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December 6, 2022 by Karen Lavin

Education and Farming Manager

 

 

Northey Street City Farm             
….. a place for learning about living sustainably in the city

POSITION DESCRIPTION
Position: Education and Farming Manager
Hours: 30 hours per week
Pay rate: NSCF Award Agreement Manager Level, $ 30.00 per hour, plus entitlements, which include superannuation, annual leave, personal leave and training allowance.
Contract Position: Permanent part time
Responsible to: Management Committee

Person
The Education and Farming Manager should have a background in management, preferably in the community / not-for-profit / social enterprise sector. The person will possess high level communication skills to interact effectively with people both internal and external to the organisation. They should have a working knowledge of community-based education and experience in Permaculture or organic gardening. They will be experienced in both managing day-to-day operations and driving medium-term strategic directions.

Organisation
Established in 1994, Northey Street City Farm (NSCF) is a non-profit community organisation for people of all ages and backgrounds to learn the principles of Permaculture through hands-on experience. Join an enthusiastic, passionate group of people to work on one of Australia’s largest city farms – a Permaculture site on 2 Ha with established kitchen and market gardens, orchards and woodlot, plus a nursery and Brisbane’s only Organic Farmers’ Market. NSCF is also a community hub that facilitates the development of social connections and new skills for volunteers and participants in a variety of programs.

Role
The Education and Farming Manager’s role is to oversee and coordinate the Education and Farming team, which coordinates all education programs provided by NSCF and manages all gardens, orchards, bush revegetation, animal systems, buildings, grounds and infrastructure on the farm site. The manager is also jointly responsible, with the Enterprise and Support manager, for the operational management of the whole organisation. The Education and Farming team staff currently includes the Site Coordinator, the Adult Education Coordinator and the Youth Education Coordinator, as well as casual employees, contractors, volunteers and work experience participants.

The position is for 30 hrs/week, which must include Thursdays. Occasional weekend work is required. Timing of working hours can be flexible according to season and farm requirements. This position may be physically demanding at times and requires a person who is fit, energetic, and flexible.

Responsibilities
● Manage staff and volunteers within the Education and Farming Team, including developing annual work plans and setting performance targets.
● Oversee the recruitment, training, allocation and support of volunteers and work experience participants for the whole Farm.
● Oversee the development and delivery of educational programs
● Oversee the planning, construction and management of the gardens, orchards, buildings, grounds and infrastructure, in accordance with Permaculture and organic principles.
● Liaise with Brisbane City Council on leasing and site related issues.
● Prepare and manage the team’s budget and be accountable for any team-related cash handling systems.
● Contribute to the development, enactment, and review of key policy documents to guide activities on the Farm.
● Meet with the other manager (Enterprise and Support) twice-monthly to ensure harmonious co-management of whole-of-farm issues.
● Report monthly, and be answerable, to the Management Committee, and participate in monthly Whole of Farm meetings.

Selection Criteria

Essential
● Management experience and skills, preferably in a social enterprise or community organisation, including planning, budgeting, financial management, team building, staff coordination, volunteer supervision, meeting facilitation and conflict resolution.
● Demonstrated success in recruiting, involving, and supporting volunteers.
● Experience of delivering or coordinating education programs.
● Experience in organic gardening or farming, preferably in the subtropics.
● Hold a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) or be willing to acquire one.
● Willingness to have a criminal background check and to obtain a Working with Children blue card.
● Hold a current First Aid certificate or be willing to acquire one.
● Current drivers’ licence

Desirable
● Experience of working or volunteering in community organisations
● Project management skills.
● Skills and experience in OH&S practices.

Applications
• Applications must address each of the selection criteria (maximum 100 words each)
• Please also include a CV with at least two referees
• Applications are due 4pm Friday 27 January 2023.
• Proposed start date is mid – February 2023.
• For further information, please contact Ronni Martin on educationandsupport.mgr@nscf.org.au or on (07) 3857 8775 (Tues – Thurs)

• Please submit application electronically to: projects@nscf.org.au

Hard copies may be sent to: Education and Farming Manager Application, Northey Street City Farm, 16 Victoria St, Windsor, 4030

Phone: (07) 3857 8775 Email: info@nscf.org.au Web: www.nscf.org.au

Filed Under: Jobs Tagged With: #managerposition, Education, farming, Jobs

November 20, 2018 by Ronni Martin

Sweet Potato Recipes

 


Sweet Potato 

Ipomea batatas

  • Tandoori chickpea stuffed sweet potatoes
  • Sweet potato pudding
  • Honey roasted sweet potatoes

Sweet potato is a vigorous ground cover vine which produces tubers at the leaf nodes. It prefers sandy, well – drained soil in sun or part-shade in the tropics or sub-tropics. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilisers, as they will promote leaf rather than tuber growth. Sweet potato is propagated by cuttings planted directly into the ground. Sweet potato flesh and skin colour varies from white to red to orange depending on the variety.

