Citrus australasica, (the Australian finger lime), is believed to be up to 18 million years old. It’s a thorny under storey shrub or small tree of lowland subtropical rainforest in the coastal border region of Queensland and New South Wales. Read more from the Wikipedia article or from Sustainable Gardening Australia Growing finger limes Finger limes grow well in either the ground or a large container and can be treated in much the same manner that you would treat traditional lemons, limes and other citrus. This means positioning them in a sun ..read more

Come along to our annual stall outside the ANZ bank, corner Darling & Mort St Balmain on Saturday 3 December, 9 – 1pm. We have stalls selling PLANTS, our bespoke BEESWAX WRAPS and COTTON POT COVERS. Buy tickets in our annual XMAS RAFFLE with fabulous prizes! A HAMPER bursting with goodies, gifts and vouchers from our wonderful local businesses. Prizes winners will be announced Tuesday 6 December. Full list of prizes here: Raffle prizes web 2022Download ..read more

Radicchio is also known as Italian chicory. It has a slightly bitter flavour, which mellows when it’s grilled or roasted. In Italian cuisine it is usually eaten grilled with olive oil, or mixed into dishes such as risotto. I love it in a salad with the sweetness of orange or pear, walnuts and a soft cheese – even a creamy blue is delicious ingredients head of radicchio other salad leaves if you want to mellow the flavour handful of walnut pieces 1 orange or blood orange if in season 3 or 4 half rings of red onion 60g goat cheese (soft type – even a blue) dressing 1/3 cup olive oil 3 tbsp b ..read more

These bickies were very popular at our recent Open day. Thanks to Michiel and Suuz for the recipe! Ingredients 250g self-raising flour 150g butter, cubed (unsalted) 125g brown sugar 15g spice mix (see below) 2-3 tablespoons of milk Pinch of salt Spice mix secret recipe 8 teaspoons/parts of cinnamon 2 teaspoons/parts of nutmeg 2 teaspoons/parts of cloves 1 teaspoon/part of ginger powder 1 teaspoon/part of aniseed ½ teaspoon/part of white pepper ½ teaspoon/part of coriander (optional) Instructions Preheat the oven to 175C. In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, butter (a little soft m ..read more

Join us in the garden from 10 – 2pm PLANT stall delicious home made CAKES and savoury treats sausage SIZZLE Beeswax WRAPS (in 3 sizes) made from Northern rivers Ballina Honey beeswax Don’t forget our RAFFLE – with great prizes: Sackville Hotel voucher – Pepperseeds Thai voucher – Franck Provost Hair voucher Food Hamper from the Gladstone Store – Yoga with Tiffany class voucher – Bottles of fine wine Home made preserves Come and see some of the great improvements we’ve been busy doing in the last 12 months… a beautiful new shed, new irrigation system, garden signage, and see our plans for a ..read more

Autumn-Winter-planting-2022Download ..read more

Hello fellow gardeners I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy! This is both – my heartfelt wish and a sentence that gained some gravity in recent days. These are uncertain times and as a community group and garden we need to address some serious questions. I’m sorry that this letter is a bit long and perhaps not very cheerful, but please take a moment to read it. A challenging year After a year of serious drought, a hot summer with water restrictions and severe bush fires, we are now confronted with a health threat that makes us vacillate between freak-out and denial. Who would h ..read more

Recipe from www.epicurious.com Makes about 2 cups Total Time 45 min Ingredients 1 kg fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered 1 fresh serrano chile, seeded and chopped 1/2 large white onion, cut into 4 wedges 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup chopped coriander 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice Preparation Coarsely purée tomatillos, chile, onion, garlic, water, and 1 teaspoon salt in a blender. Transfer to a large heavy skillet and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature, then stir in cilantro, li ..read more

We congratulate all the winners and thank everyone for supporting the work of our garden by buying raffle tickets and donating prizes.   Prize Winners   Persia won the 1st prize, the large hamper basket with champagne, a bottle of wine, a Xmas cake, 2 ceramic mugs, voucher of Art of Bloom florist, AESOP products, box of bon bons, organic coffee, chips, various pickles and chutneys, tea towel   Kasper won the 2nd prize, the boxed hamper with a bottle of Italian extra virgin olive oil, a bottle of wine, two jars of tapenade, roasted nuts, toffee brittle, quince paste, Kangaroo Is ..read more

  The beds with red signage are fallow. They only get watered on working bees to keep the soil alive We aim for watering being done at least twice per week for all planted beds Only water the garden before 10 am or after 4 pm Water the strawberry beds: turn on the distribution tap with the hose already connected and run for 15 minutes (we cannot do this for longer, so set an alarm on your phone.) Water the planted beds using watering cans Run a hose with a trigger nozzle to the bed you want to water. Place two cans in the bed using them in turns, watering with one while filling up th ..read more