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Archives for December 2015

TGoG 131 – Christmas Special 2015

December 23, 2015 @ 20:01 By Gavin Webber Leave a Comment

Listen to the Episode Below (00:55:24)
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Yay!  It’s our Christmas Special 2015 podcast episode.  Whether you celebrate or not, please take the time to join us recapping the events of 2015 and sharing not one, but two songs during the episode!

Christmas Special 2015

It’s been a very busy year now that Kim and I are teaching sustainable living courses most weekends during the year, but not too busy to miss out recording our Christmas Special episode that I know you will enjoy.

We would both like to thank you for reading the blog, listening to the podcast, and for those who live in Australia and New Zealand, for visiting our online shop or attending our workshops.

We’ve both had a fantastic time, and looking forward to bringing you more of our sustainable living journey in 2016!

See you in the new year!

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Filed Under: Podcast, Sustainable Living, TGOG Podcast

Taking a Breath

December 17, 2015 @ 21:59 By Gavin Webber 8 Comments

Kim and I have just surfaced to take a breath from six back-to-back weekends of workshops and Kim and Gavinpacking and sending over 180 orders of simple living kits and supplies to people all around Australia and New Zealand.

What a wild ride that six weeks has been!

The response to our Little Green Workshops have been way beyond our expectations.  People really love to make their own natural candles, cold processed soap, and cheese.  The feedback from all our workshops and from those who have made produce from our kits has been amazing.

It has been chaotic, exhilarating, and lots of fun so far.  In fact the entire year has been fantastic because we have found our joy and continue to grow our green lifestyle in a new way.

Just thinking back, greening our personal lives way back in 2006, to owning and running our own green small business, it certainly has been a journey.  A journey that all started by watching a documentary that changed my life so dramatically and led me to start writing this blog.

One small step was all it took.  My advice to you if you’re sitting on the fence and still thinking about starting a sustainable lifestyle is just go for it!  You’ll never know where or what may happen and you might just save the planet (or humans on it) in the process.

Since that we first started greening, I have also downshifted from my day job to work a 4 day week to help Kim out around the house and to take a bit of pressure off her.  I’ve also been telecommuting a lot more now that we have the NBN connected to our home.

Due to all this extra business greening and skill sharing via our workshops, the garden as suffered a little.  I don’t have as many vegetables in the ground as I wanted to, but I will remedy that over the next few weeks as things start to slow down.

We are both looking forward to a break over the summer.  We finished our last workshop for the year on Sunday past, and start teaching again when it gets cooler in March 2016.  We also stop shipping online orders between 23rd Dec to 4th Jan so we can enjoy time with family and friends.  Looking forward to a few barbies and relaxing by the pool, eating fresh peaches and nectarines from our front orchard!  I’m also going to be making home-brew beer and cider, and lots and lots of cheese!

I suppose that’s why it has been a bit of a ghost town around here on the blog of late.  It certainly doesn’t mean I am stopping The Greening of Gavin.  Far from it, because I’m ramping it up again as the business chaos dies down after the seasonal rush.

I’m looking forward to sharing our summer activities including getting behind the microphone again for the Gavin & Kim Christmas Podcast special.  We are still looking for a Christmas Duet to practice, so if you have any suggestions, send them our way via comment.

We are very excited about the year ahead and the opportunities it will bring.

Talk soon.  Gav & Kim x

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Filed Under: Little Green Workshops, Simplicity, skills

Learning to Grow Mushrooms

December 7, 2015 @ 17:56 By Gavin Webber 6 Comments

After my dismal failure of growing white button mushrooms last year, I decided to seek some expert advice.  Expert advice on learning to grow mushrooms without too many issues.

Luckily, my friend Amanda Woods had just started teaching a Grow Your Own Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms for Beginners at Goonawarra Neighbourhood House in Sunbury, Victoria.

Learning to Grow Mushrooms - Mushroom Workshop

The class was well attended, and we were given a choice of mushroom kits to take home.  Ben chose Grey Oyster, and I chose Swordbelt mushrooms.  Neither of us knew what these looked liked at this stage so we just went with the flow.  I wasn’t really fussed on what we grew as long as we were successful!