Sweet potatoes can be cooked in most ways that potatoes are – sliced and fried like chips, boiled, mashed or baked. The young growing tips can be stir fried or steamed as greens.


Serving size: 1/2 medium sized sweet potato (75 g)

In a serving size (unpeeled):

  • Energy 216 kJ
  • Protein 2 g
  • Fat 0.1 g
  • Carbs 11.8 g
  • Fiber 1.9 g
  • Vitamin A 575 µg
  • Vitamin C 1 mg
  • Iron 4 mg
  • Calcium 7 mg
Health Benefits

  • Supports eye health
  • Improves gut health
  • Regulates muscle contraction
  • Relives stress and anxiety

Storage: Sweet potatoes shouldn’t be kept in the fridge, because the exposure to cold temperatures “will produce a hard center and unpleasant taste.” Instead, keep your sweet potatoes at room temperature in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated place.

 


Tandoori Chickpea Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

Tandoori Chickpeas
3 cups cooked chickpeas
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sweet potatoes
4 medium sized sweet potatoes (preferably the same size and shape for even cooking time)
1 Tbs tahini
¼ cup unsweetened plant – based milk (e.g. soy, rice, almond)
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp ginger powder
¼ tsp salt
2 cups washed and chopped leafy greens (e.g. silverbeet, spinach, kale)
Optional: chopped coriander, for serving
Tahini lime sauce
⅓ cup tahini
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons lime juice
½ teaspoon salt
1 small clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 teaspoon maple syrup
Method
1. Preheat oven to 190°C
2. Clean the sweet potatoes and prick a few times with a fork.
3. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper, place the sweet potatoes on one tray and put it in the oven. Roast sweet potatoes.
4. Toss all the ‘tandoori chickpea’ ingredients together in a bowl until the spices are well dispersed. Place them on the second baking tray and put it in the oven. Cook for 45 mins, or until tender to prick with a fork.
5. Roast chickpeas for 30-35 mins, stirring half way through.
6. Meanwhile, whisk together all ingredients for the tahini lime sauce in a small bowl. Then bring a small saucepan of water to boil and gently steam or boil leafy greens and drain.
7. Once the sweet potatoes have cooled slightly, cut them in half (lengthwise), and gently scoop out the flesh, being careful not to pierce the skin.
8. Transfer sweet potato flesh to a large bowl and mash with the ‘sweet potato’ ingredients, then stir through the leafy greens.
9. Transfer the sweet potato skins to a plate. Scoop the mashed potato mixture back into the skins. Top with the roasted chickpeas. Drizzle with tahini sauce and sprinkle with chopped coriander if desired.


Sweet Potato Pudding

From NSCF Share Cookbook, Page 57

Ingredients

6 medium sized sweet potatoes
900 ml coconut milk
4 Tbs sugar

Method
Peel and dice sweet potatoes.
Heat coconut milk and stir in the sugar until it dissolves.
Add diced sweet potato and bring to the boil, stirring regularly.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the sweet potato is tender.
Serve either warm or chilled.
Note: Leave out the sugar to make a side dish for curry.


Quick and easy recipe!

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp honey

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
  2. Melt the butter and combine with honey, oil and salt
  3. Coat the sweet potatoes with the butter mixture
  4. Spread potatoes on a baking sheet
  5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until tender
  6. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes
  7. Serve

 

 

Filed Under: Organic Farmers Market Tagged With: farming, organic farmers market, Recipes

August 2, 2018 by Ronni Martin

Bushfoods for permaculture gardens and farms in the sub-tropics

Adding local bush foods to your garden can add new flavours to your diet while sustaining wildlife as well. There is a native plant to fill almost every purpose from food to fiber to timber, and they come in all growth forms from vines to giant trees. The lists below will help you to find a useful local plant suited to our climate and landscape.

There are many reasons to include bush foods in your garden design. Local native plants are easier to look after than exotic plants as they are well adapted to local conditions of climate and soil.  They’re also less susceptible to pests and diseases and can assist with pest control as they provide habitat for native insects and birds that feed on pests. Growing native plants attracts wildlife to your garden which gives you an added connection with your natural environment and helps to increase biodiversity. Bush foods can also be included in bush regeneration plantings to increase the productivity of native plantings on site.

Many local native plants have the bonus that they add different, interesting foods to your diet. Bush foods include spices like native pepper, vegetables like warrigal greens, fruit like native raspberry and nuts like macadamia. Learning about local bush foods acknowledges the way indigenous people lived in the environment, and this understanding promotes respect for the land.

