Rind/zest of 4 lemons, in strips or grated METHOD: 1. Squeeze and strain citrus juice. Put aside 2. Dissolve sugar in water (we use a 15L stock pot) 3. Boil gently until liquid clears (wash & sterilise bottles while you wait) 4. Take off the heat. Combine pots 5. Add acid & juice and stir well 6. Divide zest between hot, sterilised bottles 7. Pour cordial into bottles and seal while hot Keeps in the pantry, even when opened. It’s very high in sugar, so use sparingly. Mix with water, add to a G&T, or dilute and make frozen icy-poles! Oh, and with all the citrus ‘carcasses’, you can make preserved citrus, Indian lime/lemon pickle, citrus cleaning vinegar or simply dry the zest for use in teas, marinades, baking and more. Just search for “citrus” on the Blog & Recipes page - linky-dink is in our profile 💛 Permaculture Principle 2: Catch and store energy; 3: Obtain a yield; 6: Produce no waste; 10: Use and value diversity #rentalpermaculture #AttainablySustainable #permacultureprinciples #permaculture #producenowaste #towardszerowaste #zerowastecooking #citrus #lemons #zerowasteliving #preserving #diggersclub #lemoncordial #lemonrecipes #homesteading #waronwaste #reducewaste #traditionalskills #nannaskills #traditionalrecipe #slowfood #slowfoodmovement #organicgardenermag #frankiemagazine #theurbannanna #urbannanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern

RECIPE: Spiced carrot & lentil soup 🥕🧡 Food’s getting expensive these days, eh? Makes it tricky to get inspired about cooking, but if you’ve got a few good spend-savvy recipes under your belt, things feel a bit easier to manage. Well, here’s a super thrifty, mega tasty, filling soup to see you through a few chilly nights. 🧡 The full recipe with extra details and links is over on the website, but as always, here are the basics: INGREDIENTS -1 brown onion -4 large cloves garlic -2 extra large carrots -1/2 cup dried split red lentils -Small knob fresh ginger -2tsp cumin seeds -2tsp ground coriander -1tsp ground cinnamon -1tsp ground turmeric -1-2tsp chilli flakes (to your spice liking) -1.5L stock -1/2 cup coconut milk OR 4tbsp coconut milk powder METHOD 1. Peel & slice garlic & onion. Wash & dice carrots. Peel & grate ginger. 2. Place everything except the coconut milk into a pot. 3. When carrots are fork-tender, add milk and cook a bit longer. 4. Once veg are super soft, remove a bit of liquid and set aside. 5. Blitz soup with a stick mixer or in blender. Add more liquid if you want it runnier. 6. Season and scoff! Don’t forget to save this so you can make it again! #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #ZeroWaste #SlowFood #BudgetCooking #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

As autumn settles around us like a golden, rustling mantle, I find myself slowly morphing into a content Provincial grand-mére … Comfortable layers of handmade clothing; a daily desire to tramp around the countryside, as leaves fall and soften my step; baskets and pockets filled with foraged food; and a slow savouring of simple meals made with seasonal ingredients. Feeling very privileged and thankful to be able to live this life. 🧡🤎♥️ Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 2: Catch and store energy 3: Obtain a yield 5: Use and value renewable resources and services 7: Design from patterns to details 10: Use and value diversity #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #PermaculturePrinciples #SustainableLiving #SlowFood #SlowLiving #TraditionalSkills #NannaSkills #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern #TheUrbanNanna

If you love fluffy, delicious hot cross buns but hate the plastic waste that often comes with them, now could be the time to try baking some yourself. This recipe is packed with warm, Scandi-inspired autumnal spices; it uses dry yeast so it can be made from start to finish in an hour and a half; and it results in the best hot cross buns we’ve ever tasted. Head to Blog & Recipes on the website for the full recipe - normally we’d share most of it here too, but it’s a a tad lengthy for for the word-limit. To give you an idea of how easy it is though, here are the basic-basics: - Wake up yeast in warm milk. - Mix dry stuff together. - Rub in butter. - Combine yeast with dry stuff. Leave for a bit. - Roll rolls. Leave for a bit. - Add crosses, then bake til golden. - Brush with some runny jam. - Scoff. Search for ‘Baking’ on the website to find all the helpful details, and let us know if you give this recipe a try!🤎 Permaculture Principle 3: Obtain a yield; 6: Produce no waste. #rentalpermaculture #AttainablySustainable #permaculture #permacultureprinciples #yeastbaking #traditionalrecipe #hotcrossbuns #traditionalskills #nannaskills #theurbannanna #urbannanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern

🍋Basic Marmalade Recipe🍊 When life (aka @geoff_tewierik) gives you beautiful organic Seville oranges, make marmalade so @ullakarinsgarden will always have her favourite breakfast preserve on hand 😍 We’ve got lots of different marmalade recipes over on the website (just search ‘citrus’ once you get there), but our basic model which can be adapted to whatever you have on hand goes like this: INGREDIENTS: Citrus fruit (always include a couple of lemons to help get a Set) Water Sugar METHOD: 1. Wash fruit & remove zest from thick-skinned citrus. Peel thin-skinned citrus. 2. Slice zest/peel finely. Or coarsely - whatever you prefer. 3. Remove pith from fruit. Compost this. 4. Chop fruit & remove pips. 5. Combine zest/peel & fruit in large bowl. Cover well with water. Leave overnight. 6. Measure your mixture. Add to a large pot. 7. Bring pot to the boil. 8. Add 3/4 as much sugar as there is fruit mixture. Stir in well. 9. Boil until you reach a Set. 10. Pour into hot sterilised jars. Seal while hot. Making marmalade is definitely a labour of love with all that slicing, but it’s so worth the effort - nothing in the shops tastes as good as homemade. 🧡 Save this for when the citrus glut hits, and you’ll have homemade gifts to share year-round! Permaculture Principle 2: Catch and store energy; 3: Obtain a yield; 6: Produce no waste; 10: Use and value diversity #rentalpermaculture #AttainablySustainable #permacultureprinciples #permaculture #marmalade #marmaladerecipe #producenowaste #towardszerowaste #zerowastecooking #wintercitrus #zerowasteliving #preserving #canning #homesteading #waronwaste #reducewaste #traditionalskills #nannaskills #traditionalrecipe #slowfood #slowfoodmovement #theurbannanna #urbannanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern

If you’re in the eastern suburbs of Naarm and you’re keen to learn about Scraptastic cooking, come along to this free event that been organised by @maroondahcitycouncil on Friday! We’ll be sharing lots of info, examples and resources to help you upskill in ways to fight food waste, and save on your grocery bills as well! You’ll receive a Followup file with info from the presentation & useful resources, and you’ll get to taste some of the thrifty & delicious Scraptastic creations we talk about too. Bookings for this free event via the link in our profile. 💚💚 If you’d like to book The Urban Nanna to run a presentation or workshop in your local council, library, school/uni or workplace this year, get in touch and we’ll pop through a list of our offerings. We can cover anything from fermenting to foraging to growing your own food in pots, or we can tailor something to suit your sustainable living needs. 😊 Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 2: Catch & store energy 3: Obtain a yield 5: Use & value renewable resources and services 6: Produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details 9: Use small and slow solutions #rentalpermaculture #AttainablySustainable #permaculture #permacultureliving #permacultureprinciples #zerowaste #lowwaste #lowwasteliving #reducewaste #slowliving #slowfood #ecoconscious #sustainableliving #traditionalskills #nannaskills #scraptastic #theurbannanna #tunbookstack #urbannanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern

