Cassia, Cinnamon but not with Fish Mint

We start with another look in part 2 Cinnamon and cassia in the Spice it Up segment  plus growing an unusual mint in Vegetable Heroes;

SPICE IT UP

Cassia vs Cinnamon part 2

Last week in part 1 of this segment about cinnamon and cassia, Ian the herb and spice expert talked mainly about where and how, each of these spices are produced.

• One thing to note: in America, Cassia Cinnamon is just called cinnamon and Sri Lankan cinnamon is called Mexican cinnamon.  

Keep this in mind when reading recipes on the internet or in American cookbooks.
Also, how to tell them apart just by looking at the cinnamon sticks, or feeling and tasting the power.
This time, we’re delving a bit deeper and giving out some recipe ideas also.
I'm talking with was Ian Hemphill from www.herbies.com.au
Let’s find out.


There were some tricks of the spice trade to trap unwary customers.
Cassia is from a different tree mianly grown in China, Japan and Vietnam.

All of the bark is taken from the tree to make cassia quills. These look deceptively like the more expensive cinnamon quills but here's the difference.

Cassia on the left: Cinnamon on the  right

• Cinnamon quills have many concentric layers
• Cassia quills only have one concentric layer.

If you want to make Chai tea, think twice before using cassia cinnamon.

This type of cinnamon is too strong, but the true cinnamon, or what I regard as true cinnamon from Sri Lanka, is milder and sweet.

• Think cheap spice, is it really worth it?

Remember unless that cinnamon powder that you bought feels smooth with any any grittiness, it’s probably been adulterated with cinnamon outer bark. 

Mulled wine jelly
INGREDIENTS
Rind of 1 orange Rind of 1 lemon 2 cinnamon quills 6 cloves 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped 100ml vodka 10 gold-strength gelatine leaves 200ml port 2 cups (500ml) red wine 2/3 cup (150g) caster sugar 300ml thickened cream 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon	Herbies Mulled Wine spices can be susbtituted for the cinnamon, cloves and vanilla bean.
METHOD
Place rinds, cinnamon quills, cloves, vanilla pod and seeds and vodka in a bowl. Stand, covered at room temperature for 4 hours or overnight to infuse.
Once citrus mix is ready, soak gelatine in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, transfer citrus mixture to a pan. Add the port, wine and sugar, then place over low heat and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves (don't let it boil). Squeeze gelatine to remove any excess water, then add the leaves to the pan and stir to dissolve. Cool slightly.
Strain the mulled wine into a jug, then pour into a 1-litre jelly mould. Cover and chill overnight until set.
When ready to serve, whip cream then fold in ground cinnamon. Unmould the jelly, then serve with cinnamon cream

If you have any questions for me or for Ian, why not write in to Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Houttuynia cordata is Vietnamese Fish  Mint Herb

• What is this fishy smelling herb with a hint of citrus which is also known as chameleon plant, fishwort an bishop’s weed?It’s also known as Dokudami which means “poison-blocking plant” and was often used for the exact same purpose.

Vietnamese fish mint is a flowering plant native to Japan, Korea, southern China, and Southeast Asia, where it grows in dark moist, shady places and along river banks.

Sometimes submerged deep in freshwater areas.

Houttuynia cordata: Fish mint

A somewhat invasive plant, it can be found growing on hills, fields, and even between cracks in asphalt.

In those countries it’s used as a leaf and root vegetable.

Vietnamese fish mint smells like a combination of fresh fish, mint and citrus, and has large amounts of the aromatic chemicals myrcene and undecanone.

These and many other naturally occurring chemicals are the basis of its huge list of medicinal uses.

According information about this herb it treats stomach aches, indigestion and swellings. Among other things.

• Leaves can also be crushed to a paste to cure insect bites, rashes and itching.

The leaves are sort of heart shaped, and the plant itself grows to anywhere between 20 – 80 cm, depending on the climate and conditions you’re growing it in.

Vietnamese fish mint does have flowers in summer which are greenish-yellow and only 2-3 cm in size.

Fish Mint

Although mine has never flowered/

At first glance, a fishy tasting herb doesn’t seem all that appealing but, you can use in fishy flavoured dishes, with grilled meats, fish and noodle soups. 

The roots are rather interesting and grow to resemble a big ball of spaghetti which can be eaten raw or cooked.

Some people prefer the roots to the leaves because they have an aromatic flavour like ginger or galangal but without the heat.