On larger Permaculture properties bush foods have potential for being grown commercially. There is increasing demand for bush foods, with industry associations that are working to build markets for their products. Lemon myrtle, Davidson’s plum, macadamia nuts, and native limes are all grown in commercial quantities. Rosella and other bush food jams are often available at Farmers Markets.

Growing Requirements

Most of the plants listed below are rainforest species. They require well drained soil, with high levels of organic matter and will not tolerate long periods without moisture. Most will tolerate shade, but require sun for the best fruit or seed production.

 


 
Zone 1:            Home garden
Common Name Botanical Name Growth Form Uses
Flax lily Dianella caerula Hardy plant with strappy leaves, attractive flowers and fruits Edible blue fruits
Native raspberry* Rubus rosifolius var rosifolius Prickly canes, suckers readily, full sun fruit eaten fresh or in jam
Native Turmeric (Cape York Lily) Curcuma australasica Ginger-like plant, large leaves, attractive flowers Rhizomes used like turmeric
Native violet Viola hederacea Low groundcover Flowers and leaves edible
Nyullee (pigface) Carpobrotus glaucesens Succulent groundcover, full sun ‘Salty strawberry’ fruit
Rosella Hibiscus sabdariffa Annual shrub Red calyx used in jams, teas, chutney
Scrambling lily Geitonoplesium cymosum Small vine, likes shade Shoot eaten raw
Scurvy Weed Commelina cyanea Perennial prostrate herb with blue flowers Leaves eaten raw or cooked
Spike rush (water chestnut) Eleocharis dulcis water rush that grows in water or boggy ground Edible corms
Warrigal greens* Tetragonia tetragonioides annual groundcover, salt tolerant, sun or partial shade Edible leaf (must be boiled first), used as a spinach

 

 


Zone 2:            Home orchard
Aniseed myrtle* Backhousia anisata small to medium tree aromatic leaves with aniseed flavour, used in teas
Bolwarra Eupomatia laurina Shrub Edible fruit
Blue tongue Melastoma affine Shrub with mauve flowers Grainy purple fruit
Burdekin plum* Pleiogynum timorense medium tree Purple fruit in winter, eaten fresh or used in jams
Cedar Bay cherry* Eugenia reinwardtiana shrub, full sun sweet, pink-red fruit eaten raw
Cinnamon myrtle* Backhousia  myrtifolia shrub with white flowers aromatic leaves for tea, spice
Davidson’s plum* Davidsonia pruriens small tree Sour fruit used in jams, wine
Finger lime* Citrus australasica small tree, best in partial shade small fruit (red, purple or green) used in drinks, marmalades,
Lemon aspen, common aspen* Achronychia acidula medium trees

 

lemon flavoured fruit, use in sauces, drinks
Lemon myrtle* Backhousia citriodora medium tree, hardy aromatic leaves contain ‘citral’, used in teas, sauces, cosmetics
Lilli pillies Syzygium spp. small – medium trees fruit used in jams, drinks, sauces
Lime berry Glycosmis trifoliata Shrub small juicy pink fruits eaten fresh
Macadamia* Macadamia integrifolia Medium/large tree edible nuts with high oil content
Midyim berry Austromyrtis dulcis low shrub, ground cover small, speckled edible fruit
Millaa millaa vine Eleagnus triflora clumping vine Small, tasty fruit, high in lycopene
Native ginger Alpinia caerulea attractive understorey shrub spicy seeds, shoots edible, leaves used to wrap fish in coals
Native pepper* Tasmannia lanceolata shrub for cool, moist areas, with purple or white berries dried leaves and seeds used as pepper
Native tamarind* Diploglottis australis Tall slender tree Sour yellow fruit used for jams, drinks
Peanut tree Sterculia quadrifida small-medium tree, deciduous Edible black seed in a decorative red pod
Riberry* Syzygium luehmannii small – medium tree, pink new foliage, white flowers, red fruit fruit used in jams, drinks, sauces
Round lime* Citrus australis small to medium tree round green fruit used in jams, drinks
Sandpaper fig Ficus coronata small trees fleshy purple fruit, edible raw or in jams
Small leaved tamarind* Diploglottis campbellii medium tree, hardy,

glossy green foliage

fruit with red, edible aril, used in jams, drinks
Walking stick palm Linospadix monostachya attractive understorey shrub refreshing small red fruit
Zig zag vine Melodorum leichhardtii vine Tangy ‘orange sherbet’ fruit

 

 


Zone 3:            Commercial orchard

*Species marked with an asterisk in the lists above and below have commercial potential.