The latest @pipmagazineau is out, and it’s chocked-full with colourful, informative stuff. We were gifted this copy and as always, have loved slowly reading through it and absorbing lots of new sustainable thinking. There’s a beautiful, sensitive and inspiring piece about the gorgeous @annieautumnloves’s living wake; interviews with changemakers who are building food forests, and creating inter-generational dwellings; info on ways to keep your garden hydrated; tips for growing root veg and loads more. If you haven’t read this mag before, now’s as good a time as any to start. Either head to Pip’s website to subscribe, or grab a copy from your local newsagent or major supermarket.🧡 Oh! And Little Bit wanted to let you know that if you purchase direct from the Pip website this week, there’s a special deal on the bundle that includes the Kitchen Garden Calendar. This calendar is filled with vibrant, rich images; moon planting guides; monthly seasonal recipes; and Pip’s awesome growing chart, which helps you know when to plant what, all around Australia. Definitely worth getting your hands (or paws) onto! Permaculture Principle 10: Use and value diversity 11: Use edges and value the marginal 12: Creatively use & respond to change #gift #rentalpermaculture #permaculture #permacultureprinciples #pipmagazine #traditionalskills #nannaskills #theurbannanna #urbannanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern

Burnt your buns? Use them to make booze*! Whilst busy with prepping fermented foods for some filming next week (like the yoghurt in pic 4), we let a trio of hot cross buns burn beyond preference. Rather than toss them straight in the worm farm though, we’ll use them to make a tasty, toasty fermented beverage called kvass. Traditionally made with rye bread (as per @sharon__flynn of @thefermentary’s recipe in her wonderful book Wild Drinks), kvass is a super simple way of turning edge-yields like burnt toast into something delicious. We crumbled the burnt HCBs into a large fermenting jar along with some juniper from @catieofthesouthernwild, 1/2 an organic Seville orange from @geoff_tewierik, beautiful Persian saffron from @helia__021, @bensbeesau honey, and homegrown mint & lemon verbena before topping up with water. This will ferment on the bench for a few days, then we’ll strain the bits out and let it ferment a bit more to build up carbonation before chilling. It’ll be a perfect drink to serve at Easter lunch! *oh! And the ‘booze’ bit? Kvass does become slightly alcoholic through the fermentation process. It’s unlikely to make you too tiddly, but probs best not serve it to the kids. 😂 Preventing food waste by learning to preserve in different ways is an excellent way to tick off multiple permaculture principles. Whether it be freezing, pickling, jamming, fermenting, dehydrating or curing, getting in on the preserving game where you catch & store energy is fun, frugal and tasty! Permaculture Principle 2: Catch & store energy; 3: Obtain a yield; 6: Produce no waste; 11: Use edges & value the marginal marginal; 12: Creatively use & respond to change #rentalpermaculture #AttainablySustainable #permacultureprinciples #catchandstoreenergy #obtainayield #permaculture #kvass #fermenting #ryekvass #fermentedfood #slowliving #slowfood #slowlife #traditionalknowledge #traditionalskills #traditionalrecipes #nannaskills #theurbannanna #urbannanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern

If you’re free this weekend, come join us at the @crcc_corner for the Local Sustainability Fair! Nanna Anna will be giving a free presentation on “Starting your zero-waste journey”, which is packed to the gills with ideas and tips to get you on your way to a low-waste life. This popular presentation is generously being hosted by @maroondahcitycouncil at Central Ringwood Community Centre, and is just a small part of the wonderful things the festival has to offer. For details and to register for our presentation, check out the Events page on our website (link in the bio) or Maroondah City Council’s events calendar. Links are in our bio. And do get in touch if you’d like to book a talk or workshop - we’ve got loads of options available in our food-waste and sustainable living series, and are currently taking bookings for (Plastic Free) July. 😊 Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 2: Catch and store energy 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback 5: Use and value renewable resources and services 6: Produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #ZeroWaste #ZeroWasteLiving #PlasticFreeJuly #LowWasteLiving #PermacultureLiving #Sustainability #SustainabilityEducation #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

