Permaculture Living

The flower of a rampant lablab bean vine. There are two varieties: one edible and one not.

At this time of year, and given a bit of rain, the Warrigal Greens grow like weeds.

Before I knew much about permaculture I used to grow them and eat them as is; I’ve since found out they have a high oxalic acid content, and should actually be blanched before being used like spinach.

One week at the farm we were experimenting with candlenuts. They have a really high oil content, and like the name suggests used to be strung together and burned for light.

So one was strung on wire and lit; it burned for around five minutes, with a strong and not very smoky flame. A good two minutes longer, and with a cleaner flame, than the macadamia nut burned for comparison.

The (bizarre) flower on the vine…

The beginning of the fruit inside the old flower petals…

The developed green passionfruit, waiting to ripen.

Some people don’t like eating an animal that appears on the nation’s coat of arms. Knowing that they’re in abundance, tasty and environmentally sustainable convinces me that just because they’re a national symbol doesn’t mean they need to go to waste.

Most of the time I buy organic meat, but lately I’ve been buying some from the supermarket since I found kangaroo mince and sausages there. It’s cheap, low-fat, Australian, sustainable and good for the environment - if you’re a meat-eater, what more could you want?