How to Grow Vietnamese Fish Mint

Vietnamese fish mint is apparently an extremely common garden plant inf the UK and is able to withstand temperatures down to -15⁰C.

However, the variety grown in England is the one with mottled technicolour splodges called Houttuynia cordata Chameleon, where the one grown in Asia is the plain leaved variety.

These plants grow best in very damp, rich soil either in the garden border or in the boggy margins of a pond, being perfectly happy with their roots entirely submerged in water.

In full sun, they’ll have a stronger taste and more intense colour on their leaves.

But if you’re keen on a milder flavour, then grow it in partial shade which will give you larger pungent leaves.

The plants are extremely vigorous and will spread out in all directions because of the vigorous roots system.

This plant is super tough, and in moister areas it really can be weedy, but if the plant strays too far, they’re pretty easy to pull out.

However, there’s no reason to plant it out into the garden because it grows really well in pots in a shady location but keep it moist.

That’s all there is to it.

There’ll be plenty of leaves for you, the chooks and the guinea pigs.

Cooking with Fishy Mint

Vietnamese fish mint can be eaten in all the same ways as regular coriander-sprinkled in salads, stir-fries and added to soups and stews.

It makes a pretty good garnish and is traditionally used in Cambodia, chopped up and sprinkled over a salad of sliced hard-boiled duck eggs with fried ground chillies, mint, chopped raw shallots and roasted peanuts.

In Malaysia the leaves are added to a spicy coconut laksa and in Thailand it’s used in heaps of salads, whereas in Vietnam, it’s used summer rolls.

• SALAD with FISH MINT HERB
  

Sauce: 2 teaspoons rice vinegar (I use Chinkiang), 1teaspoon chilli oil, 1 teaspoon. sesame oil, 1 teaspoon. soy sauce

Marinate 10 minutes, not more.

Top with chopped coriander, spring onion, and finely chopped smashed garlic.

Serve.

Vietnamese summer rolls (serves 4 makes 12 rolls)

Dipping sauce

2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

1 tbsp fish sauce

Juice of ½ lime

2 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tbsp chilli sauce 60 ml water

For the rolls

12 x 22 cm extra thin dried Vietnamese rice papers

18 cooked king prawns sliced in half lengthways

2 large handfuls of Thai basil leaves, mint and vietnamese mint leaves.

16 chive leaves

½ a cucumber cut into matchstick sized pieces

2 carrots grated

150 crisp lettuce leaves.

Make the dipping sauce by mixing the peanut butter, fish sauce, lime juice etc.

Working with one rice paper round at a time, dip it into a shallow bowl of cold water and leave it to soften for a minute.

Remove and lie on a damp paper towel and cover with another damp paper towel.

Continue until you’ve done 6.

To assemble the rolls take one round and arrange a few prawn halves tip with thai basil, mints chives, cucumber carrot and lettuce leaf (torn or folded to fit)

Fold the edge of the paper closest to you over the filling then fold in the sides and roll the whole thing up like a burrito into a tight cylinder.

Place on damp tea towel to prevent it from drying out. Repeat with other round.

Serve.

Why Is It Good for You?

When you’re allergic to a substance, your body produces histamine, a compound that initiates an immune response.

Studies have shown that Vietnamese fish mint has inhibitory effects on histamine release, possibly blocking it and reducing its effects.

This herb is high in antioxidants, promotes intestinal balance by discouraging harmful bacteria from thriving in the digestive system.

THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY

Cinnamon But Not With Watermelon

We start with a look Cinnamon and cassia in the Spice it Up segment , and growing your own watermelon in Vegetable Heroes;

SPICE IT UP

• Cinnamon and Cassia part 1

Cinnamomum zeylanicum

Most if not all, cooks or chefs would’ve used cinnamon in their cooking at some time or other.

However, most likely the powdered form was used mainly.

What about the cinnamon sticks?
Is that where the powdered from comes from? 

If it's the bark of a tree, how does cinnamon get harvested?
Who rolls those sticks, is it by machine or by hand?

Let’s find out.
I'm talking with Ian Hemphill from www.herbies.com.au

• There are two types of cinnamon, Sri  Lankan cinnamon or Cinnamomum zeylanicum, (pictured) and Cinnamomum cassia or just 'cassia."
• They come from different trees and are grown in different countries.Cassia cinnamon is grown in China,  Japan and Vietnam.
• Can you imagine all those cinnamon sticks that are from Sri Lanka, are all hand rolled by ‘cinnamon rollers.’

You will know be able to tell the difference between cinnamon and cassia.

• The cinnamon scrolls have more rolls than cassia, and the cassia powder has quite a strong almost bitey flavour compared to the sweeter milder flavor or real cinnamon, if you test the powder on your tongue. 

  If you have any questions for me or for Ian, why not write in to Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville 1675

VEGETABLE  HEROES

Watermelon Citrullus lanatus

• Did you know that there’s an Australian Melon Association?
• What’s more interesting though is that watermelons are thought  to have evolved from a Citron, which grew in the Kalahari desert in Africa.

And who would’ve thought that watermelon fruit can be seen in drawings in Egyptian hieroglyphics dating back 5,000 years.

Why? Because the Egyptians believed that by placing the Watermelons in the burial tombs of Kings, it would nourish the occupants in the afterlife.

From Egypt, watermelon spread via trading ships to other countries along the Mediterranean Sea and then to Europe by the Moors people during the13th century.

• Where Belong Watermelon?

No surprises that watermelons belongs to the melon family or cucurbits, and can be round, soccer ball-size or an elongated, egg shape with smooth, hard, thick, green or yellow skin or rind.

Some watermelons are strongly striped with dark green markings, and others are only faintly mottled dark green.

The colour of the inner cool, sweet and refreshing flesh varies from red to yellow.

Dark brown seeds are arranged around the centre.

What may be surprising to you is that the pale rind just beneath the hard skin, can be cooked and eaten like a vegetable. Now that's a surpirse!

• In fact you can make rind pickles!

Sowing Watermelon

In temperate and subtropical districts plant out seeds or seedlings from September through to early January.

The same goes for Cool temperate districts, although December and January is better for seedlings rather than starting from seed.

In Arid areas, lucky you, you have from September through to March.

For tropical areas, another one you have to wait for the cooler months, April to July.

Growing Watermelon

Watermelon prefers to grow on new, fertile sandy-loam soils with a high humus content-that is, lots of compost and manures.

Plus they need lots of water and room.

The soil must be well drained.

Don’t try to grow watermelons in heavy soils.

Add Dolomite lime if your soil’s acidic because watermelons  prefer alkaline soils.

As with Zucchinis, make a mound full of that good stuff, and plant three watermelon seeds about 5 cm deep.

Watermelon flowers 

They may be thinned out later.

• Don’t bother with pots, because they germinate so easily.
• Another thing, don’t bother with saving seeds from the melon you bought from the supermarket, it’ll be a hybrid and your seed grown plant will be quite different.If you like saving seed, get an open pollinated variety of seed.

Where to Grow

Like Pumpkins, Watermelon needs plenty of room to grow sending out long vines and the fruits are quite heavy.

Watermelons also have very shallow root system and they need lots of moisture.

The soil should never dry out, and mulch helps with that.

Luckily, Watermelons are self -pollinating, so you only need one plant unless you are growing seedless melons which require a pollinator.

If you’re planning to grow your melons up a tepee unless you can work out a sling system using soft cloth or pantyhose, it’s probably better to grow them along the ground.

There are a few varieties of watermelon and I’m sure you’ve got your favourites.

The most popular is the Red Tiger –that’s a cylindrical melon with dark green skin and dark red, very sweet flesh. One of the few melons that have very few seeds.

Then there’s Viking- a medium to large, elongated melon.

Allsweet is large and oval-shaped.

My favourite is Sugar Baby, a small, round melon.

So how do you know when it’s ready?

Melons are ready to pick when the part in contact with the ground is turning yellow and the fruit sounds hollow when tapped.

Why Are They Good For You?

Watermelons are a good source of Vitamin A and C, the minerals potassium and iron.

Watermelons also contains high levels of lycopene a powerful antioxidant - lycopene is found only in small select group of fruits and vegetables. Watermelons are 90% water, that’s why they’re so refreshing.

AND THAT WAS OUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT FOR TODAY 

Waxing Lyrical about Cinnamon

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Spice It Up

with Ian Hemphill for www.herbies.com.au


You probably have this spice in your kitchen spice shelf right now, You probably use it often in cakes, puddings and maybe even some casseroles and stews. The spice trade is the second oldest trade in the world, says Ian Hemphill from Herbies spices. But did you know that once again, you may not have the real deal that you thought you had.
Let’s find out a whole lot more about this spice.

