Midsummer in a Bellingen seedsaver's garden.

Even in the hottest of midsummer with heatwaves pounding Australia we have produce available and an exciting garden to explore.

Perennial Capsicum with a bite

Perennial Capsicum seem to grow more of a bite and end up like mild chilis as they age.

Baby custard apple alongside chili

This Amarillo Chili has grown up supported by the branches of the Custard Apple.

Amarillo Chili

Our first really ripe Chili of the season

Mexican Weeping Bamboo

This clumping bamboo screens and weeps. It is easy to manage.

Baby Golden Hornet Crabapples

Golden Hornet is a universal apple tree pollinator. The fruit is small.

Path to explore at the pond

Even tiny mango trees can produce.

We grew this small tree from seed. It may turn out to be dwarf. This a five year old tree.

The Amla has suddenly shot up.

Perhaps we will have fruit this season.

Curious chooks

Not all eggs.

Grey Mugwort makes a great nest liner and discourages mites.

Tamarillos

Tamarillos are our most productive fruit. Use as a tomato or a desert fruit.

Green Sapote

Although this Green Sapote is yet to fruit it still contributes a fabulous tropical evocative shape to our garden.

Golden Lyre Grevillia

This Grevillia is loved by all of our local birds.

Baby Acerola cherries

The fruit is scarce but delicious.

Winter Solstice gathering at David's garden in Gleniffer.

The road to David's garden

Beautiful Gleniffer, NSW - the view from from David's gate.

As always a shared tea takes place before or after we wander through a garden. Obviously our winter day was very mild at noon.

Muffins and Chick Pea fritters

Savoury Muffins

This view from David's gate is of the surrounding escarpment of the Dorrigo Plateau.

Seedsavers take a garden walk.

Past the Mandarin tree

Past the Comfrey (left) and Nasturtium (right)

Under trees

Past the Sweet Potato groundcover,

Under the tall Custard Apple.

Mandarins are ornamental as well as delicious.

Lemons

David explains.

Every garden visit we share our local growing knowledge. We always learn more. Growing local is preferable if it saves burning carbon.

Star Fruit or Carambola

Star Fruit (Carambola) Crumble

Carambolas are so productive. Here is one way to use the fruit. Another member dries the slices.

The Winter Solstice Fire.

David likes to add a little ceremony and ritual to life. Why not!

David made sure we participated in the 'Ceremony of Burning The Summer Hat'.

Rows of Comfrey edge David's gardens

 Comfrey is excellent for enriching the soil because it drags up deep nutrients that can activate soil improvement.

This is the biggest Lemon Verbena bush I have seen. It grows in part shade.

Pineapple

The pomelo, Citrus maxima or Citrus grandis Wikipedia

David's Pomelo is bearing plenty of fruit.

Dipsacus (Teasel)

David is growing Teasel for medicinal reasons, to treat a Lyme like disease. He uses a tincture made from the root.

David believes this is a Yellow Mangosteen still surviving our warm temperate zone winter although it looks a little unhappy.

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