If I had to do it all again???

Lately my wife & I have been thinking of (reluctantly) moving out of the city to somewhere a little more rural. Which is a bittersweet prospect for a gardener. One one hand it would be exciting to have a bigger slice of land to do gardening projects and the dream of a slower more peaceful surrounds. On the other, however, it would be quite sad to say goodbye to the garden i have spent so much time in & all my plant friends I've nurtured over the years. So of late, with this in mind, i've been thinking - If I had to do it all again, what would be my essential plants and projects i would have to have in my new garden?? 

Firstly my new garden would of course based around fruit and food forest ideology with a particular focus on citrus, as you could imagine. I have grown so many different cultivars of citrus in my current garden which has been great to have such a collection. But in future i would like to focus more on taste, extending the season and productivity of the fruit grown. For example i have a quite few bitter oranges such as Bergamot, Serville, Chinotto. Which are interesting trees and unusual fruits but i would much rather have a good eating Mandarin in its place which i would enjoy much more. Another example would be my blood oranges, which i love and are still one of my favourite citrus. The thing with them though is they are incredibly slow to produce (at least 4-5 years) and when they do the fruit is quite small and rarely coloured. If you compare this to say a Cara Cara where they are a vigorous, highly productive tree with loads of fruit. I would also like to have more fruit to eat fresh in the hand rather than those needing time for processing into drinks, marmalade or the like.
With this in mind these would be the essentials for my new Fruit Forest......

Mandarins:
Miho, Silverhill, Encore, Okitsu Wase, W. Murcott Afourer, Scarlett Burgess.
Oranges:
Moro Blood Orange, Tarocco Blood Orange, Cara Cara
Tangors:
Tangor Dweet, Tangor Ugli, Tangor Kiyomi
Limes:
Tahitian, Australian Fingerlime, Key Lime
Lemons:
Meyer, Pink Variegated Eureka, Lemonade
Other:
Yuzu, Buddha Hand

Feijoas
Apollo, Golden Goose, Mammoth

Peaches
Golden Queen, Pixzee, Bonanza, Black Boy

Apples
Pacific Rose, Gala

Passionfruit

Black, Red Banana, Sweet Granadilla

Grapes
Albany Surprise, Niagara

Raspberries

Aspiring, Ivory

Avocado "Hass"
Apricot

Blueberrys

Fig

Blackcurrants

Elderflower
Lemon Myrtle

Plum "Black Doris"
Pear "Beurre Bosc"

Nashi Double Graft "Hosui" with "Nijiseiki"

Coffee

Bananas
Nectarine

Other projects i would definitely look at would be planting out another Lavender farm. 

Citrus season roundup 2017

Coming into spring we are almost at an end of the Citrus fruiting season here in Auckland. Its been a season of mixed results but there has been a bounty of fruits without doubt. A lot of my citrus trees have been the ground for at least 2-3 years now and are at the stage where they are well settled in to their position and have established root systems and healthy canopies. Most of the trees are healthy and in good condition with only a few showing signs of Verricosis or Citrus Scab. These will need to be regularly sprayed with Copper this year to try and lessen the disease which is a bit of a blight on the leaves and fruit.
Success:
I have had bumper crops from my Lemons this year which have been supplying my cafe with a regular stream of fruit. This has always been a goal of my gardening to be able to supply the cafe with produce that we can actively use. I only have two trees (one Meyer and one Eureka) but they have both been quite prolific.

Another prolific fruiter has been my surprise Grapefruit with its first season of over 30 fruits! As i detailed in my post I'm not a fan of grapefruit and was planning to pull the tree out. On second thought though, i decided to leave it in. I have been juicing the very ripe Grapefruits recently and with some added sugar is quite enjoyable.

Limes have also been in abundance this season and since cutting back on our alcohol consumption of late we still have quite a few hanging on the tree yellow & ripe waiting for a Margarita to come along. I have at least 8 Lime trees now of which 6 are at maturity so there will only be more next year. I have my first fruit of my Key Limes too which is great to try out they have a lovely floral light flavour with a more intense "Limey" flavour. They are seeded though and very thorny.

Cara Cara Oranges were pretty good from my little two year old tree. After a set back last season where it's central leader snapped under the weight of its fruit it came back strong this year and produced about 7 fruits. They had pretty good deep colour as you would expect from Cara Cara and nice rich naval orange flavour.

