Visits
About Us...
- Jill Dyson,
- Southern Highlands, NSW, Australia
- Click on the link to read Jill's latest blog post. Jill has been running FoodPath in the Southern Highlands of NSW with her partner Nick since April 2010. They have grown the business to a level where they now include a range of activities including tours, workshops and collaboration with others (cooking schools, wineries, etc). During the past 10 years Jill and Nick have got to know the local producers and continue to promote and support these local small businesses. They have organised and run many food related activities including taste education workshops and producer visits. It was after they organised a successful tour for a group of chefs from some of the best restaurants in Sydney that they realised they could turn their interest into a business - and this led to the setting up of FoodPath - Culinary Tours with a Difference. Now Jill and Nick are working closely with Southern Highlands Tourism and Wingecarribee Council to help raise the profile of their area as a food destination where everyone will benefit - tourists, local consumers and the producers themselves.
Showing posts with label exotic mushrooms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exotic mushrooms. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
On Tues 20 Nov FoodPath is taking the last two tours for 2012 to the famous Mushroom Tunnel in Mittagong.
Three spaces are available @ $35.
Ring Southern Highlands Tourism on 4871 2888 to book.
FoodPath has been running these tours for SH Tourism for the past two years and they are a unique opportunity to see through the tunnel and to hear about this fascinating business.
Hidden in this old disused railway tunnel built in 1866 are a range of exotic mushrooms grown by Dr Noel Arrold, Microbiologist. Noel describes the environment inside the tunnel with a constant 16o temperature and 80% humidity as resembling a forest floor in the cool climate forest of Korea, Japan and China - so it is a natural environment for these mushrooms to grow.
If you can't make it this time, the dates for next year (2013) are:
Three spaces are available @ $35.
Ring Southern Highlands Tourism on 4871 2888 to book.
FoodPath has been running these tours for SH Tourism for the past two years and they are a unique opportunity to see through the tunnel and to hear about this fascinating business.
- Tues Mar 5
- Tues 23 July
- Tues 29 Oct
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Come and walk through this 650 metre long disused railway tunnel that now grows a range of exotic mushrooms - oyster, enoki, shiitake, shirneji, wood ear, king brown and more.
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Hear Dr Noel Arrold, Microbiologist talk about his fascinating business.
This is the last FoodPath tour for this year - so don't miss out.
Ring Southern Highlands Tourism to book on 02 4871 2888
Price: $35
Tour times: 10am and 11.30am
Friday, August 5, 2011
Our two Mushroom Tunnel Tours last Tues 6 Aug 2011 were a great success!
You might wonder what there is to see on such a tour but let me tell you that the tunnel itself is very interesting, as is the history of the tunnel and of this business Li Sun Mushrooms.
It is quite a long walk - 500 metres each way but we take it at a gentle pace.
Noel Arrold, the business owner and Micro Biologist is an interesting and funny man and you will be fascinated to hear him talk about the different types of Asian and exotic mushrooms that he grows in both his laboratory and the tunnel.
A variety of colours and shapes, some slimy like these Japanese mushrooms that are great in soups.
If they are not picked they just grow bigger and bigger like this bunch!
Woody ear looks different from the others and is crunchy in texture.
Noel's mushrooms can be purchased at the Bowral Market at Bowral Primary School on the 2nd Sat of the month and at many other outlets in the Southern Highlands and beyond. Just look for the Li-Sun Mushroom label.
Some lucky people got to take the big bunches home and had great plans for how they would cook them.
The next Mushroom Tunnel Tours are on Tues 25 Oct at 10am and 11.30am. Get your booking in now to secure a place - ring Tourism Southern Highlands on 4871 2888. Price: $35 per person
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
We are very excited because Noel Arrold, Micro-biologist and business owner of Li-Sun Mushrooms has agreed to us taking a tour to the famous Mittagong Mushroom Tunnel on Tues 2 Aug 2011!
These tours are very popular and there is limited access to them - so we are very pleased to announce three dates for these tours - Aug 2, Oct 25 and Jan 10, 2012.
We will be taking a bus from the Visitors Information Centre in Mittagong where you can leave your car. Noel will meet us at the tunnel entrance and tell us about his business. We will walk and talk all the way up the 500 metre disused railway tunnel, observing and hearing about the exotic mushrooms along the way - in a variety of shapes and colours.
Everyone receives a punnet of mushrooms to take away and some tips on how to cook them. If you haven't been before, this is an opportunity not to be missed!