We’re back for our next monthly segment on @abc Radio, nationwide!🎙📻🥳 This week in our chat with @sirine_demachkie we’ll be looking ahead to Easter and focussing on ways to reduce waste around Easter celebrations. We’ve got lots of tips and ideas to share, and we’d love to hear from you too! Tune in live at 9pm (local time anywhere in Australia) today, the 1st of March, to: 🎙Your local ABC Radio station (Melbs, Sydney etc) in the @abclisten app or on a good old-fashioned wireless, 🎙Your local ABC Radio station on the ABC website (Find your local station via the Linktree link in our profile) 🎙At ‘Weekend Evenings’ on the ABC website. If you’re tuning in from overseas, head to the ABC Weekend Evenings website at 9pm AEDT, or any time after that for a week to hear the recorded show. Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 3: Obtain a yield; 6: Produce no waste 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #PermaculturePrinciples #ABCEveryday #ReduceWaste #LowWasteLiving #ZeroWaste #TowardsZeroWaste #ABCWeekendEvenings #WeekendEvenings #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Things that seem like food waste, but aren’t: part 2. An average of 4kg of food waste was generated per household, per week in Australia in 2023. As well as adding to the climate catastrophe happening around us, this kind of waste costs money - both at the consumer and the disposal level. This series is about things that many people would think of as ‘waste’, and alternatives they can be used to create. Todays focus: Apples. As apples age, they slowly dehydrate, while producing a waxy coating to reduce the rate at which they lose moisture. Providing there’s no mould present, the fruit is perfectly edible no matter how wibbly it gets. We routinely forage apples around February, and will still be using them in November. The best bit is they get sweeter & sweeter as time passes. 1-3: Use apple flesh and pastry offcuts to make ‘scrapple pies’, or add to a crumble or cake. 4-6: Dehydrate the flesh as slices to snack on, pieces to add to tea blends, or stew first before blitzing and spreading out as a paste that will become delicious fruit leather. 7-9: Ferment skins and cores to produce apple scrap vinegar which can be used in cooking, as a cleaning spray, and even as a hair conditioner! Or add to ferments like sauerkraut, kimchi, hotsauce. 10: When all else fails, apples will always be an excellent addition to jams and chutneys. Pictured is our Summer Jam, filled with lovely foraged fruit. Lots more Scraptastic tips like this coming over the next few weeks, so stay tuned. And if you’ve got a clever way of using food scraps, please share! ♥️ Recipes for lots of what we mention are over on the website 😊 Permaculture Principle 2: Catch & store energy 3: Obtain a yield 5: Use & value renewable resources & services 6: Produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details 11. Use edges & value the marginal 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #ZeroWaste #ZeroWasteLiving #NationalSustainabilityFestival #LowWasteLiving #PermacultureLiving #Sustainability #LiveMoreWithLess #SustainabilityEducation #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Come join us for a picnic! As part of this year’s National Sustainability Festival (@nsfestivalaus), Australia’s favourite garden gnome @costasworld is hosting The Great Local Picnic this Sunday the 25th of Feb. Held on the beautiful Oak Lawn of @royalbotanicgardensvic, this free event is a chance to hang out with a bunch of like-minded sustainable living folks of all ages, enjoy a waste-free picnic, and have some fun. Costa will host chats with our very own Nanna Anna, Dr Kate Luckins of @sustainablelife.style, environmental activist Tishiko King, ABC’s awesome ‘nature nerd’ @_annjones_, young conservation activist Spencer Hitchin and more. Bring the kids and join in the Picnic Parade with @dirtgirlworldofficial & Costa; or maybe you’ll take part in the Fast Fashun Workshops & Parade yourself! One thing’s for sure, there’ll be a stack of brilliant sustainable thinking shared and showcased throughout the day, so if you’re keen on living like the world depends on it, this is an event not to be missed. 💚 For details and registration, head to the link in our profile, or pop over to the National Sustainability Festival’s page or website. Hope to see you there! Permaculture Principle 2: Catch & store energy 3: Obtain a yield 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback 5: Use & value renewable resources & services 6: Produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details 11. Use edges & value the marginal 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #ZeroWaste #ZeroWasteLiving #TheGreatLocalPicnic #NationalSustainabilityFestival #LowWasteLiving #PermacultureLiving #Sustainability #LiveMoreWithLess #SustainabilityEducation #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Catch & store energy: ginger. When it’s in season, ginger is often super cheap at greengrocers, which is the perfect time to preserve it in different ways. Not only will you be catching & storing the energy embodied in the rhizome when it’s got the highest levels of nutrients, but you’ll be saving money and likely reducing packaging waste over time too. But before you set about preserving ginger, you need to know which type you’re working with - old or young - as they’re used for different things. 👶🏽‘Young’ ginger (pic 2) is much milder, has sparse, very thin skin, and crisp, non-fibrous flesh. Use this type of ginger if you want to make traditional pickled ginger to enjoy with sushi and rice dishes. 👵🏼‘Old’ ginger (pic 3) is the name given to ginger rhizomes when they’re harvested mature. The skin will be thick, grey-brown and almost papery; the flesh is fibrous; and it smells and tastes strongly of spicy ginger. Old ginger will last longer than young ginger because of its protective skin, and delivers more bang for buck in the flavour department. 🥄Regardless of which type you have, use a teaspoon or the back of a knife to scrape the skin off (pic 4) rather than trying to cut or peel it away. This reduces the amount of flesh you ‘lose’. If you know us though, you’ll know that we use the skin anyway, so there’s no real loss no matter which way we peel it. 😁 ☀️We dehydrate the scraped skin for use in tea blends and to make our own ground ginger for baking & spice blends. Are folks interested in a recipe for making pickled ginger? 🫙 Permaculture Principle 2: Catch & store energy 3: Obtain a yield 9: Use small & slow solutions 10: Use and value diversity 11: Use edges and value the marginal #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #PickledGinger #WarOnWaste #PreserveFood #ReduceFoodWaste #ProduceNoWaste #PermaculturePrinciples #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Things that seem like food waste, but aren’t: part 1. An average of 4kg of food waste was generated per household, per week in Australia in 2023. As well as adding to the climate catastrophe happening around us, this kind of waste costs money - both at the consumer and the disposal level. Here are some things that many people would think of as ‘waste’, and alternatives they can be used to create: 1-2: Mushroom stalks. Even if woody, these are full of umami flavour. Slice, dry (on the dashboard of your car is a nifty lo-tech method!), and grind to use as a seasoning 3-5: Lemon frames. Make cleaning vinegar to replace commercial cleaning sprays; transform into preserved lemons; dry, grind & use in baking, cooking, seasoning, and even body products. 7-8: Mango pips & skins. Create a delicious cordial syrup by adding sugar & lemon juice. 9-10: Tomato skins & scraps. Dry, grind & use to add deep, rich flavour to just about any meal. Lots more Scraptastic tips like this coming over the next week, so stay tuned. And if you’ve got a clever way of using food scraps, please share so we can all start cutting down on food waste and saving some pennies too! ♥️ Permaculture Principle 2: Catch & store energy 3: Obtain a yield 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback 5: Use & value renewable resources & services 6: Produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details 11. Use edges & value the marginal 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #ZeroWaste #ZeroWasteLiving #NationalSustainabilityFestival #LowWasteLiving #PermacultureLiving #Sustainability #LiveMoreWithLess #SustainabilityEducation #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Wondering what to do with the bruised apples that make repeat voyages in the school lunch box but never get eaten?⁠ ⁠ Or what to do with the green part of a leek? ⁠ ⁠ Feel pangs of eco-guilt when you chuck food scraps you know you should compost?⁠ ⁠ Join me this Sunday at the National Sustainability Festival with the lovely Anna Matilda @theurbannanna as we tuck into tasty root-to-tip cooking. You’ll learn how to cultivate a little eco-smugness by using the whole veg. Or how to turn sad fruit into happy dishes.⁠ ⁠ 💚Get your free tickets by registering via the link in bio ⁠ ⁠ You’ll learn how to cultivate a little eco-smugness by using the whole veg. Or how to turn sad fruit into happy dishes. Don’t miss this delectable, hand-on workshop!⁠

