Herbst Apartment Supper Club

We've our third apartment supper club dinner party on Saturday 22nd November. We'll be celebrating the best that autumn has to offer using seasonal produce like pumpkins and beetroot. All food is homemade vegan fare! It'll be a great night. 

Starter:

Beetnick martinis

Rosemary sea salt and vinegar beet chips

Beer Batter Fried Green Olives with Sriracha Mayo

First Course:

Pea, zucchini and vegan haloumi salad with fresh baked bread and vegan cheeseboard

Main:

Nut roast

Butternut Squash Mac ‘n Cheeze

Garlic greens

Mushroom gravy

Dessert

Chocolate chili pudding with pumpkin spice ice-cream

Bookings; https://www.eventbrite.com/e/herbstfest-dinner-party-tickets-13678694343

Oktoberfest Vegan Dinner Party with Apartment Supper Club Leipzig

I'm working on the recipes for our Vegan Oktoberfest Dinner Party: This is the menu:

Entrée

Garden crudités

Homemade vegan cheese platter

Soft pretzels

First course

Bierock 

Assorted pickles

                         

Second course

Reubens on rye bread with all your favourite sides

Corn dogs

Warm potato salad

Dessert:

Chocolate bier cake

Caramel sauce

Each course will be matched with German beer (or a mocktail). To get your ticket go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vegan-octoberfest-celebration-tickets-13375918733

Our first dinner at Apartment Supper Club Leipzig

                           

We had our first Apartment Supper Club dinner on Saturday night. I was pretty excited! We had a lovely evening with five guests besides Chris and  I. 

                          

I chose a range of dishes that suited the autumnal weather although I tried to steer away from the traditional Deutsch fare but also Asian and Italian food as it is so common in vegan cooking. The menu:

                            

Appetiser

Baked spiced chickpeas

Elderflower and cucumber champagne cocktails

Cheese platter:

                                                              Fresh baked bread

Linseed crackers

Baked water crackers

Herbed 'butter'

Ajvar

Smoked coconut cheese

Sunflower seed cheese

Vegan colby cheese

Chickpea cheese

Pickled beetroot

Pickled spicy cucumbers

Main

Jackfruit bourgnigon pies

Caulliflower and potato mash with truffle oil

Baked carrots

Dessert

Amaretto Tiramisu

Raspberries

                          

We completely forgot to take photos during the event as we were so busy chatting to people and organising bits and pieces. I have a few before photos and some pics of the leftovers!

I really  need to work more on my food presentation. I spent so much time deciding on the menu that I didn't really think about how to make the food look it's best on the plate. It probably sounds ridiculously obvious but it just wasn't something I thought about and I should have. Next time I will try to stack the food for example, rather than placing the mash next to the pie for example. I also had a bit of a challenge with the tiramisu. I cut it in 'strips' instead of squares and it was spectacularly difficult to get out of the dish and looked quite mushy. It tasted good fortunately. 

Our next event is a Vegan Oktoberfest dinner, can't wait to get recipe testing (and food presentation testing)! 

                     

(My new apron after the event!)

On the mend and Food for Thought

Bit of a weird week this week. I went to see the vascular surgeon on Wednesday after seeing the specialist physio the week before. Thursday morning I got a call, I was booked in for surgery the following day! I had a bilateral fasciotomy to treat compartment syndrome. It's basically a condition where one's lower legs feel chronic pain or tightness and the only way to treat it is to cut the fascia vertically. I've tried a lot of other treatment (including six pairs of orthotics) and it's such a relief to be accurately diagnosed and treated. I won't post a link about the surgery as they all involve pictures which don't look great!

                                                 

Due to my limited finances I was able to do it as day surgery which was great as I didn't have to stay overnight in hospital.  I  had a weird reaction coming out of the anaesthetic and had to be sedated. Oops. The pain is now manageable thanks to the painkillers though I have to keep the dressing on for a week. I'm actually teaching workshops everyday this week, luckily I can do it sitting down and I've got some helpers for part of the week!

 If you are in the area, come visit me at Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre between 12pm and 1:30pm next week! I'll be teaching ways a few different things:

   

Tuesday	Jam and chutney making
Wednesday	Love leftovers, reduce food waste
Thursday	Introduction to pickling
Friday	Container and small space gardening
Saturday	Container and small space gardening
Sunday	Jam and chutney making

Here's a few things that are holding my attention this week:

How amazing are these flowers? Hard to believe they are made out of paper!

Loving these images of children's reference books in the 1970's. 

I'm teaching a vegan roast masterclass in June as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival's June Roast series. You can find out more about it herehttp://greenrenters.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=470. I was interviewed by a journo from The Age about it earlier in the week so hopefully it'll get enough bookings to run. By the way if anyone has a good source for vital gluten flour, let me know! I've rang many health food shops and am struggling to find it IRL stores (I like to give everyone info on where to find things). 

