Going Organic - January 2017

Going Organic

with Eleesa Zlatic of the

 The Organic Market, Macleay Island.

(monthly column from The Friendly Bay Islander magazine - January 2017 edition)

Hello 2017! What do you have in store for us all?  The past year certainly brought some big changes with it! A few people have commented to me that it was a horrible year for me, but it honestly wasn’t. The end of the year was the most difficult time I have ever had to endure, but throughout the year I had some of the most amazing experiences of my life.  The common thread seems to be change coming in and creating new experiences. I must admit with my partner of 23 years passing over, I have not been very happy about the notion of change, in fact I was downright angry about it occurring, plus the incredible sadness that seems to overtake your whole being.

During the last months of the year, it was the generosity and kindness of our island community that gave me strength. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.  I have lived in various places during my life, and have never found a community like this one. I am sure there are lots of lovely communities out there but I never resonated with the ones I lived in.  Here it is different, it feels like living in a big extended family.  There are so many good-hearted people living on the Islands, and I feel honoured to know them.

The offers of help, the messages of support, and the genuine caring shown to my children and I has been overwhelming in the most positive way.  We are very grateful to everyone.  It hasn’t just been people we know, I have met so many new people who are showing their support by volunteering and helping at the farm. You are all amazing, beautiful people!

Thank you to everyone who supports The Organic Market, your commitment to the cause, and your beauty shines through each Saturday. It is such a lovely place to gather, there is a genuine feeling of love resonating in that space each week.  I have stepped out of the market for a time while I heal emotionally, and am very grateful to the beautiful team of goddesses and friends who run it.  I still lend a hand, and love to be there on a Saturday, but am honouring myself with some much needed time out, to be gentle on myself.

 

At this time of year, the New Year’s resolutions are made, and many of them include becoming healthier. I am the first to admit that mine includes this.  I am going to commit to a box of organic fruit and vegetables each week, to ensure it is in my fridge and easy to access for meals and snacks.  Our ‘box creation goddess’ puts a lot of time into each box ensuring it has a good variety of organic and chemical free produce in it.  The right combination of things to make great meals and salads throughout the week.  The fruit and vegetables are seasonal, so the box contents change to suit what is available locally. Apart from what we grow at the Organic Farm, we also support local Redlands Farmers and your box order may include locally grown, eggs, mushrooms, kale, lettuce, eggplant, avocadoes, mangos, lychees, cucumbers, beetroot, paw paw and leeks (to name a few).  How good does it feel to support local farmers, doing the right thing by growing chemical free produce and not poisoning our beautiful Redlands, Islands and Moreton Bay… now that is a good investment!  I am very passionate about the concept of spending money on the things you wish to support, and our health is the first priority, followed almost equally in importance by the environment… as it’s health runs hand in hand with our own.  What a great legacy to leave our grandchildren.

I feel blessed to be able to access this quality of food on the Islands, and to be able to do a majority of my shopping at the market.  I know with every bite that the food is chemical free and the produce tastes so much better than conventional chemical laden produce. 

This year I wish for us all, perfect health, abundance, and love. That everything we do is filled with joy and that we follow our passions in life until our heart sings!  I look forward to seeing you at the market this year.
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Infinite EarthFest (Spring Equinox)

It's on this Saturday, so come along and celebrate the spring equinox with us! Local band Island Time (Michael Kinnear, Ricki Thavenot, Ed Barker and Terry Stapleton) will be providing music throughout the day and we're so happy they'll be playing again. Visitors to our last festival enjoyed them so much and many people have been asking if they'll be back. So yes. Yes they will! Island Time certainly have a loyal and dedicated fan base! Understandably so, because they are rather awesome!

A Star Weave Jam will be running on the day in support of the One Million Stars to End Violence project, so get your weave on and make some stars...

All materials and assistance will be provided to weave your stars and we will be recycling materials rather than weaving with ribbon. Junk mail, packaging and even chicken feed bags... #zerowaste

The lovely Eileen Lawson commenced a collaborative rag rug making activity at our very first Infinite EarthFest event back in March and will be back this Saturday. So if you'd like to learn the art of rag rug making and join in on the large community rug being created look for the ever-so-charming vintage tent for some crafty fun!

