Chokos also known as chayotes, are members of the Cucurbitaceae family and related to cucumbers, pumpkins, squash and melons. December is the time to plant chokos in Sydney’s temperate climate. They are easy to grow and in Sydney’s hot conditions the prolific vines can produce heavy crops of this versatile fruit. Choko is high in vitamin C and folate and other trace elements. Growth habits … Continue reading Growing Chokos or Chayotes
This cake is so simple to make and is really delicious. You can use any kind of berries but my favourite berry is the raspberry and this is what I have chosen for this cake. The sharp flavour fo the fresh raspberry contrasts well with the sweetness of the coconut and almond. This is a perfect gluten free cake to make for afternoon tea or … Continue reading Raspberry, Coconut and Almond Cake
This is a recipe especially for those vistors to this site from the northern hemisphere where persimmons are in season. In Sydney persimmonscan be replaced with fresh mango that is now in season. There are many recipes using this delicious autumn fruit in baked goods but I thought it was a waste of the truly luscious sweetness of this fruit. This trifle recipe keeps the … Continue reading Persimmon and Orange Custard Trifles
Luffa is an interesting plant to grow in the home garden if you have a pergola or some structure for it to ramble over. If the fruit is picked small it can be delicious eaten like cucumber in salads or cooked in a stir fry and if left to mature can give a good crop of useful luffa for the bathroom and a great scourers … Continue reading Growing Luffa
This is a variation of a great recipe we reposted a while ago from skinnymom.com. We are using some of the bumper mulberry harvest for this delicious and super easy low calorie ice cream. We are also using sugar bananas from the garden so it is a really organic dessert. If mulberries are not available where you live you can susbtitute other berries like raspberries … Continue reading 4 Ingredient Banana, Mulberry Ice Cream
Lamb stew with dumplings makes a wonderful meal any time of year and is especially good as a warming comfort food in winter, as it is a satisfying meal in spring. For the best flavour choose quality lamb and the freshest of organically grown herbs and slow cook till the meat is tender and delicious. The herb dumplings are easy to make, cooked on top … Continue reading Country Lamb Stew with Herb Dumplings
This month’s post is dedicated to Joe, our long standing garden supervisor, who leaves our little community for more exciting gardening challenges. We thank him for his passion for our garden, his generosity, for sharing his skills, and his sad jokes, but mostly we thank him for all the dedicated hard work that he has put into our garden for many years. Happy gardening in the … Continue reading What to Plant in November
The Grantham Gardener 