I love the idea of visible mending but unfortunately most of my clothes are a bit too far gone by the time I get to it. I even included some works of it in an exhibition I curated a few years ago:

 Tom of Holland has some great imagery and resources that are fantastic!

Love this interview with Mirka Mora on Design Files. Such a wonderful woman.

Stephen King's Top 20 Rules for writers.

I love the good work of Defy Ventures

Laura Kemp's 9 Reasons why I love Chic Lit.

Food for thought

Really look forward to a weekend away with my beloved next week. We're going to Hobart and it'll be our last holiday before we move. I love Tasmania, especially the amazing cheese and fresh produce!

I've a list of new recipes I'm intending to make over the next few weeks once I get  the time. These include:

• Bean and chocolate brownies
• Corn tortillas
• Soda bread
• my own vinegar plant ( go through soooo much vinegar in pickling and relish making).

Some things that have intrigued me over the last week:

Multiple call outs for penguin jumpers. Turns out the jumpers aren't actually for the penguins in the most instances and the are used to dress fundraiser soft toys like the ones below. You can read more about it at The Great Penguin Sweater Fiasco by Mike Dickison

Speaking of knitting (something I lack patience for), I am charmed by this snail tea cosy by Anke Klempner:



The issue of working for free comes up in a lot of not for profit and social enterpreneurial organisations. I often get asked to provide workshops and presentation for free, usually for big NFP's with hundreds of staff and sizable budget. The staff who attend on the night get paid, the caterer gets paid, the drinks supplier gets paid, why shouldn't I? A critical look at the issue is presented by Jessica Gottlieb in
The Problem is that My Job is Your Hobby

I'm a big fan of Rohan Anderson's work. Whilst I don't agree with everything he says and does and at times find his work unbearably hipster (this could be perhaps unfortunate timing more than anything), his books and blog are also beautifully photographed. I suspect the culprit might be his wife Kate Berry who now has a charming photography project sharing her rural Victoria work with another photographer called Kate Berry in London. Check out The Other Kate Berry for some stunning pics.

I also think this campaign by Catapult to address the issue is female child slavery for International Women's Day is very clever.

I'm also running Community Preserving Day in Northcote on Saturday March 22nd from 11am to 4pm. $5/$10 gets you a day of learning to make different preserves, a tasty vego morning tea and lunch, full instructions and recipes and plenty of preserves to take home which you'e made with your very own hands. I'm also seeking Darebin folks to contribute through submitting and teaching their favourite jam, pickles or preserving recipe (you will be paid for your time) so email me if you are interested. Bookings can be made here. 

And if you're a fan of milk and biscuits, this idea might appeal in a big way...

Past writing : A satirical look at craft markets

I used to run a craft business called Polka Dot Rabbit for 5 years. I made lots of crafts and sold them at markets, online, in shops. I also did works for exhibitions nationally and commissioned pieces. I wrote this piece of part of my old craft blog. It's important to place it in a historical context. It was the time of Etsy in the mid 2000's, a US originated craft online shop, where a burgeoning DIY and crafting scene seemed all of a sudden everywhere, thanks to the Internet.   At its peak there were over 60 craft markets in Melbourne each holding weekly or monthly markets full of earnest stall holders with their badges and bunting and zip lock bags full of change wanting for customers to part with their cash in response to their hard made creations. Many young women started their own creative businesses for the first time ever, finding their finesse rewarded with enough money to pay for more materials, markets fees and dinner and drinks and for a lucky few, a successful career. Never had craft stores like Spotlight and Lincraft had so many customers as hoards and twenty somethings descended on haberdaIry stores each day to buy fabric and bobbins and thread and everything in between. But the bubble DID burst as handmade became hand designed and businesses like print (screen printing, computer designed images, t shirts etc) thrived whilst those of us with threads and needles developed RSI and a long hard look at ourselves when we realised the dollar value of our work was minimal and we were (mostly) women running one person sweat shops unable to compete with mass produced goods. But i enjoyed the creative outlet, made some great friends, had some great publicity and made a teeny bit of money. I wrote this piece originally on my craft website in 2011.

Ahhh I love a good craft market. My first foray into selling crafts was a small craft market a few years ago at a little shop front in High St, Northcote. Since then I've been retailing in bricks and motar and online shops (including my own ) but I still hold a soft spot for the craft market. There's so many of them these days, over 50 in Melbourne alone at last count, although of course some a weekly, others monthly and yet more are seasonal. But they're all competing for stall holders and of course, the essential, customers! I am far from the doyenne of craft markets, I don't attend them weekly or even monthly. Think of me more as a casual observer who flits in and out.

Good things to do

• Before you visit a prospective market to sell at, go and have a look at it yourself. What are people selling? Do your wares fit in and contrast or compliment other things being sold? It can be surprising sometimes. I make a lot of recycled crafts, but they've never been popular at environment events or places like CERES, even though I craft with a sustainable ethos. But they sell fine at general craft markets.