What a brilliant morning filming with the @wellnessaustralia crew again! We covered a range of waste-reducing tips and tricks to save useable, nutritious food from entering the waste stream, and included many of the 12 permaculture principles. Because not only does cutting down food waste have a positive effect on greenhouse gas emissions, it can also save you a pretty penny when grocery shopping: a growing necessity for many as the cost of living crisis continues. Segments will roll out on @channel7’s House of Wellness over the coming months, so stay tuned for that! (For fans of Little Bit, you’ll be pleased to hear she was actively involved in a supervisory role, and was angling for a cameo, but we’ll have to see how the edits go 😸) Permaculture Principle 2: Catch & store energy 3: Obtain a yield 5: Use & value renewable resources & services 6: Produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details 8: Integrate rather than segregate 10: Use & value diversity 11. Use edges & value the marginal 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #ZeroWaste #ZeroWasteLiving #LowWasteLiving #PermacultureLiving #Sustainability #SustainabilityEducation #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Something exciting is happening at our place this week, involving lots of fresh veg & several permaculture principles… Wanna have a guess what it might be? 😃 Permaculture Principle 2: Catch & store energy 3: Obtain a yield 5: Use & value renewable resources & services 6: Produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details 8: Integrate rather than segregate 10: Use & value diversity 11. Use edges & value the marginal 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #ZeroWaste #ZeroWasteLiving #LowWasteLiving #PermacultureLiving #Sustainability #SustainabilityEducation #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Some of our happy urban foraging groups recently. We’ve been so lucky with the weather, and there’s been lots to look at and learn about. We’ve got a small number of spots available in our final 2 sessions of the year (in March & April) if you fancied joining in and learning all the Alls of becoming an ethics forager. After they’re filled, that’s it til 2025! In these sessions, we observe and interact with a range of edible fruits, greens and flowers found in 'wild' urban spaces across Victoria. We identify examples of trees bearing fruit, and help you understand the physical features you can use to correctly identify useful trees & plants even when they're not fruiting. We discuss the types of locations where you can hunt for wild edibles in the future, and give you some tips on how to safely prepare and enjoy eating many of the foods we find. Included in the session fee is a full-colour learning booklet, a tasty foraged-food picnic, and a followup list of resources to help you extend your learning. If you like the sound of that, hop over to Eventbrite to book your possies ASAP. Link to bookings in the bio. #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #PermaculturePrinciples #PermacultureLiving #Foraging #Forager #ForagedFood #WildFood #WildFoodLove #MelbourneWeekends #MelbourneForaging #UrbanForaging #TraditionalSkills #NannaSkills #TraditionalKnowledge #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Wanna learn how to reduce food waste in simple tasty ways? Come along to this free workshop and discussion with the wonderful Dr Kate Luckins of @sustainablelife.style and our very own Nanna Anna! As part of this year’s National Sustainability Festival (@nsfestivalaus), Dr Kate is hosting a series of free talks around the idea of Living More With Less (which happens to be the topic of her new book coming out very shortly!). This session will focus on Thrifty & Delicious Food, including how to reduce food waste and Scraptastic ideas to make the most of common ingredients. As a special bonus, all attendees will be invited to make their own seasoning blend to take home, using dried ingredients that would normally be rejected by supermarkets or composted in home kitchens. For details and registration, head to the link in our profile, or pop over to the National Sustainability Festival’s page or website. Hope to see you there! Permaculture Principle 2: Catch & store energy 3: Obtain a yield 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback 5: Use & value renewable resources & services 6: Produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details 11. Use edges & value the marginal 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #ZeroWaste #ZeroWasteLiving #NationalSustainabilityFestival #LowWasteLiving #PermacultureLiving #Sustainability #LiveMoreWithLess #SustainabilityEducation #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Summer foraging workshops!! We’ve got a few spots available in our crowd-favourite Urban Foraging Workshops this weekend, and a couple more in our final sessions for the year (1 in March and 1 in April). After they’re filled, that’s it til 2025! In these sessions, we observe and interact with a range of edible fruits, greens and flowers found in 'wild' urban spaces across Victoria. We identify examples of trees bearing fruit, and help you understand the physical features you can use to correctly identify useful trees & plants even when they're not fruiting. We discuss the types of locations where you can hunt for wild edibles in the future, and give you some tips on how to safely prepare and enjoy eating many of the foods we find. Included in the session fee is a full-colour learning booklet, a tasty foraged-food picnic, and a followup list of resources to help you extend your learning. If you like the sound of that, hop over to our website to book your possies ASAP. Link to bookings in the bio. #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #PermaculturePrinciples #PermacultureLiving #Foraging #Forager #ForagedFood #WildFood #WildFoodLove #MelbourneWeekends #MelbourneForaging #UrbanForaging #TraditionalSkills #NannaSkills #TraditionalKnowledge #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Make your own yoghurt: is almost offensively simple!🥛 Take some milk - we like to grab milk that’s close to ‘use by’ date so it doesn’t end up in landfill, and cos it’s cheap - warm it til it juuuuust about boils, then let it cool down to just a bit warmer than body temp. Add a dollop of pot-set yoghurt (either from your last batch, or buy a teeny tub) to a thoroughly clean jar along with the milk, then seal. Keep it somewhere warm overnight, and in the morning it’ll be yoghurt. Magic, right?!? We got this ‘yoghurt maker’ (which is just a mini esky/cooler) from the op-shop. Just add the jar, pour in a bit of boiling water & close. You can also use a large pot, or a hot water bottle and towels. You just wanna keep it snug & warm. We use yoghurt in loads of things - curry, dips, sauces, marinades, to make labneh ‘cheese’, to make bread, biscuits and cakes. We’ll use some of this batch to make our famous Quick Jam Cake for next week’s Urban Foraging sessions, which always goes down a treat ♥️ —————— We’ve still got some possies available in Feb’s Urban Foraging sessions, so drop a ‘hallooo!’ down yonder if you’re keen to join. Permaculture Principle 2: Catch and store energy 3: Obtain a yield 6: Produce no waste 9: Use small and slow solutions 11: Use edges and value the marginal #rentalpermaculture #attainablysustainable #yoghurt #makeyourownyoghurt #slowfood #permaculture #foraging #forager #foragedfood #wildfood #wildfoodlove #melbourneweekends #melbourneforaging #urbanforaging #traditionalskills #nannaskills #traditionalknowledge #theurbannanna #urbannanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern

Don’t toss your watermelon rind: pickle it instead!! This quickle (quick pickle) is crunchy, sweet, sour, refreshing, makes a great addition to pick’n’mix platters, helps cut down waste, and is dead-simple to do. We’re hoping to film a video of how to make it in a bit, but for now, here’s the basics: INGREDIENTS Fresh watermelon White vinegar Water White sugar Salt METHOD 1. Slice watermelon flesh from the rind however you like. Get as much coloured juicy flesh off as you can. 2. Slice the hard green skin off & chuck it into the compost. 3. Slice crispy white rind into 2-3cm wide sticks that’ll fit into whatever tight-sealing jar you’ve got. 4. Clean & sterilise your jar. 5. Heat enough vinegar, water, sugar & salt to 3/4 fill that jar. Use ratio of 1 cup vinegar + 1 cup water + 1/4 cup sugar + 1/4tsp (pinch) salt. 6. Shove sticks of rind into sterilised jar. Pack’em tight. 7. Cover sticks with hot vinegar mix. Wipe the rim, seal, then cool. 5. Store in fridge. Ready in 1-2 days, lasts for around a month or so. Ps. This was a yellow-fleshed watermelon - what a delicious genetic marvel!! 💛 Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact; 2: Catch and store energy; 3: Obtain a yield; 5: Use and value renewable resources and services; 10: Use and value diversity; 11: Use edges and value the marginal #rentalpermaculture #attainablysustainable #permaculture #permacultureprinciples #quickles #pickledwatermelonrind #reducefoodwaste #waronwaste #organicgardenermag #traditionalskills #nannaskills #traditionalknowledge #theurbannanna #urbannanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern

We’re back for another year of monthly segments on @abc Radio, nationwide!🎙📻🥳 We’re kicking things off this week in our chat with @sirine_demachkie about the value of building relationships between generations, and different ways we can do just that. As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to flood online spaces with computer-generated information, it’s becoming increasingly obvious how valuable *trusted* sources of knowledge and skill really are. So for this month’s spot with on the Weekend Evenings show, we’ll be talking about where, why and how you might strike up some convos with trusted elders in your Community. Tune in live at 9pm (local time anywhere in Australia) this Friday, the 2nd of February, to: 🎙Your local ABC Radio station (Melbs, Sydney etc) in the @abclisten app or on a good old-fashioned wireless, 🎙Your local ABC Radio station on the ABC website (Find your local station via the Linktree link in our profile) 🎙At ‘Weekend Evenings’ on the ABC website. If you’re tuning in from overseas, head to the ABC Weekend Evenings website at 9pm AEDT, or any time after that for a week to hear the recorded show. Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 2: Catch and store energy 3: Obtain a yield; 8: Integrate rather than segregate 10: Use and value diversity; 11: Use edges and value the marginal 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #PermaculturePrinciples #ABCEveryday #BuildingCommunity #Community #ABCWeekendEvenings #WeekendEvenings #PeopleCare #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Every summer, we get stuck into carving avocado pips 🥑 Did you know avocados are an eco-crafter’s delight?? The pips are soft enough to carve with a standard paring or craft knife, and they dry into firm little objects perfect for making jewellery, decorations and tiny functional vessels. And you can use the skins and pip shavings to make a gorgeous pale pink dye.💗 We’ve been tootling around with avocado pip carving for a couple of years, and have created a few fun bits and pieces, including a whole stack of teeny-tiny pinch bowls which we use for holding seeds or serving salt in. But for the most part, it’s just fun to have a go at improving a skill over time so that we can one day say it’s a cræft we’ve mastered. Now that Aussie avocado growers are pleading people to buy their crops so they don’t go to landfill, it could be a fun time to play around with what would mostly be considered a waste product. Permaculture Principle 2: Catch and store energy 3: Obtain a yield 6: Produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details; 10: Use and value diversity 11: Use edges and value the marginal 12: Creatively use and respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #Handmade #TraditionalSkills #Handcarving #AvocadoStone #TraditionalCrafts #NannaSkills #PermaculturePrinciples #Cræft #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Foraging workshops kick off for the year tomorrow, so it’s time to whip up this crowd favourite: Quick Jam Cake. It takes all of 13 minutes to put together, uses one bowl & a fork to make, and is a great way to use up dribs & drabs of jam from the depths of the fridge. We used the foraged fennel, plum & berry jam we made last week for this one. Use more or less sugar to suit your tastes (the jam adds sweetness anyway), and use chopped up fruit that’s gone wibbly in the fruit-bowl instead of jam if you prefer. Find the full recipe with lots more detail over on the website via the Linktree link in our profile. But as always, here are the basics: Ingredients - 2 eggs - 3/4-1c sugar - 1/3c oil - 1c yoghurt - 2c self-raising flour - some jam Method: 1. Preheat oven, 180C fan-forced, 200C convection 2. Grease & line small cake tin/large loaf tin 3. Mix eggs, sugar, oil in bowl with fork 4. Add yoghurt & flour. Mix well 5. Pour half of batter into tin. 6. Dollop some jam all over it. We used half a jar in this cake. 7. Pour remaining batter on top. 8. Bake 30-40 minutes until cooked through Cool on rack then eat - yummmm! Permaculture Principle 3: Obtain a yield; 6: Produce no waste #rentalpermaculture #attainablysustainable #permacultureprinciples #permaculture #homemadeyoghurt #homegrown #zerowaste #zerowastecookkng #zerowastekitchen #reducewaste #baking #homemade #easyschoollunch #traditionalrecipes #traditionalskills #theurbannanna #urbannanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern

Life has felt distinctly tonal lately… I like paying attention to recurrent patterns of colour when they crop up - often there’s a prompt or reason for it, and that can be interesting to reflect on. Seasons in life/emotions/relationships often mirror seasons in nature. It strikes me that this can be useful to consider when facing challenges or shifts. Observing, accepting feedback, designing from patterns to details, creatively using & responding to change… Looking at your life through the lens of colour can be useful in identifying patterns and informing possible avenues of future change. If you’re a photo-taker, you can do this by scrolling through recent photos with your eyes slightly squinted so you focus on colour rather than details. This isn’t so much an informational/instructional post: rather it’s a prompt to view your life from a different angle as a way of understanding yourself more deeply. This can be really useful when you’re facing big changes, and can help you actively envisage positive outcomes and emotions when things around you feel a bit bleak. 🧡🤎💛 Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 4: Apply self-regulation and accept feedback 7: Design from patterns to details 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #SeasonsOfLife #ColourTheory #PermacultureLiving #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Little Bit & I spent the last 3 weeks on what we’ve chose to call our ‘summer residency’ down on the Mornington Peninsula to help my dear mamma settle in at home after her major medical emergency & surgery last month. She continues to recover well, and we’re all so thankful for so many elements of how things have worked out. Permaculture principles can help you live more sustainably, no matter where you are, nor for how long. During my stay, I foraged wild fennel & plums; used them in batches of preserved jam; made raspberry vinegar with discounted fruit that was too mushy to go into the jam-pot; started a batch of kimchi to help boost gut health; worked on hand-sewing items for my eco-friendly wardrobe; collected seeds from pollinator-attracting plants; harvested rosehips to make vitamin C tea; and prepped Julafton (Christmas) dinner using all the traditional recipes mamma has taught me over the decades. We’re so happy you’re home @ullakarinsgarden. Looking forward to sharing many more years of gardening, cooking, sewing and talking about Lagom living with you ♥️😘 xo Anna Permaculture Principle 2: Catch and store energy; 3: Obtain a yield; 6: Produce no waste 11: Use edges & value the margins #rentalpermaculture #attainablysustainable #permacultureprinciples #permaculture #berryjam #berries #homesteading #canning #slowliving #slowfood #slowlife #jammaking #fermenting #foraging #traditionalknowledge #traditionalskills #nannaskills #theurbannanna #urbannanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern

