Correct storage of Fruit & Veg
Posted by Phytopath on Oct 30, 2011
When you shop for fruit and vegetables, do you bring the produce home and put it in the crisper section of the refrigerator?
I do.
Well apparently there is a correct, or optimum way to store mixed fruit and vegetables (short term), because they are not all compatible.
Much like companion planting, perhaps we could plant our vegies into beds that are the same as the compatibility groups for storage. That way, we would know to store the vegetables together that grow in the bed together. Just a thought.
Here’s how it works.
Fruit and veg are divided into five different groups according to storage temperature.
This in part, is to stop one food group tainting another with its odour.
Another important factor in short term storage is the relative humidity.
The five storage groups are:
1. Temperate fruit and veg that are not cold sensitive. Storage temperature is zero degrees Celsius.
2. Fruit and veg that are moderately cold sensitive. Storage temperature 7-10 degrees Celsius.
3. Tropical fruit and veg that are cold sensitive. Storage temperature 13 degrees Celsius.
4. Pineapple. Store at 20 degrees Celsius.
5. Un-refrigerated storage. Produce in this group include; garlic, onion, potato and nuts.
Another thing to consider with storage is Ethylene.
Ethylene gas is a hormone that plants produce.
It can hasten the ripening process of some fruit, turn broccoli yellow and cause cut flowers to die quicker than expected.
Some fruit give off a lot of ethylene (perhaps you could liken this to some people who eat a lot of beans) and some vegetables are very sensitive to ethylene. So do not store them together.
Below is a list of ethylene producing fruit for each of the groups.
Group 1. Apple, apricot, fig, kiwi fruit, nectarine, peach, pear and plum.
Group 2. Avocado, honeydew melon, guava, passionfruit, rockmelon (cantaloupe) and tomato.
Group 3. Banana, cherimoya, guava, mango, pawpaw, plantain, rambutan and mature green tomato.
Group 4. Pineapple. 
Tropical Far North Queensland
Posted by Phytopath on Aug 22, 2011
I recently went on a trip to far North Queensland.
The idea was to sample seasonal tropical fruit and find out if some of these wonderful fruiting trees would grow in my warm temperate garden.
So with fingers crossed, a friend and I headed for Cape Tribulation where there was a tropical fruit farm that had fruit tasting and farm tours.
Some of the fruit that we sampled were soursop, longan, papaya, sapodilla, custard apple, yellow sapote, black sapote, red flesh dragon fruit and pummelo.
I apologise for using the common names but most people, in Australia at least, would recognise the common names and not necessarily the botanical name of these fruit.
I had tasted some of the fruit before but many were new to my tastebuds, and what a pleasant surprise.
The yellow sapote, also known as Canistel (Pouteria campechiana) was interesting to taste. The colour and texture of the flesh was similar to a hard boiled egg so I wasn’t sure what to expect as I slid a piece into my mouth.
I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. The taste was sweet and a bit ‘earthy’ but worth going back for a second helping. The tree itself is evergreen, slender and erect to around 8 metres (in the tropics) with a very low tolerance to frost. I guess I had better forget about growing this one back home.
The Pummelo (Citrus maxima) was very impressive with its large fruit and pale pink flesh. The sk
in of the fruit is very thick and I must say, I was a little disappointed in the flavour which is very similar to grapefruit. I don’t think I will bother with this one.
Sapodilla (Achras sapota) was a fruit that I had never tried before.
The outside was somewhat furry, very similar in appearance to a kiwifruit. When cut open the flesh was a brown colour and didn’t look at all appealing. The taste however was almost orgasmic (almost).
I have a very sweet tooth and when the sapodilla passed over my taste buds it excited the sweet portion on my tongue. It taste just like cream caramel. Now, I want one of those.
The tree however has a very low frost tolerance. We are in the tropics after all.
