2026 Winter Newsletter

Aug 15

12 min read

Welcome to Winter

Welcome to our new quarterly edition! While we're moving to a seasonal schedule, this issue remains packed with wonderful stories and updates. Inside, you'll find recaps of our recent field days alongside a sneak peek at our September field day. If you have tasted the delicious biscuits Barry brought along to our field days, Barry graciously shared his recipes so you can make them at home too. We’ve also got seasonal planting tips to get your hands back in the soil, plus a wonderful book review.

HOGS committee

September Field Day - Ernie, Kiki & Santi’s Compost Chaos and Edible Garden Magical Mystery Tour

Sat, 12 Sep, 10am - 2pm AEST

Singleton Heights NSW, Australia

The HOGS committee is excited to invite you to a special day at the garden of Dr Ernie Harbott from Compost Culture! Ernie is a professional composter. She settled in Singleton in 2011, and pursued her obsession with gardening, soil, permaculture and regen ag podcasts.

A decade ago Ernie co-conspired a Community Garden in Singleton. The community garden connected her to the Slow Food and Edible Garden Trail movements. She soon became a Master Composter, Certified Soil Foodweb Microscopist and self taught soil ecologist. She is also a soil advocate and started a Facebook Group 'Soil Sisters Singleton' to connect community through soil regeneration, sustainability, and self-care.

Come and see Ernie's garden where all of the composting magic and experiments happen, as Ernie teaches us the secrets of how to make great compost. After lunch, we will go along and check out the Singleton Community Garden too 😊 This, of course, is optional.

Please note location is not wheelchair friendly. Bring your own lunch or a plate to share.

As always, please consider bringing along excess produce or preserves for sharing.

Morning tea provided but a share plate for morning tea is always welcome.

A lovely Article written by Ernie about this exciting day:

Compost Chaos & Edible Garden Magical Mystery Tour

by Dr. Ernie Harbott

Compost Culture|Soil Sisters Singleton

On a Saturday in September a few brave souls will venture to Singleton for an unconventional

experience. In a street filled with front lawns, this property stands out. It’s full of plants for starters.

Whatever will grow is allowed to grow. But it’s probably the obsession that has overflowed into the

front garden and been emphasised with fairy lights that they will notice most. It gives them just a

taste of what’s in store for them. Up an annoyingly steep driveway, they’ll find the home of Ernie,

Kiki and Santi. It’s not the house they’re here to see, but rather the garden and its contents.

September’s HOGS Field Day promises to be a Compost Chaos and Edible Garden Magical Mystery

Tour!

With very little knowledge or sense of style, Ernie landscaped the yard from a blank slate. She was

very fond of junk and upcycling materials. There are a lot of unusual features dotted around the

garden and the layout is questionable. Anything that’s thriving has been there for a long time, and

any gaps are empty because apparently, they don’t want to be filled. She set out with the unrealistic

idea of making planting choices. If it wasn’t native or you couldn’t eat it – or preferably both – it

couldn’t earn a space in her garden. She has learned the hard way that you never get to choose

plants – they make their own choices. And very often they simply choose not.

Ernie slowly realised that plants were not her passion. She has certainly given up on having any say

whatsoever in the “ornamental” beds, but fights to keep some semblance of control over the

“veggie” garden. I use quotation marks here because Ernie often finds better quality edibles

amongst her ornamentals, and more flowers and weeds sprouting than the veggie seeds she

planted. Instead of fighting it, she has adapted enthusiastically by eating the lot. The only weed she

does engage in battle with is couch. She is not winning nor adapting successfully.

She has unwittingly achieved some landscaping, a bit of food production, increased shade, and

raised two kids on the property. The greatest victory has been in amending the soil from solid clay to

rich loam. It’s no longer claggy or cracks, and none of it is bare. It was during the process of

amending the soil that Ernie discovered her true calling. Several great monolithic structures stand

out randomly around the yard, an ode to her zeal for decomposition. Ernie is a die-hard composter.

She doesn’t get much time out in the garden these days, so when she does get outside, most activity

centres around mowing, pruning and pulling couch to gather feedstocks for her next compost

project. She brings in materials from the neighbourhood to compost too, and Ernie loves how this

has connected her to her community.

