Eating Queensland Arrowroot

In Spring 2014 I planted out two Queensland Arrowroot (Canna edulis) rhizomes. Since then they've grown prolifically so yesterday I dug up and sampled some of the goods!

I harvested some of the smaller rhizomes as they are said to be less fibrous than the more mature ones. I peeled, chopped and boiled them for 25 minutes. The result was a pleasant, earthy tasting carb. I roasted the remaining pieces in olive oil with a sprinkling of garlic salt. Very tasty (if a little chewy in places). 

I've read that the leaves are edible and nutritious (containing 10% protein) so I chopped some up and boiled them... The results were underwhelming. Very stringy and fibrous. Think I'll save the leaves for the chickens and for mulch.

Given this plant is super easy to grow, attractive, a good chop and drop plant plus the bulbs are quite tasty, it's definitely a plant I'll continue to grow. Fingers crossed it survives the winter (might bring a few rhizomes inside as insurance)!

Purple Congo Potatoes and Brassica Plantings

Yesterday I dug up the last of my potato crops. The result is 5.5kg of weird looking (as in purple dog poo weird) purple congo potatoes from planting 500g of seed potato. This year most of my potatoes were pretty badly affected by caterpillars not to mention a malfunctioning watering system when we went on holidays. The most resilient and resistant variety by far were these purple congo. While the others wilted and drooped, these purple wonders just sent out yet more shoots and more flowers. They're definitely something I'll want to grow again (unless they taste awful!). Although from what I've heard about their weedy tendencies, it will be impossible not to re-grow them!

The cream of the crop have been allowed to dry and have been boxed up ready for storing under our house where it's nice and cool. The others that are a bit dinted or eaten in places have been washed and dried and will be kept in the kitchen for using first (below). I can't wait to start using them! From what I've read, they're fantastic in gnocchi, boiled or mashed but are not so good roasted. I think some cooking experiments are in order!

I've also started sowing and growing my brassica seedlings for winter harvesting. Here they are carefully covered with horticultural fleece to protect from the hoards of hungry white cabbage moths and harsh summer sun. So far I've planted punnets of romenesco broccoli, January king cabbage, mini cauliflower, Long Island brussel sprout, Chou Moullier kale, green Macerata cauliflower, savoy cabbage and mini wongbok.

Are you harvesting and planning for the winter?

13.6kg of Plums in Just Three Jars!

How do you make 13.6kgs of plums fit in 3 jars? Suck all the moisture out of them of course! I've been using my favourite new toy, a 9 tray dehydrator, to leatherise the plums my lovely brother gave me. There would have been 4 jars if they weren't so darn tasty! 

After a little tweaking (but definitely no twerking), and one very sub-par batch I think I've got it all figured out. I've been removing the pips and putting the plums in a pot over low heat, with a squeeze of lemon and a trickle of rice malt syrup then letting them cook until they're beginning to fall apart. I then blitz them up with a stick blender until smooth, smear over baking paper (nice and thick) then bung in the dehydrator until they're pliable and leathery. Mine take about 18 hours on medium heat. 

The first batch I made I didn't cook the plums, just blended them up, smeared and dehydrated. Fail. They were brown, ugly, stiff and tart enough to make your lips pucker. The plums were probably a bit under-ripe which wouldn't have helped. The latest batches are shiny, deeply coloured and a joy to eat- still tart but definitely in a good way now. 

This last photo is not plum related in the slightest but I was caught by the beauty of all the various colours, shapes and sizes of seeds sitting in bowls waiting to be soaked and later filled into the sprout trays...

Tell me, if you like, what interesting things are growing, cooking and eating?

Abundant Tomatoes and Missing Zucchinis

It's been a while between posts... I could blame a new business and a new horse. BUT! It's a new year and with new years come new goals, and mine is to blog about my garden and all things related once a week.

I've just come inside from happily wandering around the garden watering and picking as I go. Our many tomato plants are flourishing and ripening. Tonight I picked handfuls of Black Cherry, Green Grape, Tigerella, Jaune Flamm and Garden Peach tomatoes. They've been extra pampered this season as I've been slipping little mesh bags over ripening fruit to protect them from tomato grubs.

All is not entirely as it should be though. One veg that has been decidedly sluggish this season is the zucchini. They're normally ready for picking well before Christmas but I have only just picked my first one two days ago after hand fertilising some flowers (not something I've ever had to do before). The plants have plenty of flowers but the tiny fruits just seem to drop off. I've hardly seen any bees lately whereas they were prolific in spring. Is that the problem? I've got plenty to entice them. Marigolds, broccoli and kale flowers, poppies and violas abound but where are the bees? Perhaps it's time to get my own hive...

So tell me, do you have zucchinis coming out your ears or are yours slow to perform this year too?

Hope you and your plants are enjoying our relatively mild summer!

Early October Wonder

I was wandering around the garden this morning and felt so happy and amazed at the amount of life and vibrancy surrounding me. There was a background buzz of honey bees collecting pollen, butterflies flitting around and I noticed new sprouts everywhere.

The bees were particularly enjoying this echium plant and the kale plants that have gone to flower.

Plenty of cuttings have proven successful and are happily sprouting away, like this smoke bush cutting.

And these black mulberry tree cuttings. (It's going to be fun trying to fit 20 mulberry trees in my suburban backyard!)

I'm very excited that all my blueberry cuttings are going strong. This one is even trying to flower!

The parent blueberries are looking lovely too and putting on lots of delicate bell flowers.

The tomato plants are going through some serious growth spurts and I've had to take the horticultural fleece off some before the plants burst through the top.

This Black Russian tomato wins the prize for first to flower. Fingers crossed I get get ripe tomatoes by Christmas!

Oca tubers have begun to put out foliage. And no, it is not a weed.

One pineapple guava is getting ready to put on a show of lovely red and white flowers.

This red currant plant is laden with fruit, amazing as I only planted it a couple of months ago.

Lastly, my ever generous black mulberry tree is putting on fruit.

What's amazing you in your garden lately?

Cauliflower Fail

I have real problems growing a cauliflower with good, firm, white curds and this season is no exception. Check out this spaced out specimen...

Cauliflower continues to perplex me. These plants were grown in the same bed as broccoli and the broccoli has produced amazingly well. Heaps of nice little heads and months of sides shoots. The cauli on the other hand, looked all nice and white and compact until it was the size of a toddlers fist, at which point I gently folded over a few leaves to blanch the head. All went well for a week or so then WHAM bits of green and yellow cauliflower started shooting and curling up randomly.

So what could be the problem? Soil consistently moist? Check! Soil full of organic matter such as compost and manure? Check! Fortnightly applications of seaweed solution or weed tea? Check! I've babied these bludgers! Luckily the distorted, yellowed florets still taste yummy, as do the succulent leaves.

I don't know which variety these cauliflowers were as they were purchased as some unmarked seedlings from a local market. Next season I might see if I have more luck with the purple variety  'Violet Sicilian' or stick to the 'Romanesco' broccoli that is very cauliflower-like and is much easier to grow.

Anyone else having similar problems? Anyone super successful and willing to pass on their growing wisdom?

What's Wattle Fencing?

I've been busily weaving wattle fences around plants in the garden using the last of the winter prunings (mainly from 2 very straggly snowball trees). I hope that these low fences will protect plants from wandering nieces, nephews and dog feet!

Wattle fence holding back soil and protecting a young apricot tree, strawberry runners and red currant cuttings.

These 2 little fences are protecting 2 tiny caper bushes that are just beginning to re-sprout after feigning death.

If you're interested in starting your own weaving project this is a great segment from Gardening Australia that should help you on your way.