It’s broccoli and cauliflower harvesting time in Brisbane. Normally there is just one head of broccoli per plant…
Unless it’s this strange branching specimen which is at least a year old, and survived a hot summer to produce again this winter.
And again, and again.
Mulberry flowers rapidly becoming berries. They seem a little early this year - I thought the fruit was usually ready in mid-September, and this photo was from the end of July.
The pigeon pea pods are dried and ready for harvest.
It’s the time of year for gorgeous winter vegetables. They’re getting close to harvest, but have a little bit of growing to do yet.
Green Cabbage
Red Raddichio
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.
I’m most used to seeing lucerne dried in bales or compressed in feed pellets. The live plant is much prettier than that.
Avec ant.