On air on bayfm 99.9 community radio Byron Bay on May 7, 2012

 

 

 

So one day the artist went to the market… The far North of NSW has attracted artists for many years, and now we have a lovely fresh produce market pretty much every day, so maybe it was inevitable that they would come together and create beautiful things.

Bayfm’s Arts Canvass presenter, Karena Wynn-Moylan, was inspired by the beautiful produce of her local Bangalow farmers market.  She photographed a year of fruit and veg, and documented it in watercolours and oils.  She also asked the farmers for their favourite simple recipes, and has done a lovely artist’s cookbook.  See below for some recipes.

We also have potters and fabric artists and cooks and ikebana magicians, and people on a mission to bring colour to our tables.  I was lucky enough to go to an exhibition in Ballina that is on all month and brings many of these people together.  I would really encourage you to go, the gallery itself is a lovely place, with a cafe and big old trees to sit under.

Here are some details :

Three Exhibitions are on, all on and around food and the table, until Sunday 27 May 2012

At : the Northern Rivers Community Gallery, 44 Cherry street Ballina
ph 6681 6167        free entry

All details click here

But I would be going along to this weekend’s Table Manners Makers’ Market, which has demos of ceramic hand-building and wheel-throwing by potters Suvira McDonald and Malcolm Greenwood.   You can also learn how to paint or draw your food.  Thank you very much to Karena for giving a place in her watercolour workshop on May 20 to one of our lovely subscribers.  If you’d like to go, ring  the gallery.   (It is $65pp inc. materials, 9.30 to 2pm).

If you can’t get to the exhibition, Karena’s number 1 bit of advice for anyone starting on painting or drawing still lives (aka food around here) is to think of the light.

And the lovely Miss May, Alison Drover of Fork in the Field, as well as lots of in season deliciousness for May, also had a crop of sustainable produce inspired, and very easy on the wallet, ideas for making your table and your food look beautiful.

 

Miss May Alison Drover

Preserve and conserve – yes it is the time for citrus much needed in winter.

Make marmalade, preserve lemons make compote and candied peel.

Find out more about my classes at the Byron Community Centre coming up next weekend

http://issuu.com/echopublications/docs/byroncollege-april-june-2012

 

Planting in May

Miss May says time is running out so get out in the garden and start planting so that you will have the abundance of vegetables through to winter.

Now is the time to plant broccoli, broad beans, beetroot, coriander, cabbages and Asian greens. Visit the Sustain website for a local regional planting guide. http://sustainfood.com.au/index.php?page=grow-what-s-in-season-vegetables.

This is also the time to save seeds from your summer crops so that you have them for the next year. Saving seeds helps safeguard the food security of the plant and is also a great way to ensure that the seeds you sow grow.

 

MANDARIN COMPOTE RECIPE – enough for breakfast for the week

 

· 20 mandarins

· 1 cinnamon quill

· 3 tablespoons raw honey

· 1 sprig thyme

15 ripe and sweet peeled mandarin. Separate them mandarin segments. I did not remove the transparent skin of the mandarin pieces, but I did open them to remove any seeds and to allow for the juice to come out while marinating them. Put the mandarins in a medium saucepan and cover with water marinate for 1 hour. Add honey and thyme, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes, adding water when necessary to keep the mandarins covered at all times.

Remove and serve with yogurt for breakfast cold or warm slightly. The compote can be used as a side serve to a winter pudding or plain cake. You can also vary it by adding apples!

 

 

A big thank you to Karena for the permission to reproduce some pages from her artist’s cookbook, “Produce-d”.  The originals are double page spreads with the basket of produce paintings by Karena on the left, and the recipe on the right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out more of Karena’s art on her website (I particularly love the Woodstock turnip from Produce-d).  There is also a recipe by Karena herself in the book.  I haven’t managed to get the pecan pikelets one from her yet – maybe ring her up while Arts Canvass is on (Thursdays 9 to 11 am) and beg her and the rest of the pecan fiends on her street in Bangalow to share with the rest of us – apparently they get together and cook and eat at the drop of a hat, under a big pecan tree in Bangalow.  If your street or neighbourhood does something like that, us bellysisters would love to hear about it.  Meantime, here’s Karena’s lovely sweet potato recipe.

 

KARENA’S SWEET POTATO AND FETA BAKE

 

A good mix of white, purple and orange sweet potatoes

I large onion ( Spanish or purple)

6 cloves of unpeeled garlic

Fresh rosemary or thyme sprigs

Sea salt, ground pepper and Paprika

Feta Cheese

Parsley

 

Peel the potatoes if you wish or just scrub, then chop into bite sized pieces and place in a

large baking dish sprinkled with olive oil.

Add cloves of whole garlic and fresh rosemary or thyme sprigs.

Season with salt and pepper and ground paprika.

Toss together to coat pieces well.

Bake at 200c for about 30 mins or until pieces are slightly crispy.

5 mins before serving add cubed fetta cheese, return to the oven to soften.

To serve squeeze baked garlic over veges and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley