Red Browed Finches love a bath

Australian Red Browed Finches loving a bath after feasting on the Winter Grass we have allowed in our patch of house lawn.

Some flowers & fruits grown at the Fernmount Food Forest.

Cherimoya

Forest Pansy is said to have edible flowers

A stroll in very early Spring in the Bellinger River Valley.

Despite that it is still the first week of August it is very early Spring on the Coffs Coast. In the Fernmount Food Forest fruit trees are bursting into flower if they are receiving some northern sun.

Amaranth

 All through Winter self sown Amaranth have thrived in a sunny spot.

Dwarf White Peach

Ornamentals for early August on the Coffs Coast

Pansies

 Spring is almost here. Some peaches and plums are flowering. These ornamental plants thrive in our mild Coffs Coast winters.

Justicia aurea

Jade (Fine Leaved)

Portulacaria afra

Jade Plant

Purple Tibouchina flowers with red Acalypha leaves behind.

Bright Nasturtium with red Irisene leaves

Elegant Furcrea leaves with red Penta flowers

Baby Donkeys Ears growing in a crack.

The last small Bromeliad flower.

Edibles August 1, 2019

A few edibles found on a stroll around the food forest. Spring is almost here. Some peaches and plums are flowering.

Amarillo Chili

 Longevity Spinach is still reliable in a spot with some sun. Here Chickweed grows beneath. It is also a useful green edible.

Longevity Spinach with Chickweed below

The Yellow Passionfruit are dropping but not all are ripe.

Yellow Passionfruit

 We have a variety of citrus trees producing at the moment: Oranges, Seville Oranges, Lemons, Kumquat, Sweet Australian Limes, Mandarines, Grapefruit and Meyer Lemon.

Villa Franca Lemon

Video: A winters stroll in the Fernmount Food Forest.

A stroll in midwinter through a food forest on the border of subtropical/warm temperate NSW, Australia. This 11 year old forest has developed a canopy. Some subtropical perennial vegetables thrive under the canopy.

The actual video is less than six minutes.

Winter light is dramatic in the food forest.

Orange Browallia

Donkeys' Ears

Drone Footage of Fernmount Food Forest

This food forest/home orchard has beauty, privacy and productivity. 

Fantastic drone footage by Peter Hardinge

Add caption

Land Title aerial view with approximate boundaries

End of June, Winter 2019

Winter Sunshine

 Winter and Autumn are my two preferred times of the year on our subtropical-warm temperate coast....

...but after four days of rain and cold winds it is a delight to see some winter sunshine and blue sky. 





Some local rainfall reportedly reached 100ml.

Ripening Bananas

 The heavy rain brought down some banana trees but here are two banana bunches ripening in our shed.

Abundant Chaya Spinach Tree in our Food Forest

Our 3m high Chaya Spinach Tree

Chaya Tree Spinach (Cnidiscolus chayamansa) is a fantastic and abundant food. Chaya leaves do need some cooking preparation as do Cassava leaves and Warrigal Greens. Wikipedia states up to 5 raw leaves a day can be eaten but other sources are more cautious. Although blending and drying also seems to remove the toxic hydrocyanic acid substances, boiling for 20 minutes is recommended. The leaves survive the boiling still looking green and attractive. The broth that is left can also be consumed as the toxic substances have been destroyed by the heat.

Cooking in aluminum cookware can result in a toxic broth, causing diarrhea.^[13]