PLODDING AND PLANTING.....

Today is quite cool here. We have had a wee touch of rain, nothing to get excited about though! Friday saw my plants from DALEYS and TESSELAARs arrive; now that was exciting!

Hubby and I spent the morning planting of course, here's what went in:

CHINESE WATERCHESTNUT, Eleocharis dulcis: This popular Asian cooking ingredient is a tropical member of the sedge family. These nutritious underground corms reaching up to 4cm in diameter have an appealing crisp nut like texture.

They can be cooked as a vegetable offering a contrasting texture to many dishes or they can deliver their sweetness and juiciness prepared fresh and raw or lightly steamed or sautéed for salads

Water chestnuts can be grown in a pond of a container, an old bathtub or a salvaged water tank cut in half are ideal options.

Plant the corms in spring, about 5cm deep into friable soil preferably rich in organic matter and course sand. Keep the plants moist until the shoots are about 10cm tall, then fill the container up with water until it's about 10cm deep, with the tips of the leaves just showing.

Leave the container flooded at that depth for about 6-7 months, then drain off the water in late autumn. Leave the soil moist but not wet for another month or so until the shoots die down, then harvest the water chestnuts.

Water chestnuts will grow in most areas of Australia, but they are frost tender and require at least an 8-month frost-free growing season.
A single corm is said to be able to produce 100 corms within a growing season!

AVOCADO: A valuable commercial crop, the avocado tree thrives on rich well-drained soil. Due to flowering habits, avocado varieties are categorized into A and B groups.

One variety is sufficient to produce adequate crops for the home garden, however by planting a tree from both groups the harvest will be much greater. Avocados begin to ripen once picked and may take up to 10 days to reach maturity.

Fruits are rich with oily flesh and are delicious eaten when fully ripe in sandwiches, salads.  Guacamole is a famous blend of mashed avocado flesh, lemon or lime juice, onion, garlic, pepper and chilli; it makes a very tasty dip.

Avocados are very fussy about their soil conditions and will not tolerate wet feet or heavy soils, it is essential to prepare the ground for an avocado well before planting.  Young trees are susceptible to sunburn and damage from frost so a small shelter while they establish is a very good idea.

BLACK SAPOTE:  Not surprisingly this is one of the most popular fruits and if you like chocolate you'll love Black Sapote. 

Commonly known as Chocolate Pudding Fruit this amazing fruit is low in fat and an excellent source of Vitamin C containing about 4 times as much as an orange. 

The fruit is delicious eaten fresh or used as a chocolate substitute in recipes and milkshakes or simply mix the pulp with yogurt and lemon juice for a refreshing treat.  

Fruits can be cut in half and eaten covered in passion fruit, in Mexico the pulp is mashed with orange juice or brandy and served with cream, it is also delicious mixed with wine, cinnamon and sugar. 

A very close relative of the persimmon the black sapote is Chocoholics dreams come true! 

MEXICAN CREAM GUAVA - Psidium guajava: Small to medium, roundish fruits. Skin light yellow, slightly blushed with red. Flesh is creamy white, thick, very sweet and finely texture: Excellent for desserts. 

The seed cavity is small and the seeds relatively soft. Upright tree. Height:4m 

COFFEE ARABICA: If you're one of those people who can't live without their cup of coffee in the morning then consider growing and producing your own. 

Easy to process and relatively problem free the Arabica thrives in the cooler climate and rich volcanic soil of Australia. In as little as three years the coffee tree will be covered with white, jasmine-scented flower clusters. 

The masses of green berries that follow mature to a beautiful cherry-red making this an inspirational and decorative addition to any garden. Ideal as an indoor, ornamental or hedging plant.

And to finish it all off, some stunning Arum Lillies in amazing colours and Asiatic and Oriental Liliums. Now it is coffee and chill time, stock making from some chicken leftovers and an experiment with oranges and lemons...more on that later....

Hope your weekend is a great one!
Take care of you and yours.....and the planet :)
molly