Saturday 3 March 2012

Change of Season

We are now officially on day 3 of Autumn but I am not feeling it yet.
Our days are still over 30 degrees so with fingers crossed I am doing some plant experimentation.

I planted out seeds for both summer (watermelon, cucumber, zucchini, artichokes) and winter veggies (leeks cabbage, kohlrabi, silver beet) plus some mid season lettuce and rocket on Wednesday...

And they are sprouting already, well the rocket and cucumbers are.  I would show you a picture but am having some camera issues.

Our Cherry/Strawberry Guava (not sure which) is loaded with fruit and the branches are bending under the weight.  I saw a recipe for guava jelly the other day but what else can I do with them?  Any ideas???
Last year I planted a fig because for me having grown up in NZ this is one of those fruit that are still the epitome of exotic. 
It has only been in the ground 12 months and it has decided to fruit so I am waiting with baited breath till those little fruit ripen and can be eaten with ricotta and honey, roasted with blue cheese or poached in port and served with icecream mmmmm I should stop now. 
Evey time I walk near it I can smell the sweet musky fragrance of figs.  They are hard and green still so where does that lovely aroma come from?  No wonder the critters out there love them.
I have been out there inspecting the tree every day, squashing the caterpillars that are trying to eat the leaves along with any other bug that happens to be there that I cannot identify.  Sorry bugs if you are good guys but I am taking no chances.  Hmmm I wonder if I am being obsessive?

My little Fig Tree with a bit of wind protection
 I also have a whole lot of beans planted out for drying but after this last lot of rain some are looking a bit worse for wear.  Well best be off to try and sort it out instead of sitting here.

5 comments:

  1. Yum i love figs too. I never thought about cooking them with blue cheese though. Thats a new one on me! sounds yummy though. You may already know this, but having only had a fig tree for the past 2 years ive learned to cut them back hard in winter. I try to keep mine more tree like. and if a branch has heaps of small figs on it break off every second one to encourage bigger fruit. Good luck!

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  2. Oh wow... figs. Something we cannot grow here. I do love them... and they are lovely on a pizza with goat cheese. mmmm.

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  3. I have only just discovered those quavas when a friend brought some excess to work. I don't know what to do with them except eat them, they remind me of feijoas. I'll be planting one when I start my orchard! Yum! (also don't know anything about figs, and I'm getting ready for autumn too, but not sure when it will actually cool down as it was 30degC again today!).

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  4. That's the strawberry guava Fiona, will take a couple of pics of mine and post to show you the yellow cherry one too and will also add some recipe ideas:)

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  5. There's only some much jam or jelly one family can eat in a year until the next season...I'd be making some cordial with the guava fruit.

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