As a success & a failure has been my Mandarinquat finally this year i have two fruit! Sadly though they has some sort of fungus attack so are covered in unsightly scab. I think this is the same Verricosis that has afflicted the neighbouring Lime tree. So i think this year i will spray these two with some Copper on the regular.

Mandarins were pretty good this year, most of mine however are quite young as only in the last year began to appreciate the bounty of Mandarins. I got three of my new Okitsu Wase which were very early in the season and the first of all my citrus to ripen. My Miho was quite prolific with about 10 fruit but because its still fairly small & young the fruit resulted in being fairly small in relation to tree size to fruit quantity. Nice flavour though. Silverhill i had 3 fruit. The Scarlett Burgess had about 20 fruit all quite small too. I attribute this to the neighbouring Lime shading it out of light for a while and so it didn't have enough energy to make the fruit large. I have recently trimmed this Lime back to give this tree sufficient space.

 

My Calamondin was quite laden this year with fruit I'm still not sure what i can do with these but i made some Calamondin cordial which was pretty yum with some sparkling water. The fruit seem a bit bigger this year also.

Disappointments:
Unfortunately i only had one fruit from my Tangor but it was yum. It was quite large and easy to peel but the flavour was a little lacking and little bit dry, as i left it hanging on the tree for some time to ripen up fully.

Blood Oranges were quite a failure this year my Moro finally decided to fruit this year for the first time but all the fruit were very small and none had any colouration! I did get one fruit off my Tarrocco which was bigger in size and faint colouration around the outer flesh. 

 

My Buddha's Hand tree is very healthy and well settled into its spot in the garden and managed to produce about 6 good sized hands. The only thing is that the tentacles are like a haven for Ants and pests to nest in. So unfortunately all my hands succumbed to being infested. I think next year i will need to regularly spray inside the tentacles to keep them pest-free.

My older Yuzu tree did not fruit this year as i moved him from its home in the middle of the vege bed into the ground so he was a little upset about this i imagine. The second younger Yuzu however gave me 3 fruit which were good.

Cara Cara Imposter

Two years ago i brought a decent sized Cara-Cara Orange tree from a (won't name names) Garden centre. This year i waited for citrus season with joyful anticipation of a colossal bounty of it's very first harvest. With at least 20 fruits coming on it was also exciting at how prolific this Cara-Cara was in such a short time. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that i began to suspect that something was afoot, when the "Oranges" seemed to flatten out in shape, much different to the typical navel orange shape that you would expect in a Cara-Cara. As soon as the fruit was a ripe yellow(!) i picked one to taste and confirmed my worst fears, that yes this was in fact a dreaded Grapefruit! Grapefruit are a paradox of sorts in my mind. They are vigorous trees that grow quickly and fruit abundantly compared to other citrus. The only thing is very few people like the taste of the bitter/sour Grapefruit and the fruit often go to waste on the ground. 

Luckily i had kept the original tag from the garden centre which clearly states that it was a Cara Cara. So after explaining the situation to the staff they offered to exchange the tree for a new sapling. Unfortunately i'll have to wait another two years to see any harvest. Hopefully thus time it will grow true to the label! I do however have a backup 2 year old dwarf Cara Cara inground that will yield about 8 fruit this year to sample. See below the Cara Cara on the left and the Grapefruit on the right.

 

New Season Lemons

With today being officially the first day of Winter, most people out there will despair being in the depths of deep, dark, winter hibernation. Though peaking out through the drizzle & rain comes a bright yellow beacon of flavour. Lemons! Just when you need that vitamin C hit & nothing else is fruiting out there in the yard, Citrus really prove their worth as a member of the garden. It is only with this chill of winter that the citrus begin to change colour from green to yellow. With all this fresh Lemon bounty and also being stuck inside, its a perfect time to bust out one of my favourite baking recipes: Lemon & Poppyseed Yoghurt Loaf. This loaf is extra moist due to using yoghurt instead of butter. This also helps it stay moist & fresh for days (if it lasts that long). The batter comes together in minutes and only takes about an hour to bake in the oven. Once cooled the loaf is topped off with a lemon syrup for extra added moisture, then finished with a lemon earl grey glaze. You could also make these into muffins or cupcakes too, just be sure to adjust the baking time.

Lemon Poppyseed Cake 

with a Lemony Earl Grey Glaze.

