Bellingen Seedsavers Visit Rasa's Garden in the Byron Hinterland

We visited Rasa's garden at Goonengerry in July and discovered her superb food forest of five acres. We especially enjoyed her emphasis on growing edible perennial vegetables in her garden. Abundant flowers attracted beneficial insects and created not only a useful garden but an attractive one.

Here is a link to her local seedsavers facebook Page which has lots of useful information.

"Gardening...is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes!" says Rasa.  Check us out on Facebook 

..................................................

This iris was growing beautifully on a well drained slope in full sun.

We think this is Iris lazica / WINTER IRIS

Rasa grows a selection of yams and finds them a very useful vegetable. African Yellow Yams are contained on a wire mesh trellis.

Butterbur (Petasites)grows well

 Rasa makes tempura with the emerging shoots.  References refer to a level of toxicity.

A large Chili

Ethiopian Cabbage

Ethiopian Cabbage pops up in a few places after escaping from the vegetable garden. Rasa is happy with her plant volunteers. The plant we sampled had a mild flavour.

Seedsavers in the Food Forest

The edible white pulp of the Mountain Paw Paw

Rasa says she scatters the seeds and has good germination.

 Paw Paw (Del Monte)

Paw Paw

A Dragon Fruit reaches up towards a Del Monte Paw Paw (Papaya)

A Male Fruit Fly Trap

Rasa is very diligent about collecting fallen fruit. She has a special recipe for her Male Queensland Fruit Fly Traps. Here is  a recipe for found online.

This recipe is not specific to Male Fruit Fly.

1L hot water
1/2 tblspn Cloudy Ammonia (available at supermarkets in the cleaning section)
1/2 tspn Vanilla Essence
100gm Sugar
1 tspn Dishwashing Liquid
1 tspn Vegemite
Dissolve the sugar and Vegemite in the hot water.  Allow to cool before adding in remaining ingredients and mixing.  Makes enough for approx. 3 - 5 traps.

Here are some more links re baits and controlling fruitfly.

A mauve Salvia

Rasa's Pineapple Garden

Rasa sells plants as well.

 Rasa enjoys eating raw Plantain.

Strawberry Bed

Tahitian Spinach is a type of Taro

Taro

Yam

Can you detect the large Yam tuber pushing through the soil at the base of the black post?

Rasa grows Lotus for food. This how the bed looks in winter.

"Gardening...is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes!"

Check us out on Facebook 

 Of interest: 

https://permaculturenews.org/2014/07/25/tropical-salad-leaves-different-cut-panama/

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.

PINEAPPLE, MANGO & COCONUT BANANA BREAD

PINEAPPLE, MANGO &

COCONUT BANANA BREAD

Adapted from Coles Magazine by Rae

Prep 20 mins I Cook 1-1 ¼ hr I Makes 1 Loaf

1 ½ cups (225g) self-raising flour

1 cup (220g) brown sugar

½ cup (40g) shredded coconut

450g can crushed pineapple

½ cup (125ml) buttermilk

150g melted butter

2 large eggs

2 large (or 3 medium) ripe bananas, mashed

400g finely chopped frozen mango

Method

·   Preheat oven to 180°C

·   Mix flour, brown sugar and coconut in a bowl

·   Drain pineapple in a sieve, pressing out liquid

·   Whisk buttermilk, melted butter, eggs and mashed banana in a bowl

·   Add to flour mixture

·   Stir to combine

·   Pour mix into a greased and lined 10cm x 22cm loaf pan

·   Smooth the surface

·   Bake at 180°C for 1-1 ¼ hours or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean

·   Cool in the pan for 5 mins, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely

Recipe: Hummingbird Cake

 Hummingbird Cake

PREPARATION TIME 35 MINUTES• BAKING TIME 40 MINUTES

This moist, luscious cake from the American Deep South translates as delicious

in anyone's language. You need approximately 2 large over-ripe (460g) bananas

for this recipe.

450g can crushed pineapple in syrup

1 cup (150g) plain flour

½ cup (75g) self-raising flour

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup (200g) firmly packed brown sugar

½ cup (45g) desiccated coconut

1 cup mashed banana

2 eggs, beaten lightly

¾ cup (180ml) vegetable oil

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

30g butter, softened

60g cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1½ cups (240g) icing sugar mixture

1 Position oven shelves; preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Grease deep 23cm square cake pan, line base with baking paper.

2 Drain pineapple over medium bowl, pressing with spoon to extract as

much syrup as possible. Reserve 1/4 cup (60ml) syrup.

3 Sift flours, soda, spices and sugar into large bowl. Using wooden

spoon, stir in drained pineapple, reserved syrup, coconut, banana,

egg and oil; pour into prepared pan.

4 Bake cake in moderate oven about 40 minutes. Stand cake 5 minutes

then turn onto wire rack; turn cake top-side up to cool.

5 cream cheese frosting

Beat butter, cream cheese and essence in small bowl with electric mixer

until light and fluffy; gradually beat in icing sugar.

6 Spread cold cake with cream cheese frosting.