Heart & Soul

SISTERS JACINTA AND ADELINA CARMICHAEL-PARISSI FOLLOWED THEIR DREAMS TO CREATE A HOMESTEADING HUB IN A LAWSON LANDMARK. HERE JACINTA TAKES US BEHIND THE SCENES OF THEIR HEARTFELT PROJECT.

Interview: Jacqueline Forster. Photos by Nick McKinlay, Cameron Bryce and Luisa Brimble. What was the original concept behind Lyttleton Stores Co-operative?

Adelina and I opened Lyttleton Stores in December 2015 with the support and help of our family, friends and the local community. The concept had been a long-time dream of mine. As a teenager growing up in the Blue Mountains, I realised it was not only important to follow one’s passions and interests but to contribute to the community and have a positive impact on the environment in which we all live.

The idea was to have a multifaceted business that could be an evolving example of sustainable living that included the arts and a learning space alongside healthy organic produce and a garden.

Working within a non-hierarchical management structure that operated upon principles of equality, sharing both responsibility and opportunity for everyone involved, our plan was to become a co-operative as soon as the business was able to support itself [Lyttleton Stores officially became a co-operative in early 2019 with help from crowdfunding].

What were you and Adelina doing before opening the store?

I spent 12 years trying to build this project by travelling, learning and living the life of community sufficiency in rural Tasmania, growing food and cooking with homesteading skills such as preserving, baking and making everything from scratch. I kept trying to find a home for the project, but it wasn’t until I moved back to the Blue Mountains that the business found a shopfront – in Lawson’s original store on Badgerys Crescent. Adelina had recently finished her studies in art and design at Sydney College of the Arts and moved back to the Blue Mountains to continue her jewellery design practice. During her uni years, she worked at an organic growers’ market, learning about and making connections with local growers. The skills, knowledge and connections we had made independently came together when we reunited in the Blue Mountains, which was an unplanned synchronicity.

What is special about the Lyttleton Stores building?

The building, originally constructed in 1884, was an old antique shop owned by family friends who wanted to pass on the space to people who would continue the living history of Lawson and preserve its character. When I found out it was for sale, I could see clearly that it was finally time to bring this project to life. Our family purchased the building in August 2015 and renovated it in keeping with the heritage of the place. After four months we were ready to open the doors.

How important are the gardens?

The former owner was a gardener who fed her family from the backyard. When she became ill the garden continued to thrive on its own, with many perennial herbs, flowers, fruits, nuts and vegetables creating an edible jungle.

With the help of family and friends, my Papa and I fenced off and re-established the vegie garden, keeping all the existing plants but taming them to fit in even more heritage varieties of annuals. There was continuity with the history of the building, having previously been a produce and general store in both the 1890s and 1940s.

To cope with demand for fresh produce in the store and supplement what we couldn’t grow ourselves, we devised a Backyard Gardeners Registry. People who follow organic

growing practices can bring in their surplus produce to swap for store credit that can be spent on things they can’t grow, like chocolate or toilet paper.

The idea was to connect backyard growers throughout the mountains and create food security in our area. We’ve now gone one step further with the Farm it Forward project, which matches landholders with young farmers to grow even more food.

How has Lyttleton Stores Co-operative become a community hub and what do you and your members gain from this experience?

We continuously providing a space for people to connect in authentic and traditional ways. Since opening Lyttleton Stores the team has grown into a collective of exceptional people who have contributed their skills and knowledge while continuing to learn and share together.

The community of workers, makers, growers, teachers, customers and supporters grew to the extent that the business became ready to expand beyond a family business into the wider ‘family’ of the Blue Mountains as a community owned and operated co-operative.

Our members are invited to be involved through meetings and informational sessions, becoming volunteers, backyard growers, makers, teachers and committee members, as well as having one vote per membership and 10% off all purchases from produce to workshops.

We currently have a team of five co-ordinators from various backgrounds and skill sets and we offer regular courses in all things gardening, cooking, art, craft, health and wellbeing.

What do you think is great about Lawson?

There has always been a strong community in this town and being able to become caretakers of the original shop and continue Lawson’s story through living conservation has been rewarding. Watching and supporting other businesses breathe life and energy back into the town has also been inspiring. That sense of belonging to a place and people never leaves you if you are lucky enough to have it where you started.

Sugo Di Pomodoro

Makes approx. 6 jars INGREDIENTS 2kg tomatoes, chopped 100ml olive oil 2tsp sea salt 1tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 bulb garlic 1 medium onion

Home-dried herbs of oregano, rosemary, sage and parsley METHOD 1. Warm the oil in a heavy based saucepan. Slice onions into half circles and put into medium-heated oil so you can hear it gently sizzling. Dice or mash the garlic with a sprinkle of salt to help absorb the oils and put into the pot once the onions are translucent. Add salt, pepper and herbs when the onions and garlic have just started to become golden brown, stirring regularly. 2. Have tomatoes chopped and ready to add to the pot by the time the herbs are all mixed in, so the oil is a little dry from being soaked up into the onion, garlic, herbs and spice. Put chopped tomatoes into the pot so they sizzle and release their juices, making sure the pot isn’t so hot that the tomatoes burn or stick – lower the flame if you are concerned about the heat. 3. Once all the tomatoes are in and have released their juices by heat and stirring, turn flame to a simmer and leave for up to 8 hours. Stir occasionally and adjust the heat throughout the day to make sure the sauce isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add salt to taste throughout, a little at a time, aiming for a sweet and deeply rich flavour rather than fresh and acidic. To achieve this, keep cooking and adding salt and even a little water if you want to give it longer on the flame. 4. The oils floating on top should be a vibrant red. Take a little out every now and then to taste by dipping in a crust of bread, making sure you get a little sauce and lots of red oil.

To ‘hot fill’ jars 1. Sterilise each jar, one at a time, in a boiling pot of water, making sure the lid isn’t in long enough to damage the rubber seal (We like to have two jars and one lid being sterilised at a time). 2. Wearing washed or new rubber gloves (so you can use your hands without scalding them) take a jar out of boiling water and place onto a wooden surface or a tea towel so the cold of the surface doesn’t shock the hot jar and make it crack. 3. Using sterilised equipment, ladle simmering contents into a glass measuring jug and pour into the jar, taking the lid out last and making sure it threads well and tight.

Pear Syrup

Makes approx. 10 jars INGREDIENTS 5kg pears 4kg sugar 50g cinnamon 5 lemons

METHOD 1. Peel and dice pears. Juice lemons. Put all ingredients together and let sit until the juices come out of the pears. Bring to the boil and turn back down to a simmer until the pears are cooked. 2. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pears from the syrup and put aside for a cake. Continue to simmer the syrup until thick on a cold plate test.