Amanda Symonds

Amanda Woods

During the class Amanda demonstrated how to set up a simple mushroom terrarium using a 50L plastic storage tub.

The lid has a few 20mm holes drilled in it, and the tub also has a few holes about 7 cm above the floor to ensure the mushrooms get enough oxygen.

Mushroom Terrarium

Mushroom Terrarium

There is also a layer of moistened perlite laid across the bottom on to which you place your bag of inoculated mycelium.  Mycelium is the white spider web like fibres that are the basis of all mushrooms.  When it has the right conditions (warmth and moisture), it starts producing buttons, which in turn becomes the mushrooms.

Gavin & Ben with their mushroom kits

Gavin & Ben with their mushroom kits

Amazing stuff.  Amanda took us through the process of setting up our own terrariums at home, providing us with the mycelium kits, a spray bottle, and a bag of perlite.  The only bit of feedback that would have been to actually set up the kits during the workshop, however the only issue may have been transporting the setup back home without disturbing everything.

Gavin & Ben inspecting Shiitake plugs

Gavin & Ben inspecting Shiitake plugs

Besides the terrarium and grow bag method, you can use wooden plugs that have been inoculated with spores that can be pushed into a log of deciduous wood like Birch.  Holes have to be drilled into the log which needs to be a decent diameter.

Shiitake Log

Shiitake Log in Birch

The plugs are then pushed into the holes and then sealed over with soy or beeswax.  The mycelium starts to grow throughout the log to consume the rotting moist wood, then twice a year you get a flush of mushrooms on the log.

Swordbelt Mushrooms

Swordbelt Mushrooms

Here is the bag of Swordbelt mushrooms that Amanda brought along for the demo.  They look amazing, and even more so, because she told us that they taste like bacon!  That’s enough to turn me into a full vegetarian!

So why are they called Swordbelt?

Swordbelt Mushrooms side view

Swordbelt Mushrooms side view

Well, looking from the side view you can see that these mushrooms have a little belt around the stem a couple of centimetres below the gills.  Very cute.

We were told that we should get three good flushes of mushrooms per bag and that we could reactivate them if we added the mycelium to more sterile medium like boiled straw or sugar cane mulch.

Grey Oyster Mushroom

Grey Oyster Mushroom

This is what the Grey Oyster mushrooms should look like once we set the grow bags up.  Apparently they can be eaten raw but better eaten cooked quickly on a high heat.  Perfect for stir fries.

I must say that it was an informative course and the documentation provided during the class will ensure that we are successful.  If you want to connect with Amanda, you can check out her Facebook page, Emu Creek Farm.  I am sure she will be running another course in the new year if there is enough interest.  Take it from me that learning to grow mushrooms by attending a class takes all the guesswork out of the process.

Update: Amanda has another mushroom workshop in February 2016 at the Sunbury Library.

Ben and I intend on setting up our terrarium on Wednesday and placing it in the bathtub as that room has the most humidity and is a constant temperature during day and night.  We will also need to mist them with water twice daily.

I will keep you updated with our progress.  Wish us luck!

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Filed Under: food, Gardening, Locavore

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About Gavin Webber

About Gavin Webber

An Ordinary Australian Man Who Has A Green Epiphany Whilst Watching A Documentary, Gets a Hybrid Car, Plants A Large Organic Vegetable Garden, Goes Totally Solar, Lowers Consumption, Feeds Composts Bins and Worms, Harvests Rainwater, Raises Chickens, Makes Cheese and Soap, and Eats Locally. All In The Effort To Reduce Our Family's Carbon Footprint So We Can Start Making A Difference For Our Children & Future Generations To Come.

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Podcast Reviews

  • Always inspiring and entertaining!
    August 4, 2016 by floriographer from Australia

    I've crowed about Gavin's podcast before but I just have to recommend it once again - I love that he shares his learning as well as his successes - it helps the rest of us try try try again! Thanks Gavin!

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    July 22, 2016 by Ketaea12 from New Zealand

    I really enjoy listening to Gavin, he has a kind lovely voice. He covers some great relevant topics for the everyday greenie. With lots of tips or how to or what not to do. Thanks Gavin, love it!!

