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

cook | peaches

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Barbecue pancakes with fresh peach compote

2 cup self-raising flour, sifted
¼ cup caster sugar
1¾ cups buttermilk
2 eggs
thick cream, to serve
peach compote
4 peaches, peeled, chopped
¼ cup maple syrup, plus extra to serve
½ cup pistachios, toasted, chopped

1. Combine flour and sugar together in a large bowl. Whisk buttermilk and eggs together and pour into a well in centre of dry ingredients. Whisk, to form a smooth batter.
2. Preheat flat barbecue plate and lightly grease. Drop ¼ cup measurements of batter on barbecue and cook for 2 minutes, until bubbles appear on surface and begin to pop. Turn pancake and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until golden. Repeat with remaining batter. Stack pancakes on a plate and keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, make compote. Combine peaches, maple syrup and pistachios. Spoon over pancake stack, drizzle over extra maple syrup and serve with thick cream..

Serves 4

try this ….
Vanilla poached peaches
Combine 3 cups water, 1 cup sauterne wine, 1 cup caster sugar and 1 split and scraped vanilla bean in a large saucepan. Stir on low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and simmer for 10 minutes. Add 6 peeled peaches, reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with thick cream.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

grow | strawberries

By MEREDITH KIRTON

September is the month of strawberries in Australia, ripening first in Queensland and then the season works its way down the coast towards Victoria, each week signaling another flush somewhere of yet another plump, juicy fruit.

Growing to about 0.5m in width and only 20cm or so high, the strawberry is ideal as a groundcover, or as a strawberry patch, but can also be grown in pots, baskets and window boxes.  In fact, this berry is ideal for the backyard, so long as you can protect the ripening fruit from birds and even the pet dog, who all love the taste of the fruits.  Try nets and empty glass jars to prevent them from getting to your crops.

To grow your own, it’s important to protect these fruit not only from hungry mouths, but also from the ground where they can get fungal problems easily.  That’s where the name “straw”berry actually comes from, as originally straw was placed around each bush to protect the fruit from landing on the damp ground.  Commercial growers often use plastic, but growing your fruit in baskets and pots also has the same effect.

Strawberries need full sun to flower, and there are both white and pink flowering types.  There is also a yellow fruited Alpine or non-spreading strawberry, which is said to be harder for birds to see.  It is, however, just as tasty!  Dig in lots of manure prior to planting rhizomes or seedlings, and feed regularly with liquid manure or liquid blood and bone to encourage recropping.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

harvest | strawberries

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Storage:

Strawberries are delicate and should be handles with care. As they do not ripen after picking, harvest your strawberries when they are bright red and plump. Store in a bowl in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.

What to do with glut

• Freeze

Wash and hull strawberries. Pat dry with kitchen paper, lay on a tray and freeze. Transfer to clip-lock bags and freeze for up to 3 months.

• Preserve

Strawberry jam

750g strawberries, hulled, halved
750g caster sugar
¼ tsp tartaric acid
Jamsetta, see tip

1. Place strawberries in a saucepan and heat on low, stirring occasionally, for 15 mins, until slightly softened. Add sugar and tartaric acid. Stir until sugar dissolves.
2.  Increase heat to medium. Boil for 20mins, the test for setting point. To test, place a teaspoon of jam on a cold saucer. Sit for 2 mins, until cool. Run finger through the centre, if jam is ready it will stay in two halves.
3.  If not, remove from heat and stir through 16g jamsetta. Return to the heat and boil for 5 mins, stirring occasionally. Divide jam between hot sterilized jars and seal.

tip ….
Jamsetta is powdered pectin and assists in setting the jam. It is available at supermarkets.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS