The KaiKai Book

Nori Sheets - How It's Made

To Ryoichi Toya, salt is a treasure from the sea. He’s an Agehama-style salt maker in Suzu, Japan, and his facility is one of the last to harvest sea salt using this traditional technique that is unique to the Noto peninsula. Dating back centuries, the process begins with seawater being carried in buckets from the ocean to be scattered onto a large bed of raked sand. After it sets, the salt-coated sand is scraped off and shoveled into a tank, and the process continues from there. It’s hard, manual work. But to a master like Toya, the effort pays off in sea salt that is rich in minerals and mild in taste. This Great Big Story was made possible by ANA.

Cash for Kaiar by Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) Media: a fishing technique video aimed at increasing awareness and building capacity of fishers in the TRL Fishery to get the best value for their catch. See more information about TSRA’s Fisheries Programme: http://www.tsra.gov.au/the-tsra/programmes/fisheries

Food insecurity is a phrase often applied to developing countries, but it’s easy to forget that there are people within our own communities that may not be able to readily access and experience fresh, healthy, organic food for a variety of reasons. For backyard vegie growers, the problem is often the opposite – how can we sustainably manage excess produce and engage with our community? It can be as simple as sharing - gardeners providing their produce for free to those that need it most. It was this philosophy that led Lou Ridsdale to found the Ballarat “Food is Free” Laneway in 2014 – initially just a table or two with Lou's excess produce and a couple of painted planters popped out in the laneway adjacent to her place. Lou and her mates had a BBQ and a yarn, erected the now well-loved #FOODISFREE sign in the Laneway, and hoped the community would engage and take the produce that they might need. And, slowly, they did. Lou explains that the real turning point came about three weeks into the life of the laneway when someone left some Italian Parsley, with a note attached saying “I thought you might need this”. “And that was it” says Lou “I was hooked, and I knew it had legs”. In a classic case of “from little things big things grow”, the #FOODISFREE Laneway gained momentum, with people taking and leaving produce without expectation. The Laneway now boasts at least 100 visitors each day – taking the fresh fruit, vegies and herbs that they require, leaving their excess and exchanging seeds, jars, cuttings, pots, and, most importantly conversation.