Composting has also connected Ernie to the community beneath her feet. Discovering the relevance

and importance of the life in the soil means her gardening practices are as hands-off as possible. To

encourage natural systems and diversity, Ernie adopts a minimal interference approach (this

compliments her perpetual lack of time to administer much anyway). Weeds are just liquid carbon

pathways, pests are just the clean-up crew, and couch, well couch is just “a riddle wrapped in a

mystery inside an enigma” that I do not yet possess the key to unlock.

On a small suburban block, Ernie’s made a butt-load of compost, experimented heaps and learned a

lot. And she is excited to share it all with those intrepid enough to come along on 12 th September

and experience compost chaos and garden magic. Bring a chair, lunch and produce or preserves to

swap.

Future Field days:

Stay connected via our mailing list and social media posts for field days of the rest of the year :)

April Field Day Report - Rosewood and Fig

Mike & Heidi

Words can hardly describe our long-awaited field day at Rosewood and Fig in Duns Creek. After previous postponements due to rain and flooding, third time proved to be the charm. The weather was glorious, and the picturesque farm surroundings made the scenic drive entirely worthwhile.

HOGS President Stephen Griffin opened the event with a Welcome to Country. Next, Mike introduced farm owner Elise. Mike first discovered Rosewood and Fig at the Slow Food Market in Maitland, where he regularly invites stallholders to host group field days.

Elise then shared the inspiring story of how her flower farm came to be. Before commencing the tour, she opened up about her rich background in horticulture and beekeeping. She also touched our hearts by sharing the emotional story of losing a meaningful beekeeping rehabilitation program that she and her family had previously run.

Elise led an engaging and informative guided tour of the property. Throughout the walk, she was incredibly generous with sharing her knowledge, flower seeds, and insights into the modern challenges of growing flowers through drought. Her resilient approach showed she is certainly not phased by a bit of trial and error when it comes to planting!

Afterward, we rolled up our sleeves to help out on the farm:

One group planted out Stocks.
The second group planted out Bottlebrush.

Elise is a former member of our group (HOGS) and even hosted a field day for us many years ago. To thank her, we presented her with a Magnolia plant, a Bottlebrush plant (which we planted for her), a special certificate, and a free membership for the coming year.

We ended the day sharing a meal and socializing. Elise displayed her homegrown flower bouquets and beeswax products for sale. She gave a demonstration on how to arrange a professional bouquet, sharing her expert tips and tricks on how to make a beautiful posy from her fresh flowers. Inspired, we crafted our own gorgeous bouquets from her fresh flowers to purchase and take home. It was a truly unforgettable day.

June Field Day Report- NARARA ECOVILLIAGE – 20/06/2026

Barry Williams

On Saturday, the 20^th of June, HOGS paid a visit to the Narara Ecovillage on the Central Coast. I have a connection with the site, having worked there for two and a half years from 1988 to 1990, when it was the Narara Horticultural Research Station under The NSW Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. It was a great place to work and I was keen to have another visit to the ecovillage.

On previous visits, I’d been shown around the village and grounds and inspected the houses made with different construction materials and methods, but this time we were shown the garden near the hall where the residents had built a garden area using swales and barriers to deal with heavy runoff events before being shown around the nursery areas. They were growing a wide range of native plants and fruit and vegetable plants and some were for sale. We also looked at the fruit and vegetable gardens before having a relaxing lunch near the coffee cart.

After lunch, some of us did a walk up to the “Hobbit House” and then checked out some of the other houses with their wide range of styles and building materials before heading home.

The concept of the ecovillage is an inspired idea, much like Shepherds Ground, although it’s still very much a work-in-progress. Many of the facilities looked like they needed a lot of maintenance and money is probably tight in the current economic climate. The nursery has recently employed a professional nursery manager which should help set goals and directions in that section. I look forward to future to future visits to the site to watch the progress of this interesting enterprise.

