A Celebration of Lost Culinary Arts presented by 612 ABC Radio Brisbane

Long before refrigeration and supermarkets, generations of women used creativity and resourcefulness to feed their families, growing and preserving produce from their gardens or local farms. This event honours these pioneers, showcasing essential skills like bottling tomatoes to last the whole year and jam-making for the pantry, along with a couple of extra jars for the neighbours too.

Attendees can explore these traditional methods through talks, demonstrations, and market stalls, celebrating the timeless art of food preservation and the cherished recipes passed down through generations.

Stage Program

10am – 10.30am: Simple Seasonal Staples with 612 ABC Radio Brisbane presenter, Alison Alexander
Alison Alexander shows how to make creamy labneh, vibrant broccoli pesto, and a zesty salsa verde – simple, fresh accompaniments that honour the everyday kitchen skills once shared between neighbours and written into well-worn recipe books. Learn how to turn local, seasonal produce into vibrant table staples.

11am – 11.30am: Sourdough Starter Know-How with Sally Peach & Denise Sembach, with 612 ABC Radio Brisbane’s Craig Zonca
Sally Peach & Denise Sembach share their expertise on building and caring for a sourdough starter. Discover the secrets to a healthy, active starter and set yourself up for delicious sourdough baking at home.

12pm – 12.30pm: Handmade Salves and Home Remedies with Amanda Palmer from Comfrey Co
Amanda shares the old ways of using plants from the garden to make simple, everyday remedies. Drawing on traditional knowledge, she demonstrates how to create a healing salve using just three ingredients. Amanda’s passion for herbal remedies is rooted in her experience growing comfrey and crafting natural products, reflecting a commitment to preserving these time-honoured practices.

1pm – 1.30pm: Sauce Making and the No-Waste Kitchen with Morgan Fuery from The Drunken Farmhand, with 612 ABC Radio Brisbane’s Loretta Ryan
Morgan shares his approach to making sauces from scratch using seasonal produce and time-honoured methods. Learn how to of make the most of what’s available, stretching ingredients further, and preserving flavours.

2pm – 2.30pm: Bottling the Season with Kerry Owens
Kerry demonstrates how to bottle fruit at home using simple, reliable methods. With a focus on additive-free preserving, she shares how this age-old practice can still fit into today’s kitchen – one jar at a time.

Hall Displays

• Templin Museum – display of old culinary equipment, wares and utensils.
• Panorama Motorcycle Museum Roadvale – display of old kitchen items.
• Kerry Owen – display of her personal collection of vintage to modern electric Fowlers Vacola preserving units, with jars and preserving utensils, along with original recipe books from the Kalbar Potato Festival and the Country Women’s Association.

Hall Stalls

• Amanda Palmer – Comfrey Co. Boonah Qld – comfrey salves made from 100% organic, chemical/pesticide free, locally grown and produced.
• Local artist, Katrina Goldsworthy – lost culinary arts inspired original artwork available for sale as prints, tea towels and tote bags.
• Denise Sembach – Sourdough Starter Kit’s available for sale and will provide sauerkraut and sourdough tastings.

Garden Stalls

• Boonah Country Women’s Association – homemade baked goods, jams and preserves.
• Coleen Benstead – homemade rosella jam, citrus marmalades and citrus butters.
• Ingrid Bond – homemade sweets (including Rocky Road and Chocolate Coated Ginger), jams and relish.
• Lizz Hills – The Cottage Collective – display of kraut crocks made on Tamborine Mountain, along with homemade sauerkraut, spicy Kim Chi, brown rice Miso, Kombucha and lime Kefir.
• Morgan Fuery – The Drunken Farmhand – a variety of pickles using an old brine recipe and technique, plus small batch sauces (one smoked over wood chips for 6-7 hours), mulled red wine pears and cold pickles.

Tea Garden Café

The Tea Garden Café, operated by members of the QWCA Boonah Branch, will offer a delicious Devonshire tea of local scones, jam and cream accompanied by a bottomless cup of tea. Pumpkin soup will also be available.