Salt, Yams and Silver Shield plants

We’re talking about salt in the Spice it Up segment, growing Oca, a root veg, in Vegetable Heroes, Plectranthus argentatus or Silver Spur flower, whichis a native ground cover that bees love in Plant of the Week plus what does Nicole Miranda and friends from Henley Green Community garden get up to at this time of year?

SPICE IT UP

Salt

Is salt a spice a seasoning or something else?
Is there more than one type of salt?
Why should we use it rather than leave it out?
Did you know that culinary salts come in two basic categories - sea salt and mined salt?

All this and more about salt. I'm talking with Ian Hemphill from www.herbies.com.au
Let’s find out Salt is actually a mineral, not a spice which means it doesn’t lose its flavour over time like spices and herbs do.

Salt is used as a seasoning, and is just NaCl or sodium chloride.
Most dishes that would be spiced will contain salt.

There are many types of salts on the market but they fall into two categories.

1) salts with impurities, that give a different flavour.

2) salts with different textures.
An example the first is Murray River pink salt. The colour is pink because of the minerals that the aquifer has flown through.

Rock salt is mined salt.

Murray River Pink Salt

• Indian Black salt is also mined salt. Initially  the big chunks that are mined are deep purple to almost black in colour. However, when it is crushed, it becomes a pale pink in colour. Exudes a pungent odour.
• this salt is a key ingredient in  'chat masala' which also contains cumin, coriander seed and asefetida. 
• if requestingd the salted version of the drink lassi , it will contain chat masala.

All salt originates in sea water, but sea salt is evaporated from liquid ocean water, while mined salt is taken from ancient deposits left by long-dry seas.
Ian's Secret Tip: salt is cheap and heavy and added to some spice blends to make them cheaper so watch out and just buy the best.
If you have any questions either for me or for Ian, you can email us Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Oca,   New Zealand Yams Scientifically Oxalis tuberosa.

They were originally grown in the high Andes and are still a very popular variety of vegetable in South America.

It’s no surprise then that they were a staple food of various ancient cultures throughout the continent.

Oca tubers were brought to Europe in 1830 as an alternative to potato.

Potatoes were considered more versatile so that oca tuber never really caught on in any great scale.

30 years later they were also introduced to New Zealand, where there was a very different reaction.

They were adopted as a firm favourite and are still hugely popular today (and known simply as ‘yams’).

NZ Yams or Oca

• Unlike potatoes, oca tubers can be eaten both raw and cooked.Well that’s not strictly true, I remember as schoolkids, we occasionally would bite into raw potato, but it wasn’t that nice.

So why should we grow Oca?

• When they’re raw, they have a fresh lemony flavour with a crisp, crunchy texture not unlike the crispness of a carrot.
• The skin is edible too and can be left on when raw. Slice them up into a salad to add some fresh zest.
• When they’re cooked, the lemony flavour disappears and the tubers have a nuttier taste.You can cook them in much the same way as a potato — boiled, baked, fried, grilled or added to a soup or winter stew.

What Does The Plant Look Like?

A compact, attractive, bushy perennial plant with clover-like leaves to 20 - 30 cm high.

Oca tubers look like stubby, wrinkled carrots.

Oxalis tuberosa

WHEN TO GROW IT

Oca is suit to temperate and cool temperate climates for spring planting.

Cool temperate districts can plant it as late as mid-summer but spring is recommended.

Oca is resistant to low temperatures grows best in moderately cool climates but freezing will kill the foliage.

If the tubers are already established it will re-sprout.

This one is not suitable to plant in subtropical or tropical climates over summer.

Winter temperatures in frost-free areas of Queensland are ideal to grow oca. The summer is simply too hot, humid and wet.

How To Grow Oca

• Temperatures above 28°C cause the plant to wilt.
• Grow the oca tubers in much the same way as you would grow potatoes.
• Tubers start forming 4 months after planting and production peaks at 6 months.
• Oca tolerates a wide range of soil types and pH.
• The oca plant will begin to form tubers as the days shorten and the temperature drops — in other words, in the autumn.
• The tubers will grow in size throughout the autumn, so the longer the tubers are left in the soil, the better.
• Typically, the best time to harvest the tubers is after the frost has destroyed all of the above-ground foliage or it naturally dies off.
• Keep several for planting next season, by storing them in sand or sawdust.

Like the potato, the oca tuber can be stored for several months, so you’ll have them for an extended period after harvest.

Why Is It Good For You?

Each variety differs in its nutritional content, but generally they’re a great source of carbohydrates, vitamin C, iron and potassium, as well as being a source of protein.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Plectranthus argentatus: Silver Shield

This week we have a native plant that has velvety leaves, sage green foliage and blue flowers.