To book ring Tourism Southern Highlands on 4871 2888.
These tours are very popular and there is limited access to them - so we are very pleased to announce three dates for these tours - Aug 2, Oct 25 and Jan 10, 2012.
We will be taking a bus from the Visitors Information Centre in Mittagong where you can leave your car. Noel will meet us at the tunnel entrance and tell us about his business. We will walk and talk all the way up the 500 metre disused railway tunnel, observing and hearing about the exotic mushrooms along the way - in a variety of shapes and colours.
Everyone receives a punnet of mushrooms to take away and some tips on how to cook them. If you haven't been before, this is an opportunity not to be missed!
To book ring Tourism Southern Highlands on 4871 2888.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Well our first Market to Table Tour was good fun!
First we met at the Bowral Producers Market where we took the group to meet the producers and to buy ingredients for lunch. Saw Steve Hogwood with his bottled fruit (he runs our bottling workshops monthly). Nicki was there from Cuttaway Creek Raspberry Farm with her raspberries. So fresh - they were divine. We bought some for lunch. Also some raspberry vinegar, and the girls bought some jams to take home.
Pasquele and Dianne were there with their huge range of potatoes. Patricia (our Chef) loved the potatoes so much she drove out to the farm to get some more for another cooking class a couple of days later!
We found some local garlic which was very exciting because the Southern Highlands is not normally a big garlic growing area - but this might be changing.
Patricia decided on spatchcock for our lunch. This came from Thirlemere Poultry - a free range poultry supplier that has been going for nearly 50 years and mostly sells to the restaurant market. We are very lucky they come to Bowral to the market.
Of course we included some mixed exotic mushrooms from our famous mushroom tunnel.
Then back to the historic Fitzroy Inn in Mittagong for our cooking class.
What I loved about this was that it was interactive - but Patricia was encouraging and everyone happily got involved, including Nick. She made it look easy!
It was very clever how Patricia managed running a class but at the same time getting the meal together and ready on time for us to sit and enjoy together.
Let me tell you this was a fun day and I thoroughly recommend it! Would be great for a family group, a corporate group - and guys as well as girls. The Market to Table tour and cooking class will be running every month - on the 2nd Sat. Check the FoodPath Tours page or the Blue Bowl Cooking School website for details and to book.
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| Highland Gourmet Potatoes at the Producers Market in Bowral |
We found some local garlic which was very exciting because the Southern Highlands is not normally a big garlic growing area - but this might be changing.
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| Garlic grown by Pip at Hilltop, a village north of Mittagong |
Patricia decided on spatchcock for our lunch. This came from Thirlemere Poultry - a free range poultry supplier that has been going for nearly 50 years and mostly sells to the restaurant market. We are very lucky they come to Bowral to the market.
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| John comes to the Bowral producers market every month |
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| Wendy is a regular at the market with the tunnel mushrooms |
Then back to the historic Fitzroy Inn in Mittagong for our cooking class.
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| The Fitzroy Inn in Mittagong has a great kitchen for classes |
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| Everybody got involved which made it such fun |
It was very clever how Patricia managed running a class but at the same time getting the meal together and ready on time for us to sit and enjoy together.
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| The chocolate and Raspberry tart tasted as good as it looked!! Fabulous! |
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| Nice to relax and enjoy the result of our labours with the group - thanks Patricia and the Blue Bowl Cooking School for a great day! |
Let me tell you this was a fun day and I thoroughly recommend it! Would be great for a family group, a corporate group - and guys as well as girls. The Market to Table tour and cooking class will be running every month - on the 2nd Sat. Check the FoodPath Tours page or the Blue Bowl Cooking School website for details and to book.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Well we are still in recovery mode!
On Wednesday this week, 9 Mar we had two things running concurrently. Fortunately Nick could be at one and I was at the other.
First we had a film crew come to shoot one of our Fruit Bottling Workshops for the program Sydney Weekender. We got a group of nine women together to make up a class at the Howards Lane tasting room out of Mittagong - a beautiful setting looking over the vineyard.
Steve Hogwood from the 1910 Bottling Company ran the workshop and Kath and Emma from a new business DeliSH kindly brought along one of their hampers to provide lunch for everyone to share.
While this was going on I was at the Visitors Information Centre in Mittagong to host the Mushroom Tunnel Tours. We had two tours which were well attended.