• Have a think about money. How much is a stall? How much will you need to sell to cover your stall fee and lunch and tram ticket/cab fare? Is someone helping you out? You should buy their lunch too.

• Get there early. If there are any problems with your stall space, you've more chance of resolving them before everyone sets up.

• Be very nice to your neighbouring stall holders. They're people to chat to when it's quiet, and you can mind each other stalls during loo breaks and coffee breaks. You'll often find other stall holders are your first customers to boot! It's also wonderful to chat to kindred spirits about the realities of being a crafter, retailing, running a small business and the pains of dealing with the general public.

                                    

pic from here

• Branding is a very good idea. Think a visible sign that draws people over, swing tags with your logo, business cards, brown paper bags with your logo stamped on them. Even a mailing list.

                                  

pic from here

• Think about displaying your wares in the best way possible. Height is always good. As I don't drive, I do have to travel very light, so I can't do the most dramatic displays, but I can make sure things are neatly displayed and colourful. Flowers and a few decorations don't hurt.

• Always put prominent price labels. People generally won't bother asking, make it easy for them.

• Have a range of differently priced goods.

• Consider having a sale on the day. I always sell heaps of comic wallets if I offer two wallets for less than the cost of buying two single ones.

• Bring plenty of change. More than you need. Just go to the bank during the week and get a heap. Make it easy.

                                         

• Try stock up on your goods in advance of the market. Don't be like me, making things late at night the night before. I really try not to do that any more.

Some things that make a good craft market:

• Good location close to public transport and passing traffic.
• Good lighting.
• Alcohol and/or food stalls. These keep people at the premises longer
• Is there the option of trestle table and chair hire (especially appreciated by those of us who are non drivers)?

Things to take besides your stock:

• sticky tape
• scissors
• drinks
• change for coffee/caffienated beverage
• painkillers
• snacks
• a mailing list
• business cards
• carry bags (no, not nasty plastic ones). I use recycled paper bags upon request.

Bad things about craft markets

• It can be quite daunting being a stall holder at a craft market. You are literally putting your wares out there for people to look at, touch, comment on and (hopefully) buy. People will therefore feel quite free to comment and ask questions, even to the extend of asking you about a particular item making it clear they are hopefully to make their own. Not such an issue for personal use but dodgy if they are planning to sell them!

• You need to work out where you stand on photos. Copycats are sadly an issue for most of us.

• The most common comment I get is "ooh that's a good idea!". Hard not to roll my eyes.

• A pet peeve of mine is customers who come and try and chat to you when you are setting up, even an hour before the market starts. I get a bit flustered trying to set things up and hold a polite conversation.

• Some people will look at your things for ages and not buy a single thing. Sad but true. Give them a business card anyway, they might buy something else in the future.

• Be careful with crowds. Stock can get stolen. I find it's not uncommon for people to pick up an item and say 'can I just show this to my friend over there'....

• It's also very frustrating when people stand directly in front of your stall to look at the stall next to you, hold lengthy conversations in front of your stall or park their prams in front of your stall. Kinda rude really as all of the above mean when you consider other customers can't sell your wares.

• Children. Badly behaved children. I've had children steal my stock, drop stock on the floor and leave it there, break things, LICK my badges and I've seen others smear their food filthy hands on another stallholders hand made quilts. I've tried polite comments to the parent/s in the past but they usually pretend not to hear.

• Some markets are just a bit crap really. I did a craft market in a pub once, and it was horrendous. Over crowded with stalls which meant that foot traffic from room to room had to deal with people stopping to try and see stock (creating a domino kind of effect on the people walking behind) and the rooms were so dark you couldn't actually see the stock. I didn't feel any better that the market organiser walked around with fist fulls of $50 notes braying on her phone that she'd made so much money.

• It's really annoying seeing people selling stuff at a handmade market that isn't handmade. I did a craft market a few months ago and sat next to a woman selling ceramic (unadulterated) mugs which she told me she'd bought at a warehouse factory. Same with dodgy imported stuff. Pisses me off no end.

• Similarily, you will see people selling things as vintage when you know they bought the jewellery components off etsy from a factory in Singapore. It's just the way it is.

• It's also really annoying if you see someone selling fistfuls of stock when your sales are crawling. Jealousy, sigh.

• Have I mentioned that some people sell crap and other people buy it? Beauty is apparently, in the eye of the beholder. Or the japanese paper on sale at Spotlight.

• A lot of stall holders are into swapping wares. It's a bit awkward when all they sell is children's wares and you have no children in your life to buy them for. Sorry about that.

If I haven't put you off, I'm happy to chat to folks about markets more. Please feel free to add your thoughts to this post. I know I might have pissed a few people off, but this is a bit tongue in cheek...