It’s in the mint family, so it’s got square stems.

I’m not sure why some people think that only exotics come from the mint family.

Australia has quite a few members that fit into this category.

Let’s find out what’s good about this one.I'm speaking with new contributor, Adrian O’Malley, horticulturist and native plant expert.

• “Plectranthus” is a combination of 2 Greek words that mean “spur” (plectron) and “flower” (anthos).
• Argentatus is Latin for silver.

Plectranthus argentatus or Silver Shield prefers partial shade but will grow in full sun as long as the soil’s not too poor.

Can also grow in full shade and tolerate light frosts, that’s down to -2 C.

Excellent in dry shade.
The best spot for it though is in well drained soil near trees, also a great plant for containers.
If you have any questions for me or for Adrian or would like some seeds of the Snow Wood tree, please write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com

Henley  Green Community Garden Update

There are many reasons to join a community garden: learn a new skill, teach your kids where food comes from, save money, help the environment, have a reason to get outside regularly and share with others.

Chickens at Henley Green Community garden

These reasons — and many more keep the people who grow food at a community garden.
Let’s catch up with what’s happening in the local community garden at Henley.
I'm speaking with Nicole Miranda from the Happy Hens Community garden in Henley.

If you are interested in joining the community garden at Henley you need to first register your interest by filling in a form from their website www.happyhens.org.au
If you have any questions for me or for Nicole, please write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com

Stunning Coastal Pincushion Bush and Which Mushrooms to Pick

THE GOOD EARTH

Mushroom picking sounds like a great idea, but around the world, people die from eating poisonous ones.
Not only do you need to know where to go but also how to tell which are poisonous and which are not.
Authorities recommend to only forage in the supermarket aisles or buy a mushroom kit and grow your own!

Saffron Milk Cup Mushroom

However, if you go out with a knowledgeable guide, you may be able to enjoy this pleasant past time without fear of keeling over.

Let’s find out.
I'm talking with Margaret Mossakowska, Director of Moss House and Living Skills Coordinator of Permaculture North.

In Australia, cool climate pine forests are the best places.

State owned forests have public access and picnic tables for you to enjoy your mushrooms after picking them.

Forests need to be 10 - 20 years old so that the fungal networks have had time to re-establish after the intensive agriculture that's involved in starting forest plantations.

Slippery Jack Mushroom undersides.

Saffron Milk Cap mushrooms (pictured above) exude an orangey white sap when cut.

This sap oxygenates to a green colour, so it's not mouldy.

These are the easiest to identify. 

Slippery Jack Mushrooms (pictured here) don't have gills on the underside but more of a foam structure.

You can also find mushrooms where horses and cows are pastured. these are mostly button mushrooms and harder to identify.

TIP: Cut the mushrooms instead of pulling our digging them out. By doing this you're letting spores for future generations of mushrooms remain in the environment where they grow best.

WARNING: Only ever go collecting mushrooms with an experienced guide.
Do not rely on guide books for collecting mushrooms.
They’re very easy to misidentify.

Margaret says that when she takes people out foraging for mushrooms, that she asks them to tip out their collected mushrooms onto a blanket.
By doing this, Margaret can check each and everyone one of them to make sure that they’re not the poisonous ones.
If you have any questions about mushroom picking or have some advice or photos to share, why not drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Growing Unusual Vegetables

Are you tired of growing the perfectly ordinary?
Perhaps you’re not tasting that much difference between home grown and shop bought?
Of course, your will be organically grown though.
On the other hand, you might have easy access to local fruit and veg markets, whether organic or not, that can grow the staples like potatoes, onions and carrots much cheaper.

So instead of growing those, you could try going for Jerusalem Artichokes, Mizuna, Giant Red Mustard, Choy Sum, and Japanese Chrysanthemum for starters.

You don’t even have to be a computer nerd because seed companies are quite happy to send you their seed catalogues.
Pick something out from the descriptions in the catalogues that you haven’t tried before.

Here’s a few details about some of the unusual ones that I have mentioned in previous vegetable hero segments.

Japanese chrysanthemums are sometimes called chop suey greens.
You can use the leaves and flowers of this vegetable.
So this is a warm season crop, but never mind, put it on your to do list for next Spring.
Pick the leaves 6 – 8 weeks for your salads and throw the flowers in as well.

Chicory is one I’ve mentioned as a vegetable hero, but it is rather unusual/
This one gets sown in Summer and you can use the outer leaves for a few weeks before you let the heart develop over winter.

Jerusalem artichokes are rather a large plant that you can even grow in a large pot. 

