Bright Food Co-op.

06/06/2026

🍂 Have you discovered persimmons yet?

Often called the “food of the gods,” persimmons are one of autumn’s most underrated fruits. A deciduous tree, when the leaves fall you are left with a tree full of spectacular orange baubles like an unseasonal Christmas decoration. There are a couple of magnificent specimens on the GAR at present between Bright and Myrtleford.

The key is knowing the difference between the two main types:

🟠 Fuyu (non-astringent) – sweet and crunchy, eaten like an apple.

🟠 Hachiya (astringent) – must be completely soft before eating. Once ripe, the flesh becomes rich, sweet and custard-like.

Persimmons are enjoyed across Asia in many forms, including Hoshigaki, a traditional Japanese delicacy made by peeling, hanging and slowly drying persimmons until they become naturally sweet and chewy.

They can also be fermented into Gam-Sikcho, a traditional Korean persimmon vinegar. Made through natural fermentation of ripe fruit, it develops complex fruity flavours and a gentle acidity that makes it delicious in dressings, drinks and marinades.

Whether sliced fresh into salads, eaten straight from the skin, dried, baked or fermented, persimmons are a seasonal treasure well worth exploring.

Have you tried persimmons before? What’s your favourite way to enjoy them?

06/06/2026

What to do with kale?
This kale salad is quick and easy, delicious and pairs beautifully with rich wintery stews - it comes from Kylie Shewry.
1bunch kale (cut the stalks out and slice finely.
15g Parmesan (finely grated)
1tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic crushed to a paste
Juice 1 lemon
Generous pinch of salt
5 grinds pepper
Put all the ingredients in bowl and massage together with your hands for 2-3 minutes until well combined.
Enjoy!

29/05/2026

Bright Food Co-op is excited to be launching and rolling out our new Volunteer Program.

With Alpine Shire Community Grants Program funding we have developed a new volunteer program to better train, support and interract with our amazing volunteers. Co-op member Hollie Bracewell has formed this program into a blueprint for other Community groups in the Alpine Shire to use.

Stay tuned for changes and improvements!

Curious about volunteering at the Co-op? We’d love to chat to you about opportunities. Check out our website brightfoodcoop.com.au for how to get involved in such a fabulous community! Or drop us an email [email protected]

All are welcome.

15/05/2026

As we shift into colder weather, the seasonal produce offering changes - think root vegetables, pumpkins, brassicas and lots of green. The co-op is open Saturday between 12-2 and there will be fresh local vegetables along with all the usual organic dry goods and liquids.
Jerusalem artichokes are in season and if you don’t know how to serve this highly nutritious vegetable, here’s some information for Small Patch Smoko including some recipes!

Look forward to seeing your smiling faces on Saturday!

Jerusalem Artichokes

Jerusalem artichokes are in season right now — late autumn into winter is when these earthy tubers are at their sweetest. They have a nutty, slightly sweet flavour that sits between potato and hazelnut, and a creamy texture.
They’re ideal for winter cooking when you want something hearty but a little different from the usual root veggies. Roast them, mash them, turn them into soup, or shave them raw for crunch.

Note: Jerusalem artichokes can be a little hard to digest for some people. If you have time soak them in water with added lemon juice for 15 minutes before cooking. This helps to break down the dietary fibre that may cause digestion discomfort.

Here are some ways in which you can use them:

Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes with Garlic & Thyme
▪ Scrub (don’t peel) 600 g of artichokes and cut into chunks.
▪ Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, a few garlic cloves, and thyme.
▪ Roast at 200°C for 35–40 minutes until caramelised.
▪ Finish with lemon zest or a splash of vinegar to brighten.
Why it works: Roasting concentrates their natural sweetness and gives you crisp edges with a creamy centre.

Jerusalem Artichoke & Potato Soup
▪ Sauté 1 onion and 2 cloves garlic in butter or olive oil.
▪ Add 400 g Jerusalem artichokes + 200 g potatoes, chopped.
▪ Pour in 1 L vegetable stock and simmer until soft.
▪ Blend until silky, then finish with cream, nutmeg, and cracked pepper.
▪ Toast a handful of hazelnuts and add when serving
Variation: Add a handful of spinach or sorrel at the end for colour and acidity. You can also add small crispy fried pancetta pieces for added flavour

Raw Shaved Sunchoke Salad
▪ Thinly slice artichokes on a mandoline.
▪ Toss with lemon juice immediately to prevent browning.
▪ Add rocket, parmesan shavings, toasted hazelnuts, and olive oil.
▪ Season generously.
Why it works: Raw artichokes are crisp and refreshing, with a flavour similar to water chestnut.

Creamy Jerusalem Artichoke Gratin
▪ Layer thin slices of artichoke with cream, garlic, salt, pepper, and a little Gruyère.
▪ Bake at 180°C for 45–50 minutes until bubbling and golden.
Perfect with roast chicken, mushrooms, or a winter greens salad.

