100 Mile Organic Winter Dinner
There really are a multitude of reasons to choose to eat locally....one can really pick and choose depending on political persuasions, but fundamentally, we should all realise that it is better for everyone if as much food as possible is grown and eaten locally...

Keep the money in the local economy - support our local growers so that they can survive the drought. Eating locally produced food from small farms is an excellent way to maintain food standards and organic integrity, quality is valued over quantity.
Reduce our food miles - rising costs of transport push food prices up, and contribute massively to air pollution... Most food is trucked by road or air in Australia.
Food is fresher - When food is grown locally, produce is picked and delivered to markets within hours, meaning you get the freshest food possible, without extended time stored in refrigerated trucks or storerooms.
Diversity - Supporting Local food means that farmers can grow a more diverse range of crops, which is better for biodiversity and farm health, and provides us with more variety throughout the year.
Keep it real, eat seasonal - It is better for our health to eat what is in season,- what grows in our local climate is usually what is healthy for us to eat, and eating this way keeps us in touch with the changes and seasonal diversity of the year.

ABC recently reported on a recent study of food miles in Australia, which found a typical shopping basket has traveled some 70,803 kilometers to reach Melbourne. That really is insane. This week we've decided to put together the first of a series of local meal plans, highlighting some local food producers who are located close to Melbourne. Whilst aiming to use food grown within 100 miles of Melbourne, there are a few growers slightly further afield who I've mentioned as the closest producers... but really the aim is to reduce food miles, and get in touch with the reality of the choices we make each time we sit down to dinner.
Click on the recipes to read more:

 Our beautiful mushrooms are grown by Ron, at Black Raven farm in Stathewen; baby leeks and silverbeets are grown at Spring Creek. Shane delivers us with his local Frefarm eggs, which are in good supply at the moment, and the lovely women at Holy Goat (near Castlemaine) provide the healthy and delicious fromage frais. All our potatoes are local at the moment, from  Wombat Forest Organics, which is located on top of the Great Dividing Range at Lyonville, near Daylesford. Our salads are grown by Andy Morris, of Australian Green Growers, and our lemons are local as well. So far so good.... all these ingredients are well within 100 miles (160 km) of Melbourne, and certified organic. For olive oil, our most local growers are just a little further afield, in the drier regions near the foothills of the Grampians. Choose from Toscana olive oil or Laharum Grove, both beautiful, well priced olive oils.
If you can find locally grown rosemary at the market, well I suggest you go for a quick walk around the neighbourhood and see how locally you can source this  common garden ingredient!

The Healthiest Chocolate.

There is a Melbourne company who are doing great things with amazing products, they actively work to foster stronger, sustainable communities, and the end result is delicious, healthy chocolate!  The Loving Earth company have developed working relationships with several indigenous cooperatives in Central and South America and Australasia, and now use these fantastic ingredients to make delicious healthy chocolate. South America is becoming known for its incredible indigenous food plants, which have been recently re-discovered and promoted for their amazing nutritional profiles. (Read more about  Loving Earth's raw chocolate company)
We are proud to be stocking these organic, raw chocolates; made without sugar, dairy, gluten or soy.

Raw Cacao (cocoa) is incredibly high in antioxidants. Higher than fresh blueberries or goji berries, and higher than Kale. The cacao is never heated above 45ºC from the time it is picked from the tree to its final state in the chocolate bar and this means that its wealth of phytonutrients are fully intact. Raw chocolate has been tested to have up to 4 times the antioxidants of conventionally processed chocolate... but the best thing about this chocolate, is that it tastes fantastic! Smooth and rich, with a strong complex aroma, the chocolate is satisfying and delicious. (more about cocoa) A pure raw cocoa powder is also available.

What do I do with it?
You can use raw cocoa in place of regular cocoa in any recipe, but keeping the whole recipe uncooked will best preserve the nutrients. Try our Banana chocolate Smoothie (or come in to Ripe Albert Park and we'll make one for you...) or this fun Chocolate Orange "ice-cream")

Raw cocoa is a primary source of magnesium, a mineral that many people in the west are deficient in. Magnesium is important for maintaining a healthy heart, and it is essential for the absorption of minerals into the body. It is also important for the brain to operate with clarity and focus. We all know that chocolate makes us happy; this is partly due to the naturally present chemicals within cocoa such as serotonin, dopamine and anandamide. These neurotransmitters are associated with feelings of wellbeing and help alleviate depression. These elements are much more potent in raw cocoa than processed chocolates, because the dairy products and refined sugars that are usually added to them make it difficult for the body to absorb them.

These raw chocolates are available plain or with additions such as Tasmanian peppermint oil, crunchy raw cacao nibs, camucamu, almonds, cashews and goji berries.

 Biodynamic Farming in the News
Biodynamic Farming has been in the mainstream news lately, highlighting some local farmers and producers. The concepts of biodynamic farming principles can be difficult to understand, but the quality of the produce speaks for itself.
Melbourne Age article May 27 2008 - Great sense of humus
Melbourne Age article May 27 2008 - Days of fruits and roots (winemaking)

Read more about biodynamic farming here.