About Bellingen Seedsavers

We are a group of like-minded growers of edible and useful heritage plant varieties in the Bellingen area of northeast New South Wales, Australia.

Our climate varies from frost-free coastal areas to inland river valleys and highlands with frosts. Bellingen has an average annual rainfall of 1507ml.

Showing posts with label Cranberry Hibiscus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cranberry Hibiscus. Show all posts

Tuesday, 24 December 2019

What's flowering and fruiting in late December in the Bellinger Rv Valley?

Coreopsis

Penta

Crepe Myrtle (Tuscan Red)

Bismarck Palm with Furcrea in foreground

Edible (tastes like Lemon Sorrel) Cranberry Hibiscus

Flowers on Star Fruit

Macadamia

Wax Jambu

Golden Grumichama

Black Grumichama


Tamarillo

Tamarillo

Brazil Cherry
 or Pitanga or Surinam Cherry

Salvia

Black self-seeded Passionfruit

Immature Kwai Muk fruit

White Penta

Galangal

Strongly Perfumed Brunsfeldia

 The local peach below has been grown in this valley for some decades and is well adapted to our climate. It fruited in midsummer.

Local Dwarf White Peach
Local Dwarf White Peach is picked when it looks green but starts to soften.

Sunday, 26 May 2013

Alternatives to lettuce that suit our climate.

Why try to grow lettuce in our hot summers?

We can easily grow Basella, Edible Hibiscus, Cranberry Hibiscus (Hibiscus Sabdiffera), Lebanese Cress, Brazil Spinach, Egyptian Spinach,  and other heat loving salad vegetables. Perpetual Silver Beet survives the heat reasonably well. Herbs also add to a salad. Try nasturtiums for the flowers and leaves.
Baby Amaranth leaves are useful in salads.



Brazil Spinach loves the heat and humidity.
Baby Silver Beet leaves, and Beetroot leaves, are also suitable.

Click on the link to read more.


 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 




Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Using Rosella - A Christmas drink!!

We grow edible hibiscus, Cranberry Hibiscus and Rosella/Roselle (Hibiscus sabdiffera) very easily in our climate. Here is a use for the sepals from the flowers of the Rosella.

Click on the link for the recipe.



The red sepals of the Roselle plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is commonly called sorrel in the Caribbean. The young leaves are great in salads, with a sour taste very similar to sorrel (Rumex acetosa), the vegetable of European origin (hence the common name.

Saturday, 21 January 2012

January Fruiting in the Bellingen Area

Here are a few of the plants fruiting in this area at this time.

 This White Sapote has yielded a few fruit and as you can see there are more on the way as they seem to ripen over a few months. Bagging against fruit fly is necessary.

The cucumbers are at their most productive.
 Black Kale (Dino Kale, Cavallo Nero) are still producing fresh leaves although the older leaves are well nibbled by the white cabbage moth.

Keeping the birds away from the ripening grapes can be a chore.
 These Perennial Capsicums are small but prolific at a time when capsicums can be quite costly.

Rhubarb does not like much heat but the weather has been more wet and humid than hot and sunny.

It is time to dig the Cassava.
 The bush Butter Beans are adding to the climbing beans and Snake Beans which have been producing since Christmas.
 This Cranberry Hibiscus was a surprise seedling. A few young leaves added to the salad bowl taste like sorrel, contributing a slight lemony flavour.
At present this Mountain Paw Paw drops its fruit before they reach a useful size.


This Wax Jambu is producing loads of crisp, crunchy, moist fruit. These are great to eat fresh but not to everyones taste. Wax Jambu would really contribute to an asian salad with a lime juice dressing.




 This tamarillo has been fruiting for a month. If grilled, like a tomato,  a Tamarillo will add flavour to the breakfast plate.

The first of the Wing Beans are ready to pick before they become too big and full of fibre. These plants have regrown from the 2010, 2011 tubers.
This is a moth eaten leaf but the tiny sprouts of Purple Sprouting Broccoli are still being produced.
 The sweet basil loves the humid warm weather.
 The New Guinean Mushroom plant also likes some rain, heat and shade.

 The ginger has been shooting for six weeks now. It loves this weather and is growing in shade beneath the Tiger Grass.
 The unblanched celery is tough but softens when cooked.
The Snake Beans love the heat. Why do they attract so many ants? Picking each bean with a twist, so the growing point will fruit again, has contributed to the yield.  What is fruiting in your garden at this time?

LinkWithin



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...