Sommaire pour Issue 8 de Homegrown

Earthcore Pruner Bypass Swiss Style The Pruner Bypass Swiss Style is perfect for pruning the thin and thick stems you find on roses. These quality secateurs feature a bypass action and a resilient teflon coated upper blade for smooth, easy cutting. The heavy duty aluminum handle with non-slip grips also means these pruners will last for many seasons to come. SRP: $12.95 Visit us at www.plantsplus.com.au or visit one of our 70+ garden centres Australia wide A Grain Mill for Life The Schnitzer Campo Oat Roller is a high quality hand flaker that will make freshly rolled oats in your own kitchen. Simply put the whole grains in the hopper, turn the handle, and out comes freshly rolled oats with all the nutrients and enzymes kept intact. So tasty and…

This recipe can be altered or added to suit; use the vegetables you have in your garden - it will still taste just as good! If you want a lower carb version of this recipe then omit the potatoes, pasta and parsnip and use only one carrot or omit that too (add extra turnips, swedes or pumpkin instead and lots of greens). For a spicy variation you can also add chilli or cumin. Ingredients: • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil• 4 leeks cut into 1cm slices• I onion cut into 1cm slices• 2 cloves chopped garlic• 3 medium carrots, I turnip or swede (rutabaga), I parsnip - all cubed or chopped• 3 stalks celery or a small head of celeriac (chopped)• 1 small butternut pumpkin peeled and cut into cubes•…

It’s something of a gardening myth that native plants offer little compared to exotics. In fact, some of the most stunning winter flowers are borne on Australian plants. If you choose your natives carefully, your winter never has to be dull again. What’s more, many of these winter flowering natives also bring other benefits such as attracting birds, interesting foliage or even edible parts. Benefits of native plants Over time, a selection of native plants will develop into a vibrant and colourful ecosystem. The lives of plants and animals in the garden are intricately interwoven. Plants provide food for insects, birds, reptiles, frogs and of course mammals. Many of these feed on the pest insects, providing natural control over their populations. Butterflies lay eggs which hatch into caterpillars and these…

PLANTER BOX Step 1 Remove the under side planks from pallets 1 and 2 using a claw hammer, chisel and pinch bar. Retain planks and pallet ladder structures (Piece A). Photo 1. Disassemble the remaining pallets 3 and 4. These spare planks and gluts will be used for sides, fillers and cleats. Step 2 – Back Cut 1 pallet ladder structure just below the third plank using a handsaw, chain or circular saw. This will become Piece B. Align piece A and Piece B. Photo 2.  Note: If centre glut of Piece B does not line up with centre glut of Piece A, remove from centre glut of Piece B and refix to align with centre glut of Piece A. From a spare glut, cut 3 cleats 20cm in length. (Piece C)…

Edible Garden Magazine is brought to you by Home Grown Magazine. It’s a compilation of our favourite articles that will sure to inspire you to get in the garden. This issue is crammed with ideas to keep you busy over the cooler months. We have a mouth-watering array of autumn and winter vegetables and fruit, with plenty of clever tips on how to grow and care for them, including techniques for pruning your fruit trees. We bring you handy hints on how to grow herbs in pots, as well as which herbs are great as herbal teas. And for the fish lovers, why not try your hand at aquaponics? Farm your own fish and fertilise your garden at the same time! So sit back and relax with a cuppa and…

Lean cuts tend to work best for jerky as fat tends to turn rancid before the meat does. It’s not likely to make you sick but it might not taste very good. Jerky made from fattier cuts should be refrigerated or better yet stored in the freezer. If your goal is to make jerky that will store for a long time at room temperature then dryer is better. If your jerky is brittle then it is a good sign that it is very dry. If you are not sure, refrigerate/freeze your jerky. Prep Time: 30 minutes | Marinade Time: 4-6 hours | Cook Time: commonly 6-10 hours. Smoker Temp: 70 – 82°C Meat Finish Temp: 70°C Recommended Wood: Oak, Hickory or Pecan Method Cut beef strips (e.g. flank steak) about…