The custard apple (Annona atemoya) I had tried before, and they are very nice. The flesh is white and soft, hence the common name of custard. This tree is semi-deciduous and grows to 7 metres. It does not need a pollinator and the tree has a moderate tolerance to frost. This one should grow at my place.
Soursop (Annona muricata) has a name that can turn a person off if they have a sweet tooth.
The fruit is almost heart shaped, green and rough to the touch with soft fleshy spines. Most books that I had read described the taste of the fruit as juicy and acid. I was not particularly looking forward to sampling this fruit.
But, in the name of ’get out of your comfort zone’, I tried some. To my taste buds the fruit was not acid at all, but rather sweet and very pleasant. Perhaps it was the particular variety that we were sampling, anyway, I thought this one might be worth having. Frost tolerance is low but there is a mountain soursop that is much hardier, tolerating temperatures down to -2 degrees celsius. I hope it tastes as good as the one I just tried.
Black Sapote (Diospyros digyna) is related to the persimmon. The fruit is green and picked when it is hard. It is then allowed to soften for three to six days. Once cut, you can see the dark brown colour of the flesh inside.
Another common name of this fruit is “Chocolate Pudding Fruit” and I kid you not, It taste like chocolate pudding. (I really want one of these). The fruit has about four times more vitamin C than oranges and is low in fat (a good reason to buy a tree). The tree itself is evergreen and grows to a height of three to six metres. It does not need a pollinator and crops very well. 
The frost tolerance of this tree is low but I don’t care – I want one.
Quick Guide to Winter Pruning of Pome & Stone Fruit Trees
Posted by Phytopath on Jul 26, 2011
Why are stone and pome fruit trees pruned in winter? Because we can easily see the structure and shape of the tree.
This makes it easier to decide which branches to remove or shorten, and which ones to leave alone.
It is not necessary to prune in winter.
You could prune your fruit trees after harvesting the fruit in summer and autumn, but the canopy of leaves may obscure your view. This may result in branches being missed that are possibly diseased.
It has also been noted by some commercial fruit tree growers, that early pruning can produce vigorous upright growth in some trees, while later pruning (late winter) appears to suppress the surge of vigorous branches.
I think you should always consider the local weather conditions before making a decision.
Some trees have strong apical dominance. Meaning the main trunk grows like a flag pole, reaching
for the sky. This is also called a central leader.
These trees should be cut back when young if you want to develop an open vase shape tree.
If you choose to constantly prune the central leader, control of apical dominance will be lost due to the number of new shoots competing for the new leader position. An increase in pruning cuts will then be required next pruning season and control of the subsequent regrowth will be lost.
They include: Apples, cherries, pears, quince, European plums and prunes.
I must include additional information at this point.
Some rootstock will have an effect on the overall shape and growth of the tree, sometimes reducing the overall height, as in the case of dwarfing rootstock.
Other trees do not have strong apical dominance and develop a more rounded shape.
Examples of these trees are: Apricot, peach, nectarine and Japanese plum.
Whatever fruit tree you are growing, it is a good idea to perform selective fruit bud removal when the bud density is too high, in an attempt to prevent alternate cropping.
One of the most important things you need to know before you make your first pruning cut is, where does the tree carry its fruit? Is it on new wood, old wood or permanent spurs?
Once you are familiar with the fruiting habits of your tree, you can then assess each individual tree in your care.
There are many different ways to prune fruit trees. Just ask a dozen different people and you will get a dozen different answers.
The most important question you should ask yourself is: why am I pruning this tree?
If the tree does not need pruning, then don’t prune it. But always look for any dead wood in the tree. Remove this first. Then look for any branches that are crossing over. This is an area for potential disease entry, so look at it, then choose one of the branches and remove it.
If you are pruning the tree to encourage fruit production remember that the tree needs its fair share of leaves as well. Photosynthesis produces sugars for the developing fruit. So do not sacrifice too many leafy branches.
