Last year Sydney Slow Food Members attended to a presentation of the work of SIMS, explaining how the marine biologists and scientists work to identify and eradicate imported alien species, restore overfished species and many other studies.
Thanks to the 19.5m grant, SIMS scientists will now have access to state-of -the-art equipment and facilities at its Chowder Bay site to combat threats to marine ecosystems arising from climate change, urbanisation, changing coastlines and marine microbes. The new funds will be used to set up a unique protected marine aquarium and associated research laboratories, along with pumps, research vessels, mobile radar equipment and sophisticated communications equipment.
To read the full story, click here.

by Alison Drover

I bought some venison osso bucco from Eveleigh Market and had it with some preserved lemons, to give it some bite.  It’s a great autumn dish and keeps well in the fridge over a couple of days - I had it with some left-over green lentils one night and another night with some turnip and potato mashed with oregano.  Terrific!

Osso Bucco

90g Butter

2 medium carrots, chopped finely

2 large brown onions, chopped finely

3 trimmed celery sticks, chopped finely3 trimmed fennel sticks chopped finely

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2kg Venison Osso Bucco

1/3 cup flour, for dusting

2 tblsp olive oil

2×400g chopped tomatoes

½ cup dry red wine

1 ¾ cups beef stock

1 tblsp finely chopped fresh basil

1 tsp finely shopped fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

2.5cm strip lemon rind
Heat a third of the butter in a large saucepan; Cook carrot, onion, celery and half of the garlic until onion is golden brown. Remove from heat; transfer vegetables to a large ovenproof dish.

Coat venison with flour; shake away excess. Heat the remaining butter and oil in same pan. Add venison; brown well on all sides. Carefully pack venison on top of vegetables.

Preheat oven to 180C

Drain fat from pan. Add undrained tomatoes, wine, stock, basil, thyme, bay leaf and strip of lemon rind; bring sauce to the boil

Pour sauce over venison. Cover dish; bake in oven about 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.

Preserved Lemons

Preserving is a great way of using an abundance of lemons so they do not go to waste

Lemons
Salt, 1 dessert spoon of salt per lemon, plus one for the jar
Freshly squeezed lemon juice - 2-3 if you have them
Juniper berries
Preserving jars

Cut lemons into quarters. Place the lemons, flesh side down, in the jar, sprinkling each quarter with salt as you add it to the jar.

For every lemon use a good dessert spoon of salt, and one for the jar.

When the jar is full, press right down on the lemons to squeeze as much juice out, filling the jar with more slices, again squeezing right down. Cut out a disc of plastic to hold the lemon quarters under the lemon juice. Put a lid on the jar and 6-8 weeks later they will be ready to use.

I decided to make a living as a craft brewer because… beer has been a long time passion of mine and it felt like the right time to follow the dream. A friend from university who has a lot of experience in running businesses was also looking for a change, so we saw the opportunity and ran with it.

Barons is different from the mass-produced beer you might find in the liquor store because… it’s an independent Australian beer company and our beer is made from the best ingredients we can source. Our products contain no preservatives or additives and our native range of beers use Australian ingredients such as wattle seed and lemon myrtle to create a unique imbibing experience. Our native spices are sourced from Outback Pride who work with indigenous communities to produce the best crops available.

Demand in the current economic climate is… holding up well.  Demand for beer is always solid both in good economic times and in bad. We have observed a shift to customers drinking more at home because it’s now possible to find a quality six-pack of beer that’s better value than a good bottle of wine.

The most satisfying thing about producing beer is… having people approach you and tell you that they love what you put your blood, sweat and tears into.

The biggest frustration in producing beer is… I love creating new, unique beers so it can be frustrating at times to be limited by the cost of releasing new beers into the market.

The best meal I’ve eaten this year was… at the Glebe Point Diner. Their focus on local produce, seasonal menus, ingredient outsourcing and quality suppliers make for a memorable meal.

My most treasured food/beer memory is… the last beer dinner I did with the chef at Sticks in the Chalk Hotel in Brisbane. He took a lot of time and effort to match each beer with the perfect course, and you could really see and feel his passion. He went as far as sending five litres of Barons Black Wattle beer to an ice cream maker to create Black Wattle Bon Bons, made with Black Wattle ice cream coated in dark chocolate.

Slow Foodies should check out… http://www.outbackpride.com.au to learn more about what they are doing with bush foods and native ingredients.

The most important thing about the sustainable food movement is… that people care where their food and drink comes from and have a vested interest in the people who produce it. It makes for a much more appreciative dining experience.

If Slow Food members could do one thing to make food, wine and beer in Sydney better, cleaner and fairer, it would be to… demand better maintenance of beer lines in pubs and ensure that your local has Barons!

Hearty root vegetables and light, bright citrus - what’s not to love about what’s in season in May?

Apples
Lemons
Limes
Mandarins (imperial)
Nashi
Oranges (navel)
Pears
Pecans
Persimmons
Pomegranates
Quince
Asian greens
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbages
Carrots
Cauliflowers
Celery
Celeriac
Chestnuts
Corn
Fennel
Leeks
Mushrooms
Okra
Parsnips
Tomatoes
Silverbeet
Spinach
Sweet potatoes
Turnips

…. and look out for local olives - the harvest season starts in the next few weeks!