There are many different ways to make ham. First a piece of pork is selected; next it is cured by soaking in salt water; and finally it is finished by either cooking and/or smoking. The salt solution typically would use approximately one litre of brine per 1kg of meat. The solution would be made with around 1 cup of salt and quarter of a cup of sugar per 4 to 5 litres of water. Herbs and spices (e.g. cloves, garlic), may be added to create flavour. Meat is cooled to around 5°C and ideally kept at between 4 and 5°C while soaking. The time it is soaked for depends on the size of the meat slab, and how salt you want the ham to be. After curing it is removed…

As the weather cools down and autumn moves into winter, deciduous plants drop their leaves, sap flow slows and these plants become dormant. When there’s no growth, the need for water is greatly reduced. When there are no leaves, there is far less chance of plant tissues drying out. The plant’s susceptibility to problems associated with being moved is greatly reduced, and as long as tissues are protected from infections this is an ideal time to transplant and move deciduous trees. Deciduous bare-rooted fruit trees Many of our most popular fruit trees are deciduous plants, and it is common to see them sold without any soil on the roots over winter as what are called ‘bare-rooted’ trees. The trees can survive without soils for a short time, so long as…

Why forage? As an urban forage tour guide, I can say from experience that it’s not for ease of preparation, the pursuit of quality ingredients or even for the abundance of supply that the global foraging revolution seems to be taking off. As a whole, people all over the world are seeking a more intimate and fulfilling experience with food. Adam Grub, permie and fellow forage tour guide, shared his thoughts, saying that, “The rise of interest in foraging is probably a reaction against the disconnectedness of our food, and once you start, you realise how very natural it feels. For 3.5 billion years it was how we fed ourselves, so the skills of it are deep in our bones. And things that are essential to survival tend to feel…

A lot has been written about companion planting, much of which isn’t scientifically proven, and amongst some gardening experts the whole subject is approached with caution, if not scepticism or even criticism. Many scientists are frustrated by the amount of misinformation and folklore that exists around companion planting. Cornell University (for example) has looked at companion planting research originated by Dr Ehrenfried E. Pfeiffer in the 1930s called the “sensitive crystallization method”. Pfeiffer’s research was purely laboratory based (not backed up with actual field observations). The Sensitive Crystallisation Method concluded that ‘plants which formed clear and bright chromatograms were mutually beneficial, but mixtures that formed cloudy or dull chromatograms were antagonistic’; the ‘carrots love tomatoes’ theory is based on these conclusions. Cornell however considers that this is not sound science…

Bacon is made in four steps: • Obtain a slab of pork belly, with the rind (skin) still attached. Around 2kg of the freshest meat is ideal.• Cure the slab by rubbing it with about 4 cups of salt, and up to 2 cups of sugar. Sugar adds flavour, but isn’t essential in this quantity, if you want to be healthier. Other herbs (e.g. pepper or garlic) can be also rubbed in to give a different flavour. After the rubbing, put all remaining salt and other components, with the meat, in a sealed bag or container; and place in the refrigerator for seven days. Turn a couple of times during the week and drain off any build-up of liquid.• Uncover the meat and place back in the refrigerator for a…

Winter is the ideal time for planting and cropping many vegetables in the warmer parts of Australia. Indeed, the cooler months can be just as productive as summer in the vegetable garden, provided you choose the right types of crops, and grow them in the right way. In cooler regions e.g. Tasmania and areas outlying all but the warmest parts of Melbourne, you need to have most of your planting well underway by early autumn to have winter harvests, however there are some vegetables that like these cool conditions, so don’t despair if you have left your run too late this year! Ideal temperatures Cool season vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, onions, broad beans, peas, radish, spinach, turnips, rutabagas, and leek can tolerate frosts overnight and will still grow in…

Prickly pears are a cactus that are found all over Australia. They were originally imported with the First Fleet from Brazil for its connection to the cochineal scale insect that was ground to produce the red dye for uniforms. (For more information like this see the Odd Fodder Cookbook). Ingredients • 4kg de-spiked, peeled prickly pear fruits• 3kg sugar• 2 lemons• 1 cup water• 1 tbsp. citric acid Preparation Prickly pear spikes are deceiving; they are not just one spike but split into a bundle of tiny little spikes when triggered. Always use gloves when handling the unpeeled fruit or paddles and remove spikes before peeling to avoid contact with the fruit. Spike removal can be done by rolling the fruits over a hard surface, or using a blow torch…