There will also be some cool activities for the little ones happening such as painting sweet designs on rocks with Brook, making juggling balls with William, and Ayla & Leah will be coordinating some fun activities and games between 10am and 11.30am as detailed in the image below to keep the kids well and truly entertained! The Retro Farmyard Obstacle Relay sounds like a blast!

 There will be talks and demos during the day as well. Simon from Let it Bee Farm will be giving an "Introduction to Keeping Bees" (10am), resident Homeopath Camilla (Homworx) will be giving a talk about Homeopathy (11am) and Troy will demonstrate how to make a couple of different types of simple Wicking Beds for your garden (12pm) *some free materials will be provided on the day to take home should you wish to make your own* When arriving on the day, just look for the sign located near the entrance which will have the times for when various things will be happening. Also be sure to keep an eye out for these adorable bee drawings displayed at the festival. They were lovingly created by Miss Zaki's Prep A class from Macleay Island State School especially for the event in celebration of spring and the importance of bees!

And huge thanks to our friends from Food Connect for loaning us these super cool old rustic bee signs to display at the festival! As you may have guessed, we really really love bees! 

Artist Val from Russell Island will be demonstrating her beautiful dot painting skills. Below is the completed piece Val was painting at the previous festival. The gorgeous cabinet Val very kindly donated to local not-for-profit youth program Running Wild as a raffle prize for fundraising. The winner of such a prize was very lucky indeed! This time Val will be dot painting a native stingless bee hive box. Lucky bees!

There will be a great variety of market stalls selling things such as arts and crafts, local honey, garden products, crystal items, tarot readings, community group info stalls and loads more! Our Facebook Page is a great way of keeping up with festival info as we've been sharing many of our stall holders and other details there regularly. And you may wish to view the album of fabulous photos taken by stall holders and visitors at our previous Infinite EarthFest event right here.   

And of course what would a little festival be without food? Plenty of yummy food will be available on the day. The popular wood-fired pizzas will be on offer again, Byron Gourmet pies, homemade quiche served with fresh garden salad, Mai will be selling very tasty asian treats at her MI Street Food stall and Kellie will be there with her fairy floss machine selling organic/natural fairy floss! The market coffee bar will have all your favourite hot beverages with a selection of sweet treats available and the organic market will have plenty of cold drinks, organic snack foods and of course fresh produce, deli goods, dairy items etc for all your shopping needs!

We'll be offering courtesy pick ups and drop offs for our mainland and neighbouring island visitors throughout the day. So look out for the little market bus below at the Macleay Jetty when you hop off the ferry. The bus will be there to meet all incoming ferries on the day. See you this Saturday!

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Going Organic - September 2016

Going Organic

with Eleesa Zlatic of the

 The Organic Market, Macleay Island.

(monthly column from The Friendly Bay Islander magazine - September 2016 edition)

 

Spring is in the air, and we are excited to celebrate the Spring Equinox at our Infinite EarthFest on September 24^th

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The Spring Equinox actually marks the first day of Spring astrologically, it is a point in the year when the length of the day and night is almost equal. After the Equinox the days grow longer and the earth warms up from its winter dormancy. 

Spiritually it has throughout time and cultures signified moving into the light, having gone through the dark of winter and the dark night of the soul, we now move into new beginnings. We all know to plant new seeds in Spring, this is true of ourselves as well. Start making your dreams come true, take the first steps toward manifesting your ideas, welcome new relationships and nurture an acceptance and understanding of yourself.

  

Many people are awakening to their role as custodians of the earth and its creatures, and this Festival celebrates the role of Bees in our environment, and our opportunity to make a difference in our own backyards by working together to create ‘Chemical Free Islands’.

The plight of the honey bee and native bees is in our hands, we can either take responsibility for their future, or ignore it. If we understand that their future and ours is intertwined, then it is a no brainer as to which choice to make. Most of our food producing plants rely on bees to pollinate them, without the bees we lose a great variety of foods from the planet.  It is a big deal, and something we can change.  The best place to create any change for the world, is with ourselves first, in our own backyards, and in our own communities. 

Numerous studies are proving that colony collapse and disease in the hives is integrally connected with the use of herbicides and pesticides in our environment. Some of the main culprits are the large monoculture farms which spray intensively to produce better yield.  But it is also true of the many suburban homes that use weedkillers, and pesticides. 

We have put together a local campaign with the help of Miss Zaki and the Prep A class at Macleay Island State School, to educate and show locals how to create ‘Chemical Free Islands’.  We will have more information at the Festival, so please pop in and show your support.

The Festival is all about taking time out from life, enjoying the community gathering, meeting new people, supporting local stallholders, listening to great music, eating delicious food, attending talks about bees, participating in the workshops and enjoying the vibe, described as a ‘big warm hug’ at the last festival.

One of the activities to get involved in at the Infinite EarthFest is our Star Weave Jam. So come along and weave stars in support of the One Million Stars to End Violence project. All stars made will feature as part of an installation at Redland Performing Arts Centre in February 2017 thanks to the Redland Art Gallery Star Weave community which we’re supporting. The stars will again be displayed as part of the Arts and Cultural program at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018. We’ll provide all the materials and assistance needed to weave your stars on the day (and we will be utilising various recycled materials rather than using traditional ribbon!). More details about the activity can be found by following our social media accounts and for further information about the One Million Stars to End Violence project please visit www.onemillionstars.net

There will be loads of wonderful stalls showcasing recycling, eco-friendly products, and the wonderful work community groups do. Coffee and Food will be available on the day, plus of course our fabulous chemical free produce and dry goods for sale at The Organic Market.  We are blessed to have our fantastic and talented local band Island Time playing a great variety of music on the day. So please pop the 24^th September in your calendar…. we look forward to seeing you there!

 

Going Organic - July 2016

Going Organic

with Eleesa Zlatic of the

 Lemon Farm Organic Market

(monthly column from The Friendly Bay Islander magazine - July 2016 edition)

 
Hello beautiful Islanders, thank you to everyone who has shown so much interest in my time away. It was an incredible opportunity to experience Aboriginal ‘old way’ culture, to appreciate the true sense of remoteness for a community, and to have quite an adventure trekking into the Great Sandy Desert. The Souls that I met on the camps, in the community, the amazing Elders and women who organised the camps are imprinted deeply in my soul….  Words can’t describe the depth which people can connect when living simply together. 

The vast, harsh yet beautiful country comes to me in my dreams, and got into my pores… literally!  I promise over time to express more of what I have learned, whilst honouring that the Women’s Law belongs to the Women Elders and is not mine to pass on or to teach.   The experiences and the adventure I can talk about… 

A good sense of humour is needed in any extreme situations, and the pic that I have been allowed to print was taken on the last day of our Dreaming Trek. Seven days earlier, clean and in high spirits we packed up the four wheel drives and headed into a remote part of the Great Sandy Desert to camp nearby a sacred site.  The country was incredibly diverse, and not what I expected at all. There was more foliage, grasses, soft sands, hard pan and rocks than I had imagined.  After camping at two other sites and a number of break downs, we arrived… and it was an amazing place.  Camels appeared at a waterhole the first morning, and stood there scratching their heads as to what this strange mirage was on the horizon.

 A circle of vehicles, swags, blankets, camp fires, and a dazzling sea of stars that made you realise what a small part of a larger creation we truly belong. Clouds that billowed, and winds that blew sand, cool nights, heat that made you wish for the breeze, drop toilets and flies, no showers, camp kitchen and water restrictions…. And I was happy as a pig in mud.  Aboriginal elders who graciously allowed us to enter their world, who give nothing (in the way we would expect) but were giving everything on levels unseen and knowledge held for eons, and moments when in the doing of absolutely nothing you find everything.  I was in love….

Day 7, we had driven in convoy for hours and took a break at a spot where a community had once existed.  My co-pilot Di and I had successfully driven “The Pakam” as it was affectionately called through remote tracks and landscapes in the Great Sandy Desert with a full size bed frame (for one of the Elders) and a drop toilet on top, plus a trailer.  In the areas where the height of the grass made all the other vehicles seemingly disappear, everyone knew where the Pakam was …. as they would spot a bed and a toilet gliding over the desert grasses.  So this pic is entitled “Eleesa Queen of the Desert” and was taken for some much needed amusement before the next lengthy leg of the journey back to the community.  (Oh and the sun tan is enhanced by red dust infused pores!) 

I would like to express my love and appreciation to my Family, and my dear Friends for all the help and support they gave me to make a dream reality, to help me take time off and to fill my cup. 

                                                                                                               

Talk about hit the ground running when I landed back on the Island, the Infinite EarthFest Winter Solstice celebration was just around the corner and what a fabulous day it was. Described as “a big warm hug’ it was heartfelt and perfect for a Winter celebration. The winds that howled through the day before had dropped out, the sun shone, and it was chilly enough to enjoy Kerry’s famous fire, and the pizzas being cooked in the wood fired pizza oven. 

Thanks to the work experience crew, the new earthbag raised gardens and gathering space were ready for the big day and were well tested with lots of people using the space to sit and enjoy a chat with an organic coffee in hand. Thanks to everyone who helped set up the day, and to all the local and overseas visitors who graced us with their presence.  Thanks also to…. all the volunteers who made the day run smoothly, to the incredible coffee hub crew, and the organic goddesses and god for your amazing effort. Take a peek at our Facebook page for lots of great pics.

The next Infinite EarthFest Spring Equinox celebration will be held on 24^th Sept 2016. If you upcycle, recycle, have eco-friendly products, or spiritual goods or services and would like a stall please contact us asap as spaces are limited. PH: 0476000996 or Email: theorganicmarketinfo@gmail.com
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Infinite EarthFest (Winter Solstice)

Our Infinite EarthFest (winter solstice) event is happening this Saturday folks! The weather forecast is looking great for Saturday and we look forward to celebrating the winter solstice with you! We have a number of fun activities happening throughout the day (most are free!) such as this one...      

The Native Bee / Insect Hotel workshop was so popular at our last event that we're running it again. The work experience crew have pre-made the wooden boxes and have cut and prepared all the inserts ready for easy assembling on the day. As with the previous insect hotels, a $10 donation to make and take one home would be appreciated.

There will also be an opportunity for the kids to participate in painting a large scale mural. This workshop is part of the Running Wild June/July school holiday program and is facilitated by local artists Cassie and Tegan. Be sure to visit the Running Wild marquee where you'll find artist Val dot painting during the day on a pre-loved piece of furniture to give an example of creative upcycling. Val will kindly be donating the completed piece to Running Wild as a fundraiser in support of their youth programs. Funds raised through the sale of raffle tickets will greatly contribute to the running of their school holiday activity programs on the SMBI. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the Running Wild marquee and the team will also be selling very cool recycled record bowls as part of their fundraising.

There will be loads of fantastic stalls on the day offering such things as plants (ornamentals and edibles), a variety of arts and crafts, homemade preserves, handmade / handpainted upcycled clothing and accessories, gardening products, eco friendly products, handcrafted jewellery and homewares, books, face painting, community info and service stalls offering natural therapy services, dreadlocking through to pyschic tarot readings...  

Live music will be happening on the day with Homeless Yellow playing and there will be opportunities for the kids to have a jam with the band throughout the day. There will be some instruments provided at the performance area for kids to use during the jam sessions, but of course feel free to bring your own along too! And local favourites Island Time will also be providing some sweet tunes. Members of MUGS (Macleay Ukulele Group) will also be joining us and will be in a marquee where you can chat to them about all things uke! If you have a ukulele bring it along on the day and have a jam with the friendly uke players and you'll be able to find out about their practice / meet up days and performances if you're keen on joining the group.

