Mushrooms But Not As You Know Them

 KITCHEN GARDEN SEGMENT  on REAL WORLD GARDENER radio show

Scientific Name: Rungia klossii

Common name: Mushroom plant

Family: Acanthaceae

Origin: New Guinea

Rungia klossii is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.6 m x 0.6 m at a medium rate.

Soils: Suitable for: light or sandy, medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. 

Habitat: Mushroom plant can grow in semi-shade  but not full sun in an Australian summer. It prefers dry or moist soil if grown in the ground otherwise growing in a pot is very successful.

Mushroom plant Photo: M Cannon

Description:The shiny mid green have a yellowish mid-rib. 

The elliptic leaves are arranged in pairs with adjacent pairs perpendicular to one another (decussate leaf arrangement mush like in a hydrangea).

Flowers: Blue flowers that appear in a cluster in ideal positions.

proteins.
Harvesting: The Mushroom plant can be harvested all year round,  but the best is to harvest during the active growth period to provide a bushy growth.

Uses: In the kitchen it's used in salads, soups and wok dishes, a small cooking even increases the mushroom aroma.

Frosts: Low frosts are tolerated but lead to leaf loss. 

Fun fact: Higher in protein that actual mushrooms.

What is it exactly and why is it called mushroom plant.

Let's star with, how do you love your mushrooms?
In a risotto, sautéed with scrambled eggs, in soups or salads?
Perhaps you don’t like them at all.
Here’s a way to enjoy the taste without the texture and it’s all natural.

The leaves are somewhat stiff and lightly curled at the tip.

Yes, the leaves taste like mushrooms with a crispy texture and nothing more.  

So, let’s find out how and why, by listening to the podcast.

I am talking with Corinne Mossati, founder of the gourmantic garden.

/https://thegourmanticgarden.com/

Corinne's favourite use of the plant is finely chopped into salads for that burst of flavour.
Mushroom plant is a perennial that although it grows well in tropical and sub-tropical areas, it needs protection from frost in cooler climates.

The best way to grow it there is in a pot, which by the way, has served me well over the years.

If you have any feedback email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

Bumper Crop of Bush Beans

 KITCHEN GARDEN

Beans and More Beans

What is your favourite warm season vegetable or are there too many to choose from?
Top of the list for many a gardener is the humble bean, because in warm weather, they’re so easy to germinate.
In fact my bean crop was directly sown on a Monday and they were up by Thursday.
But how do you get a continuous crop of beans?

Corinne mentions bush beans, but we're not talking some sort of wild bean that grows on a bush, in fact bush beans is another name for dwarf beans.

More along the style of French beans such as butter beans or Cherokee Wax butter beans.

Scientifically beans are Phaselous vulgaris which covers just about every type of bean seed that you can buy.

Dwarf or bush beans grow into a small, bushy shape, usually 60cm tall or less and don't need staking.

This year I planted my bean seeds closer together than normal on using the premise that if we had a run of cloudy days and they started to climb, they would support each other.
This season we did have lots of cloudy rainy, days, they didn't start to climb, but did in fact support each other at around 50-60cm.
The only tricky part was needing to carefully pick your way through the thicket of bean foliage to harvest the beans without breaking any branchlets.

Let’s find out more about tips and tricks with bush bean planting by listening to the podcast.
I’m speaking with Corinne Mossati founder of  https://thegourmanticgarden.com

TIP:

• Sow another crop in 6 weeks time after the first crop then the big tip is after the first harvest, apply a side dressing of blood ‘n’ bone.
• Beans should be ready to harvest as soon as 65 days or 9 weeks after planting

If you have any questions why not email us at realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

Vietnamese Mint No Ordinary Mint

 KITCHEN GARDEN

Is Vietnamese mint really a mint?

Scientific Name: Persicaria odorata

Common Name:Vietnamese mint

Family: Polygonaceae

True mints botanically speaking have wide spreading underground rhizomes with erect, square and branching stems.
The leaves are opposite each other on those square stems, with clusters of small tubular flowers.

Ture mints are also in the Lamiaceae family.

So what do we make of Vietnamese mint?
Perhaps you saw it in the herb section of the garden centre and mistook it to be just like any other mint.

Not exactly a real mint and it's also in the same family as rhubarb and buckwheat; the Polygonaceae family.

Traditionally, Vietnamese mint is used a lot in Asian cuisine. If you've ever had a laksa, you've probably eaten some Vietnamese mint.

What does it look like?

It looks similar but different to traditional mint, plus it's a creeping herbaceous perennial.

The leaves are very narrow and angular looking often with a chestnut-coloured rounded marking across the dark green leaf.

The flowers are quite different to min. Flowers are flat spikes of pale lavender if you're in a warm enough climate for it to flower.

Where and How to grow it.

• It can grow very well outside in summer in non-tropical parts of Australia.
• Vietnamese mint prefers part-sun and well-drained soil.
• For those areas with cool to cold winter, bring your Vietnamese mint indoors or under shelter as you would an indoor plant.
• It grows very well in pots but is frost tender.

Let’s find out how to use it in cooking by listening to the podcast.

I'm speaking with, Corinne Mossati
founder of the gourmantic garden website and blog. : https://thegourmanticgarden.com
 

Also sometimes called Vietnamese coriander and as Corinne mentioned you can make a dipping sauce or even try making pesto with it.

If you have any questions why not email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.