Video: Cooking Green Jackfruit

A recipe from New Earth Cooking that uses green jackfruit, green papaya, garlic, ginger, shallots and other tropical produce.

Susan, Em and Sahara's garden

Here is Susan's description of what we were to expect:

"We built a passive solar house made from local timber and recycled materials and moved in a just over year ago. There was nothing here but a hill/paddock. We factored in a permaculture design making best use of the sustainable practices in terms of water management, septic system choices, solar power and planting. Our dream was to combine beauty and function, to try and be as sustainable as we can within reason and to teach our child the full cycle of growth."



From the access road the garden is mostly hidden. Click on a pic to see the slideplay.













 We gathered on the spacious front lawn and the extensive deck. Herbs were planted in small plots around the house, handy for the kitchen.











The table was quickly loaded.














 


 Susan's produce filled the central bowl.

The compost bins were sited in the vegetable garden near the fowl yard.

Susan found it necessary to edge each vegetable bed after heavy rain washed the topsoil off the terrace.

Orange Cosmos added colour and attracted bees and other beneficial insects to the garden.

The stand alone outdoor sink was handily placed near the chooks and potting shed.

Seedsavers gathered to watch John and Allan demonstrate the making of Preparation 500, a biodynamic supplement.










 

A small amount of biodynamic preparation is vigorously swirled in the water for an hour before being sprinkled on the garden with a brush. Seedsavers are interested in many approaches to to increasing soil fertility and food production.

 


 Irene watches her organisation come to fruition.

 Artichokes thrive in our climate.

A young guava grows with fennel and yellow cosmos.

A young banana thrives with red flowering amaranthus.















Susan is hoping this young vanilla bean will thrive in this sheltered, sunny  position and survive the coming winter.

 

These young pullets did not mind the visitors. Some chickens were allowed to free range outside the fenced vegetable garden.

 Paw Paw growing in a herb bed near the house.














Cherry tomatoes love growing up through a wire tunnel.

A passionfruit spreads behind a bank of raspberries.

The fruit were large, juicy and ripe for picking.

One observer wondered what all the excitement was about.













Small hot chilis will keep this small family well supplied.














This bed of young carrots will produce a bumper crop.

A bed of greens with a sage plant













The seed table was a busy with collectors gathering dwarf Persimmon, sprouting Saba nuts, large white guava and candlenut. There were also hot chilis, Melastoma affine, Chinese Celery, Cosmos, Red Russian Kale seedlings and Mother of Herb cuttings.

Note the information sheets designed to share the details of the seeds.








Graham shared his years of knowledge.

Recipes based on the harvest of this month, limes and pumpkin, will be posted soon.

Susan and Em have certainly achieved their goal of combining beauty and food production. What a memorable house and garden!

P.S. Michael and Jodi added a healthy baby boy to their garden while we were gathering. Congratulations.

Our Bellingen Seedsaver's Workshop, December 2011

Matt provided us with a fascinating and informative workshop demonstrating the skills he once applied regularly in his nursery experience. Thanks Matt.

Click all pics to enlarge.

Here we can see a T bud from a Tamarillo that has been applied to a Wild Tobacco plant. Matt says he has successfully grafted these two plants in the past the Tamarillo benefiting from the Wild Tobacco's root vigour.

Taking a bud.

Another T bud in place. Matt demonstrated that sticky tape could be used to hold the bud in place.

Matt prefers a veneer bud. In this example Matt demonstrated with an Avocado bud and a Camphor Laurel branch. Are they compatible? It's worth a try says Matt. Plants of the same genus are generally compatible. (Note: An internet search indicates such grafts are not successful.)

Matt mixes sphagnum moss and potting mix to create a suitable medium for the marcot (air layer).

The air layering medium, once placed on the plastic shopping bag, is wrapped around the prepared area on the limb to be layered.

This Gardenia has been prepared for marcotting. An area of an extending branch had the surface bark scarred/scuffed, down to the cambium layer. A cut was made, 1/2 to 3/4 through the underside of the branch and a small stone was inserted to prevent healing.  A spot on the branch with plenty of callus (Parenchyma) and therefore rich in the hormone (Auxine) that encourages root production, was chosen for the aerial layer. Clear tape was then wrapped around all places that might allow air (or ants) to enter the marcot. The marcots will be ready for taking in a few months.

Our workshop was held at Nell's. Her garden is rich in plant material that suits our local coastal climate including 27 year old citrus. Nell's block is usually frost free and faces north.










More pics. These were taken by Jeff.

Nell has mature coffee plants

A T bud graft

A veneer graft

Taking a bud for the graft

Wrapping the graft. Matt used sticky tape. The actual bud is left exposed.

A veneer bud graft before wrapping

Placing the veneer graft

The prepared stock for the veneer bud graft

Preparing the veneer graft stock

A well wrapped marcot (air layer) in place.

The host plant is a thriving Feijoa

Wrapping a marcot.

Using tape to make the marcot air and ant proof

The prepared site for the marcot

Nell's fruit and vegetable garden with a Paw Paw in the foreground

More of Nell's garden with Comfrey in the foreground