Cake:

1½ cups Plain Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp Salt

5 Tbsp Poppyseeds

1 cup plain Greek Yoghurt

1 cup White Sugar

3 Eggs

3 tsp Lemon Zest (from about 2 lemons)

½ tsp Vanilla

½ cup Vegetable oil

Syrup:

½ cup Lemon Juice, strained (from about 3 lemons)

½ cup Sugar

Glaze:

1 cup Icing Sugar

2 Tbsp Lemon Juice, strained

1 tsp ground Earl Grey Tea leaves (about 1 teabag)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°. Grease a cake or loaf tin according to which you prefer, dust with flour, then tap out any excess.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and poppyseeds; set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together yoghurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and vegetable oil. Slowly add into the dry ingredients until mixed.

4. Pour batter into the tin and bake for about 1 hour until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let it cool for 10 mins in the tin before transferring to a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath.

5. While the loaf is cooling, make your syrup. In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together lemon juice & sugar until dissolved. Cook for another 5 mins until it thickens. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the warm lemon syrup. Let sit for 5 mins to let the cake soak in the syrup, then baste again. Repeat two times. Let cool completely.

6. To make the glaze, whisk together icing sugar, lemon juice & tea leaves.  When loaf has cooled, pour the glaze over your cake or loaf, let harden for 20 mins, then slice and serve.

Taste Test: Meiwa Kumquat

I once read "a kumquat is ready to eat whenever you can bear to partake of it". They are rather sour little nuggets so you need to use them accordingly as you would other sour Citrus. With this in mind i would probably avoid eating them fresh off the tree as they will definitely make your mouth pucker. Here is my post on Kumquats in general that i previously wrote. At home i have the following Kumquats planted in ground: Meiwa, Nagami, Indiomandarinquat & a Variagated Calamondin. The only trees that have fruited so far are the Meiwa & the Calamondin. The Meiwa seems very prolific and within a few months of coming home from the garden centre this young tree is fruiting abundantly. So with its recent round of fruit harvested, i thought i would do a Meiwa Kumquat taste test.

 

Eaten fresh off the tree the skin is fairly sweet on the outside. However, when combined with the tart interior flesh the experience goes sour very quickly and usually results in a spitting out. Meiwa is apparently the sweetest of all Kumquats so bear this in mind before attempting a Nagami or Mandarinquat off the tree. The flavour i would describe as Mandarin like and if made into a syrup or used in a dressing is very pleasant so don't let its initial sourness put you off.

After trying fresh i decided to make my own kumquat syrup to add into some sparkling water. To do this i muddled about 6-8 kumquats in glass with some caster sugar or simple syrup until combined. Strain out the skins & seeds, then pour the syrup in a glass with some sparkling water & ice for a beautiful refreshing Kumquat Lemonade. 

I have also used some in a salads or salsas as part of a dressing which works really well as the acid component in a dish. You can also add in sliced kumquats to salads. Their intense flavor makes kumquat a good pairing for bitter or peppery greens, such as rocket. Slice into thin rounds with a sharp knife. Remove the seeds, then layer the slices on top of the salad to show off the color.

Make kumquat marmalade. Kumquat marmalade is much sweeter and less bitter than regular marmalade. The recipe is similar to most marmalades or jams. Since the kumquat seeds contain pectin, you can boil them along with the fruit to thicken your preserves. Keep the seeds in a cheesecloth bag while boiling, so they don't end up in your jar.

Make kumquat-infused vodka. Wash plenty of kumquats and cut them in half — at least 10 fruits per cup (250mL) of vodka. Cover with vodka and let sit in a cool, dark place, shaking once a day. It should pick up a faint taste after a couple days, a strong taste after a week or two, and infuse for about a month. Once infused you can add some sugar syrup got taste to make your own Kumquatcello. Here's my recipe for Limoncello.

Whiskey Sours : A Classic Citrus Recipe.

Whiskey Sours, they ain't fancy, but that's a big part of its appeal. Because at the end of a long day you don't always feel like challenging your palate, or even thinking very much. You just want a nice, tasty beverage thats easy to drink and helps you dissolve all the stress of the world away and start relaxing. Time for a Whiskey Sour - the comfortable T-shirt of drinks.

