Author: brisbaneediblegardening
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Frangrance from Flowers
Lovely fragrant oils can be made from your garden flowers. If you are just after a fragrant oil, it’s pretty easy. Simply add the flower petals to your (low scent) oil, soak for 24 hours then drain. After that you’ve got steam distillation, other solvent extraction, expression, sieving, or enfleurage. This is more complex chemistry and…
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Jerusalem Artichoke
Jerusalem Artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus) is a species of sunflower native to central North America. Also sometimes called wild sunflower, sunroot or sunchoke. As a member of the sunflower family (Asteraceae) they make beautiful additions to the garden, producing lovely bright yellow, sunflower-like flowers throughout the summer months which attract an abundance of bees and butterflies. Unlike…
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Pawpaws, Papaya or Paw Paw
Pawpaws (or papaya or paw paw or the multitude of other names it goes by!). The general advice for growing pawpaws in South-East Queensland seems to be to make sure the soil is enriched with garden lime, plant in rich soil in a northerly facing location on gently sloping ground. Try varieties such as Aussie…
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Plectranthus argentatus
Plectranthus argentatus growing happily in Mount Crosby. With beautiful silvery leaves and striking blue flowers, the native bees just love it. Reaching about 60 cm tall it will spread as a dense groundcover if provided with a little water when it starts to droop (only really an issue on the hottest or driest days). A…
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Grumichama (Eugenia brasiliensis)
Grumichamas come in either black or yellow (orange). They are the equivalent of temperate cherry and are just as delicious. You will find them in full flower across Queensland during spring. Interestingly, only the branched that receive at least 80-100% sun will flower and fruit, so a sunny position is essential. The flowers are small…
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Green Christmas
For those wishing to celebrate Christmas with a lighter environmental impact, consumable gifts are a wonderful idea, especially for those difficult to buy for people who already have everything. Need some inspiration, why not try these wonderful gifts and decorations from recycled materials and the garden. Christmas tree ornaments made from seed pods. In this…
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Late November in Olga’s annual veggie patch
We have been making the most of the cool, overcast weather here in Brisbane at the moment by taking the opportunity to put in a summer crop. We spent the morning digging over Olga’s annual veggie patch and planting corn, capsicum, eggplant, dwarf beans, perpetual spinach and summer lettuce. We also added a few more…
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January Harvest in the Food Forest
What a wonderful time of year for a backyard abundance. We have local mangoes, black sapote, bunya nuts, greens by the wheelbarrow load, native mulberries, Brazilian cherries, Panama berries, macadamia nuts, pepinos, tomatoes, beans, tamarillos, lilly pillies, blueberries, Sandpaper figs, tumeric flowers, paw paws and so much more. It’s such a joyful experience to walk…
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Cape York Lilly (Curcuma australasica)
Cape York Lilly in flower. Curcuma australasica, the native turmeric or Cape York lily. What a stunning plant. Very similar to regular turmeric in appearance with the exception of a beautiful pink stripe down the centre of the leaf. Can be used in much the same way as normal turmeric (if you can bring yourself…
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Unusual nutritious plants for growing in South-East Queensland.
Brisbane’s climate lends itself to a wide range of edible plants from across Asia, Africa, South America and the Pacific, including many native Australian plants. Amaranth sp. Caution: Many plants contain toxins and require specific preparation prior to consumption or are only safe to consume in limited quantities. Always confirm the identity, and the preparation…
Brisbane Edible Gardening 