Another Midsummer post in the hottest of weather in mid north coast NSW

Even in the hottest of midsummer with heatwaves pounding Australia we have produce available and an exciting garden to explore. We only aim to produce a variety of food for our family, hence we plant a number of fruit and nut tree varieties; or we plant the same tree variety in different locations on our acre to create different ripening times. 

So you will not see a row of custard apples but you will see a custard apples planted on the high side, the low side, in shade and in sun. In addition to planting location variability is the variability of the plants themselves, being seed grown they have slight genetic differences.

Perennial Capsicum with a bite

Midsummer Produce from the food forest and garden

Sweetleaf or Katuk

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