You eat the tubers in winter but plant them in Spring.
 Easy to re-grow from fragments or just re-plant a couple after you dig them up.
Flowers are nice and tall, and look like small sunflowers.

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is another one I’ve mentioned as a veggie hero but a lot of gardeners just don’t grow it.
You know you can eat kohrabi raw. It’s crunch and sweet but not too sweet.

What are Kohrabi?
These are round, white, green or purple “roots”, which are actually the swollen stem bases of a short, squat brassica plant with blue-green leaves.
Sow the seeds in Spring and pick them what they’re at tennis-ball size in summer to grate raw in salads or home-made coleslaw, or slice very thinly as raw veg “crisps”.

Celeriac
Another favourite of this segment is the ugly looking Celeriac.
You can sow this one in summer and Autumn in most places in Australia except for the tropics.
It’s not suitable to grow there.

These plants produce large spherical “roots” that grow half above ground at the base of their stems.
The usual size you see in the supermarket is roughly 10cm, a very pale brown, rough, almost acne’ed looking ball with lime green tops.
The green tops look a bit like celery, and the smell is similar but a bit stronger.
The thick, rough brownish skin covers a creamy white, crisp inside that’s slightly hotter tasting than celery.
Celeriac also grows more easily and keeps longer than celery, making it an excellent winter vegetable.

New Zealand Spinach
New Zealand spinach is a low, floppy, ground-covering plant with thick, fleshy leaves, this tastes just like conventional spinach when cooked.
It’s a frost-tender ground cover type of plant that can grow in extremely dry conditions once established.
For something really out of the ordinary, not a vegetable but a fruit and it’s white instead of the tradional red.

White Strawberries
White strawberries, also called Pineberries, are available to buy from some nurseries as plants but not seeds.
They’re not genetically engineered but rather an old variety – I bet you didn’t know that all strawberries in South America used to be white! 

Purple Podded Peas
If you like to grow peas, then why not try Purple Podded Peas

Inside these purple pods the peas are as green as any other but their attractive Aubergine colour looks beautiful on the vine.
The colour is practical as well because the pods are easier to see.

Oca New Zealand Yam
Finally there’s Oca ‘New Zealand Yam’
Considered a ‘Lost Crop of the Incas’, this is another new variety for me and I’ve yet to taste them cooked.
Raw, they’re like a mild crunchy radish but it’s said that when this South American root vegetable is boiled or roasted that the flavour and texture is like a lemony potato. 

The tops of this plant look very similar to Sorrel, a wild plant with a lemony tang flavour that can be used in salads and soups.
The tubers only start growing in size after the very first frost so you need to leave them in the ground for some weeks after that happens.
If you dig them up earlier, you’ll only get a few tubers.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Coastal Silver Edged Pincushion -Leucospermum patersonii

Have you ever been stunned by the flowers of a plant that you felt the need to buy one immediately?
Sure you have, it’s one of those things that gardeners get and it’s so very hard to resist.
This next plant falls into that category and I hope you’ll be inspired to rush out and purchase one.
But first, let’s find out about this plant.
I'm talking with the plant panel : Karen Smith, editor of Hort Journal www.hortjournal.com.au and Jeremy Critchley, The Green Gallery wholesale nursery owner. www.thegreengallery.com.au
PLAY: Leucospermum Patersonii_26th April 2017

Coastal Pincushion bush photo M Cannon

The silver edged pincushion plant is such an appropriate name for this beauty.
The leaves are a feature with their silvery edges but the flowers, are more so coming in clusters of three.
The added benefit of the closely clasping leaves is that the bush is densely covered.

Leucospermum patersonii photo M Cannon

The flowers are bright orange to crimson and very showy and appear on the bush in groups of three.
Flowering is from July to December.
the coastal Pincushion bush does well in limestone derived soils, therefore alkaline.
However it should do well in most well drained soils around Australia.

What to watch for:
Root rot or phytophthera can cause sudden death for plants in the Proteaceae family.
This can happen after long spells of dry weather followed by a period of heavy rain.
As a preventative measure drench or spray with Phosacid sometimes marketed as Anti-Rot.

If you have any questions about the Silver Edged Pincushion Plant, why not write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com

Plants Banks and Waratahs

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK
The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition. The new theme is sung by Harry Hughes from his album Songs of the Garden. You can hear samples of the album from the website www.songsofthegarden.com

FEATURE INTERVIEW

by Louise Brooks with Manager/Curator Plant Bank The Australian Garden, Mt Annan John Siemon

Have you ever wonder what would happen if we lost a further 50% of living plants here in Australia?