Summer foraging workshops are here!! Our crowd-favourite Urban Foraging Workshops are now live and filling up already. We’ve got 6 sessions happening over the next few months, and with class sizes being intimate (to ensure maximum student engagement), they’re likely to reach capacity quickly. In these sessions, we observe and interact with a range of edible fruits, greens and flowers found in 'wild' urban spaces across Victoria. We identify examples of trees bearing early fruit, and help you understand the physical features you can use to correctly identify useful trees & plants even when they're not fruiting. We discuss the types of locations where you can hunt for wild edibles in the future, and give you some tips on how to safely prepare and enjoy eating many of the foods we find. Included in the session fee is a full-colour learning booklet, a tasty foraged-food picnic, and a followup list of resources to help you extend your learning. If you like the sound of that, hop over to our website to book your possies ASAP. Link to bookings in the bio. #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #PermaculturePrinciples #PermacultureLiving #Foraging #Forager #ForagedFood #WildFood #WildFoodLove #MelbourneWeekends #MelbourneForaging #UrbanForaging #TraditionalSkills #NannaSkills #TraditionalKnowledge #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Get your foraging gear ready, cos our Summer season of über-popular Urban Foraging workshops is just about ready to launch ☀️ With dates from Jan 20th through to April, we’ve got six small-group sessions happening this year, and then aside from a handful next summer, that’ll be it until 2026, as Nanna Anna is concentrating on writing out first international book. If you’re already on the mailing list, your pre-release invite will arrive over the next couple of days, so check your emails for that. Otherwise, get ready to hit the booking site early Wednesday the 10th of Jan, so you can secure a spot. Hope you can make it! 🧡 #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #Foraging #Forager #ForagedFood #WildFood #WildFoodLove #MelbourneWeekends #MelbourneForaging #UrbanForaging #TraditionalSkills #CottageCore #CottageCoreLifestyle #NannaSkills #TraditionalKnowledge #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Making a start on a new handsewn dress. Gonna have a go at tweaking the pattern (that I made up) to include some elements of another dress I like the fit of. This is all part of me breaking up with Fast Fashion, cos it sucks big time. Australians discard an average of 23kg of textiles per person, per year, which contributes to the massive issue around fashion waste. Aside from clothing that just ends up in landfill (giving it to op-shops ≠ a circular system unless that’s where you buy your clothes too), there’s also the issue of synthetic clothing shedding microplastics into our waterways every time we wash them. And then there’s the human cost involved in mass-produced fast fashion: if you buy a top that costs just a few bucks, I’m sad to say that it’s almost guaranteed there was at least person involved in its creation who wasn’t being paid a living wage. There’s so much to talk about in this space, but the long and short of where I’m at now is: I’m having a crack at making some clothes from natural fibre materials. I figured, people have handsewed clothes for centuries, many without much training, so it’s likely less tricky than I first imagined. I sewed 2 dresses in 2 months this year, and the realisation I came to through the process was that sewing really *is* much easier than I ever thought. Basically it’s just making tubes of fabric and then sewing them together with a series of simple running stitches. If you’re gonna make a pledge to live more sustainably in 2024, maybe it could be something to do with breaking up with Fast Fashion. ♥️ Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 2: Catch and store energy 3: Obtain a yield; 6: Produce no waste 8: Integrate rather than segregate 10: Use and value diversity; 11: Use edges and value the marginal 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #PermaculturePrinciples #SlowFashion #MeMade #HandMadeClothing #FastFashionSucks #ReduceWaste #WarOnWaste #FrugalLiving #NannaSkills #TraditionalSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

If you’re in SE Australia, there’s still time to forage unripe plums to have a go at pickling them! Unripe or under-ripe plums like this are called gojeh sabz in Persian cooking, and the sour, tangy crisp fruits are enjoyed just as they are (similar to how @melbourneforager talks about Norwegians enjoying underripe apples in the same way), or with a bit of salt and lots of fresh green herbs. We’ve been turning them into pickled morsels a bit like olives, which is a great way to make the most of this abundant feral fruit season. (Recipe is in a video a few posts back if you’re interested). This lot is destined for a new recipe we’re developing to go into the book we’re currently writing for @hardiegrantbooks. It’s so fun to be able to play around with foraged foods like this! Permaculture Principle 2: Catch and store energy 3: Obtain a yield 10. Use & value diversity 11: Use edges & value the marginal. #RentalPermaculture #Foraging #UrbanForaging #AttainablySustainable #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodMadeModern

Low-fuss, low-cost gardening in a rental: berries. A few years back we rescued an unnamed berry plant from the garden nursery for a couple of bucks. Seems no-one wanted to adopt it without knowing what kind of fruit it would bear. We knew from the growth habit of it (size, shape of leaves, how different bits were growing together) that it was a bramble of some sort from the Rosaceae family, which includes raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, silvan-, tay-, and Logan-berries. All of which are delicious! Given that we planned to just eat whatever berries grew from the plant (as opposed to cultivating it to share or sell etc), the name didn’t really matter, so home it came, and we planted it out. It got to live in a polystyrene box we got from the greengrocer, which is great at reducing heat stress on the roots as it’s an effective insulator. The ‘pot’ was filled with no-dig layers of homemade compost & worm castings made from our kitchen & garden scraps, dead leaves collected from our street, and a bit of straw. We’ve added some more compost and leaves maybe twice since it was first filled. Totally befuddled by available info on pruning berry canes, we’ve basically just left it alone for the past 3 years. Lots more words here than planned, but the key takeaway is: Plants have been surviving and thriving without (and often in *spite of*) human interference for Millenia. If you wanna try growing something, remember that plants have an inbuilt drive to live & produce fruit, so just give it a go, observe, use small & slow solutions to creatively use & respond to change… Permaculture Principles - all of them!! 😄 #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #SmallSpaceGardening #GrowFood #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

The average Australia household increases its waste output by around 30% during the festive season, which puts a bit of a tarnish on celebrations. So how can you reduce your waste without missing out on the traditions you love, or creating a stack more work for yourself? Thanks to @baysidecitycouncil, you can join Nanna Anna this Wednesday evening for a free presentation on low-waste ways to celebrate the festive season. She’ll cover gift and wrapping ideas, waste-savvy catering, eco-friendly decorating tips and more. We’ll even have some homemade festive snacks available during the presentation. 😊 So register quick, as there are limited spots left. 🎄♥️🎄♥️🎄♥️🎄 If you’re keen to come to one of our free council presentations or workshops, check out the Events & Coaching page on our website. And do get in touch if you’d like to book something for your council or shire - we’ve got loads of options available in our food-waste and sustainable living series next year. 😊 Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 2: Catch and store energy 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback 5: Use and value renewable resources and services 6: Produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details #RentalPermaculture #Permaculture #ZeroWaste #ZeroWasteLiving #PlasticFreeJuly #LowWasteLiving #PermacultureLiving #Sustainability #SustainabilityEducation #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Very excited to be featured in the second instalment of @guardianaustralia’s Good Gift Guide, alongside loads of awesome Aussie makers and shakers! If you’re in the market for an Aussie-made gift, this guide has you covered, with heaps of different price points and loads of categories like ‘useful’, ‘edible’, ‘wearable’ and more. We’ve got our cute little DIY Beeswax Wrap kits on the list, which are designed to help giftees upcycle fabrics they already own into reusable alternatives to plastic food wrap. So if you’ve got someone on your list who’s interested in sustainable permaculture living and you reckon they’d like to join the beeswax wrap brigade, hop over to the @guardianaustralia website to find it in the full guide! Oh, and keep your eye out for other waste-busting, permaculture living gifts in there by folk like @milkwood, @fruitnerd, @littleveggiepatchco and @thefermentary. So many great alternatives to mass-produced plastic-wrapped Stuff! Permaculture Principle 10: Use & value diversity #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #2023GiftGuide #SustainableGift #PermacultureLiving #Permaculture #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

