Baskets, biscuits and goodness at today’s Farm Kitchen workshop

Today was one of the best days we’ve had at the Farm Kitchen this year – artist Harriet Goodall came over from NSW’s Southern Highlands to teach a random weaving workshop and all I had to do was make a simple lunch, pour lots of tea and keep the biscuit jars full.

I often work up at the Farm Kitchen, not only for our monthly lunches but also during the week, cooking and writing recipes on my own. And while I love the quiet hours up there, it was SO great to spend a day there with 13 creative women doing good things with natural fibres and foraged finds.

Harriet and I went to school together and she taught a workshop here at the farm last year too – so it’s always great to see this clever, creative lady but especially when she is in workshop mode.

While she and the others worked, I sat at the kitchen bench with my laptop and occasionally got up to roast some veggies, boil the kettle or wash the lunch dishes. It was a good day. Tomorrow Hat returns to teach a kids’ weaving workshop and my Alice, along with six other six and seven-year-olds will be joining in. It’s fair to say that the peace and creative quiet of today will be long gone by tomorrow.

The biscuit jars

We had a selection of biccies to chose from today; including an easy biscotti (recipe here), Anneka Manning’s incredible chocolate fudge cookies and malted muesli bars (recipe coming on Monday!).

For lunch we had apple and mint iced tea (recipe below) with venison pies baked this morning by Racine Bakery and served with this beetroot relish plus a couple of easy and very yummy salads.

Chickpea, sumac and roast vegetable salad with quark (above right)

Serves 10

2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
Zest of two lemons
2 tbsp sumac
5 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch each yellow, purple and orange heirloom carrots, peeled (if in Orange, The Agrarians is the place to go for these!)
1 bunch baby beetroot, peeled and halved
1/2 butternut pumpkin, peeled and diced
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 bunch coriander, roughly chopped
2 bulbs new season garlic, trimmed and finely sliced

Preheat oven to 180C. Drain soaked chickpeas and place in a saucepan, cover with salted water and bring to the boil. Cook until tender then drain and toss with lemon zest, sumac and half of the olive oil. Toss the carrots, beetroot and pumpkin with the sugar, fennel and remaining olive oil and roast for 30 minutes.

When ready to serve, place the chickpeas in a large bowl, top with warm roast vegetables, the coriander and new garlic. Serve with a bowl of quark sprinkled with a little extra sumac.

Baby spinach, pesto and snow pea salad

Serves 10

4 cups baby spinach
2 cups snow peas, trimmed and blanched
1/2 cup fresh pesto
Juice of one lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup almonds, toasted and roughly chopped

Combine all ingredients and toss well. Serve immediately. 

Apple and mint iced tea

Makes enough for 13 thirsty weavers

4 green tea bags
1 handful fresh mint leaves
3 cups cloudy apple juice (preferably from The Nashdale Fruit Co!)
2 tsp raw caster sugar or to taste

Pour three cups boiling water into a bowl with the green tea bags. Let cool completely then discard the tea bags and mix the tea in a large jug with loads of ice, the mint leaves and cloudy apple juice. Sweeten to taste and serve.