Would they be gone forever or could they regrow themselves?

Plant Bank Mt Annan-photo Louise Brooks

I’m not being a doomsdaysayer, because the hard facts are, that 50% of the world’s plant species ARE  under threat of extinction?
It could happen through bushfire, mining, over-grazing, or drought.
So what kind of insurance to prevent this happening do we need?
What about a plant bank?
Let’s find out what that really is….

The Australian PlantBank is a science and research facility of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust and is located at the Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan.
Behind the glass windows are three vaults storing 100 million seeds in temperatures ranging between four to minus 20 degrees.

 

John Siemon, the PlantBank's is the project manager, of Plant Bank at Mt Annan.
Trays of small foil packets are carefully numbered and linked to other DNA related samples in the collection.
Inside the bunker a fifth of Australia's 25,000 plant species are represented, including 260 of NSW's rare and endangered species. An insurance policy, if you like, against possible extinction, allowing future scientists to bring back to life native plants for regrowth or medical research.

 

PlantBank houses thermal efficient seed storage vaults, climate controlled glasshouses, and state of the art laboratories.

Plant Bank Mt Annan-photo Louise Brooks

It houses the Trust's seedbank and research laboratories that specialise in horticultural research and conservation of Australian native plant species, particularly those from New South Wales.If you want to visit the Plant Bank-you can.Plus if you’re a bit tech savvy you can download the new mobile app that takes you behind-the-scenes.

Plant Bank Mt Annan-photo Louise Brooks

You can explore this exciting new conservation centre, including the laboratories and seed vault, the surrounding landscaped gardens and the nearby endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland. If you have any questions about Plant Banks, drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

New Zealand Yams Oka or Oca

New Zealand Yams Oka or New Zealand yams
Scientifically it’s known as Oxalis tuberosa and it’s in the Oxalidaceae, the oxalis or wood sorrel family.
Did you know that New Zealand yams are considered the lost crop of the Incas and were introduced to Europe in 1830 as a competitor to the potato?
Did you also know that New Zealand yams were also introduced to New Zealand as early as 1860 and are grown commercially there?
New Zealand yams also grows very well in the UK and Ireland?
What does it look like?
Oxalis tuberosa (Oxalidaceae) is a perennial herbaceous plant that overwinters as underground stem tubers.
When New Zealand yams does grow it becomes a compact, bushy perennial plant with clover-like leaves to 20 - 30 cm high.
Being a tuberous plant it grows like potatoes but belonging to a completely different family to potato it’s unaffected by blight and other associated pest and disease problems that potatoes normally get.
New Zealand yams  have small edible tubers that look like stubby, wrinkled pinky-red carrots.
These tubers can then be boiled, roasted, stir fried, or even eaten raw in salads.
The tubers have a pleasant sweet/ tangy flavour,


NZ Yams-photo M Cannon

 

How to plant:
The recommended planting time is spring in cool areas and at the beginning of the wet season in warmer areas.
In temperate climates plant the tubers in October and November, in cool temperate districts, plant in November or after the last frost.
For sub-tropical areas-September to November, and for arid zones  it’s too hot now, wait until next August.
Store the best tubers for propagation for the next season in dry sand or sawdust, in a cool dark place.
For everyone, planting time is about now for New Zealand yams.
You can grow your New Zealand yams in sun but New Zealand yams are more shade tolerant, and in fact, will do better in partial shade.
All you have to do when planting New Zealand yams tubers is to cover the tubers with soil to a depth of 5 cm and space your plants 30 cm apart.
Ideally wait until tubers begin to shoot before planting.
You can speed this up by placing the tubers on a tray in a morning sun position.
New Zealand yams also grows well in styrofoam boxes, pots and planter bags.
You can start off by planting dormant tubers in a 12 cm pot, 8cm deep, in potting mix and transplant out once plants show active growth.
You need to feed the bed with fish emulsion, worm tea or some blood and bone sprinkled on the surface every couple of months.
One thing to remember is that at about 4 months, New Zealand yams plants should be hilled like potatoes to encourage tuber formation.
So when do you know to dig up your New Zealand yams tubers?
Just like with potatoes, the tubers are ready to eat when the foliage starts to die back.
New Zealand yams is resistant to low temperatures and thrives in moderately cool climates but freezing will kill the foliage. If the tubers are already established they’ll re-sprout.
On another note, temperatures above 28°C cause the plant to wilt.
Tubers start forming 4 months after planting and production peaks at 6 months.
Store the best tubers for propagation the next season in dry sand or sawdust, in a cool dark place.
Each 10cm tuber (always eat the big ones) should produce up to 30 edible tubers as long as a man`s middle finger- and a lot of smaller ones ideal for planting the following season.
Once again, just like potatoes, New Zealand yams grows in all types of soil and a wide range pH.
From some web bloggers I discovered that Charles grew New Zealand yams in Victoria for years and as you know they have many days over 40 degrees.
He says as long as you hill them up like spuds, they survive.
The downside is that frosts finished them off before they were ready so he got a lot of small immature tubers as a result.
Another blogger who lives in Brisbane  writes that he really loves New Zealand yams, but in order to grow it successfully in his area you need to 'reverse' the season.
While everyone else in Australia starts growing it from mid-Spring, he has to plant it mid-Autumn. Winter temperatures in frost-free areas of Queensland are ideal to grow New Zealand yams.
Buy it and store it until March.
The summer is simply too hot, humid and wet .
Once you successfully grow your crop, save some of it in the fridge every year for autumn planting.
New Zealand yams is more perishable than potatoes, but if properly handled can be stored at room temperature for some months.
They store pretty well in a plastic bag in the crisper of the fridge.
Cooking with New Zealand yams
Cook New Zealand yams as you would a potato i.e. New Zealand yams can be boiled, baked or fried.
In Mexico, New Zealand yams is commonly sprinkled with salt, lemon and hot pepper and eaten raw.
In the Andes, the tubers are placed in the sun for a few days, to sweeten them.
New Zealand yams leaves can be eaten as a sorrel substitute.
 