If you’ve followed us for a while, you’ll know that we hate unnecessary waste, and love talking about ways to reduce it whenever we can. So it’ll be no surprise that exploring ways to celebrate the festive season without adding to the waste crisis is something we’re getting stuck into. We’ve got presentations coming up around Melbourne, we’ve got a stack of articles about it on the website, and it’ll be the focus of both Nanna Anna’s regular monthly radio spots this week! She’ll be talking decorating, gifts, wrapping, catering, and lots of ways to manage waste more effectively throughout the season. 🎙If you’re in Victoria, tune in to @trevorchappe’s @abcinmelbourne Afternoon show on Wednesday Nov 30th at 2:30pm. 🎙And if you’re listening from around the country, join us on @sirine_demachkie’ ABC Australia Weekend Evenings program at 9pm local time this Friday the 1st of December, wherever you are. 🎙Listen in from your local ABC radio station on the wireless, or via the @abclisten app, or head straight to the @abc website and find your way under the Radio tab. Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 2: Catch and store energy 3: Obtain a yield; 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback 6: Produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details 8: Integrate rather than segregate 10: Use and value diversity; 11: Use edges and value the marginal 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #PermaculturePrinciples #ABCEveryday #ReduceWaste #LowWasteLiving #ABCWeekendEvenings #WeekendEvenings #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern

Rhubarb, rescued as a sad-looking stump from the garden nursery, planted into a pot found on the side of the road that’s filled with no-dig layers of homemade compost, worm castings, collected leaves & straw. Growing happily with next to no extra input from us. ♥️ Perfect for creating delicious low-waste Christmas gifts! This picking went into some gin with seasonal strawberries and bulk-bought sugar to create a pink drink that’ll be bottled & given to friends & family. The recipe for this is a few posts back in a Reel, but if you’re keen to try more handmade goodies for the festive season, check out the project book NannaAnna published last year! Handmade Christmas is packed with frugal, eco-conscious things to make, and is an excellent companion for the season. Permaculture Principle 2: Catch and store energy 3: Obtain a yield #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #HandmadeChristmas #ChristmasGifts #DIYChristmas #ecoConsciousGifts #HomeMadeGifts #TraditionalSkills #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

The average Australia household increases its waste output by around 30% during the festive season, which puts a bit of a tarnish on celebrations. So how can you reduce your waste without missing out on the traditions you love, or creating a stack more work for yourself? Thanks to @maroondahcitycouncil , you can join Nanna Anna this Thursday evening for a free presentation on low-waste ways to celebrate the festive season. She’ll cover gift and wrapping ideas, waste-savvy catering, eco-friendly decorating tips and more. We’ll even have some homemade festive snacks available during the presentation. 😊 So register quick, as there are limited spots left. 🎄♥️🎄♥️🎄♥️🎄 If you’re keen to come to one of our free council presentations or workshops, check out the Events & Coaching page on our website. And do get in touch if you’d like to book something for your council or shire - we’ve got loads of options available in our food-waste and sustainable living series next year. 😊 Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 2: Catch and store energy 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback 5: Use and value renewable resources and services 6: Produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details #RentalPermaculture #Permaculture #ZeroWaste #ZeroWasteLiving #PlasticFreeJuly #LowWasteLiving #PermacultureLiving #Sustainability #SustainabilityEducation #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Use edges & value the marginal: drying citrus peel. We made a batch of lemon cordial for one of our regulars yesterday, and are experimenting with some mandarin cordial for them to play around with on the drinks menu too. Mandarin has a much milder flavour, so we’ve added dried mandarin peel to each bottle to give it a boost. Knowing we might make more, we washed the peel from the fruit we used for the cordial, then scraped out all the leftover innards, and are drying them for next time. Rather than put them in the electric dehydrator though, we laid them out on a flat basket, ready to go on the washing line outside today to passively dry in the sun. But we noticed how much residual heat was emanating from the bottles of cordial, and thought we’d get a head start on drying by utilising it. So the basket sat on top of the bottles overnight, and as they cooled, they began the drying process of the peels. How’s that for stacking functions?!? Using the margins of temperature to preserve the edges of the fruit that would normally be seen as waste. 😍 Oh! And the lemon peels will be shared with local Community to make low-waste cleaning spray. 💛 ——— We wrote a big article on Dehydrating Food on the website, so if you’re interested in some of the different ways to make the most of passive energy when drying food, head over for a read! Permaculture Principle 2: Catch and store energy; 3: Obtain a yield; 6: Produce no waste; 9: Use small and slow solutions 10: Use and value diversity; 11; Use edges and value the marginal #rentalpermaculture #AttainablySustainable #permaculture #permacultureprinciples #rentalhomesteading #slowfood #slowliving #diychristmas #dehydrating #traditionalskills #nannaskills #theurbannanna #urbannanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern

Catch & store energy: ginger. When it’s in season, ginger is often super cheap at greengrocers, which is the perfect time to preserve it in different ways. Not only will you be catching & storing the energy embodied in the rhizome when it’s got the highest levels of nutrients, but you’ll be saving money and likely reducing packaging waste over time too. 👵🏼‘Old’ ginger (pic 2-3) is the name given to ginger rhizomes when they’re harvested mature. The skin will be thick, grey-brown and almost papery; the flesh is fibrous; and it smells and tastes strongly of spicy ginger. Preserve old ginger by peeling (scrape with a teaspoon! It takes off just the skin), and then either freezing, fermenting or dehydrating. ☀️We dehydrate slices or diced pieces for use in tea blends and to make our own ground ginger for baking & spice blends. 🫧We use old ginger to create a fermented ginger ‘bug’ for making natural sodas. ❄️Then we finely mince/chop heaps & freeze it. To freeze minced ginger, lay it out on compostable baking paper on a tray. Either spread it out loosely, or firmly pack it into a layer and then score lines to create blocks of around 1tsp. Wrap baking paper around it, freeze until solid, and then store in glass jars in the freezer. The blocks are great when you want to add lots to a dish: the loose bits are for when you just want a pinch. 👶🏽‘Young’ ginger (pic 9) is much milder, has thinner skin (you can just rub it off with a brush), and crisp, non-fibrous flesh. Use this type of ginger if you want to make traditional pickled ginger to enjoy with sushi and rice dishes. 🪴Oh! And why not have a go at growing your own ginger in a pot! Just whack a piece of Old ginger into some soil around springtime, keep it warm and damp (bathrooms are great places to grow ginger), and away you go! Permaculture Principle 2: Catch & store energy #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #PreserveFood #ReduceFoodWaste #ProduceNoWaste #PermaculturePrinciples #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

Exciting news! The first of a series of regular segments we’re working on with @channel7’s @wellnessaustralia House of Wellness TV show aired over the weekend, and we couldn’t be happier. 😍🤩 During the segment, Nanna Anna spoke about safely foraging edible flowers, and ways to use them. She spoke about Oxalis, which can be used as a delicious addition to salads and as a garnish, and also to make a simple fabric dye (check out our Reels/videos for info on how to do that🌼). She also spoke about English Wild Violet, which can be used in many different ways, including violet sugar and magical colour-changing sweet syrup (recipe for both of these is on our website). You can find the video of the segment, and the articles & recipes for forageable edible flowers via the LinkTree link in our profile, or head direct to the House of Wellness website to watch the full TV episode (there’s lots of great stuff in it!) And keep an eye out - the next segment airs in a few weeks! Permaculture Principle 1: Observe & interact, 2: Catch & store energy 10: Use & value diversity 11: Use edges & value the marginal #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #HouseOfWellness #Channel7 #WellnessAustralia #Permaculture #PermaculturePrinciples #EcoDye #SlowLiving #Foraging #ForagedFood #Oxalis #SolarDie #VioletSyrup #TraditionalSkills #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