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Look out for true cinnamon or grow your own tree.
All you need to give the tree is a sunny to partially shaded position and a moderate supple of water throughout the year, but don’t over water.
Protect the tree from heavy frost and prolonged cool weather.
A cinnamon tree can survive short mild frost.

 
Some say only really for sub-tropical to tropical areas but we know better because there are Cinnamon trees growing in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.
It might be a little cold in say, Armidale, but if you were going to try, you would choose a sheltered position, maybe near a north facing wall. It doesn't like heavy frost, so if you get bad frosts you’re probably just setting yourself up for disappointment.
If you’ve got any questions about where to get a Cinnamon tree, or growing Cinnamon, drop us a line. to realworldgardener@gmail.com or by post to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675,  or post them on Real World Gardeners facebook page, we’d love to hear from you.

Where to get the Cinnamon Tree

The cinnamon tree, or Cinnamonum verrum is available by mail order from Daleys Nursery 36 Daley's Lane, Geneva via Kyogle NSW 2474  via mail or visit the website www.daleysfruit.com.au

Vegetable Heroes

Well it’s TIME FOR VEGETABLE HERO  Swedes.
Did you know that a Swiss botanist Gaspard Bauhin in 1620, found this vegetable growing wild in Sweden?
So yes, Swedes do come from Sweden, Swede vegetable that is.
Another interesting fact about this vegetable is it doesn’t seem to have a long history, well unless you consider dating back to the1600’s not long, which it isn’t compared to some vegetables.

Brassica napus variety (var.) napobrassica, sometimes referred to as Rutabaga, but never referred to as turnip.
Rutabaga is a corruption of the Swedish for turnip-cabbage.

• Turnips and swedes are both members of the cabbage family and are closely related to each other - so close that it’s not surprising that their names are often confused. For instance, swedes are sometimes called Swedish turnips or swede-turnips.
• How do you tell the difference between Turnips and Swedes?
• For one, turnips are usually smaller than Swedes-about the size of a golf ball, with creamy white, smooth skin. 

Some turnips have a smooth, silky skin that’s coloured white, with a purple or reddish top. The flesh is white and has a peppery taste. (pictured right)
Swedes are a lot bigger, - roughly the size of a shoe. 
Its rough skin is creamy white and partly purple, with a distinctive 'collar'-that shows the multiple leaf scars.
The Swede also has a hint of yellow-orange inside the actual vegetable.(pictured below)
Here’s a bit of trivia for you from a very recent article in the English
Telegraph reporting on a poll on home accidents in the kitchen.

• A survey found two-thirds of injuries in the kitchen come from preparing fresh vegetables like squash and turnip that are too difficult to cut.
• Almost a quarter said pumpkins were the toughest vegetable to skin and chop while a fifth said swedes were the most dangerous.
• Two in five participants said they had injured themselves trying to imitate TV chefs when slicing vegetables, the research found.
• So it came as no surprise that root foods had topped a poll of the most dangerous vegetables.  Don’t let that deter you!
• Another surprise is that Swede vegetable is a cross between a turnip and a cabbage. So how it came to be growing in the wild in Sweden is any bodies guess.
• If you were a lover if Haggis you might already know that the Scottish call it "neeps" and serve it with haggis.
• Swede us a full flavoured veggie with a savoury aftertaste. Under-rated as a vegetable, its smooth and creamy texture is a welcome surprise in your cooking.

How and when to grow Swedes.

•  You might’ve guessed that the Swede is a winter vegetable.
• You can sow Swedes from February until November it temperate and cool districts. April until August in arid zones, and only May to July in sub-tropical and tropical areas.
• You might find some garden books suggesting not to sow Swedes at these times, but those books are probably written for northern hemisphere gardens. Seed suppliers also recommend the dates I’ve given.
• Turnips are easy to grow but swedes are easier.
• Sow the seeds of Swedes into any prepared soil, they’ll even grow in heavy soil as long as the water drains away fairly quickly.
• As with carrots, don’t put in fresh compost or manures when you sow Swede seeds, or you’ll get the usual forking or hairy swedes!
• Swedes need good levels of trace elements, add a dusting of these either from a packet, or as a seaweed spray if your soil is poor or sandy.
• Without enough trace elements, your Swedes might be tasteless, bitter and brown inside.
• TIP: Swedes resent transplanting, just like carrots, parsnips and turnips. Sow the seeds directly into the veggie bed.
• Your Swedes will be ready in three to four months after planting.
• But you can pick them at whatever size you like, small is good, as is larger. Doesn’t matter.
• In cold areas, Swedes are best left in the ground and pulled out as you need them.
• Otherwise, pick them and store them as you would potatoes.

Where do you get it?
www.diggers.com.au
Why is it good for you?
1/2 cup cooked swede is a serve, and is a good source of vitamin C and fibre, folate and potassium.
Swedes are quite filling but are low in kilojoules, with only 85kJ per 100g (2/3 cup).

Design Elements:

with Landscape Designer Louise McDaid

Last week I said that a natural garden is one where the weeds don’t take over.
Natural gardens aren't formal; instead they feature free-form plantings and soft edges. Pathways meander through the space, sitting spots appear unexpectedly and havens are provided for birds and animals.
Wildlife is also an important part of a natural garden.
Let’s look at what can go wrong and how to fix it by calling in the experts in part two of a natural garden….

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Within our fences there is usually some sort of stable ecosystem in which plants, animals and pathogens coexist in a state of balance.

We upset this balance by using synthetic chemicals, planting a tree, putting in a pond or a veggie bed.
Lots of small steps can take us a long way towards helping garden wildlife.
Things like make a log shelter for our reptiles, building a pond to attract frogs, create a compost or start a worm far.
All these things , as well as plants, belong in a natural garden, although not as features.

Plant of the Week:

Geraldton Wax-Chamelaucium uncinatum

Do you want long lasting flowers for your vase that you can cut from your garden?  Do you want a plant with spectacular masses of white-pink-red flowers over winter to spring? I bet you do!

Geradlton Wax will grow well in zones that are arid, and semi-arid with summer rain or winter rain, in moist temperate zones with warm summers and in areas with winter rains and dry summers. Basically, Geraldton Wax grows everywhere in Australia except in tropical and sub-tropical areas.

Geraldton Wax is a medium to large shrub, typically 2-3 metres high in cultivation and of fairly open habit. The leaves are narrow, up to 40mm long and highly aromatic when crushed.
The flowers appear in late winter and may last well into summer.

The flowers remind me of large tea tree flowers and in fact there are some species of tea-tree that have similar foliage.

The flowering stems are sought as "fillers" which are useful for providing backing for single stemmed flowers such as roses, carnations and kangaroo paw.

A range of flower colours are available from white to pinks and purples.

Geraldton Wax is commercially grown for the cut flower industry and there is a nursery in Alice Springs where they grow early and late season flowering types.

That means if you wanted an extended season of flowering you could plant the different types in your flower border.
Some of the CVS mentioned that particular nursery in Alice Springs like Purple Pride, flowers in mid August ,CWA pink flowers early to mid September

Coming from Western Australia you would expect the this plant would like sandy well drained soils and you would be right. It grows it full sun and semi-shade.

If you don’t have those conditions you can grow Geraldton Wax in pots or raised garden beds, even rockeries.

Well-drained soils with a pH of 7 to 9 are preferred.
Being a native plant that has evolved over thousands of years in dry, and poorly fertile soil, Geraldton wax has low nutritional requirements.
Too much nitrogen at flowering time will  mean that you get lots of fresh tip growth beyond the flowers. This causes a reduction in flower quality and reduces the price received for the flowers.

TIP:When you first get your plant of Geraldton Wax, plant them out carefully as the roots break easily.
Powdery mildew might be a problem in more humid areas so make sure there’s plenty of air circulating around the plant.
Once established, plants will tolerate periods of extended dryness. The plants respond well to pruning back by about one third annually. Geraldton wax is one of Australia's most famous wildflowers and is widely used as a cut flower in Australia and overseas.

You can buy seed of Geraldton Wax from an Australian Native seed company.
I have seen them for sale in Botanic gardens shops around the country as well.
 If you’ve tried growing Geraldton wax before and had no success, why not try one of the hybrids, like Dancing Queen?
Wax flowers normally grow in poor pure sandy very well drained soil/dirt in windswept WA without any still, high humidity air around them. You could try making a high mound of very sandy poor loam, if available in your area and on the side of a windswept open area.
If you live in an area of high humidity, try using Phosphonic acid or Phos-acid, solution to give the plant resistance to root rot fungus.
If you have any questions about growing Geradlton Wax, or Wax Flowers write in and ask.