Zone 4:            Windbreaks, Erosion control, Stock shelter belts

All the species listed above can be used, plus those in the table below.


Zone 5:            Bush Regeneration areas

All the species listed above plus those in the table below.

Acacias (wattles)* Acacia spp fast-growing pioneers, small to large trees, add nitrogen to the soil many have seed that is edible after roasting and grinding, used for coffee substitute, and in desserts
Black apple Planchonella australis large tree edible fruit
Blue quandong Elaeocarpus grandis large tree fruit used for drinks
Brown pine plum* Podocarpus elatus large tree fruit used for jams, sauces
Bunya pine* Araucaria bidwilli large tree edible nuts, boiled, roasted, dried, ground for flour
Cockspur vine Maclura cochinchinensis clumping, thorny vine edible yellow or orange fruit
Kangaroo apple Solanum aviculare pioneer shrub fruits edible in small amounts when completely ripe
Native grapes Cissus antartica vines some have edible fruit
Native hibiscus Hibiscus tiliaceus pioneer, small flowering tree flowers edible in salads or jam, leaves edible when boiled
Native mulberry Pipturis argenteus pioneer small tree fruits edible
Native tamarind* Diploglottis australis medium-large tree fruit with yellow aril used for jams, drinks

 

 

Further Reading

Tim Low (1988) Wild Food Plants of Australia, Angus and Robertson, Sydney

Cribb, AB & JW. (1974) Wild Food in Australia, Fontana Collins, Sydney

Online

Australian Native Foods and Botanicals – www.anfab.org.au

 

 

Filed Under: Farming Tagged With: bush foods, farming, Gardening, info, permaculture, Sub-tropics

February 3, 2017 by Ronni Martin

Seasonal vegetable growing in the humid subtropics

     img_2587   

South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales have a humid subtropical climate. Vegetables grow best when the temperature (including frost), day length, rainfall and humidity suit their needs. The number and type of pests and diseases also varies with the time of year.

The humid subtropics have three seasons, which are similar to the summers of other climates: a cool-temperate summer, a Mediterranean summer and a tropical summer. The exact timing of these seasons varies from year to year, depending on whether we are in drought or other climatic factors.

Cool temperate summer is in our late autumn and winter, from late March to early August.  This season has cool mornings, warm days, and is humid and wet initially, then becoming dry.

Mediterranean summer is in our spring from mid-August to late November. This season has cool mornings initially, then becoming warm, warm to hot days with low humidity and low rainfall.

Tropical summer is in our summer and early autumn, from late November to late March. This season has warm to very hot nights and days with high humidity. Rainfall can be heavy, but there are also dry periods.

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Planting guide for the 3 subtropical seasons
Plant group Cool Temperate Mediterranean Tropical
Asteraceae Lettuce, chicory, endive, Jerusalem Artichoke Lettuce (non-hearting), sunflower –
Alliums Leeks, bunching onions, spring onion, garlic, onion Bunching onion, spring onion,

garlic chives

–
Brassicas Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Asian greens, kohl rabi, kale, turnip, radish, rocket, mizuna Bok choy

Tatsoi

rocket

radish

–
Chenopods Beetroot, silverbeet, spinach Beetroot,

silverbeet

–
Cucurbits – Pumpkin, zucchini, squash, cucumber, rockmelon, water melon, choko. Pumpkin, rockmelon, water melon, bitter melon, gourd, luffa
Grasses – – Maize, sweet corn
Legumes French beans, snow peas, peas, broad beans Climbing beans, French beans Snake bean, hyacinth bean,

mung bean,

cow pea, soy bean, peanut, pigeon pea

Malvaceae – Rosella, hibiscus spinach Okra, rosella, hibiscus spinach
Solanaceae Potatoes tomatoes capsicum Tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum Cherry tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum
Umbelliferae Carrots, celery coriander, parsnip, parsley, fennel – –
Various (tubers) – Sweet potato, yacon Cassava, taro, yam, jicama,

sweet potato

Various (greens) – – Amaranth,

kang kong.

Brazil spinach, Ceylon Spinach, Egyptian spinach, Surinam spinach, Okinawa spinach,

Various (herbs) Borage, winter tarragon Basil, oregano, sage, thyme, mint, parsley, rosemary Chilli, Vietnamese mint, ginger, turmeric, galangal

 

Propagation

Growth of seeds into seedlings can take from 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the time of year and the time that the seeds take to germinate. So seeds need to be sown about a month, on average, before the seedlings are planted in the garden.

Propagation for the three summers can begin from:

  • Cool Temperate – mid February
  • Mediterranean – mid July (with greenhouse or heating)
  • Tropical – early November

Filed Under: Farming, Nursery Tagged With: farming, info, seasonal growing, vegetables

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