It’s elderflower season in Victoria! We visited a particularly special region yesterday to forage these beautiful flowers for the first time in 3 years. Knowing that many people use this area for both their elderflower and elderberry needs (meaning that flowers must be left on the bush to become fruit), we made sure to pick very lightly from every bush. We also don’t just pick from the easiest spots, so that the foraging experience isn’t ruined for others who will come along after us. This particular area has close to 60 bushes in a 1km radius, but even so, using this respectful, considered approach to foraging it took over an hour to pick this basket full. Then it took close to 3 hours to de-stem the flowers ahead of some recipe-development we’re doing! Foraging for food is a long-game in more ways than one.. 😅 The great thing is, this work and time and effort will enable us to produce a preserved drink that can keep for months and months, and will make excellent festive gifts, thus reducing our need to buy into waste-producing Stuff. So yeah… foraging: it’s not fast food by any stretch of the imagination, but the way it can connect you to Communities and reduce your waste-footprint adds untold soul-nourishing value. 🤍 Ps - always dress for snake-safety while foraging in Aus, no matter how darn hot the weather! Stomp the ground with a stick, approach thickets slowly, and wear protective boots/gaiters/pants. Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 3: Obtain a yield 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback 11: Use edges & value the marginal #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #Foraging #Foraging #ForagingSafety #Elderflower #ElderflowerCordial #WildFoodLove #TraditionalKnowledge #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

There’s a lot going on in the world right now that’s causing a lot of fear, anger and grief. It’s times like these when leaning on the support of different Communities can make a huge difference, so for this month’s regular spot with @sirine_demachkie on ABC Radio’s Weekend Evenings, we’re focussing on ways to build, cultivate and foster a sense of Community wherever you live. Nanna Anna will be on the airwaves this Friday 3rd of November talking about what Community is; why it’s so important; and sharing some small & slow ways to build Community around you. Tune in live at 9pm (local time anywhere in Australia) this Friday, the 3rd of November, to: 🎙Your local ABC Radio station (Melbs, Sydney etc) in the @abcaustralia ABC Listen app or on a good old-fashioned wireless, 🎙Your local ABC Radio station on the ABC website (Find your local station via the Linktree link in our profile) 🎙At ‘Weekend Evenings’ on the ABC website. If you’re tuning in from overseas, head to the ABC Weekend Evenings website at 9pm AEDT, or any time after that for a week to hear the recorded show. Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and interact 2: Catch and store energy 3: Obtain a yield; 8: Integrate rather than segregate 10: Use and value diversity; 11: Use edges and value the marginal 12: Creatively use & respond to change #RentalPermaculture #AttainablySustainable #Permaculture #PermaculturePrinciples #ABCEveryday #BuildingCommunity #Community #ABCWeekendEvenings #WeekendEvenings #PeopleCare #NannaSkills #TheUrbanNanna #UrbanNanna #TraditionalMethodsMadeModern

You may have heard NannaAnna on ABC Radio Melbourne today, chatting with @trevorchappe about dehydrating food. Roses are a brilliant example of things to dry now using passive solar energy for use throughout the year. Roses flower in massive abundance during spring, and we start to get some hot days then too, which makes a perfect combo for a bit of dashboard dehydrating 😀 We harvested and foraged a stack of rose petals one hot day last week, knowing that heavy rains that night would likely ruin most of the flowers. Sweet pale climbing rose Cecile Brünner is an excellent rose for drying, as it’s full or fragrance. Other good varieties include most peach, yellow and dark coloured roses. We simply laid the petals out on a clean sheet of paper over the car dashboard, and parked the car in full sun for a few hours. In that time, all the little petals had dried crispy-crunchy. The larger ones we laid out on baskets to finish drying indoors. Then they were all sealed up in airtight jars, and we’ll use them to make tea blends, bath salts, chocolate bark and truffles, and possibly even infuse some liquor! We wrote a big article on Dehydrating Food on the website, so if you’re interested in some of the different ways to make the most of springtime abundance, head over for a read! Link in bio. Permaculture Principle 2: Catch and store energy; 3: Obtain a yield; 6: Produce no waste; 9: Use small and slow solutions 10: Use and value diversity; 11; Use edges and value the marginal #rentalpermaculture #permaculture #ABCMyGarden #permacultureprinciples #rentalhomesteading #wildfood #slowfood #slowliving #solardrying #diychristmas #wildfoodlove #dehydrating #traditionalskills #nannaskills #theurbannanna #urbannanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern

🎃There are lots of kids in our neighbourhood who get dressed up and into the modern ‘spirit’ of Halloween, which has been a cheerful way for our Community to reconnect in a post-lockdown world. As you probably know by now, we’re not fans of plastic packaging or overly-processed foods, so we try to do something a bit silly with compostable wrapping and simple foods. This year it’s a medley of fruits & veggies, all roughly similar in size, wrapped and presented as a lucky dip. There are apples, pears, onions, spuds, lemons, turnips, and even a ghoulish black tomato. And if the cost of living crisis has our neighbours spooked out this Halloween, hopefully a bit of free fruit & veg (and bread - plenty of bread thanks to an unknown community member) can help lift the mood. Oh, and Little Bit is at the ready to laugh at all jokes and silly faces 😸 Community Corner: Take what you need, share when you can. ♥️ Permaculture Principle 1: Observe & interact 3: Obtain a yield 6: Produce no waste 7: Design from patterns to details 8: Integrate rather than segregate Permaculture Ethics: Earth Care, People Care, Fair Share. #rentalpermaculture #permacultureethics #permacultureprinciples #earthcarepeoplecarefairshare #permaculture #communitycorner #TUNcommunitycorner #communityengagement #community #zerowasteliving #towardszerowaste #zerowaste #ABCeveryday #frankiemagazine #buildingcommunity #theurbannanna #urbannanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern

Even though the weather may not feel like it, we’ve got a hot, dry summer ahead. And whilst that could make growing food a bit more of a challenge, it’ll make preserving it a cinch. This Wednesday arvo, Nanna Anna is on the airwaves chatting with @trevorchappe on @ABCMelbourne about all the different ways you can dehydrate food when it’s in abundance, including lots of passive solar energy methods. Tune in at 2:30pm (Melbourne time) on Wednesday the 1st of November, to: 🎙 ABC Radio Melbourne in the @abcaustralia ABC Listen app 🎙ABC Melbourne on the radio (774 AM) 🎙At ‘Afternoons’ on the ABC website (2:30pm or after 4pm AEDT when the live broadcast is finished - available for a week after the show too for those wanting to listen from overseas). Find your way via the Linktree link in our profile 🎙 Permaculture Principle 2: Catch and store energy 3: Obtain a yield 4: Apply self-regulation & accept feedback 5: Use & value renewable energy and resources 9: Use small and slow solutions 11: Use edges and value the marginal 12. Creatively use & respond to change #rentalpermaculture #permaculture #attainablysustainable #permacultureprinciples #abceveryday #abcsundays #dehydrating #dehydratedfood #nannaskills #theurbannanna #urbannanna #traditionalmethodsmademodern