harvest | pawpaw

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Storage:

Whilst pawpaw continue to ripen once picked, the flavour is compromised when not fully tree-ripened. Once picked store in refrigerator for up to 5 days..

What to do with glut

Pawpaw lassi

500g pawpaw, peeled, seeded, chopped, plus extra to serve
1 ½ cups ice
140ml can coconut milk
¼ cup natural yoghurt
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp lemon juice

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve with extra paw paw.

Serves 4

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

cook | pawpaw

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Pawpaw in chilli lime syrup

½ cup caster sugar
grated rind and juice of 1 lime
1 small red chilli, finely sliced
1 pawpaw

1. Combine sugar, lime juice and ½ cup of water in a small saucepan. Heat on low, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and simmer for 10 mins, until syrupy. Add chilli and simmer for 5 mins. Remove from heat, stir through lime rind. Cool. Refrigerate until cold.
2. Peel pawpaw and cut into wedges. Pour over syrup and serve.

Serves 4

try this …….
pawpaw salsa
Dice ½ peeled pawpaw. Place in a bowl with 2 chopped green onions (shallots), 1 tbsp shredded mint, 1 tbsp chopped coriander and 1 tbsp chopped roasted peanuts. Mix together 1 tbsp lime juice, 2 tsp fish sauce, 2 tsp sugar. Pour over salsa. Serve with grilled fish, chargrilled lamb or chicken.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

grow | figs

By MEREDITH KIRTON

Since Adam was a boy, we have been growing figs, not for their large body covering leaves but for their delicate sweet fruit which is treasured.  This most loved plant is especially delicate, so handling really bruises the fruit easily, making it an ideal backyard addition where the journey from backyard to dinner plate can be minimised.
Of all the varieties, probably the yummiest is Ficus ‘Black Ischia’, but as this has very soft skin you usually won’t be able to buy it at the greengrocer.

Figs like a Mediterranean climate, which means wet winters and dry hot summers, but they are adaptable and seem to grow on the coast too, although they do succumb to splitting their fruit sometimes if the rains fall too heavily, and also to fruit fly and scale on both their leaves, stems and fruit.  The biggest pest however is birds, who also love eating figs. For this reason, figs are often espaliered, or grown flat, so that a net can easily be thrown over them, or grown inside cages or, like in the picture shown here, under an arch so similarly a cover can protect the ripening fruits.  The other trick to getting bigger harvests is to plant your tree on a rock or slab of concrete.  This stops the roots from developing a major tap root, which in turn makes the tree less large and more spreading, which results in more fruit.

Figs set fruit on both young wood and old, so can produce many kilos once established.  In Australia the first crop is in early summer, followed by a secondary, heavier crop inlate summer.  If your fruit drops when it’s young and fails to develop, chances are the wasp needed to pollinate your crop hasn’t visited.  A capri fig is the host and will need to be nearby in order to visit your tree.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

harvest | mango

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Storage:

Mangoes can be picked under-ripe as they will continue to ripen at room temperature. Once ripe, the skin will have a yellow to reddish blush, will feel slightly soft when touched and the perfume will become more intense. When ripe, mangoes should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

What to do with glut

• Freeze

Cut mango cheeks from the stone and scoop flesh from skin. Place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Use in smoothies, margaritas or cakes.

• Preserve

Mango ice cream

6 frozen mango halves
1/3 cup vanilla yoghurt
1 tbsp honey

Combine frozen mango, yoghurt and honey in a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth and creamy. Scoop into cones to serve if using immediately or pour into an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

cook | mango

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Mango cheesecakes

150g butternut snap cookies
60g butter, melted
250g cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup caster sugar
90g white chocolate, melted, cooled
½ cup cream, whipped
1 mango, halved, flesh thinly sliced

1 .Place biscuits in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs. Add butter and pulse to combine. Place 2 tbsp of crumbs into 6 large serving bowls or glasses. Set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Fold through chocolate and cream.
3. Divide between serving glasses. Top with mango slices. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 6