The true sour is a study in simplicity - Whiskey, Sugar, Citrus. Lemon is most common for the latter, but juice with any kind of noticeable acidity will work well (i prefer Lime juice). Traditional sours usually call for an egg white, an ingredient that adds a light, frothy, textural element to the cocktail.
If you want to jazz it up a bit, you can play around with the variety of Whiskey. I have made a couple of Whiskey Sours with Laphroaig, a heavily peated single malt from Islay which was pretty sublime. 

Whiskey Sour

60ml Whiskey

45ml Simple Syrup (1:1 ratio sugar:water)

30ml Lemon juice

1 Egg White

1. Combine ingredients in a shaker and dry shake until well combined, at least 10 seconds.
2. Add ice to your shaker and shake again as normal.
3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Fig Season is here!

Well the long awaited Fig season has arrived! It's a bit a of wild scene out there once the fruit start getting ripe and real battle between Man and Bird. For about 2 months leading up to ripening the local birds in the know will pop by to tentatively peck the Figs to check how far away they are from being, as we say around here - "Jam". "Jam" is what we refer to when you get a Fig at its peak, juicy ripeness. There is nothing worse than a dry, seedy Fig picked before its prime. But left too long to hang, you risk coming back to a Fig ravaged by the Birds.
Since ancient times Figs have been cultivated by man. They were one of the first plants that was cultivated by humans and are well known throughout the world. Fossilised Figs dating to about 9400BC were found in an early Neolithic village in the Jordan Valley, 13 km north of Jericho.

The unusual fruit grows on a deciduous subtropical tree. Although we think of them as a Mediterranean tree, they are actually native to Western Asia. There are several types of fig available in NZ but worldwide, there are thousands of cultivars that have been developed as human migration brought the fig to many places outside its natural range. Figs have grown successfully in home orchards & backyards since early European settlers first brought them to New Zealand. Figs are deciduous and grow to become very large trees - making them fairly difficult for most suburban gardens where regular pruning & maintenance will be needed.
With an age-old reputation as a sustaining and nourishing food, figs are friendly to the digestive system in either fresh or dried form. This is because they contain an enzyme called ficin that helps the digestive process by soothing your gut. They are also mildly laxative. Dried figs are a rich source of fibre, iron, potassium and calcium, making them a useful food for people with high blood pressure. Weight for weight, a fig contains more fibre than most other fruits or vegetables, so they're great for your bowels and your cholesterol levels. They're also high in polyphenol antioxidants, which can make them a valuable food for cancer prevention. Figs are odd trees - they don't produce flowers - the blossom is inside the fruit, and it's these blossoms with their little seeds that produce the crunchy texture. 

There are two fruiting types of varieties with Figs. One has two crops of figs produced each year the other just one. The first or breba crop develops in the spring on last year's shoot growth (Jan-Feb). The main fig crop (April-May) develops on the current year's shoot growth and ripens in the late summer or autumn. The main crop is generally superior in quantity and quality, but some cultivars can produce good breba crops. Fruit will need picking daily to ensure top quality and to minimise spoilage and bird attacks. The fruit don't age well once picked and will need to be eaten within a few days of picking.

To produce high quality fruit, fig trees will need maintenance and care after planting. By nature the root systems are very inquisitive so be conscious of the proximity of plumbing and services if planting them in the ground. Once planted, trees should produce fruit in 2 years. Then once settled in, they are a seemingly unstoppable tree. They will reach good harvest volumes in 5-7 years. Trees should go on producing for years to come. Some plantings in California are 100 years old and still producing excellent volumes of fruit.
They need a sheltered, north facing position which catches the sun all day. Put them in shade and will they use all their energy finding sun and none producing fruit. They should be planted on flat or gently sloping ground so they are easy to pick and tend.
They prefer soil to be free draining and will not cope with being waterlogged.
Whilst the trees are relatively drought resistant, fruit will not ripen to its prime if the trees aren't watered. If your area dries out, it is advisable to invest in an irrigation system which will supply water during the growing season. This will ensure your fruit is juicy and grows to optimum size.
The main pest you will find with your Fig will be Birds. You will need some protection from birds who will damage the fruit on the trees. Unless if like me you like to share with them & enjoy watching all the Waxeyes & Tui's & other birds enjoying them also. For us, our tree is so old & large there is enough for everyone:)  Figs aren't as prone to disease as some other fruit crops making them a good candidate for organic growers.

