ABC Organic Gardener Magazine Essential Guides Garden to Table

KIRSTEN BRESCIANI Photographer Kirsten Bresciani loved getting her hands sticky while shooting the cidermaking process with Max Allen (page 60) and then into the dirt for our gorgeous carrots cover. She even took away the cider lees to make her own barm for baking sourdough. Kirsten loves photographing food, travel destinations and interiors, and has recently had her first solo exhibition – Florascopic. When she is not commandeering a camera, she is raising her two boys, Lino and Luca, with her husband, Lorenzo, in Melbourne. CATHY ARMSTRONG Cathy Armstrong lives in the picturesque Blue Mountains of New South Wales where she produces her multi-award-winning range of jams and runs a successful catering business. This delightful location affords her opportunities to be in contact with other small producers and orchardists who supply her with many of…

For a long time I’ve been a pessimist about climate change and the planet’s future. There was just so little bright news and if governments weren’t even accepting the existence of climate change, then what hope was there? The good news is that the overwhelming evidence of climate change has finally swamped most doubt and there remains little government opposition globally to immediate action to curb emissions. As I write, the newspapers are full of reports flowing in after the Paris Climate Change Summit and, for the most part, they fill me with confidence for the action now being taken. Yes, the targets so far agreed to will still leave the planet in a perilous position at 2.7°C warming above pre-industrial levels, but I’m convinced that nations will cut much further…

BUG-PROOF SHELTER A workaholic all my life, I’m trying to pick myself up and get back into gardening after depression brought on by chronic pain. This is my white butterfly-proof enclosure (pictured above) made out of old flyscreens. The two doors on the right open so I can hop in and do my chores. I can even stand upright. A big thanks to the team who put Organic Gardener together. I just love it. Brian Julian, Kianga, NSW For his ingenuity, Brian wins a copy of Tim Winton’s wonderful new landscape memoir Island Home, (Penguin, $39.99) . MEETING PETE A HIGHLIGHT At the recent Horticultural and Gardening Festival in Melbourne, two enthusiastic gardeners, Jill Dowling and Kate Hancox, called in to the Organic Gardener stand to meet Peter Cundall. Turns out they’ve been Pete fans since…

On the outskirts of Sydney, in the Razorback Hills near Camden, lies the oasis of Glenmore House. Lovingly restored and developed over 27 years by interior designer-turned-homesteader Mickey Robertson, the garden at Glenmore House is a contemporary rural idyll set within a collection of restored early colonial vernacular buildings, with dreamy perennial borders, espaliered fruit trees and an abundant kitchen garden, all set in park-like grounds. Join Organic Gardener and Mickey for a garden ramble and seasonal lunch prepared by Martin Boetz from the Cooks Co-Op. WHEN: Friday, April 22, 2016 WHERE: Glenmore House, Moores Way, New South Wales (Directions: A link will be sent on confirmation of the booking.) BOOKINGS: www.glenmorehouse.com.au/bookings FREE SHOWBAG 11am Elderflower Cordial on arrival 11.30am Short introduction to Glenmore by Mickey Robertson in The Dairy 12 noon Garden wander with Mickey 1pm Seasonal…

RIGHT LIVELIHOOD AWARDS ANNOUNCED Two campaigners on the climate change frontline have been named among the winners of the 2015 Right Livelihood Award, also known as the ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’ Sheila Watt-Cloutier, a Canadian Inuit leader, and Tony de Brum, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Marshall Islands, were among the four laureates to share the award, which has been given since 1980 to people “offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today”. De Brum is a leading international voice on the threat posed by climate change to the Marshall Islands and other low-lying atoll nations around the world. Watt-Cloutier is an activist who has tirelessly campaigned on climate change, environmental pollution and social issues. For more details and other winners, see rightlivelihood.org Simon Webster EARTH HOUR AUSTRALIANS ARE BEING…

vino tinto Spring Seed Wines are organically grown in the foothills of McLaren Vale in South Australia on a second-generation family-run vineyard. The range has a number of varieties, including Morning Bride Rosé (pictured), a refreshing option to be savoured after a day’s gardening. Available for $18 from springseedwineco.com.au; 08 8556 2441. cool tools Made in Melbourne from reclaimed and new copper, bronze and timber, these Grafa digging tools are handcrafted for ease and comfort – no rushing. The range includes trowels, fork, scoop and hoe, and varies in price from $69-$89. They are available from grafa.com.au, including free delivery in Australia. tea time Stop and smell the roses or, in this case, drink them! Love Tea’s white, rose and goji organic tea is hand blended in Australia and has a delicate rose perfume that…