Macedon Ranges Veg Action group members chat with Zoe Moffatt about their work in the community and why they do what they do.
Tell us a bit about the group and what you do?
Our group is called Veg Action, we are part of the Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group (MRSG). We are driving an inclusive community movement in the Macedon Ranges that encourages and empowers individuals towards eating more veg and making sustainable food choices.
What’s your connection to the Macedon Ranges?
We all live in the Macedon Ranges, one of us has been here for 40 years, while other members have been here between seven and eight years. We are all involved in MRSG as sustainability is an important focus in our lives.
What do you all like about where you live and why?
We find the Macedon Ranges is a great community and very welcoming. Strangely enough, we like the climate! It’s conducive to growing delicious veggies and beautiful flowers; the native birdlife is so special, and the autumnal colours spectacular. There is a strong tradition of volunteerism, which is a great way to meet people if you’ve just moved to the area. The MRSG is a very active and passionate organisation.
What, if anything, would you change about where you live?
We are actively trying to encourage eateries to have more plant-based meals, and to celebrate vegetarian fare and local produce. We’d love the big supermarkets to stock local produce and value our farmers. It would be great to see more home-grown produce swaps happening, outside of the monthly farmers’ market.
What is the group’s favourite way to incorporate veggies into everyday life?
Most of us grow our own vegetables. We stay inspired by participating in and learning from the contributions on our Eat More Veg in the Macedon Ranges Facebook group. People are always posting their favourite recipes, or asking questions about how to use up excess produce in the garden. We run pot luck events, recipe challenges, wine and cheese nights; we’ve partnered with high schools to encourage students to grow and cook with veg.
We are lucky in Woodend to have a thriving farmers’ market, farm gates and an organic fruit and veg store. It’s easy to eat local, seasonal produce. Veg Action also helped curate the Get To Know Your Grower website: https://veg.mrsg.org.au/
What is the groups meal/ snack that everyone needs to try?
We have just wrapped up the Edgy Veg Awards, but most of the eateries will still have their awards dish on the menu – we encourage you to get down and try these delicious dishes. Next week, keep your eye out in the Star Weekly to see which venue won the 2024 Edgy Veg Award! We also highly recommend the lemon dill cashew cheese that you can find the recipe for on veg.mrsg.org.au