July Field Day - Amorelle Dempster’s Farm

Tracey Evans

On a beautiful, sunny but cool morning, HOGS members travelled to the small town of Gresford to visit the property of local food advocate and HOGS friend, Amorelle Dempster. We were warmly greeted by Amorelle and her husband Andrew, along with a friendly cow and her calves. The property has stunning views stretching down towards the Paterson River, providing a beautiful setting for a day of gardening, hard work and friendship.

As members arrived, we enjoyed a delicious morning tea of freshly cooked scones and freshly brewed coffee before Amorelle shared the story of her journey to establish and develop the property. It was fascinating to hear about the work, challenges and vision that have shaped the farm and gardens.

Then it was time to get to work! HOGS members volunteered their time to clear lantana along the riverbank and prepare new garden beds by laying cardboard and mulch. Steve and Craig, the step-brothers, put their building skills to work constructing steps to make it easier for Amorelle to access the river and her pumps. Everyone worked hard, knowing there was a well-earned lunch waiting at the end of the morning!

As we made our way back up to the house, we had the opportunity to explore Amorelle’s impressive garlic beds. Her harvest is substantial enough to provide garlic for herself and for Slow Food throughout the year, demonstrating the incredible productivity that can come from a well-planned and cared-for garden.

Lunch was a wonderful feast prepared by Amorelle, featuring delicious vegetable soup served with flatbreads and spicy potatoes, followed by a Sri Lankan dessert. After a morning of hard work, it was certainly enjoyed by everyone!

It was a fantastic day of friendship, learning and giving back. HOGS members were delighted to be able to lend a hand to Amorelle, who has spent so much of her own time helping others and supporting local food and sustainable living. It was a wonderful reminder of the strength of our HOGS community — coming together, sharing skills and giving our time to help one another.

Recipes

Nankathai – Cardamom Biscuits

Shared by Barry Williams

When made with an egg, these delicious biscuits are soft in the middle and crisp on the outside. When made without the egg, they are crisp all the way through. The cardamom is wonderful when it is freshly ground into the sugar like this. Perfect both ways with a cup of coffee or tea, and the crisp version (no egg) also gives an excellent texture contrast when served as the accompaniment to a soft creamy or yoghurt-based dessert. Makes 3 dozen biscuits.

Ingredients:

180 g sugar
¼ nutmeg (or ¼ tsp ground)
15 cardamom pods (elchi) when using the egg or 20 pods if not using the egg
180 g butter
1 egg – optional (see recipe comment above)
120 g semolina
240 g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
36 whole almonds – optional

Method:

Grind the Aromatics: Place the sugar, nutmeg, and whole cardamom pods into the food processor bowl fitted with the metal blade. Process on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes until the sugar becomes a fine powder and the cardamom pods are completely pulverized. Let the dust settle before opening the lid.
Cream the Butter: Add the butter to the spiced sugar. Process on medium-high speed for about 30 to 45 seconds until the mixture is pale, smooth, and creamed.
Add the Bindings: Add the egg (if using), semolina, plain flour, and baking powder to the bowl.
Mix the Dough: Pulse the machine 10 to 15 times (about 1-second pulses) just until a cohesive biscuit dough forms. Do not over-process, or the biscuits will turn out tough. If needed, clear any dry flour from the sides with a spatula and pulse a few more times.
Shape and Bake: Roll into walnut-sized balls, place 5 cm apart on a tray, and indent with your thumb or an almond. Bake at 200°C (180°C fan / 350°F) for 20 minutes

The yummiest seeded crackers recipe

Shared by Barry Williams

Ingredients

1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp sea salt flakes
¾ cup of psyllium husk
½ cup of pumpkin seeds
1 cup of sunflower seeds
1 cup of sesame seeds
¾ cup of flaxseed
1 cup of water

Method

Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl except for the water and combine. Next add the water and set aside to thicken for 20 minutes. The mixture will absorb the water and become gooey in consistency. Next, line a baking tray with baking paper and transfer the mixture over to the tray. Spread in a thin layer until the mixture is consistently around 4-5mm in thickness all the way through. Bake in the oven for 1 hour at 150°C. For evenly cut crackers, remove the tray halfway through cooking and divide using a pizza cutter, then place back in the oven to continue cooking. Remove the crackers from the oven and allow to cool completely before transferring to a container or serving.