WHY ARE THEY GOOD FOR YOU?

New Zealand yams is one of the highest vegetable sources of carbohydrate and energy. They are a good source of pro-vitamin A (beta carotene), and also contain potassium, vitamin B6 and small amounts of fibre.
Yellow-orange coloured varieties indicate the presence of carotenoids; whilst red skins and red specks in flesh indicate the presence of anthocyanins.
AND THAT WAS OUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT

DESIGN ELEMENTS

with garden designer Lesley Simpson



succulent Coral Garden-My Island Home. photo M Cannon

A couple of weeks ago I spoke to a guest Melbourne landscape designer, Phil Withers.
Phil had created a garden called My Island Home which had a coral reef bed made up of succulents.
It looked like the real deal-a coral reel made up of plants.
So keeping in that theme of creating things with succulents, it’s possible to create other types of themes using succulent plants.
Let’s find out what this is all about.

The ideas for using succulents to do another concept are endless.
What about a river bed of succulents? 
Ever thought of a fairy garden with succulents?
Or even a gnome’s garden?
Succulents in a bowl?


photo M Cannon

 There’s plenty of possibilities and on the up-side succulents are pretty drought tolerant and forgiving
 because succulents store water in their leave, stems and roots.  Because the roots of succulent plants are relatively shallow, a bowl or dish can look great. Just make sure that your pot has good drainage, or that you can put holes in it.
Just because they're drought hardy doesn't mean they like to bake in the midday sun.
Most succulents do best if they are in the direct sun for only a few hours a day. Many need protection from getting scorched in the mid-day sun, but almost all need some bright, indirect light. Succulents can actually suffer from sunburn!

PLANT OF THE WEEK

What floral emblem do you have in your state?
Did you know that Telopea speciosissima or the waratah, was proclaimed the official floral emblem of New South Wales on 24 October 1962?
Waratahs grow to 3 metres tall and about 1.5 metres across. They have stiff, wedge-shaped and usually coarsely toothed, dark green, leathery leaves to 15 cm long.
 

Muogamurra Nature Reserve-photo M Cannon

The NSW species normally flowers red, but many produce pink or even white flowers. A rare white-flowering form, ‘Wirrimbirra White’, is occasionally available from specialist growers.
did you know that the large, pinky-red flowerheads are actually a lot of small flowers densely packed into conical about 15 cm across, and surrounded by a collar of large red, smooth bracts.
The ‘flower’ is in fact a conflorescence makes up to as many as 240 individual flowers. It flowers during spring, October to November.

It is a bird-attracting plant, providing large quantities of nectar for a variety of honeyeaters.
 

People want to know why Waratahs sometimes drop dead?

Sometimes the conditions just aren’t right and eventually your Waratah gives up the ghost.
What are those conditions?
Some say grow near a Banksia serrata is the key.
Others that you need to get some mycorrhizal fungi.
There are members of the Australian Society for Growing Plants that wouldn’t think much of that idea either.
But what everyone agrees on, never hard prune your waratah plant and watering is the key.
Plants bought from garden centres and nurseries are cutting grown and don’t have that deep water searching  tap root that Waratahs have growing in the wild.