Peaches and nectarines produce fruit on last season’s laterals so when pruning make the cut at a triple bud. Last season’s fruiting laterals should be cut back to the basal leaf buds.
Apricots. I personally do not believe in pruning apricot trees. If you never prune them, growth appears to be slowed down but once you start to prune an apricot tree, you’re then bound to continue pruning because of the vigorous regrowth.
Japanese plums produce flower buds on last season’s laterals and short spurs on older wood. Prune to shorten the older laterals and thin out the spurs.
European plum trees develop permanent spurs on two year old laterals. Prune long laterals to half their length.
Pruning apple trees can be a complex exercise because different varieties have different fruiting habits. Some trees bear mostly on laterals (Jonathan apples) so shorten these by about half their length.
Other apple varieties produce fruit on spurs (Granny Smith). Thin out congested spurs and shorten or remove strong laterals. Keep the shorter laterals for future spur development.
Pear trees are pruned similar to apple trees. Thin out old spur clusters, cut back strong laterals and keep the short ones.
Always sterilise your pruning equipment and make sure your implements are sharp.
If you are not sure how to prune your fruit trees, there are many good books available with step-by-step diagrams.
Liqueured Fruit
Posted by Phytopath on Jan 29, 2011
In the Southern Hemisphere we are in the middle of stone fruit harvesting.
Apricots, plums, nectarines, peaches: you can only eat so much fresh fruit before diarrhoea sets in.
You could always make jam, but if you’re anything like me, I don’t eat that much jam.
So you give it away.
How about liqueuring some fruit?
It is easy to do. Yummy to eat and makes a wonderful gift.
Many fruits, other than stone fruit, can also be liqueured.
Try grapes, apples, kumquats, figs, strawberries and pineapples.
Once you have several jars of liqueured fruit in the pantry, you will have ready access to instant desserts.
Serve with ice-cream, cream, yoghurt or custard.
Equipment needed to start liqueuring fruit is as follows:-
• Fresh fruit, in season
• Sterilized glass jars or containers
• Sugar
• Labels
• Alcohol
Once you have sterilized the containers, fill them with your chosen fruit, and then add sugar and alcohol.
Leave a gap of about 2-3cm at the top of the container (i.e. do not fill to the top), to get a better seal.
Label the jars with the date and the name of the fruit and alcohol.
Each day, turn the jar upside down and then back up the right way, to disperse the sugar which would have settled to the bottom of the jar.
Do this for two weeks until the sugar has dissolved.
Leave the jars or containers in a cool dark place for four weeks (if you can) before opening.
If prepared correctly, the liqueured fruit should last around 12 months, if it hasn’t all been eaten.
Once the fruit has been eaten, the remaining liquid can be drunk as a fruit liqueur or reduced and thickened to make a delightful sauce.
The sauce should also keep for twelve months.
Apricots in Brandy
1 cup firm apricots
1 cup sugar
Brandy – enough to cover fruit
Sterilized clip-top jar
Wash, dry and prick each apricot with a sterile needle about six times. Loosely pack the jar with apricots and sprinkle the sugar over the top. Cover with brandy, leaving a small gap at the top.
Label and store, remembering to shake the jar once per day. The apricots will be ready to eat in about two months.
Peaches in Brandy
1 kg peaches
2 cups sugar
2 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
Brandy
1 large sterilized clip-top jar
The method is the same as above for apricots but add the spices to the jar with the peaches.
Cherries in Kirsch
1 kg cherries
1 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise (optional)
Kirsch
1 large sterilized clip-top jar
Wash and dry cherries, then prick each one about six times with a sterile needle. Layer the fruit and sugar in the jar, placing cinnamon stick and star anise about half way down. Cover with kirsch, leaving a small gap at the top and clip securely. Label and store, remembering to shake the jar daily for two to three months.
Growing Kiwifruit
Posted by Phytopath on Apr 14, 2010
Kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) is also known as Chinese gooseberry.
It is a deciduous vine that originates from the Yangtze Valley of China.
In Australia, home gardeners commonly grow this vine over a pergola. It can reach quite a substantial size and needs about 6 to 8 metres of trellis space, so make sure the support is strong and secure, and large enough to accommodate two plants.
The vine will take three or four years to bear fruit but will continue to produce fruit for 20 to 40 years. Hence the strong support. You wouldn’t want your support to rust or rot after about 10 years and have the whole lot come crashing down.
There are separate male and female plants (this is called dioecious) so you will need one of each to produce fruit. If you are considering growing kiwifruit for large fruit production, one male plant will be sufficient to fertilize up to 8 female vines.
If the plants are not in flower, there is no way of knowing if the plant is male or female. You will need to take the nursery’s word for it. Or if you know someone who already has a male and a female plant, cuttings can be taken from late spring until early autumn. Bottom heat and misting will help the cuttings to root quicker.
Kiwifruit prefer to grow in a mild climate. If they are grown in very hot climates, the yield will be reduced and if they experience heavy frosts in spring, the young shoots and flowers may be damaged, again leading to reduced yields. If you can grow passionfruit, you will most likely be able to grow kiwifruit.
Give the vines a warm protected position away from damaging winds. The soft shoots are brittle and prone to wind damage.
The preferred soil for growing kiwifruit is a friable sandy loam with good drainage and a pH around neutral, but a slight variation in pH either direction (acid or alkaline) is ok.
Dig plenty of organic matter into the soil prior to planting to help improve the soil structure.
Most vines are planted in winter when they are dormant but potted or bagged plants can be planted any time of the year with a little extra care.
Space the vines 6 to 8 metres apart and do not fertilize until growth resumes in spring.
If erecting a trellis specifically for kiwifruit, have the uprights about 1.8 m (6’) high and space the wires 40cm to 60cm apart.
Start training the young vine as soon as growth begins. Select the strongest shoot, which will become the main trunk, and remove side shoots as they appear. If growing conditions have been good, this main shoot should reach the top of the trellis (1.8m) by the end of the first growing season.
At the start of the next growing season, train the shoot horizontally along the trellis, either left or right. Allow another side shoot to develop near the top but in the opposite direction to the existing shoot. Now you should have two arms, one to the left and one to the right.
Side shoots that develop from the arms can be trained across the top of the structure (like a roof) but prune out any growth that is rubbing or crossing over another shoot.
Once the vine is mature or bearing fruit, pruning is best carried out in winter after harvesting the fruit. If the pruning is left too late the cuts will bleed. Fruiting laterals are pruned to the second bud past the previous season’s fruiting buds.
Male plants are usually pruned in summer to encourage fresh new growth that will bear flowers the following season.
Kiwifruit are heavy feeders and will need to be fertilized regularly, usually spring and summer.
They also have a shallow fibrous root system so regular watering is essential. Do not let the roots dry out. Mulch will help to protect the soil and shallow roots, but keep the mulch at least 20cm away from the base of the vine as it is susceptible to collar rot.
The good news is, kiwifruit seldom suffer from pest or disease problems.
The fruit is oval shaped and slightly larger than a passionfruit with a brown fuzz coating. They are easily peeled and can be eaten fresh or used in jams, chutneys or my favourite – on top of Pavlova.
The fruit normally ripens late autumn or early winter, depending on location and if left on the vine the fruit will begin to soften. If you anticipate storing the fruit for a lengthy spell, then pick the fruit before it becomes soft but when it is mature, around late autumn.
But why store it? It’s so yummy you just want to dig right in and eat them straight off the vine (after peeling of course).
So, why the name kiwifruit? New Zealand horticulturists further developed the Chinese gooseberry to produce a range of varieties with larger fruit, less vigour (less pruning) and heavy yielding. Most kiwifruit sold in Australia are imported from New Zealand.
Growing Citrus in the home garden
Posted by Phytopath on Apr 5, 2010
Sad citrus
With a variety of citrus growing in the garden, there can be a supply of fruit for most of the year.
The main types of citrus grown are: – oranges, lemons, mandarins, grapefruit and limes, but of course there are many more.
Citrus purchased from garden centres have been budded onto approved rootstock.
Usually, the choice of rootstock will reflect where the citrus tree is to be grown.
If you live in an area with heavy clay soil, the rootstock will be different to those recommended for sandy soil.
Choosing the correct site to plant a citrus tree is important. For example, avoid planting one in a lawn because the shallow roots of the citrus cannot compete very well with the turf grasses.
Allow ample room for growth. The mature tree will need about four metres diameter (this is a generalisation, as individual trees and rootstocks may differ) and approximately six metres in height.
Young trees will need protection from prevailing winds and severe frost. They are sub-tropical trees and thrive best in areas of high rainfall and sunny conditions.
Citrus prefer to grow in deep well drained soil of medium to sandy texture. If your soil is not like that, choose a citrus that has been grafted onto a rootstock that will withstand heavy clay soil (if that’s what you have).
Planting the tree in the centre of a mound approximately 30 cm (12”) high and 2 metres across will help to improve the drainage and avoid water logging in heavy soils.
Plant the tree at the same depth as it was planted in the pot with the strongest roots facing the prevailing wind. Firm the soil around the roots and water well.
Do not bury the bud union and avoid planting in hot weather. The best time to plant citrus is spring or autumn in frost free areas or late spring in frost risk areas.
Your newly planted trees should be kept moist and if summer temperatures are high, the irrigation frequency may need to be increased.
The average mature tree will need about 70 to 100 litres of water a day during summer, depending on soil type.
Mulching the citrus tree will help to protect its surface feeding roots. Use a layer of mulch about 10 cm – 15 cm (4”-6”) deep, depending on material used, and keep it at least 10 cm (4”) away from the trunk of the tree so as not to encourage collar rot. Lemons are particularly susceptible.
Minimal pruning is required but remove any obvious dead wood.
Once the tree has developed its own shape, you can ‘skirt’ or prune up to 40 cm from the ground to help with air flow and ventilation. This is a precaution against fungal diseases.
The most common diseases or problems with citrus are collar rot, scale insects, sooty mould, fruit drop and yellowing leaves.
With collar rot, the bark above the ground will split longitudinally. Initially the infected areas look water soaked but soon become dark brown and then the bark lifts from the wood as it dries. The first signs of collar rot are yellowing of the leaves with leaf and fruit drop.
Scale can be found on the leaves, twigs, branches and stems. It is a small insect that lives beneath a protective scale, sort of like its own little house. These can be removed manually if the infestation is small or a spray of white oil can be used as long as the temperature is mild.
Sooty mould looks like the name suggests – soot. It can occur on leaves branches and fruit and is usually associated with ants. When treating the tree for aphids or white fly, the usual cause of sooty mould, also treat the ants because they ‘harvest’ the aphids and move them to nearby plants.
Fruit drop can occur if the tree is carrying too much fruit or it can occur due to poor soil drainage, fertilizer burn or irregular watering.
Yellowing of leaves often occurs in areas where the soil is alkaline or where certain minerals are unavailable or deficient.
Zinc deficiency appears as yellowing of the edges of leaves and between the veins of the leaves.
Manganese deficiency appears as blotchy yellowing all over the leaf
Iron deficiency appears as yellowing between the veins but the veins themselves stay green. There is usually an association with limestone or high pH with iron deficiency.
Potassium in the soil can affect the uptake of these mineral nutrients, so they are frequently applied as a foliar fertilizer.
It all sounds as if it is too much effort but just imagine those freshly picked oranges, lemons and mandarins, – yum
Carob
Posted by Phytopath on Mar 24, 2010
Female flowers
Also known as St. John’s bread, but the botanical name Ceratonia siliqua L., derives from Greek keras, horn and Latin siliqua, alluding to the hardness and shape of the pod.
The carob is an evergreen, long lived, medium sized tree, growing to about ten metres high and wide. It is densely branched making it an ideal shade tree and it suffers little from pest and disease problems.
The tree is relatively slow growing, reaching about seven metres in ten years in my climate. The carob is thought to be native to the Eastern Mediterranean region and it grows well in all countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
The carob tree has similar temperature requirements to that of citrus but demands much less water, it is more tender than the olive and its rooting habit is similar to pistachio, meaning the root system is extensive and penetrates deeply into the soil, reportedly up to 20 metres [wow].
Soil requirements for good growth are well drained deep sandy loams but the tree will grow in other soil types as long as they are not waterlogged. Soil type will affect tree size and productivity.
The main growth periods are spring and autumn with growth slowing down once the temperature falls below 10 °C but if the tree is grown in favourable warm conditions, growth does not slow down.
The carob tree is a xerophyte meaning it can survive in very dry climates with an annual rainfall of 250 mm per year. Of course bean production will increase if the rainfall is around 500 mm per annum, or if the tree is irrigated.
Ceratonia siliqua is in the Legume family (same as peas & beans) but interestingly does not nodulate and therefore is unable to fix nitrogen like other legumes. There is however, an association with a mycorrhizal fungi, which can improve general nutrition levels to the tree.
Carob is dioecious with some hermaphroditic forms, meaning that male and female flowers occur on separate trees (just like kiwi fruit). So if you want a good crop of beans you will need a male and a female tree, although there are some hermaphrodite varieties available.
Areas suitable for planting carob would have cool but not cold winters (trees are damaged when temperatures fall below 4°C), mild to warm springs and warm to hot dry summers (sounds like my place). These climatic conditions would occur in areas of the northern hemisphere between latitudes 30° to 45° and in the southern hemisphere between 30° and 40°.
Winter chilling is not required for fruit set but temperatures above 9°C for 5000 to 6000 hours are needed for the pods to ripen. Rain in autumn can also interfere with pollination and have an adverse affect on fruit set. The pods ripen in autumn and are harvested shortly after. Top yielding commercial trees can produce 1 tonne of beans.
Pods (without the seed) can be eaten fresh or ground into a powder after drying. They are an excellent source of dietary fibre (supposedly as much as wheat bran) and pectin, a beneficial fibre that helps the elimination of toxins. The pods also contain many of the B group vitamins as well as minerals, especially calcium. Some sources quote “twice as much calcium as whole milk”.
The carob flour can be used to flavour confectionary, yoghurt, cereals and coffee. It is naturally sweet and prized as a health food. If stored in a cool, dry, dark place, the flour will keep for up to one year.
The seeds (not the pods) are very hard and uniform in weight. All pods weigh almost exactly one carat each (200 mg) which is still the standard measure for gold and precious stones.
More Bush Tucker…
Posted by Phytopath on Mar 4, 2010
The Australian continent is vast and because of this, the climate is also vast.
The northern regions of Australia experience tropical conditions, then heading south you pass through desert until finally at the southern portion of the continent (the island of Tasmania) you will find cool temperate conditions.
Because of this vastness, there is a huge variety of plants that Australians call ‘Bush Tucker’.
From tropical fruit and tubers, to desert seeds and temperate greens. Today I will cover a plant from each region.
Lilly Pilly Flowers
Syzygium spp. and Acmena spp. known collectively as Lilly Pillies. There are over 50 species of Lilly Pilly in Australia and all of them have edible fruit. They range in height from 30 m in their rainforest habitat, to about 50 cm for a miniature garden variety. They are found growing along watercourses so if you wish to grow one in your garden, make sure it has plenty of water in the growing season. The tree is covered with white fluffy flowers over the summer months and then followed by berries that are purple, red, pink or white, depending on variety. These berries can be eaten fresh, made into cordial, jam or jellies. Yummy. A word of warning – do not park your clean white car beneath a Lilly Pilly when it is in fruit. You will be hard pressed to get the stains out.