  

The fig tree is fast growing and requires pruning to keep it at a manageable height. Pruning also helps to limit shading the fruit, which will delay ripening. I have heard of people trimming off the leaves to help ripen the fruit quicker. Although the tree does start dropping leaves about mid March to help this process. I have seen an orchard which espaliered the trees, set up like a vineyard with wires strung between posts. This would be costlier to set up but would help ensure the fruit was always at an accessible height, making picking less labour intensive in the long run.

  

                                                

Fig Paste

Figs, skins removed & pureed.

Equal amount of Jam Sugar.

​or 2 cups Caster Sugar & 4¼ TBS Powdered Pectin.

1. Combine the Fig puree & Sugar in a large saucepan & place over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

2. Turn up heat & bring to boil. Stirring regularly boil for 4 mins.

3. At this point you can pour into jars as Jam or dry out into Fig Paste.

2. Grease the base & sides of 6 ramekins & divide the paste evenly among the ramekins. 

3. Place in fan-forced oven with only the fan working in a very low oven (90°C) for several hours to dry out.You could use a traditional method for drying the paste in the sunshine or in an airing cupboard

3. Remove from the ramekins & wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate.

Backyard Lavender Farm continued.....

  

As you may have read here, in August we planted out a large portion of our back lawn with Lavender. Such a great decision and this summer we have really reaped the rewards of our odourous endeavour. It has been beautiful wading through the long stems of flowers with wafts of lavender pervading through the summer air. The greatest part of the Lavender Farm has to be all the Bees we have been attracting into the garden. They seem to be really enjoying the flowers and the backyard is literally abuzz with life. Not only is their presence lovely for us to enjoy but whilst here they will hopefully nip around all the surrounding fruit trees to assist with pollination of the flowers helping in fruit set of the trees.

In the centre of the Lavender we have installed a terrecotta water Bird Bath which has also seen a lot of action from the local birdlife. We have at times had up to 10 birds on a one time all jostling for a dip on a hot day. Even the bees (and wasps unfortunately) have been sitting at the water's edge for a drink after buzzing amongst the Lavender. Good times.

Throughout the summer we have been intermittently harvesting bunches of flower stems and have saved the buds for use in various ways. My wife, Jennifer, has been experimenting with making her own soaps with Lavender buds, Shea butter, Essential oils and various other concoctions.
In the future i am hoping to look into distilling our Lavender into our own essential oil which would be amazing. I could either buy a still which are about $500 like these which seems a large investment or else i may ask around at a few Lavender farms around Auckland to see if i could process a batch though one of them.
This leads me on to our latest expansion. So we purchased another 35 Grosso plants from our supplier "Pocket Mouse" on trademe and have extended out the other third of the previous lawn to make the whole back lawn now all rows of Lavender. This time i laid the black weed mat down first and pinned it down into place. Next i measured out with string, straight lines and placed out the Lavenders to match the existing plants' layout. I then cut holes in the mat and planted the little Lavs in mounds with a porous potting mix to help with drainage. Now they are in, they look really good and by next year they shouldn't be too far behind the others. I just now need to source some more wood chips to mulch over the top of the mat and around the plants to match the other side. This also helps to stop weeds popping through and aids water retention during summer.
Anyway i hope this could inspire some of you to make your own waste of space of a lawn into a productive, re-energised and more organic, natural space.

  

International Margarita Day

Happy International Margarita Day! Margaritas have to be my favourite cocktail. So much so that i have 9 Lime Trees planted in anticipation of unlimited fresh Limes always on hand. And at $30- a kilo i'm going to be rich! Haha! 

Here's my list of Limes planted in the garden.......

6x Tahitian

2x Australian Fingerlime
2x Key Lime
1x Kusaie

2x Kaffir

International Margarita Day is officially observed annually on February 22nd. This is perfect for us in Auckland, NZ as Limes are just maturing into ripeness. Margys, as they are known in our household (or "Troygaritas"), are the most common tequila-based cocktail. It is a cocktail that consists of Tequila, Triple sec and fresh Lime juice. A key ingredient is the freshly squeezed lime juice. The most common Lime to use is the Tahitian (Persian) Lime. However, margaritas in Mexico are generally made with Mexican limes (Key limes). These are small, thin-skinned limes and have more tart flavour compared to Tahitian Limes. Margaritas can be made with Lemons, they have a much softer taste. But i recommend to keep it authentic and use fresh Lime juice only. To juice my Limes i use a Lime Juicer like so:

Manual juicing is often messy but this is as efficient as a machine juicer without making a mess. You simply slice the lime, face the flesh towards the holes, hold it over the measure, and give it a good squeeze. The mechanics of it make is simple to get enough pressure to juice a lime without having to go all Hulk on it. Then you just give it a quick rinse & dry off. It’s easy to use and easy to clean.

