March 22-31st
Dear Tassievores – we have decided that you deserve a treat, and as such, have added an extra two days onto the final week of the challenge. After all, we all need a bit of extra time to bask in the glow of our bountiful harvest and perhaps overindulge a wee bit.
Tassievore feast is all about getting together with your friends and family, or complete strangers for that matter, and enjoying all the Tasmanian goodness that you have discovered in your locavore journey with us.
It’s time to wash off your quinoa, dust off your bumnuts (chook eggs that is..), pull up your root vegetables and party like it’s part way through 2015.
This week we have a few more bits and pieces to share with you:
What’s in store for #tassievorefeast
This is it folks, your last chance to get in on the facebook action and share your Tassievore feasting tales with us. If you haven’t got a facebook account then we welcome photos and pictures sent in by email to taslocavore@gmail.com
The stories you share will inspire others and also put you in the running for some lovely prizes: two tickets to the Living Local Feast in Hobart and a Gourmet Lunch Platter for two from Stonesthrow Restaurant Launceston.
Don’t forget to #tassievorefeast
Winners for #tassievoregrower week (week 2)
Congratulations to our lucky and green thumbed Tassievore growers. Winners this week were:
Anne Fox – FIMBY calendar for her gorgeous pale zucchinis
Laura Steenbergen – FIMBY calendar for her watermelon (yes in Tassie!)
Jo Worsfeld – FIMBY calendar for her avocado (again Tassie pushing the boundaries!)
Sally O’Wheel – FIMBY calendar plus ‘Intro to permaculture’ book from Good Life Permaculture for her strawbale beds
Rachel Andrew – FIMBY calendar plus Grow Cover netting for her wonderful posts including her backyard honey (are beekeepers called sticky thumbs instead of green thumbs?).
Thanks for sharing your photos and growing experiments with us – we loved it!!
School garden co-ordinators visit Government house as part of Tassievore month
We all know that Tassievores are special but it’s not every day that we get to shake hands with the Governor of Tasmania!
On Tuesday 17th March, 30 of Tasmania’s fantastic school garden coordinators and volunteers were treated to morning tea and a garden tour at Government House, Hobart.
The coordinators had travelled from Lansdowne, Lauderdale and even as far as Launceston and were all very excited to share stories and seek inspiration from the famed Government House kitchen garden.
Here is a photographic summary for the very visual among you but there is a bit more wordy stuff below if you prefer text-based description.
We were greeted individually by Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Kate Warner, AM, Governor of Tasmania (we had to look up the correct written reference) and her husband Mr Warner (who must enjoy the comparative simplicity of his title) before being treated to morning tea created by Executive chef Ainstie Wagner and her team. The offerings were peppered with ingredients grown on-site such as sandwiches with nasturtium and basil butter, quince friands, scones with lemon curd cream and fresh raspberries and calendula shortbread.
The passion that Ainstie has for local produce and avoiding food waste is plain to see in her well tended pantry of preserves and her close relationship with the garden staff (Tara and Nicki).
The tour highlight was our visit to the gorgeous kitchen garden. It made quite a picturesque impression with the citrus trees towering over the happy hens, bees buzzing to and fro from their hives and beds heaving with produce.
At the end of the tour the coordinators were well armed with kitchen and garden inspirations and a new network of gardening compatriots. We also hope they were feeling suitably spoilt and honoured for wonderful work that they do.
If you are keen to see the garden for yourself you can book in for a monthly garden tour by visiting the Government House website.
Thanks again to Ainstie, Her Excellency and everyone else involved.
could these be compost cakes?
Frugal Tassievore Workshop report from the night (16th March)
We were excited to host a workshop in Hobart with the incredibly talented couple behind Backyard Bounty. In keeping with the title those attending were shown how to make their Tasmanian fruit and vegetable budget go that little bit further.
Greg and Aimee demonstrated how to make vegie stock from the scraps that often get thrown away, wilted rocket pesto and beautiful “compost” cakes, drizzled in home-sourced honey.
At the end of the night participants were sent home with their compostable tasting cups primed with parsley seeds – ready to grow into miniature benchtop herb gardens.
For more information (e.g. what on earth are compost cakes?) or to order a locally grown fruit and vegetable box (south only) you can contact Backyard Bounty through their facebook page.
Grand Prize: Parsons Bay Retreat – it’s not too late to be in the running!
The Grand Prize this year is two nights accommodation for two at Parsons Bay Retreat on the Tasman Peninsula (including a three course meal at the Hub café!).
All you have to do to be part of the competition is like and share our page and change your facebook profile picture to the Tassievore logo – so the commitment required is lessening by the day!
#tassievorekids Primary School Challenge reminder
Albuera street and their Harmony day #tassievorekids contribution
Don’t forget to hop onto facebook and share your stories and photos with us if you have been doing a great job of growing or using local produce in your primary school.
There are some great prizes to be won including a visit from a Tasmanian celebrity and a local seasonal cooking session for your class. If you are a Move Well Eat Well school you can go in the running for a CD of Vegetably tunes from The (award winning) Vegetable Plot.
For more information check out the flyer.
Feature ingredient: Quinoa
It wouldn’t really be Tassievore month if we didn’t make mention of the relatively recent superstar of Tasmanian cuisine (ok…that may be stretching the use of the term cuisine but we live in hope!). Tassie quinoa has been quite the media tart on our island since Kindred organics started growing it a few years ago. It has also been the key ingredient in Smolt’s three time award winning Quinoa salad at the Taste of Tasmania (Eat Well Tasmania award).
Quinoa is used like a grain but is actually a seed (or pseudo-cereal) so can be a useful addition to the pantry for gluten intolerant folk and Tassievores generally.
If you haven’t used the Tasmanian product before make sure you wash it a few times before cooking (see instructions here) to remove the bitter natural coating.
The recipe we have for you is Herby cheese and quinoa muffins – they are made using cooked quinoa and are very easy to throw together. They make a nice change in a lunchbox and are great for using up leftover cooked quinoa.
Feature Business: Stonesthrow Restaurant Launceston
This little gem of a restaurant is located only a few minutes drive from the centre of Launceston (hence the name I’m guessing) but you would hardly realise it from the setting. The dining space looks out over a peaceful rural landscape complete with a lake full of fish!
The restaurant owners and chefs 
Marco and Amber are passionate about Tasmanian produce and often have entrée or dessert course made from all Tasmanian ingredients.
In honour of #tassievorefeast week they will also be offering a Tassievore feast plate – sounds like a great solution for any of you who want to do the feasting without the cooking and assembly!
They are open for lunch 7 days and dinner Thursday to Saturday ( Friday night is an authentic Italian-style Pizza night thanks to Marco’s Italian background).
If you feel like a mealtime isn’t long enough to spend there you can also camp for $10 per person or $20 with breakfast included.
Best of all if you share your #tassievorefeast stories with us you go into the draw to win a Gourmet Lunch platter for two at Stonesthrow.
That’s a tasty, locally sourced and home flipped wrap.
Tassievore Eat Local Challenge 
