A tropical low is not unusual and welcomed.

We have had showers over two days and now seven hours of continuous heavy rain. We expect more rain. Parts of the district have had over 100ml. Our landscaping copes well with such rainfall events. Our sloping acre of food forest loves the rain and the warm days that follow.

Food Forest: Heavy rain but our landscaping copes well.

The amount of protein and minerals in food will be reduced by global warming: Science

...even if we grow our own...

#foodforests #growyourown #globalwarming

I just discovered more ways to use coffee cherries

Drying coffee beans at home

We have ten coffee bushes and I have just picked a bucket of coffee cherries. The flesh is now deseeded of beans and chucked in the worm farm. I wondered if the cherry flesh could be used for jam and discovered a whole new use for the coffee husks/flesh.

 

November, more and more productive

Nectarine

 I massacred a Nectarine tree to reduce the size and the few fruit produced this season are now larger.

Cherry of the Rio Grande

Early November: Pretty and Productive

Jaboticaba fruit.

One of the Jaboticaba is covered in sweet fruit. This was the result of only a minutes picking. We can grow subtropical fruits you won't see in a shop, the fruits being too tender to withstand commercial processing.

Hippeastrum

 These species Hippeastrums hold a bank tight and all pop into flower at once. Soon the Agapanthus will add their blue to the floral mix. The flowers, green fruit and large leaves of a Tamarillo hang over the Hippies. They will provide numerous tomato-like sweet fruit.

Hybrid Hippeastrums

After four years, what do you get when you cross a red and a white Hippeastrum?  A real mix of colours. 

Dwarf Bougainvillea and yellow Coreopsis

The front garden just keeps looking better and better as the heat takes hold in this 'warm temperate', southern hemisphere, climate.

Chaya Spinach Tree

Chaya Spinach Tree

Chaya Spinach Tree provides a constant source of greens but make sure you cook the Chaya for at least 20 minutes to remove toxic components.

Pics in Mid Spring

Mowing the paths always lifts the spirits. The transformation is stunning and the paths grow more enticing. The Large Tibouchina Tree on the left (Tibouchina Mutabilis 'Noelene') is almost in flower in its shades of mauve. A mulberry, pruned for easy access overhangs the path.

 

Mid Spring Flowers

Salvias and Walking Iris are not to be despised. Easy care and self renewing and loved by insect controlling birds. Carol had fun taking these picks.

Early Spring at the Fernmount Food Forest

Three pics only of early Spring garden happenings.

Black Mulberry

Mid winter growth on a sunny north facing slope

Fijian Taro

Our Food Forest in Midwinter

A walk around the food forest in the bright, midwinter (late July) sun is always interesting. Citrus are providing buckets of fruit. The odd Custard Apple still hangs on and we collect the pumpkins before the bush rats can attack them. As far as our plants are concerned Spring is almost here and the peaches are coming into flower.

Pumpkin in tree

Recipe: Bunya Nut Cake

Our local Seed Savers group provided this recipe to utilise Bunya Nuts from the Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii - Wikipedia).

 

 

A few mid winter edibles that provide even when neglected.

 After a six week absence we returned home in mid-winter to see these four vegetables flourishing and providing. With no actual frosts, despite the sometimes near zero temperatures, and watered by only a few showers of rain these green vegetables in raised beds just continue to thrive. Despite the benign neglect this glut of greens could feed a large family and will provide smoothies and greens for stir-fries for months. No person need be without a green vegetables if they have a couple of square metres of land or a balcony that will hold a few pots.

Gold Passionfruit

Mid-winter colour, Japanese Maples and Acalyphas

Acalyphas provide all year round colour in our warm temperate/subtropical garden.

Japanese Maple

Early Autumn at The Fernmount Food Forest

The days in May (our Autumn) are rapidly growing shorter but there is still plenty of activity in our food forest.

Sea Grape

Green Banana Cakes

Green Banana Cakes
 

Oven baked green banana savoury cake

• Boil and mash sufficient green bananas (or plantains) to replace the meat in a traditional rissole recipe.

• Blend with plain flour (wholemeal, half wholemeal is preferred), an egg if you like, crushed nuts, finely chopped vegetables, seasonings (cumin works well) and herbs of your choice until you have a mix that can be shaped into small rissoles.

• Fry in a frypan using coconut or olive oil or bake in the oven to avoid oils. These little savoury cakes go well to nibble with pumpkin soup or serve with a savoury sauce.

Midsummer in the Fernmount Food Forest

Temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsious have burnt off a few leaves but generally the plants are growing strongly.

Our three year old, perennial capsicum, a capsicum with a bite, provides sufficient chili flavour for our meals.

Perennial Capsicum