Indice dei contenuti per Issue 7 in Homegrown

Community gardens are often important hubs of their local area, and the spectacular rooftop garden at The Wayside Chapel in Potts Point, Sydney, is no exception. A not for profit organisation, Wayside has been offering non-judgemental help and support to disadvantaged people for more than 50 years. Unlike most community gardens, individual plots are not hired out to local residents – everyone is welcome to share the garden, and all the produce is used in Wayside’s projects. Opened in 2011 as part of Wayside’s $8.2 million green space redevelopment, the rooftop garden was purpose built, boasting the best of sustainable architecture and design to create the smallest possible carbon footprint. Located on the fourth floor, the garden spans an impressive 200 square metres, with incredible views of Kings Cross and…

What you’ll need • 6 large leaves of a big leafy vegie (eg: spinach or rainbow chard)• 5 long stalks of shallots• 5 stalks of rosemary (about the same length as the shallots)• Bunches of whatever herbs you have in the garden• Edible flowers – make sure they have not been sprayed with any chemicals• String• Ribbon (optional) Step 1 Lay the spinach out on the table in a fan shape. Step 2 Layer on the shallots and rosemary. (Photo 1) Step 3 Next I have added a couple of branches from my chilli bush. Step 4 Tie any small, loose herbs with string. I like to tie each type of herb separately. (Photo 2) Step 5 Layer these bunches on your fanned out vegies. Step 6 Add your edible…

Citrus trees are versatile and useful trees for your garden and can be grown (with care) in many climatic zones. Autumn is a great time for many types of citrus fruit; many varieties ripen in autumn. In fact, if you if choose your varieties carefully, you can extend your harvest of these delicious fruit throughout much of the year as some mature in spring, others in autumn and some in winter. Unusual autumn ripening citrus Try these more unusual autumn-ripening citrus fruit: • Bergamot oranges (Citrus aurantium ssp. bergamia): it is not an edible orange, but very scented and aromatic, containing rich essential oils. The appearance of the fruit is more like a lime or lemon than an orange. It is used to scent oils, as the flavouring in Earl…

The right greenhouse There are many different types of greenhouses available today. Generally speaking, the old adage applies: “You get what you pay for”. Cheaper greenhouses are not as efficient or long-lasting as more expensive types, which can last decades and will in many respects do a better job even if more costly initially. Backyard greenhouses Various types of backyard greenhouses are commonly available in kit form and these are well worth looking at. The options seem endless. The size is really dictated by the available space, your budget and what you want to grow. A simple, economical, igloo style can be constructed from inserting star pickets into the ground, 750mm apart and opposite each other and bending poly-pipe over the star pickets. Then cover with a flexible fabric. The…

Ingredients • Half cup butter• 1 cup brown sugar• ¼ cup dark molasses• 2 ¼ cups unbleached flour• 1 egg• ½ teaspoon salt• 1.5 teaspoons baking soda• 2 teaspoons ground ginger• 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger root• Granulated sugar• Half cup finely chopped crystallised ginger Method Cream the butter and brown sugar. Beat in egg and molasses. Sift in dry ingredients and stir until well blended. Add fresh and crystallised ginger. Chill dough until stiff enough to handle. Shape into 2.5cm balls, roll in granulated sugar and bake at 180°C for 10 minutes. Makes 48 Marinating meat Spices may be used fresh or dried for marinating meat. A marinade must consist of an acid, a flavour, and oil. Acid – this is used to tenderise the meat. You could…

Pickles are usually vegetables, but sometimes fruit e.g. sour cherries, meat and also eggs, that are preserved in vinegar and salt with the addition of aromatic spices. Using the right pickling method means that your vegetables will retain their colour texture and shape, look great in the bottles and taste wonderful too. Vinegar and salt create environments that are inhospitable to the growth of micro-organisms and slow the decay of food. Traditionally, pickles were made by fermentation, where natural acids were produced by bacteria during the fermentation process. Rather than having to use fermentation to produce acids to preserve foods, the process evolved to using vinegar to make the pickle. When people make pickles these days, this is usually how it is done, although there has been a resurgence of…

What is The Wayside Chapel? “The Wayside Chapel has provided unconditional love, care and support for people on and around the streets of Kings Cross since 1964. “Today, under the banner of love over hate, The Wayside Chapel creates a community where there is no ‘us and them’ by breaking down the barriers of judgement and providing a safe place where people from all walks of life are welcome just to ‘be’. The Wayside Chapel draws people out of social isolation and invites them into the healing place of community. People marginalised by homelessness, mental health issues and substance abuse can turn to Wayside for compassion, tolerance and support. “Our community services centre, youth space and outreach service, mental health program, community cafe and our Aboriginal project are all designed…

Safety Equipment • Safety glasses• Ear muffs or ear plugs• Gloves Tools • Drop saw and/or circular saw• Claw hammer• Pinch bar• Tape measure• Pencil• Wood screws 28, 40, 50, 60mm• Drill• Pre-drill bit with counter sink• Impact driver• Phillips bit Material • 2 Pallets in reasonable condition• Leftover white wall paint (optional) CUT SHEET Step 1 Disassemble the pallet using a claw hammer and pinch bar. Retain top slats and gluts (the thicker underside pallet planks). Remove nails with claw hammer. Select best uniform slats. Trim tops and bottoms off slats. (Photo 1) Step 2 Cut slats to uniform lengths: 9 x 500mm Length A and 3 x 500mm (minus 2 x thickness of gluts) Length B (Photo 2). These will form the platforms. Step 3 Using another slat,…

How to process the plant into the spice When you first grind your own spices you will be amazed by the fragrance. The traditional method of grinding is the mortar and pestle, but grinders and blenders can also be used. Before you grind dried seeds, you can toast them in a frying pan on a medium heat for 30 seconds or until they pop. Once ground, transfer spices into airtight containers immediately, or use in cooking. • Mortar and pestle – the mortar is the bowl into which dried plant parts are placed. They are then ground with a hand-held pestle. Connoisseurs would argue that the best types are those made of sturdy materials like granite and stone because they are strong, create enough friction to aid with grinding, and…

How To Make Compost Tea Quarter-fill a large container with weeds, and/or manures and legumes, top up with water to cover the material, and leave it all to stew for three weeks, stirring occasionally. Alternatively hang a porous sack of manure in a large water-filled container, such as a plastic water tank – dunk it regularly. Dilute the tea with water (1:10) and apply to the soil (for manure tea) or used as a foliar-feed (weed tea). Top up the brew often with water and more weeds. Keep it covered to prevent mosquitoes breeding in the container. Tomato spray This spray can help to control aphids. It is the alkaloids in the stems and leaves of tomatoes that will kill insects. Stems actually contain the most alkaloids and older leaves.…

Autumn is an ideal time to plant members of the cabbage (brassica) family, and although some can be grown over the warmer months, they mostly perform better during cooler conditions. Brassicas include: cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, Chinese cabbage, kohlrabi, turnip, swede, radish and rocket – great variety from which to choose. You can plant seedlings of many brassicas in autumn, to harvest in winter or early spring. Harvesting You can progressively pick the new leaves of kale, Chinese cabbage and rocket as you need them (over quite a long period), rather than harvesting the entire plant. Others though can only be harvested once they are mature, or the edible parts are sufficiently developed i.e. those with a swollen root or stem base (e.g. radish, turnip, kohlrabi) or the flower…

Ingredients • A large drum in which to brew the tea (a plastic rubbish bin with a well fitting lid is ideal). The brew can be quite vile smelling; so the lid is quite important! If you have the choice, position the drum away from the house and from neighbours.• A large plastic plant pot with drainage holes which can stand inside the drum; or a porous sack or bag which can be placed inside the drum (an old pillowcase works well).• Weeds - of any description!!! Method Pick enough weeds to fill the pot or sack (squish them in!) and place in the drum. Now fill the drum with water; ensuring the weeds are totally submerged. Fit the lid, and leave to steep. After about five or six weeks,…

Whilst a variety of bulbs are planted at different times of the year, autumn is the best time to plant many of our most popular garden bulbs. Most bulbs planted in autumn will flower in spring and what a pleasure and thrill it is to see the leaf tips pushing through the soil’s surface – such a great reward for our gardening endeavours! What are bulbs? Bulbs are plant storage organs (a bit like buds) which contain a whole plant. They produce leaves, stems and flowers above the ground during favourable weather, and die back to a fleshy mass of plant tissue at, or below, ground level in unfavourable weather. Rhizomes, corms and tubers are similar to bulbs, and are often grouped with bulbs in nurseries and garden centres as…

The mandarin tree is one of the most popular fruit trees grown nationally in the Australian home garden. Success with growing mandarins begins with correct variety selection for your climate. Early season varieties • Imperial• Clementine• Satsuma Mid-season varieties • Hickson Late varieties • Avana• Afourer• Ellendale All of these varieties are seeded. Afourer can be made seedless by growing it under netting with full exclusion from pollination by bees and other varieties flowering at the same time. Mandarin varieties can also be purchased as dwarf fruit trees. Many nurseries sell very different versions of what they call dwarf. Version 1 Trees grown from cuttings or commonly described as growing on their own roots. These can remain small for a long time but suffer root loss from extremes of wet…

Cover 2 cups of sliced and peeled ginger with water in saucepan and bring to boil. Simmer for, about 20 minutes until tender, then add half cup of sugar, stir and return to boil. Remove from heat, cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. The next day bring to boil again, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add half a sliced lemon and 1 cup of corn syrup, then simmer uncovered for a further 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cover and let stand overnight. The following day, bring to the boil again, stirring as the mixture heats. Add half a cup of sugar and bring to the boil while stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir in a final half a…