We travelled by bus to the entrance of the tunnel. From there the group walked the full length of the tunnel (650metres) while Noel told us about the mushrooms and about his business. It was very interesting and as always very popular.
We are hoping that Noel will let SH Tourism and FoodPath host a further 3 tours to the tunnel during the year - fingers crossed!
On Wednesday this week, 9 Mar we had two things running concurrently. Fortunately Nick could be at one and I was at the other.
First we had a film crew come to shoot one of our Fruit Bottling Workshops for the program Sydney Weekender. We got a group of nine women together to make up a class at the Howards Lane tasting room out of Mittagong - a beautiful setting looking over the vineyard.
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| Fruit preparation for bottling with Steve |
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| Mike Whitney complete with apron! |
While this was going on I was at the Visitors Information Centre in Mittagong to host the Mushroom Tunnel Tours. We had two tours which were well attended.
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| Noel explaining about his mushrooms |
We are hoping that Noel will let SH Tourism and FoodPath host a further 3 tours to the tunnel during the year - fingers crossed!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Everyone wants to see the famous mushroom tunnel in Mittagong - well now is your chance!
Southern Highlands Tourism has negotiated with the owner to run two tours next Wed 9 March - and they have asked FoodPath to host them. We are very excited!
A bus will be leaving the Visitor's Information Centre at Mittagong at 9.30am for the first tour and 11.30am for the second tour.
All bookings to go to the SH Tourism on 02 4871 2888. Price is $35 pp which includes a guided tour by Dr Noel Arrold and a punnet of mushrooms.
Southern Highlands Tourism has negotiated with the owner to run two tours next Wed 9 March - and they have asked FoodPath to host them. We are very excited!
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| The entrance to the old disused railway tunnel |
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| The mushrooms include a range of exotic types and colours |
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| Colours include yellow, orange, blue, grey, white and various shades of beige |
Don't miss out because these tours only run a few times a year.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Some of us met for coffee first then moved on to Bowral to join the rest of the group.Twenty six people came to our Mushroom Tunnel Tour and we were very excited about that. Five chefs, one hotel manager, one events organiser and 4 staff members from SH Tourism were included in the group.
Noel told us the history of the tunnel and how he came to be in the business. He explained the details involved in maintaining a pristine environment for the mushrooms to grow in a similar way to how they did in the forests of Malaysia.
This tour is always very popular and we are very excited that Noel has said that we can continue to bring groups of people to tunnel.
Please let us know if you are interested and we can let you know when a tour is coming up.
Check out the photos!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
How exciting - we have 24 people booked in to the FoodPath Mushroom Tunnel Tour this Wed 4 August, including chefs from two local hotels, representatives from SH Tourism, a group from Wollongong, more from Ulladulla and from Kangaroo Valley. It is nice to know the word is getting out about our activities.
Half of the group are coming on to lunch with us at Sturt, a lunch including mushrooms from the tunnel of course.
The tunnel is an old disused railway tunnel and it is interesting to see the range of exotic mushrooms grown by Noel of Li Sun Mushrooms. Look out for them at your local farmers market!
Half of the group are coming on to lunch with us at Sturt, a lunch including mushrooms from the tunnel of course.
Friday, June 11, 2010
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We are very happy that Noel Arrold has agreed that FoodPath can take a tour of the famous mushroom tunnel in Mittagong on the 1st Wed of the month, every month.
First tour is on Wed 7 July 2010.
Tourism Southern Highlands reports that they are always being asked by visitors if they can see the mushroom tunnel. It is very popular and access to the tunnel is limited - so our tours will help in this regard.
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Noel runs a very successful business with his Li-Sun exotic Mushrooms.
You can find them at the Fox Studio markets in Sydney, the Kings Cross Farmers Market, Bowral markets, Harris Farm Bowral and many more places I'm sure.
Let me know if you have seen the Li-Sun mushrooms anywhere else?
We are offering two options on our Mushroom Tunnel Tour -
1. The tunnel only. We will meet you at a nearby car park and take you to the tunnel where we are taken on a guided tour.
2. A half day tour where we meet for morning tea first, go to the tunnel, then move on for a mushroom lunch (using mushrooms from the tunnel of course) at a cafe in a lovely setting nearby.
Check the Tours page of the website for details,
email jill@foodpath.com.au or ring on 0419 617 021 for more information.
This old disused tunnel is well worth visiting. A fascinating tour where we see how the mushrooms grow and hear about the business from the scientist and business owner.
You will be amazed by the colours and shapes of these mushrooms!
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