Lilly Pilly Jelly
Lilly Pilly fruit
Sugar
Tartaric acid
Water
Wash the fruit and remove stalks. Place in saucepan and just cover with water and bring to the boil. Cook until the fruit is tender then strain through a jelly bag overnight. Next day measure the liquid and add one cup of sugar for every cup of liquid and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly until setting point is reached (test this by placing some liquid on a cold saucer).Tartaric acid will help the liquid to set. Add one teaspoon per six cups of liquid. Bottle in sterilized jars and enjoy.
Portulaca
Portulaca oleracea, some of its common names are pigweed, purslane and munyeroo. Pigweed can be found worldwide, mostly as a garden or farm weed. Early European explorers to Australia ate it almost daily commenting that it was a substitute for spinach and uncooked, taste like lettuce (I am sure they had serious problems with their taste buds – or perhaps spinach and lettuce have improved in taste since then). Aborigines used the seed, which is 18-20% protein, to make ‘cakes’ which were then traded among the clans. The seeds were collected by placing the uprooted plant, upside down on a piece of kangaroo skin or bark. The seed was then ground between flat stones into a type of flour, then made into a paste and cooked. The thick root was also eaten, apparently having a taste similar to potato.
Tasmannia lanceolata or Mountain Pepper is a cool temperate tree found in moist gullies. All parts of this plant have a hot and spicy flavour but it is the berries that are mainly used as a condiment. The berries are dried then ground and sprinkled over food much the same way as white or black pepper (Piper nigrum) is used, but apparently the heat of Mountain Pepper is stronger and more aromatic. The tree is quite small, only three metres high with a spread of about two metres. The leaves can be harvested all year and the berries harvested in autumn from female trees. Add whole leaves to casseroles or stews but only near the end of the cooking time and remove before serving. The leaves can also be dried and stored in an airtight container. Now I would love to place a photo of Mountain Pepper here for you but I have tried to grow it several times in my garden but as soon as the hot weather of summer arrives, they turn their toes up and die. I have tried three plants over three years but have now decided to give up. I will buy the leaves or berries from the specialty shop instead.
Bush Tucker
Posted by Phytopath on Mar 2, 2010
Australian bush foods hold the interest of many visitors and locals alike.
Some have become known worldwide, like the Macadamia nut for example, others just remain an oddity. I will briefly list a few of the more commonly found bush foods – common that is, in gardens.
Silky Oak
Grevillea robusta, common name Silky Oak, is a stately rainforest tree grown in many parts of the Australian continent as an ornamental. The Aborigines soaked the nectar filled flowers in water to make a sweet drink. This tree has one of the richest sources of nectar.
Tea Tree
Leptospermum spp. known locally as tea-tree. These shrubs were used as a tea substitute by botanist David Nelson and gardener William Brown of the HMS Bounty in 1788. They are beautiful plants commonly grown in many gardens for the profusion of white flowers.
Muntries
Kunzea pomifera, or Muntries to the locals. This unattractive ground cover is often found in coastal sand dunes or dry sandy desert areas. The plant fruits best in alkaline well-drained sandy soil. The fruit, a fleshy edible capsule, looks smells and tastes like a miniature apple. The berries can be eaten fresh, on their own, or in a fruit salad, or dried or frozen for later use. They are very nice stewed or made into jam. The Aboriginal people of the Coorong in South Australia dried the fruit and then pounded them into cakes for trading among the clans. Today Muntries are grown commercially in plantations.
Ruby Saltbush
Enchylaena tomentosa, common name, Ruby Saltbush. Many people consider this plant to be an annoying weed. It is a spreading groundcover with greyish coloured leaves and is found in arid regions and coastal locations. The plant is well adapted to saline soils. The fleshy leaves can be boiled and eaten as a vegetable and in the MacDonnell Ranges; the fruit were soaked in water to make a sweet tasting tea.
