Saturday January 14th soiree with John & Carol in the leafy Fernmount Food Forest

Seedsavers on the upper path in the Fernmount Food Forest

A heavy but short southerly change and shower dropped the temperature from the 40 plus temperatures we had been sheltering from most of the day and made the

Fernmount Food Forest

garden walk much more pleasant.


The Cherimoya and Rollinia (flowering) were of interest as were the flowering and fruiting Carambolas. (Try Sweet and Spicy Carambola Chips)

We gathered for a quick stroll through the food forest then enjoyed a presentation on edible perennials - some surprises there. A Longevity Spinach (Gynura procumbens) cousin of the Okinawan spinach flourishes in the Bellingen climate.

Then we shared a supper till late. Elaine's herbal punch (lemon myrtle and lemon verbena tea base) was popular.

Noticed on the sharing table: tamarillos, Giant Russian garlic, eggplant seedlings, seeds of mustard, celery, bunching shallot and cuttings of Okinawa and Surinam spinach.

Tamarillo

Tamarillo cake (substituting tamarillos for plums in a recipe)

Perennial hot capsicum

Okinawa spinach

Curry Leaf bush

Unripe mangoes, yummy with sugar, salt and maybe a touch of chili.

Gramma Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) does well in this humid climate

Our first soursop fruit. Apparently the leaves are also steeped to make a herbal tea.

Jaboticaba

New Guinea Bean Gourd thrives in the wet weather.

Acerola

Carambola. Some say the leaves are edible as well.

Phyllanthus distichus  Star Gooseberry

Golden Lyre Grevillia

Black Grumichama

Beneath the Mexican Weeping Bamboo arch

Presentation on Edible Perennials

A shared dinner

Rae's coconut cake

Fruiting on Mid North Coast NSW, late November.

It is always interesting to see what is flowering and fruiting. This has been a very warm but dry winter. The rain arrived two weeks ago.

Immature fruit on a dwarf peach

The Black Sapote flowered with the rain and now has immature fruit.

The Boysenberries are showing the effect of a dry spring. The fruit is small.

There are only two fruit on this Cherimoya.

This bunch of Ladyfinger bananas was cut two weeks ago.

Fruiting Florida Gold plum

Immature fruit and flowers on a Grumichama

Japanese Plum

NSW Davidson Plum

Mature and green Jaboticaba fruit

Protecting the Jaboticaba fruit from birds is essential. This fake hawk works sometimes.

These Tamarillo trees fruited all through winter.

Japanese raisin tree flowers

White Sapote, one protected from birds inside a plastic milk container bottle.