Sautéed Jerusalem Artichokes with Butter & Sage
▪ Slice artichokes into coins.
▪ Pan‑fry in butter until golden.
▪ Add sage leaves and cook until crisp.
▪ Finish with flaky salt.
A great side: quick, rich, and deeply aromatic.

17/04/2026

It’s frosty out there this morning and that means it’s the end for all those summer veg that were hanging in and growing a little slower as day by day the sunlight hours reduced.
Now is the season for leafy greens, pumpkins that will be harvested as their vines shrivel following the frosty morning, Jerusalem artichokes, we will see carrot and parsnip sweeten, it’s the time for nuts - walnuts, chestnuts and hazelnuts are all good in the valley now.
And remember, eggs are available in limited quantities while the chickens go off on their winter vacation, so please adhere to our 1 carton per customer limit.

The co-op is open today (Saturday) from 12-2 and we will have the last hurrah of those summer vegetables available - tomatoes, zucchini, chilli’s, melons and cucumbers. Plus salad mix, pumpkins, kale, mustard greens and mixed asian greens.

A few people have asked for the zucchini soup recipe (thanks Gil Paulsen for finding this) from the community dinner to deal with the last of their zucchinis:
10 cups chopped zucchini
2 cups stock
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
Half a tin coconut cream

Cook for 15 minute until the zucchinis are soft, then blend. Voila. Freezes well

Volunteer call-out
We are looking for someone with bookkeeping or accounting experience to join our finance sub-committee, this is a hands-on volunteer operational committee: as we have grown, we have found we need to spread the volunteer load to manage all the invoice payments, grant acquittals, budgeting and reporting. If you love finances and working in a super food-loving volunteer team and have an hour or two spare per week, please get in contact [email protected] We would love to have you involved.

Look forward to seeing your smiling faces.

13/04/2026

Lovely evening at the Bright Food Co-op community dinner held at the Wandi Hall. Great to see so many enjoying delicious local food and local company in a gorgeous local space.

10/04/2026

We have a few tickets remaining for the community dinner at Wandi Hall this Sunday night. Tickets close (tomorrow) at 9am Saturday. Book via Humanitix https://events.humanitix.com/community-dinner-wandi-hall

10/04/2026

We have a few tickets remaining for the community dinner at Wandi Hall this Sunday night. Tickets close (tomorrow) at 9am Saturday. Bookings via https://events.humanitix.com/community-dinner-wandi-hall?hxchl=hex-pfl

06/04/2026

It’s garlic planting time and Mel has written a series of articles that give us all the lowdown on planting garlic in the Alpine valleys. Thanks Mel!

Garlic planting time is upon us. April is a good time to plant garlic but not all garlics are the same. In fact, there are hundreds of varieties of garlic, of different sizes, colour, taste and origin. Some are best planted early from March to April whilst others from April into June.
Here are some of the characteristics to think about when deciding what garlic varieties to plant.
Garlic Varieties
Garlic is divided into 2 main categories - hardneck and softneck.

Hardneck Garlic – produces a scape (flower stem) in spring which will need to be cut off so that the plant directs energy to the bulb. Scapes are yummy roasted so don’t throw them out.

Hardnecks are usually renowned for strong, spicy, complex flavours and are suited to cooler climates.

Softneck Garlic - do NOT produce a scape and as such, once the garlic clove has been planted in autumn, it is basically left to grow until late spring/early summer for harvest. Most commercial garlic is a softneck variety as there is less maintenance during the growing season and they store longer (some up to 12 months). Softneck garlic thrives in milder climates.
Garlics are then divided into 11 main groups: Artichokes, Silverskin and Sub-tropical are softneck garlics. Turban, Creole, Standard Purple Stripe, Glazed Purple Stripe, Rocambole, Marbled Purple Stripe, Asiatic and Porcelain are hardneck garlics. Each group is based on characteristics of the garlic, conditions for growing, flavours and storage.

In the next article we will look at the varieties Mel grows and their uses.

When do you usually plant your garlic? Comment below with any advice.

05/04/2026

Another super busy one last week at the co-op with yet another record week for online orders!

The shop is open now with all the beautiful flavoursome local produce, collected and sorted by our awesome volunteers and ready for your collection Thursday between 5-6pm.

The shop is also back to normal opening hours (after our hiatus this week) on Saturdays 12-2pm.

The community dinner is coming up on Sunday 12th April at Wandi public hall. Tickets are selling fast. $25 for a delicious feast cooked by the amazing and her band of merry helpers. Local food, local people, local venue - what could be better.

https://events.humanitix.com/community-dinner-wandi-hall?hxchl=hex-pfl

Keep an eye out for our article on garlic in the newsletter. It’s coming up to planting time!

Look forward to seeing your smiling faces sometime soon.

Bring your family and friends and enjoy a delicious share feast cooked from regeneratively grown fresh local produce free from chemicals at the Wandi Hall