Nardoo
Marsilea drummondii, known as Nardoo. The leaves look somewhat like a four leaf clover but the plant is actually a fern. It is found in colonies on river flats and in swamps. When the plant is grown submerged in water, the leaves float, but when grown in the soil, the leaves and stalks stand upright. Nardoo is the infamous plant known in Australia as the food which Burke & Wills ate, when they starved to death.
Avocado
Posted by Phytopath on Feb 22, 2010
When I was younger I had the misfortune of being served avocado at a Christmas function. My reaction at the time was that the taste and texture was somewhat like soap.
Being at a flashy pub and in ‘important’ company, I couldn’t just spit it back out of my mouth and onto the plate, so I swallowed the mucky stuff with an agonizing look on my face. But here we are many, many years later and I was served a guacamole dip at a function. Well what do you know. I actually liked it. Perhaps it was the crackers that accompanied it.
Anyway, I now have an avocado tree growing because I have developed a taste for the fruit.
Avocado (Persea americana syn P. gratissima) is a member of the Lauraceae family.
It is native to central and south America in the tropical latitudes.
There are three main groups – Guatemalan, West Indian and Mexican.
The Guatemalan varieties are from tropical highlands and can cope with a light frost. Their fruit has a thick rough skin.
The West Indian varieties (not from West India) are from tropical lowlands of central America and are very cold sensitive. The fruit from this group has smooth leathery skins and the lowest oil content.
The Mexican avocado tree’s leaves have a distinct aniseed aroma and the fruit is small with thin skin and the highest oil content of the three varieties.
The tree is evergreen and small to medium in size (6-15m) for grafted varieties but seedling grown trees can reach a whopping 30m.
They need very well drained soil (they are susceptible to root rot),rich in humus with a pH neutral to slightly acid. Their requirements are similar to growing citrus.
Of utmost importance is protection from strong winds, hot or cold. They have brittle limbs and a shallow root system.
Because of their shallow root system it is very beneficial to mulch heavily in hot climates. They are also not drought tolerant so water must be given freely during summer.
While the plants are young they will also need protection in regions with hot summers, from direct sun and afternoon sun. Also plant them with the graft side facing away from the sun.
Try not to damage the roots when planting out and after planting care should exclude any cultivation near the root system.
Grow them in a frost free area if possible or on a north facing wall in the southern hemisphere or a south facing wall in the northern hemisphere if you are in a cold area. The best varieties for colder areas are Mexican and Guatemalan cross. Pull any mulch away over winter, otherwise it will increase the incidence of frost damage to the leaves of young trees.
Avocado trees can be pruned to keep them small and keep the fruit at a better picking height. Remember the brittle branches? That means it’s not safe to climb the tree for the fruit.
With a young tree, prune it at 2 metres in height to encourage lateral branching (and easy picking).
Varieties and hybrids differ in their size and shape with Hass (Guatemalan) growing tall and Fuerte (hybrid Mexican x Guatemalan) having a straggly spreading habit.
Grafted trees commence bearing in about four to five years while seedlings may take nine years. Some seedlings also require a pollinator and you can never be sure what the tree will look like or what the fruit will taste like.
The fruit does not start to soften until it is picked from the tree and you can leave some of the fruit hanging there until you need it.
Avocado fruit is very nutritious, containing 14 vitamins including A, B1, B2 and C, and 11 minerals including potassium. The fruit is also 2.1% protein.
They are very easy to grow from seed but make sure the seed is fresh as viability is short. Remove the outer tunic, keep the seed moist and in a humid micro-climate an voila, an avocado tree. The seedling can then be grown on or used as rootstock for a named variety. The scion (top part of a grafted tree) can be grafted using whip, whip & tongue, cleft or side graft.
Give it a try and let me know how you go.
