Food Gardening

[wide eyed and legless]

Yes I keep sowing seed, though I have cut kale off and let it grow again but it doesn't seem to grow as vigorously as a new plant.
There is a trick you can do with leeks, when a leek has gone to flower (I have 2 in my garden now) cut off the flower head and it will throw a load of tiny leeks up, this is what a lot of the show gardeners do.
Reproducing leeks by bulbils, “pips or grass”. This is the method by which super specimens such as “show leeks” are usually grown. These show leeks are specially selected strains to produce giant leeks. You can see the principal of this method if you allow one of your leek plants to form a flower head in the second year( they are bi-annuals). Give them the following treatment, and instead of forming leek seed pods, they will form green shoots which can be planted up. It is not what you would expect to happen, but nature is very complex and surprising! Leeks produced by this method will be genetically the same as the original plant.
Allow the flower buds to form and then using small scissors, cut off all the individual buds. The leek plant then compensates for this treatment, by trying to reproduce itself by forming bulbils, pips or grass.

 

[Bribie G]

The following works quite well:

Chokos used as a substitute for Zucchini in just about everything such as ratatouille.

A bed of sliced chokos under a pork roast, become infused with flavour.

Fish soup with Basa and julienned chokos

Choko chutney

Julienned chokos in stir fries

But at the end of the day, in the words of Jeff Wayne, 1978:

The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one, they said........ but still they come.

Help, chokos are definitely from Mars. And no, don't even mention the Lebanese Eggplants. :unsure: :unsure: :unsure:

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Anyone know what these fruit are.

 

[Lincoln2]

They're Congolese Death Berries - just looking at them is fatal.

I'm not 100% sure from the pic but they look like lilly pilly - a native Australian bush tucker berry. Are they about marble size with a large-ish seed in the middle and a bitter but nice flavour? Great for jams and pies plus I like to eat them straight off the tree. Nice hedging tree and pretty hardy. They grow like weeds up here.

 

[Mardoo]

Also looks quite similar to some of the bush crab apples. Doesn't seem like we've established edibility yet though...

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Inside it is soft and sweet but lots of seeds a bit like a tiny passion fruit.

 

[Scottsrx]

Anyone know what these fruit are.

IMG_0172.jpg

My guess is a Jujube. Our local Fruit and nut guy loves them... http://www.perrysfruitnursery.com.au/over-the-fence

 

[Lincoln2]

Inside it is soft and sweet but lots of seeds a bit like a tiny passion fruit.

Not lilly pilly then.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

No not lilly pilly or Jujube, leaves are waxy and the fruit is 16 to 20 mm dia.

 

[Lincoln2]

Wheelbarrow sitting is one of my favourite things. After a hard day's work on the hoe, and planting cabbage, carrot, garlic, onion and snow peas, it's important to take a moment to reflect. Think over the day's work you've done. Plan tomorrow's chores and congratulate yourself on productivity. Note the champagne bucket to the left, it has a big chunk of ice in the bottom.

 

[Dave70]

You should include a cautionary note about a the barrows inherent instability. They're comfy, but kind of like a Reliant Robin if you get the entry / exit strategy wrong.
Nothing beats working your hoe hard all day but.

I spent a day putting the new Husky through its paces.
Kind of like gardening. In reverse.

 

[Kingy]

Been building an over engineered egg laying machine facilty/composter. To supplement the vedgy garden and work in a symbiotic relationship with the vedgie garden, spent grains and beers with chicks.
Still got a bit of work to do but its coming together.

 

[Kingy]

You should include a cautionary note about a the barrows inherent instability. They're comfy, but kind of like a Reliant Robin if you get the entry / exit strategy wrong.
Nothing beats working your hoe hard all day but.

I spent a day putting the new Husky through its paces.
Kind of like gardening. In reverse.

The only thing ruining that picture is its not a stihl.

 

[Dave70]

I'm only semi -pro..


Could have used a 24" bar though, hate sawing from one side to the other.
Always find felling large dead trees somewhat nerve racking.

 

[LiquidGold]

That fruit looks a bit like a cherry guava to me. How big is the shrub?

 

[LiquidGold]

Here's what my "veggie bed" looks like at the moment

 

[Dave70]

Hydro?
Please explain.

 

[LiquidGold]

It's part of an aquaponics setup which is similar to hydro except the fish (and bacteria) provide the nutrients. This design is known as a floating raft and uses pots with a growing medium (we're using hydroton clay balls) placed in holes drilled out of styrofoam sheets floating on the water.

At the moment it's only really suitable to vegetative crops rather than fruiting crops because of a slightly high ph and nutrient issues associated. (floating rafts are predominantly used for vegetative crops anyhow)

Here's the fish side of it. Edibles include 40 Jade Perch and ~65 Murray Cod.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

I'm only semi -pro..


Could have used a 24" bar though, hate sawing from one side to the other.
Always find felling large dead trees somewhat nerve racking.

Problem with that is it wont cut as well with the bigger bar. My old Farmboss MS310cut better with a shorter bar,

But I also had a 1973 Super250 McCulloch with .404" chain and 36" bar that my dad gave me. We cut hundredds of tons with it over the years when I was a kid


I miss that saw . It was heavy, LOUD, had to thumb pump the oil, cranky and dangerous....But I loved it. It ate hardwood like nothing else.

Bit like the YZ490's of the chainsaw world

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiTdXfVJvjI&feature=youtu.be

 

[spog]

Wheelbarrow sitting is one of my favourite things. After a hard day's work on the hoe, and planting cabbage, carrot, garlic, onion and snow peas, it's important to take a moment to reflect. Think over the day's work you've done. Plan tomorrow's chores and congratulate yourself on productivity. Note the champagne bucket to the left, it has a big chunk of ice in the bottom.

No mud on your shoes ! Photoshopped.