There will of course be plenty of delicious food available at the festival. Wood-fired pizza, soups, curry, asian food, organic snacks from the market and all your favourite beverages and sweet treats from the coffee bar area.

Infinite EarthFest is a proud partnership between The Organic Farm and Running Wild. The day will be about celebrating the winter solstice and also celebrating the achievements of the wonderful and dedicated work experience team. This Saturday will be the official opening of one of the major projects that they've been working so hard on... the earthbag garden circle area, which now houses the pizza oven. It's such a beautiful community space that the crew have created and we're so happy to be sharing it with everyone. We expect it will be a very popular, well utilised and much loved space by many! And the regular market fire circle area will also be a nice spot to sit on Saturday to warm up. There sure have been some large gatherings there during these past few chilly Saturday mornings!           
Our market bus will be doing regular pick ups and drop offs from the Macleay Jetty for all our visitors from neighbouring islands, Karragarra, Russell and Lamb as well as those traveling over from the mainland. We'll endeavour to meet all incoming ferries so just keep an eye out for the bus pictured below, but if the bus isn't there when you arrive just call or text the number shown and the little bus will be down there in a jiffy to collect you! 

So, that's just a quick outline of some of the fun being offered this Saturday, so hope to see you there!
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Going Organic - June 2016

Going Organic

with Eleesa Zlatic of the

 Lemon Farm Organic Market

(monthly column from The Friendly Bay Islander magazine - June 2016 edition)

Hello. Eleesa is currently on an adventure in WA immersed in sacred women’s business with four Women Elders and should be arriving back on the island around the time this publication lands in your letterbox. While it has been business as usual with the market operating during Eleesa’s absence, her beautiful presence certainly has been missed by all and we’re very much looking forward to her return. Eleesa’s daughter Ayla has taken on the responsibility for ensuring that the market continues running smoothly and her business management skills have been most impressive for one so young. Top job Ayla! 

We’re very excited that our next Infinite EarthFest event is getting closer. Saturday 25^th June is the day and we invite you all to come along and celebrate the winter solstice with us. On offer will be a lovely range of winter warming comfort style food such as hearty pumpkin soup served with turkish bread, delicious curry and wood-fired pizzas. Traditionally, pizza may not be thought of as a winter food as such, but as far as we’re concerned pizza suits any season. Especially wood-fired pizza! Yum! Our friend Mai will be joining us with her popular MI Street Food stall offering tasty Asian treats and the market will also be operating as usual on the day with an abundance of fresh produce, cold drinks and organic snacks available. And of course the organic coffee bar will be serving your favourite hot beverages and sweet treats.

       

There’ll be entertainment and activities suitable for all ages and abilities happening throughout the day. Be sure to check out the free activities and workshops being offered by some of our talented island artists and crafters who are so very generously volunteering their time and sharing their skills with visitors on the day. A great line-up of stalls selling their wares and promoting their services will be at the festival. Stall sites booked out very quickly this time so if interested in having a stall at our next Infinite EarthFest (Spring Equinox) scheduled for September 24^th please don’t hesitate to register your interest now. If what you have to offer has a creative or sustainable focus (ie: eco-friendly, green living, arts, crafts, handmade etc) we’d love to hear from you.

This Infinite EarthFest is a proud partnership between The Organic Farm and Running Wild (Youth - Conservation - Culture) and besides being a celebration of the winter solstice it’s also a celebration of the achievements made by the amazing and dedicated work experience team. The day will be an opportunity for visitors to view and enjoy some of the completed community projects that they’ve worked so hard on around the farm.

Our courtesy market bus will be doing regular pick ups/drop offs from the Macleay Jetty for our inter-island and mainland visitors throughout the day, so phone or text 0476 000 996 to arrange a ride. This service is also offered every Saturday coinciding with our regular market.