So here's a couple of my go-to recipes for a Margy. You can keep it Classic or funk it up with my Mescal Margarita or get really fruity and go for a Oaxacan Gold Pineapple Margy the choice is up to you! 

Classic Margarita.

70ml Tequila.

40ml Cointreau.

30ml Fresh Lime juice.

Salt.
Agave Syrup or Caster Sugar (to taste).

1. Rub the rim of glass with a Lime Wedge then dip the rim into a shallow plate of Salt.

2. Shake all ingredients with Ice.

3. Carefully pour into the glass with some Ice.

4. Garnish with a Lime wedge.

For the Classic i like to use a nice Anejo Tequila such as Patron or Herradura for a oaky aged smooth flavour or you can use Silver Tequila for a bright, clear flavour.

Mescal Margarita.

 70ml Mescal.

40ml Grand Marnier.

40ml Fresh Lime Juice.

10ml Agave Syrup.

Maldon Salt.

Lime Wedges.

​

*For a less smokey drink 35ml Tequila/ 35ml Mescal.

​

**You can Cointreau instead of Grand Marnier if you wish.

​

***For the rim you can make a blend of crushed Dried Chilies with the Salt.

1. Rub the rim of glass with a Lime Wedge then dip the rim into a shallow plate of Salt.

2. In a cocktail shaker add the Mescal, Grand Marnier, Lime Juice & Agave Syrup. Add a handful of Ice & Shake.

3. Carefully pour into the glass with some Ice.

4. Garnish with a Lime wedge.

Oaxacan Gold Margarita.

30ml Oaxacan Mezcal
.

15ml fresh Lime juice
.

75ml Grilled Pineapple-Vanilla Puree.


6 to 10  ice cubes.

Chilli Salt.

​

Roasted Pineapple-Vanilla Puree



1 Large ripe Pineapple, peeled & cut crosswise into 2cm thick pieces.


½ cup Sugar


½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract.

Roasted Pineapple-Vanilla Puree


1. Grill Pineapple until it is softened & caramelized. Cool.

2. In a blender, combine the grilled Pineapple with the Sugar, Vanilla & enough Water to bring the quantity of the total puree to 5 cups (about 2 cups water). Cover & pulse until the pineapple is roughly chopped, then blend on high until smooth & foamy.  Strain into a storage container, cool & refrigerate until you're ready to use, up to 3 days.

3. Rub the rim of a glass with a Lime Wedge then dip the rim into a shallow plate of Chilli Salt.

4. In a cocktail shaker, combine the Mezcal, Lime juice, Grilled Pineapple-Vanilla Puree & Ice. Shake until frothy & cold. 

5. Pour into the prepared glass with Ice.

For more Margarita recipes check out my book called 'Viva La Mexico' its available for free download as an e-book at www.blurb.com/my/ebooks/639073-viva-la-mexico

Late Summer in the City.

If you ask any Aucklander, this Summer has been pretty awful with all the rain we've been having. The gardener in me however, has been pretty thankful it hasn't been such a scorching Summer like some of the past few years. Previously we've suffered a many casualties during February & March due to the searing sun and dry, parched soil. This week especially we had a welcome thorough drenching to a very dry garden. The Garden has responded quickly with lots of new growth sprouting out, fresh blooms of flowers and Fruits swelling with engouged deliciousness. I find rainwater especially, makes the plants take off in a way that watering with the hose never achieves.

The most exciting examples of this has been one of my Australian Finger Lime has finally started to flower. I have been very intrigued by the prospect of its fruit with it's "Lime Caviar" inside. It has been in the ground now for roughly 2 years now so hopefully we will get some of its fruits to try soon!

Tahitian Limes are getting very close to harvest time aka "Margarita Season". Looking back on last year it was March that they were fully ripe, though i could probably pick some very soon i'd say.

My Meiwa Kumquat is fruiting prolifically even though it is only a recent acquisition & is still in its pot. It has an alarming amount of Kumquats on it that i'm worried it might snap a branch. I am thinking of making some Marmalade with them, probably the smallest batch ever made i'd say:)