Snake Bean Community Garden Fundraiser

On Sunday I lifted my head a bit before 6:00am, chopped down 6 banana leaves, cut them and washed them in preparation for a Snake Bean Community Garden fundraiser where we would offer them as plates, instead of paper plates. The beauty with these is once someone has finished their cake they can just toss their "plate" in the garden.

Preparing Banana Leaves for Serving Cake

Quick Cut and Rinse

Then off to the Botanical Gardens to drop off tables and chairs and home again to get my family to the event. The Friends of the Botanical Gardens were having their huge yearly plant sale. So our garden group piggybacked their amazing day with a cake and tea stall right in the path of all their customers. Our group is made up of many talented and variously skilled people; some made cake, some made preserves, some potted plants and some harvested produce from the gardens. I'm not good at that stuff so I had found another way to contribute.

Some of Our Group Members Packing (and tasting) at the End of the Day.

The previous week I called Bunnings and spoke with the Community Activities Officer asking advice on how to apply for a donation for a raffle. The bubbly Janet explained how I had to apply and what type of stuff I could request. So my friend Tif made a gorgeous letterhead for our group and I was able to write up an official letter asking for garden donations for 1st prize. I was so thrilled when Janet from Bunnings called to say she gave us a wheelbarrow full of gardeners delights!!!

Donation from Bunnings!

Tif was able to get a 2nd prize of a Bokashi Composting Bucket from a local shop Eco Solutions (they also donated plates and cups to serve our goodies). And as a 3rd prize we have a box of fresh produce from the garden and a bottle of local honey that I was donated from a local bee keeper I know at Humpty Doo Apiaries.

Donation from Eco Solutions and Humpty Doo Apiaries.

I've never really asked for donations before and I started on an impulse with the honey, which built my courage up to ask Bunnings for a donation to. I'm so impressed and amazed with the goods we were donated and am very thankful. Our fundraiser brought our Snake Bean Community Garden more then $1000 in the 4 hours of selling raffle tickets, cake, tea, coffee, ice tea, plants, fresh produce and preserves. We will use the money for chicken feed (we have 5 chooks now!), a new sturdy ladder, maybe tools and other items to make our garden a happy educational and productive place for us and the general public.

Produce from the Garden on Sale.

As for Dolly, she spent roughly 4 hours with the chooks calling one Penny and nagging her to eat her spinach. The Rambling Expat went home early, did the dishes, did the laundry and cooked an amazing dinner in the slow cooker of locally hunted Magpie Geese from a fishing buddy.

Another happy frugal day, surrounded by happy people, jobs done at home and Dolly reveling in free play with her buddies outdoors. I plan on a quieter week this week and travel for work next week. How about you? Keeping up with the tightwads or competing with the Joneses?

Sustainable Living Festival

What a jammed packed full day of fun and happiness!

We went to the Sustainable Living Festival in the Darwin Botanical Gardens. My family didn't have to pay (saving us $12) as we did a spot of gardening 1st and then made our way down to see all the exhibitions. After that we headed to the Community Garden Area to volunteer at the fundraiser.

I made frozen ice cups to contribute but had a problem with freezing, so I only took 12 out of the 40 that I had made. But we sold 10 which better then nothing. The others brought amazing cakes, biscuit and muffins and they all sold out very quickly bringing in a little over $200 which is so cool and the money will be used on something the group needs.

Final touches on another cake.

The Rambling Expat, Dolly and I, ate lunch at the Environment Centre Fundraising stall. Veggie burgers served on sustainable compostable bamboo plates and plant based BioCups.

Already half eaten veggie burger.

At the exhibitions we saw this amazing sustainable homemade dehydrator. The dehydrator uses sunshine to dry fruits and veggies. It's made of a wooden frame, wire racks and thick plastic walls. The front area is to place rocks which speeds up the dehydrating process by drawing in extra heat from the sun. The legs of the frame sit in containers of water to deter ants and the plastic prevents insects flying in. There is a opening in the back to allow air flow.

Super eco frugal. Once built no electricity is needed to dehydrate all your produce. I was very excited by the dehydrator so may try to make one this year with the Community Food Garden Group. Here are a couple of pics to inspire you too :-)

No Electricity Needed

Back of dehydrator

Some of our Community Garden members asked Costa for some gardening advice. I don't watch TV so had never seen him before or knew who he was, until a week ago. But I've since heard that what Jamie Oliver did for cooking and healthy eating, Costa did for gardening and sustainable living. Click here to watch some of his episodes.

Anyway... He was easy to talk to, passionate and has lots of knowledge that he loves to share. Plus he loved our little cake stall and spent some dollars so that's a gold star in my books.

Costa checking out plants that just aren't like they should.

Free Celebrity Advice

Being part of the Community Food Garden has been one of the best things in my life lately. I'm so inspired by my fellow gardeners and so happy to have found like minded people. It's a huge relief to discover I am not so different after all. And attending the Sustainable Living Festival is the cherry on top. Lots of things to see and learn and lots of people to bounce ideas off. 

Please comment. I love to hear what you have to say... What about the dehydrator - something you might think of building?

Let Them Eat Cake

Our Dolly turned 4 a couple of weeks ago. The party was postponed until today due to crazy weather and other activities. We invited 5 of her special friends to a indoor playground full of small balls and slides. The cost was high but our flat is too small for a bunch of active 4 year old and the weather has been rain and more rain, putting off throwing a party in our garden or in a public park.

I am not a talented cook but was determined to try and make a wished for cake for my favourite girl. We looked at You Tube cake videos and she chose a castle, even though she is REALLY into fairies. So I combined the castle with a enchanted garden to give her a princess-fairy theme. I started mixing and baking at 10:00pm and finished decorating at 4:00am! Boy was I exhausted! And then I realised I had forgotten the towers that the cones are supposed to sit on. Ah well, that's to bad...

The cake's green base is chocolate mud cake and the castle is a butter cake. The icing I made was frustratingly hard to manage in the tropical heat. It just sled off!

Throughout the year I had kept an eye out for Fairy items for her party. I found the small tinkerbell and friends dolls at half price about 9 months ago. We had also found a New packet of Fairy party hats at an op shop for $2 but forgot them at home :-(

I purchased bowls of hot chips, chicken nuggets and cold drinks for kids and adults as I wasn't allowed to bring my own food/drinks except for the B-day cake. However I snuck in a BIG fruit bowl of nectarines, plums, pears and grapes - no one said anything.

We stayed for 2 hours instead of 1, when I went to pay.. the man was very kind and only charged 1 hour per child. So once again I was lucky and grateful.

The budget was 120$ for the party, I roughly spent $130 which includes everything. A bit over budget but my little girl who is growing up so fast was thrilled to bits.