And speaking of the market, a change in season means a change in produce so we now have all those lovely cold weather fruit and vegetables to enjoy… plentiful pumpkin varieties, this is when potatoes, silverbeet and spinach are at their best, the kiwi fruits are so very good, the apples are deliciously crispy and full of flavour and all those juicy citrus! We realise that these cold mornings means it’s all the more difficult to bounce out of bed early on a Saturday morning to rush to the market to snap up your favourite produce before it runs out. It can be quite the dilemma! We understand and we sympathise. We also offer a convenient solution. Order a produce box and we’ll have it ready and waiting for you to collect after you’ve enjoyed that leisurely sleep-in that you so deserve. Complimentary delivery of produce boxes on Macleay is also offered, and for inter-island and mainland customers we send via the ferries. For produce box enquiries and orders please phone or text 0476 000 996. Happy winter everyone and stay warm. Love from the market crew xo 

Going Organic - May 2016

Going Organic

with Eleesa Zlatic of the

 Lemon Farm Organic Market

(monthly column from The Friendly Bay Islander magazine - May 2016 edition)

May is such a beautiful time of year, with its cool nights and warm days. It is the perfect time to visit the Organic Market, and spend some time around the fire with an organic coffee whilst meeting and chatting with some of the awesome people who come here.

Each Saturday we pick up from the Macleay Island Jetty at 8.13 am and 9.18 am. If you would like to visit from the other Islands or from the mainland, just look out for our Bus.  We can pick you up at other times too…. please text your arrival time to our new phone number 0476 000 996
 

Our next ‘Infinite EarthFest’ will be held on the 25^th June and celebrates the Winter Solstice, traditionally symbolising the longest night of the year, and new hope as the days grow longer and warmer again. If you enjoyed our last down to earth festival, this one will also celebrate the wonderful effort the work experience folk have been putting into some of the community projects here.  They are busily constructing a culinary garden with earthbag seating and a pizza oven space.  Raised garden beds filled with plants to pick, pluck and put on top of the pizzas will be growing, and it will be something they can all be proud of. There will also be hands on workshops and plenty of local stallholders with their range of eco-friendly products, and highlighting upcycling and recycling techniques. Come along and meet the locals who run our very valuable community groups, it will be a chance to join up, or simply find out how they benefit the islands. If you would like to have a stall, or be involved on the day, please email admin@runningwild.org.au and register your interest with our friendly team.

The Organic Coffee Bar has been getting some rave revues since it opened.  Not only can you purchase Organic Coffees, Tea and Hot Chocolates, but each one is made with love and delivered with a smile by beautiful Mary… of course they are popular!  Each week we have a selection of treats to choose from… the gluten and guilt free donuts being a favourite choice.

The Sourdough breads that we have been stocking have been discovered! If you don’t want to miss out on your favourite loaf or the fabulous organic milks we stock, may I suggest that you let the Organic Goddesses know that you would like to be placed on our weekly order list. This way we can ensure we have enough stock for everyone and no one misses out…. It is a sad week without that Fruit Loaf!

Our first Red Tent was such a lovely evening, and the women who attended were just beautiful!  We spent a busy day, cutting bamboo (grown on the farm for this purpose) and putting up a TIPI, which created a really special space to hold a women’s circle.  If you would like to be a part of this Island Sistahood, please like and follow ‘Macleay Island Red Tent’ on facebook for upcoming evenings and events. Tickets are limited so please purchase online or come into the market and register your interest.

We have a new phone number for orders, enquiries and pick-ups 0476 000 996. Could you kindly note this down as the previous number will be out of action for awhile. 

I feel very blessed to have been accepted to join a small group of women from around the world who are about to venture into the Western Australian desert to learn Women’s Lore and attend a Dreaming Trek with the four Women Elders, healers who were trained in the old ways.  These powerful keepers of Tjukurrpa (Universal Life Force/Dreaming) are willing to share their connection with the earth, spirit and their sacred Women’s lore with others to create a cross cultural knowledge…  I feel privileged and will let you know how it is all going next month or when I return.  Till then, enjoy the sea breezes and send us all positive light and love for a safe adventure.  

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