Kiwi fruit

These are absolutely beautiful at the moment.. not too sour or floury or sweet or watery! Just the right creamy sweet/tart goodness that we expect from a chinese goosebery. My preferred method of consumption is just digging straight in with a spoon, or they also make a luxurious addition to any fruit salad. But I recently tried juicing one with some celery and ginger and it was surprisingly good.
It was really interesting drawing all the different shades of green in the flesh of the kiwifruit, and the striations coming out from the centre. I'm pretty pleased with the result!

Corella pear

I picked up some of these for the first time last weekend. I couldn't resist their beautiful colours, and they are the perfect snacking size. They seem to have a more subtle taste than a regular green pear.. but I need to give them a chance to get soft before I form an official opinion on the taste. But it was a delight to draw their beautiful gradation of colours.. it reminded me of a sunrise, or a peachface bird for some reason..

Food for the Future Fair

I've become involved in doing the design work for the 2nd Annual Chippendale Food for the Future Fair, to be held on Saturday 24th October on Kensington street in Chippendale. It's an event that I'm very excited about, and am enjoying working on something that I really believe in.
The fair promotes buying produce from growers in the local Sydney and Hawkesbury region, and will have lots of information and workshops about living sustainably. Make a note in your diary.. and watch this space!

Broccolini

Brocollini first made an appearance at the farmers markets in mid August, and has been becoming increasingly abundant in the grower's stall ever since. I like cooking with it as it is a bit sweeter than normal brocolli, and seems to cook a little more quickly as well. I quite like broccoli stems.. but I would imagine if you didn't then broccolini might seem a bit unappealing.
It's just as well I like it, as I got a whole big bag of it from Yuri's sustainable produce at the Eveleigh Farmer's markets for $3!
This weekend I cooked it slowly with some leeks and butter and then baked it in a tart with some sour cream and homemade wholemeal pastry. It's also nice quickly pan fried and then tossed through pasta with oil, lemon, parmesan, anchovies and chilli. But lately I've just been loving parboiling it with some cauliflower and whatever other vegies I have, and topping it with tahini sauce.. yum!

stolen!

I came across this cool arrangement of milk crates near my place recently. Could this be a new form of street art?! I like it!

passionfruit

These are so beautiful at the moment.. the perfect sauce for your fruit salad!

wisteria

There's a wisteria vine on the way to my train station which I've noticed has sprung to life in the most spectacular way in recent weeks. It's amazing watching nature change at such a rapid pace.. nothing says spring like this kind of sudden abundance and vivacity.

Week 1


Week 2


Week 3

Blood orange

Blood oranges started appearing at fruit stores in late August. I bought a few organic ones at Eveleigh farmers markets and added them to my usual fresh orange juice and they added a whole other dimension of sherbet-y goodness to the flavour.


The flesh looks so impressive when you cut it.. with so many variations of colour it's just begging to be drawn. So I had a lot of fun illustrating this one, and the reds deepened as I was drawing, perhaps as a result of being exposed to oxygen. I don't know.. I"m no scientist.. I just draw it and drink it!

Naisy's Naturals

I've been getting back into making natural skincare and beauty products at home lately, stuff like facemasks, and body oils with essential oils. So I thought it would be a nice present idea for all my nearest and dearest.. most of whom seem to be born in August! During the process of making things for people I evolved a brand (graphic designer that I am) called Naisy's Naturals!
Here's the label design I came up with:


And here's how some of the products looked in the end.


I used old containers that I've kept from previous beauty products and oils. It gives such a warm feeling to give people something natural, ethical and from the heart. Everyone wins!