  • Well worth your time to tune in
    October 23, 2015 by A Vision Splendid from Australia

    I can highly recommend Gavin’s podcast ! I have followed Gavin’s blog since the very beginning and have loved to see his journey unfold. Gavin has a lovely speaking voice so this podcast is always very easy to listen to. Gavin has a very authentic approach to his green living lifestyle. He shares the ups and downs but always provides motivation and practical steps that we can all implement.

  • very good
    June 28, 2015 by Scared pax from United Kingdom

    This is a great podcast if you want to improve your life in so many aspects and become a more sustainable person. I love the soothing voice, the good pace, and it contains lots of useful information. Recommended!

  • opened my eyes
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    A wonderful show!

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    April 30, 2015 by Alan Whelan from Ireland

    This is a great podcast if you're looking for practical info on saving money by living more sustainably from someone who's made that journey over the last few years. Told in a nice, easy conversational style

  • Green Living, inspiring and practical
    January 8, 2015 by EliseMac from Australia

    Thanks Gav for sharing what has (and hasn't) worked along your journey for living a greener lifestyle. Inspiring and achievable for anyone, I look forward to this podcast weekly.

  • Local food equals less waste
    December 27, 2014 by allotmentadventureswithjean from Australia

    Another brilliant podcast from Gavin Webber encouraging us, and showing us how, to cut down on food miles, growing our own food, and cutting down on food waste. Gavin is a really interesting speaker, showing us how to eat better, growing our own food and how to live more sustainably.

  • Honestly australian
    December 15, 2014 by HodgepodgeOz from Australia

    Fantastic podcast, with a wide variety of well thought and researched topics. Gavin is a honest, forthright pod aster with a genuine interest in helping others get green. Like a day alongside is a day wasted, so too is a week without listening to Gavin. Highly recommended for people starting out, or those in the midst of their new lifestyle. Keep it up Gavin, wish there were more great reviews! Kimberley

  • Morning motivation
    December 8, 2014 by Bunnyworm from Australia

    Gavin has a great passion for living this greener lifestyle that motivates others to do the same. The podcasts are always interesting and informative. :)

  • Passionate Advocate
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    Gavin's enthusiasm and passion for creating a more sustainable world is nothing short of contagious. Thanks Gav, you are my weekly source of motivation for living a sustainable life! :)

  • Gavin speaks from the heart
    October 13, 2014 by Green gavin from Australia

    Gavin's podcasts are required listening for anyone planning to live a more sustainable life. He doesn't preach, but tells you his story from the heart. You'll laugh, smile, share in his concerns and along the way you'll pick up some great tips on living a simple life.

  • Green thoughts, so well iterated
    October 9, 2014 by Kwasikwami from Australia

    This is a wonderful podcast. Not only does Gavin talk knowledgeably on a range of sustainability topics from gardening tips all the way to the issues facing humanity as a whole, but he does so in such a wonderful voice, it's like listening to my Dad, love it!!

  • Easy listening inspiration on being green
    September 24, 2014 by Broomedy from Australia

    Gav knows how to share his journey to a more sustainable life in a manner that shows just how easy it really is. Not to mention healthier, economically beneficial and generally rewarding. The podcasts are an easy way to absorb Gav's great lifestyle. I recommend to anyone.

  • Thanks Gavin!
    August 31, 2014 by Honeywoodmilk from Australia

    Great practical advice for a greener lifestyle. This podcast is for anybody interested in growing their own food in suburbia, saving electricity, brewing beer, making cheese, all that wonderful business and most of all, saving money! Thanks Gavin, love the podcast mate!

  • Enjoyed those ideas for staying warm
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    Like you we are having winter here in Chile—brrr! Every bit we can save on heating we will.

  • Green Podcasts
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    Excellent podcasts, which are full of information to help get started on a sustainable lifestyle.

  • Practical ideas and inspiration
    July 19, 2014 by HeathrowHeath from Australia

    I highly recommend Gavin's podcast and blog. Down to earth, entertaining and inspirational. Thank you.

  • Interesting & easy to listen to
    April 27, 2014 by Velocity3 from New Zealand

    Gavin & his guests make this green journey lots of fun.

  • Great green listen
    April 18, 2014 by Obscurenickname from Australia

    Gavin is a great down to earth, tell it like it is aussie with a passion for sustainability and growing food and making cheese

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