Book Review

Michael Schien

Tiny Gardens Everywhere

A History of Urban Resilience

Kate Brown

The author of a recent book on the history and vital contribution of small food gardens was interviewed on ABC" Late Night Live" 1st July and featured on podcasts. Kate makes the case that small gardens can save the planet !

Cultivating Place: Tiny Gardens Everywhere

https://open.spotify.com/show/0qzmnihvrGg81Dp9w7CsXc?si=be6742df86a14399

Winter Garden updates @ Purple Pear Farm

At Purple Pear Farm, we do not believe in "resting" the soil.

Winter or summer, and in-between seasons too, we can maintain soil fertility by growing a cover crop on next seasons' patch.

The cover crop, with properly selected species of plants, will increase soil fertility by firstly absorbing sunlight.

This increases biomass which in turn feeds soil organisms, especially the worms, when turned in before the next season. That's not all that happens either.

The photosynthesis turns the sunlight into sugars that, in part, leach into the soil as root exudates.

These root exudates feed the soil bacteria and organisms which leads to further breakdown of both organic matter and minerals into food the plants recognize.

The cover crop does as it says and covers the soil, keeping it cooler in summer and warmer (protected) in winter.

The mix is usually the same types of crops, seasonally adjusted. We look for a legume to fix nitrogen, a brassica as a biofumigant and a grass for carbon.

In summer we usually look to cowpea as a legume, a mustard for a brassica and millet.

In winter field pea or Lupin as legume, Rape as a brassica and Oats for the grass. This varies on season and availability and an agronomist can help to decide the most appropriate.

I often ask for the agronomist at Farmers Warehouse in Rutherford for suggestions. I guess most rural supply stores can help.

HOGS article from the past -

Lemon Myrtle to the Rescue!

Backhousia citriodora

by Di Powell

The winter selection of bush foods is Backhousia citriodora (Myrtaceae family), commonly called Lemon Myrtle or Lemon Ironwood. A subtropical rainforest tree, naturally from Mackay to Brisbane. They are planted as street trees around Morisset Plaza so obviously they have a broad range of where they are able grow happily.

Height: 6-8 m

Width: 3-5 m.

Low branching habit and clothed in clusters of fluffy, creamy white flowers in Spring. Non-invasive root system. Mature in 3-4 years, depending on site. Can be grown in a pot. Flower/fruit may be eaten as well as leaves. The aroma is a cross between lemon verbena, lemongrass and kaffir lime. Some people describe it as more lemon than lemon.

Pre - 1778 Aboriginal people used Backhousia citriodora for medicine and flavouring. Great used in cooking that is milk or cream-based. Will not cause dairy products to curdle. Good for biscuits, ice cream, sorbets, pasta, stir-fries, fish, grilled meats and roast vegies. Use like Bay leaves. Can be used as a flavouring in hot or iced tea also iced water. Caffeine free.

The leaves contain much essential oil which is made up almost totally of terpenoid aldehydes: citral (99-95%), neral and geranial. Trace constituents are myrcene, linolool, citronellal, cyclocitral amd methyheptenone. Citral is a potent antiseptic and may prove useful in treating gastro-intestinal infections including Helicobacter pylori, responsible for many cases of gastric ulcer. Antispasmodic properties that help alleviate intestinal spasms as may occur with intestinal infections or adverse reactions to foods. Overall it has a relaxing effect.

Also good for treating throat infections due to infection or to overuse and irritation. Believed to possess the ability to repel fleas and is therefore a feature of some chemical free pet shampoos.

...now that you've had your science lesson, just get growing this marvellous plant! Grow your own from tip cuttings (not always easy), seed or rooted cuttings. Or you can just glean some leaves from trees around your neighbourhood to enjoy in your cooking (leaves can be stored like Bay leaves)!

Calling for members' contributions to the Spring and Summer edition

If you learned any tips on our field days, have any seasonal planting tips, good book recommendations, writing, art, recipes related to growing, we would love to hear from you. Send your submission to hunterorganicgrowerssociety@gmail.com