Gardening Australia – May 2019

THIRTY THOUSAND

BOTTLES OF WINE AND

A PIG CALLED HELGA

A NOTSOPERFECT

TREE CHANGE

Todd Alexander

Simon & Schuster

Australia

Some years ago, Todd

Alexander and his partner

Jeff gave up successful

careers and their inner-city

lifestyle in Sydney, and bought

a property in the New South

Wales’ Hunter Valley wine

region. They aimed to build a wonderful, welcoming B&B,

produce wine from the existing vineyard, grow their own food,

keep farm animals, and live the idyllic rural life as farmers and

boutique hoteliers. Todd’s account of the difference between

the dream and the reality is both funny and heartwarming.

TEXT

CARA BALDWIN & CAROLE GRIDLEY

BOOKS

O

N

T

HE

SHEL

F

TRANSFORMATIONS HARRIET AND HELENA SCOTT, COLONIAL

SYDNEY’S FINEST NATURAL HISTORY PAINTERS

Vanessa Finney

NewSouth

A detailed account of the lives of two talented sisters, who wereresponsiblefor

the early documentation of many of the moths and butterfl iesnativetoAustralia.

The Scotts published numerous books detailing their studies, andlaterworkedin

broader areas of history and nature. Filled with their beautiful,intricateillustrations,

this book is perfect for anyone with a passion for Australian history,natureandart.

GARDENING AUSTRALIA MAY 2019 13

MARKETPLACE

A FAMILY GUIDE TO WASTEFREE LIVING SIMPLE WAYS TO

ELIMINATE WASTE IN THE HOME, AT WORK & OUT IN THE WORLD

Lauren & Oberon Carter

Plum / Pan Macmillan Australia

How can families minimise their waste to reduce their impact on the

environment and enjoy a simpler, more economical and possibly healthier

lifestyle? Since 2015, the authors have succeeded in reducing their family of

fi ve’s energy consumption by more than 60 per cent, and now live completely

waste and recycling free. Drawing on their own experiences as ‘an average

family’, they have produced a practical, information-packed guide for others

who want to reduce their environmental footprint – from bulk food shopping

to DIY cosmetics, pest treatments for pets and herbal remedies for humans.

The book includes simple activities and achievable solutions for eliminating

waste i n the home, school, workplace, general community and environment.

THE GETTING OF GARLIC

AUSTRALIAN FOOD FROM

BLAND TO BRILLIANT,

WITH RECIPES OLD

AND NEW

John Newton

NewSouth

An exploration of the history

of produce and cooking in

Australia, beginning with the

basic meat-and-potatoes

tradition inherited from the

Anglo-Celtic colonisers, which

endured for a considerable

length of time. Who would

have thought the fi rst white settlers suffered from a fear of

garlic, known as alliumphobia? Once this distinctive bulb was

introduced and increasingly added to dishes, along with other

‘exotic’ foodstuffs, cuisine in Australia became a lot more varied

and interesting. Indeed, garlic is now a staple of Mod Oz cooking.