The fruits - and vegetables - of labour from tending the Long Gully Community Garden will be put on show at a luncheon for about 50 people, showcasing the best of Karen cooking and some Australian recipes as well.
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Long Gully Neighbourhood Centre has been hosting cross-cultural cooking sessions in recent weeks using produce from the centre's community garden.
Last week's session resulted in the production of a tasty Karen chicken curry, packed with seasonal vegetables and served with rice, as well as apple muffins made with fruit from the garden.
Those skills will be put into practice at the upcoming community lunch being held at the centre.
According to centre co-ordinator Kerry Parry, the community garden is one of Bendigo's "best kept secrets, sitting on an acre of land backing on to Victoria Hill".
It has 30 fruit trees and raised garden beds for the community to grow and pick what they need to put healthy food on the table.
Friendships forged in garden setting
A small band of enthusiastic and friendly volunteers maintain the garden on Mondays and Thursdays while building skills in sowing, planting, weeding, mowing, edging, mulching and compost making.
Ms Parry said the garden was aimed at establishing a sense of community as volunteers make new friends in a relaxed environment.
She said offering raised garden beds to grow vegetables was important given the fact land around Bendigo was toxic for growing due to the city's gold mining history.
Ms Parry said Karen families also use the garden beds grow produce familiar to their culture.
"We have had multi-cultural cooking classes on Tuesdays where people teach each other their recipes using what they have grown in the garden," Ms Parry said.
"And on Wednesday, March 13 the cooking class will cook the luncheon we put on at the community centre."
As much as possible, what is grown in the garden is pesticide free.
One way to avoid rising prices at supermarkets
The centre is also giving away apples at its Mini Pantry following a bumper harvest. While they are damaged, they are still good for stewing.
"This is just a way for people to grow their own fruit and vegetable and produce rather than pay exorbitant prices at the supermarkets and let's face it, there's nothing better than eating a freshly grown tomato," Ms Parry said.
This cross-culture, healthy eating project has been funded through Heathy Loddon Campaspe and Bendigo City of Gastronomy with support from Regional Victorians of Colour, in collaboration with Bendigo Foodshare's Grow Cook Share Food Hub.
The multi-cultural lunch will be held at the Long Gully Neighbourhood Centre from 12.30pm on Wednesday, March 13.
