This looks like a very interesting forum, and I am sure that I will learn a lot. I stumbled upon this site the other day when I was checking on the safety of the white mould on the first batch of Bresaola I have made. (as I thought/hoped, it was fine)
I live in Launceston, Tasmania and my food interests include many things discussed here - I grow as many of our own fruit and veg that I can (small-ish backyard) and process/preserve them to keep throughout the off-seasons, I have had a couple of goes (at christmas times) at curing and smoking hams, but the smoking has only been on an ad-hoc basis on the barbie.
I have recently bought a temperature controlled electric smoking cabinet. So far it has only been used to smoke some chicken breasts, whole chooks, a few goose breasts (yummo!) and tomatoes. Smoking of sea salt didn't work as well as I thought it might. So, many an opportunity to play around with the smoker, making bacon, hams, etc. I will no doubt use knowledge and experience of members here. I have plenty to learn about brining.
I have done the odd fish curing over the years - gravalax, ceviche, hot-smoked, even had a couple of (semi-successful) cold-smoked salmon. But these days it is a matter of access to quality fish and, will the family (3 young daughters) eat it?
I have had the odd dabble in small-goods making - cured pork sausages years ago, and I used to regularly make biltong (I still think mine is better than the many types I tried during a year in South Africa), but would like to take this a bit further. Even down to salami making.
Along the same lines as with cheesemaking. I have made a few fresh cheeses in the past, but will be having a go at a couple of fermented ones in the near future, having bought a small wine fridge recently so I can control the temp during maturation.
So, lots to learn and read up on - I am expecting big things from this site.......
There is a wealth of information and plenty of help to be had on this site. I think you are our first member from Tasmania.