DEEEE_LIGHTFUL - 1st birthday

Oh Saturday was great!

My wonderful chef friend, Ange, and I rose early and met at the Collingwood Children's Farm Farmers Market. I love walking down the wooden walkways over the vege plots, and across to the goats, and furry footed hens, as you make your way to the market. The morning mist was hanging low over the bending Yarra.
(why dont I ever think to take photos! - I take them in my mind- that's why!)

We were hunting and gathering for a "Thank you" dinner to my mates who have actively helped me make Frank, Food & Me what it is, on its 1st birthday.

We picked up a tussy mussy bunch for the table centrepiece...grabbed the pears, oranges and rhubarb for the business for the week.

And then we had some serious fun...

fresh sage and rosemary (grown in a drought so the oils were so vibrant) and some AMAZING sweet heritage tomatoes from Meg & Blakey, pine mushrooms, _(a Growers Espresso Flat white)_ and Kingfisher lemons...the makings of Coq au vin, goats cheese for part of the entree...and we were loaded up! With wheelbarrow in hand, we hauled out of there, stopping by Monique's "rock the free world" Larder Fresh felafel stand (for next week's dinner) and on to the next foodie destination...

Sydney Rd we are on our way! LOVE IT!!
At Balha's pastry we picked up some Katyfi pastry, baclava and Lebanese fairy floss...then nipped into A1 Bakery for a cheese pie for breakfast - ahhh Haloumi how I love thee.

Back at home we made aioli, and gremolata for the Katyfi wrapped deep fried King Prawns, and served them with Dill Chevre on lavosh, and heritage tomato tart tatin.
Mains was a braised Chicken Coq au vin style, served with home grown beans, and roasted beets.
Dessert was the highlight - beurre bosc (poached in mulled wine) stuffed with vanilla bean marscapone, resting on a nest of fried Katyfi pastry, with a little Belgian chocolate tart, and red wine reduction - topped with lebanese fairy floss!
Oh how much fun!

Port, strong coffee, and baklava followed and I am pretty sure we all then died and went to heaven!

Amen.

Di's Rhubarb

Di McDonald has been growing rhubarb for years.
It all started when a farmer she was working for couldn’t afford to pay her, so he gave her some rhubarb cuttings.
Evidently he gave her a lot more than a bit of cash to get her though the next few months, he gave her a livelihood.

Di leases a block of land from Tahbilk Vineyard. The setting is amazing, the rhubarb grows on a gum lined bank of the Goulburn River. Grass parrots potter in the green grassy rows between the rhubarb stems. Kingfishers duck and weave in and out of woody hollows.



Di lives in one of three workers cottage on the vineyard, and whilst she doesn't have any immediate family, the vineyard workers are her extended family.

When you drive in the dusty road to the vineyard you can see Di, head down bum up, quite literally. Picking and tending to her rhubarb is how she relaxes.
Working 7 days a week, making her own compost, weeding, taking care of her girls (the chooks)who take care of her rhubarb, is all in a weeks work.


On Saturday mornings she wakes at 3am to drive to Melbourne for the Farmer's Markets. It takes her two hours to get to the city down the Hume freeway.
By the time she has a cuppa back on the farm, Saturday has been 16 hours long.


Its hard work, but she is richly rewarded with "moments" on her farm. Today she watched two turtles baking in the sun at the river while she pumped water, and the migrating Kingfishers circled above her head.
She wouldn't have it any other way.
You can buy Di's rhubarb from any of the Melbourne Community Farmers Markets
www.mfm.com.au