Tip
Prepare up to 4 hrs ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to serve.

try this …….
Frozen mango margarita
Place 4 frozen mango halves in a blender. Add ¾ cup margarita mix, ¼ cup tequila and 1 cup of ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

grow | peaches

By MEREDITH KIRTON

Peaches (Prunus persica) are one of the quintessential summer fruits, with the season running from late October right through to April, and a real glut coming onto the market around December/January, the perfect time for al fresco eating and light desserts. What many people don’t realise is just how easy peaches are to grow, or how beautiful they can be…

Peaches can be grown in many areas of Australia, as the variety available range from tropical selections that cope with the heat right through to cooler temperate varieties. They also can be bought in dwarf varieties, suitable for small gardens and pots, or espaliered to be able to grown along walls and in narrow spaces, or kept as a beautiful small tree. Another idea is to plant more than one type in the same whole, known as duo and trio planting, or grow multi grafted plants to allow for a few different types, and even other stone fruit, on the one plant. Known as fruit salad trees with these multigrafts it is possible nowadays to have the one tree bear a white fleshed peach, yellow fleshed peach and even a plum, all on the same bush!

Dwarf peaches are also available. Sold as Trxzie® grow about 1.5m x 1.5m. Their fruit is full sized, despite their diminutive statue! Over the last few decades there has been a lot of breeding going on in the peach world. Check out the newest cultivars from Flemings Nureseries (www.flemings.com.au ‘Daisy’, ‘Tasty Zee’ and Double Jewel.)

Peaches also have the added bonus of being self fertile, which means that they don’t need another variety to still be able to cross pollinate and set fruit, which can be a problem in the back yard situation for some other fruit tree.  The biggest problem you will face is likely to be the birds, who, just like you, love the juicy sweet flesh but will also eat them greener, ruining the crop.  Nets are essential for keeping them out of reach.  Peaches also get fruit fly in some areas of Australia, so you will need to be vigilant for this as the fruit ripens.

Peaches are normally planted in winter they can be purchased bare rooted and the range is widest and cheapest.  They can be bought year round though if potted, and many of the multigrafts and dwarf types will be available now.  They like a full sun position and are quite hardy, but don’t like being water logged so you will need to ensure that the soil drains will.  Dig a hole, fill it empty with water and check that it drains away completely in 10 minutes.  If it’s acting like a bucket, build
up your planting level to above the ground in either a mound or raised bed, to ensure drainage is adequate.

Peaches will take about 3 years before they bear reliably, and need particular training to keep the bearing.  To do this, each winter remove any branches that grow inwards, and shorten the remaining branches, all the time creating an open vase like shape, just like you do with rose bushes but on a much bigger scale.  Also watch that you remove suckers, or the shoots that appear below the bud union, as they appear as these can overbear your plant and have no guarantee of being a tasty fruit…they are just chosen for their disease resistance and vigour as an understock. Each winter, check your plant for scale insects and spray with a suitable copper spray at bud swell to stop the disease peach leaf curl attacking your plants.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

harvest | peaches

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Storage:

A perfectly ripe peach will feel slightly firm and have the most deliciously sweet fragrance. Peaches do not ripen once picked but will soften slightly when left at room temperature. Fortunately, for those of us that don’t have a peach tree in the backyard, commercial growers are picking fruit as ripe as possible before sending to market.
Store ripe fruit in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and bring to room temperature before eating.

What to do with glut

The natural sweetness of ripe peaches makes them ideal for chutney.

• Preserve

Peach & ginger chutney

20g butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4cm piece of ginger, finely shredded
8 peaches, peeled, cut into wedges
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup raisins

1. Heat butter and oil in a saucepan on medium, until butter melts. Cook onion for 5 minutes, until soft. Add ginger and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add peaches, vinegar, sugar and raisins.
2. Bring to boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until peaches have collapsed and mixture has thickened.
3. Spoon into hot, sterilized jars and seal. Refrigerate after opening.

Makes 2 cups

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS