NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2013

CASINO COMMUNITY GARDEN

Monthly Newsletter #7 Issued September 2013

 

Around Casino Community Garden this Month

Every Tuesday from 8.30am: Join in at the garden with Jo, Janine, Mark and Kevin, weeding, general garden activities, and planting still going on.

Gardening Wednesday morning also.

Every Wednesday 12 noon:  Lunch gatherings every week at the garden - come on down at noon and have a bite to eat, a cuppa and join in the chat with the regulars, topics include good food, gardening and healthy living.

Meeting September on Wednesday 11th:  Lunch 12 noon, MEETING 12.30 for about an hour.
Note: Meeting usually held first Wednesday of month.

Welcome to Spring Garden Clinic Saturday 31st August 

With thanks to our poster by a regular member of the Garden, promotion on Facebook and around town, and an item in the Richmond River Express, and no doubt word of mouth, we are thrilled to  report an attendance of about sixty, (including our regulars), at our quarterly event.

It was great to see how the afternoon flowed, and especially the friendliness and camaraderie.

A new idea was the opportunity to bring along spare garden items to share, and heartwarming to see this taken on board with an abundance of started plants, fruit, veges and even fresh free range eggs.

We also had a raffle, an advanced Guava Tree donated by Riverview Nursery and won by Linda Brooks.

Tea and coffee and a spread including home made cupcakes, bread, damper, scones, jams, a tasty pumpkin dish and a savoury banana flower dish were available for afternoon tea and several varieties of pizza from the cob oven, prepared on the spot.

Coordinator Jo Nemeth with Opening Remarks

The program commenced on a good  note with the Filipino Choir singing a medley of traditional folk songs in their language, followed by gospel songs in English, concluding with Amazing Grace. The crowd was invited to join in this number and the segment was well received.

The Speakers

Compost and Biochar -  Keith Larsson, Mara Seeds

Keith introduced himself with a summary of his background and deep love of agriculture and his drive to develop new products.

Compost

Through experience he found that there was no increase in production through use of chemicals and fertilisers, on their farm, and bought compost was not beneficial.  They started making their own, in the open, in rows at Mallanganee, using hay, sawdust, chicken manure and ti-tree mulch.  The product cycles up to 60C, which kills the weeds, and back down to 40C when it is ready for use.  They supply truckloads to horticulture, including the macadamia industry.  It is Australia Certified Organic.  

Available for $7 a 25 litre bag, or by the trailer load at Mallanganee.

      Compost production at Mallanganee.   Pic from Mara Seeds website

Biochar

Biochar is a charcoal-like material which is applied into soil or potting mix to improve the structure and growth of plants.  Biochar is made by heating recycled organic matter at extreme temperatures until most gases and oils are released and recycled to produce green electricity.  This heating process is called Pyrolysis.  The remaining structure of the organic matter is Biochar.  

This structure is essentially the skeleton of the organic material and consists mostly of compounds such as Carbon and Silica.  Mara's is made from a sustainable source of recycled plant material which has a very diverse composition that suits a variety of soil microorganisms and is brilliant for holding water.  It is expensive and used blended with compost to improve water holding capacity and nutrients.  Green waste is obtained from Richmond Valley Council.

Mara is hopeful of generating electricity within 12 months.

Keith will be at the Casino Garden Club day at the Old Bowling Club, Richmond Street, Casino, on 28th September with stock of compost and Biochar.  $25 for bag Biochar.

Agnes Tierney - Use of Unusual Vegetables

Agnes gave us a handout which included details of several of the vegetables featured.  Her talk was illustrated with humorous anecdotes about the reactions to her unusual dishes.  Agnes had an array of vegetables to show us and made us aware of her interest in the nutritional content and the preparation and use of the vegetables for various health concerns.  She particularly mentioned bitter melon for diabetes and an excellent source of vitamin C, iron, riboflavin and folate.  

Other vegetables included in Agnes' talk were Luffa for juice, White Squash, Cassava, a staple food from which tapioca is derived, Okra, five varieties of sweet potato and use of the tops for vitamin A and a good sleeping patterns, Yam, mature (green) Pumpkin and Banana Blossom.  Some of us may have tried the banana blossom on the home-made damper or bread, as Agnes had a dish of it on the afternoon tea table along with her potato and coconut cupcakes.

Agnes also mentioned five Australian weeds that are edible for humans and animals.  Whilst vegetables are mainly cooked in her homeland, Agnes advocates that it is healthy to eat as many vegetables as possible raw, as it is very good for the complexion.

Agnes concluded by telling us she joined the garden to stay young.  Catch up with Agnes at the garden as she is always willing to talk about vegetables and their cultivation and use.

Linda Brooks - Alternate Energy Production and Methane Power

Linda presented an extensive report on her research on reclaimed or by-product Biogas - Biomass produced methane as a global alternative energy source.  Linda outlined why there is a need for alternate energy solutions - the fundamental problem being the world's population growth and that fossil fuel based energy is not sustainable.

Alternate energy is produced or recovered without undesirable consequences inherent in fossil fuel use - high carbon dioxide emissions and global warming.  The future of power lies with alternate sources that harness natural processes without harming the environment, harnessing wind, water, sunlight, wave and tidal movement and geothermal heat, natural sources that are replenished constantly.  

The solution Linda highlighted is Biomass Energy that is extracted from biological material, from living, or recently living organisms.

Plant matter can be used to generate electricity and is a growing industry as interest in sustainable fuel sources is growing.  A great deal of research involves algae-derived biomass due to it being a non-food resource and can be produced at five to ten times the rate of land based agriculture, and as a by-product of nutrient removal systems and waste water treatment.  Sources globally include forest by-products, sugar cane residue, rice husks, and poultry litter.

Biomass can be converted to usable forms of energy like methane gas or ethanol and biodiesel.  Our region is rich with agricultural, livestock and industrial enterprises with by-products capable of producing energy from methane.  Rotting garbage at landfills, agricultural and human waste (abattoirs, sale yards, piggeries, sewerage works, horse and greyhound industry to name a few) all release methane gas also called "landfill gas"  or "biogas" which contributes to greenhouse gases and global warming.  Sugar cane waste at Condon and  Broadwater sugar mills produces bio-energy.

Corn and sugar cane crops can be fermented to produce ethanol.  Biodiesel can be produced from leftover vegetable oils and animal fats.  Biogas harnesses the methane gas from garbage or sewage systems when waste is broken down by biogas digesters and the methane gas collected can be refined and used for heat and electricity.  These are being used in isolated and impoverished communities already.

Linda then outlined various successful projects already in operation, in USA and Australia in particular, including at the Nimbin Community Solar Farm.

Then Linda asked the question "Could Casino Community Garden become a Biogas producer with Poo Power after offers from the greyhound and racehorse industries?"

Communities need to find local answers to a global problem.  Ultimately the question is not when the global economy will switch from burning environment damaging and limited petroleum products to using more earth-friendly alternative energies but how will industry and humanity handle the transition.

An enormous thank you to the Speakers for giving up their time to be with us on a Saturday afternoon, and their efforts in preparing their extensive talks on such topical subjects.

Pic from web

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This pic shows fascia on undercover area where signage acknowledging 

donations towards access path will be erected.
(Pic by Barry Brine)

Vegetable Planting Guide for September

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/vegieguide

Amaranth, artichoke (globe), asparagus, basil, beans, beetroot, broccoli, burdock, cabbage, capsicum, carrots, celeriac, celery, chicory, chilli, chives, cocoyam, collards, coriander , cucumber, eggplant, endive,  Florence fennel, garlic. Jerusalem artichoke,Kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, Malabar greens, mangle-wurzel, mustard greens,oregano,  pak choy etc, parsley, parsnip, peas and snow peas, potato, pumpkin,radish, rocket, rockmelon, salsify, shallots, silverbeet, spinach, turnip/ Swedes,watermelon, zucchini. 

( Zucchini, pic from web)

 September in your Garden

September is a fantastic time to be alive for us gardeners!  The chill is almost gone from the mornings, and the afternoons are getting longer.   Blossoms are bursting and you can smell spring in the air wherever you go.   Now is the time to get out and get into it.

Improve Your Soil

Prepare for spring planting by improving your soil.  Lightly dig over the soil popping in plenty of organic matter including top-notch compost and well rotted manure.  Don't forrget to mulch the beds with a straw mulch.  The beds will be awesome come planting time.

Try some colour
Why not try some lovely colour in your patch as well like nasturtium, snapdragons, phlox, petunias, marigolds (French) and celosia. They are great at attracting pollinators andbeneficial insects to your patch, and they look fantastic as well. Now is the time to plant some sunflower seeds. Find a sunny spot where you would like to see some happy sunflowers later in the year and plant the seeds to double the depth of the seed. Cover lightly with dirt and wait… they’ll be popping their heads up in no time!

Citrus Gall Wasp
Check your citrus trees for gall wasp and remove affected sections by pruning well below the gall. Don’t compost this, just pop it in a bag and toss it in your normal bin. This is your absolute last chance to do this before they hatch out and take over the world, so don’t put this off!

Mulch Now!
Top up mulch on your vegie patches, herb gardens and ornamental beds. Choose a sustainable, low environmental impact mulch, one that will enrich your soil as it breaks down

Indoor Plants
Now is a great time to re-pot your Indoor Plants. Give them a bit of a feed with a seaweed tonic afterwards to keep them happy.

Thanks to SGA  - Sustainable Gardening.Australia

 Recipe Corner

 Gooseberry Bush at Garden

Ripe Gooseberries - pic from web

Gooseberry Jam

To every pound of fruit allow one pound of sugar and one cup water

Boil sugar and water together

Put gooseberries into boiling syrup

Boil briskly until a little gels on a plate when tested.

Skim as necessary.

When measuring in metric, use 500 grams fruit, 500 grams sugar and 250 mls water.

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 Suggestions and photos welcome, by email to Jo or

Jan - email casinogarden@gmail.com

Or bring to lunch Wednesdays or meetings

Ask Jo about being a member of the Garden $5.

Join us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/casinocommunitygarden

50 'likes' on our Facebook page now !!!!!

If you are new here be sure to check out our back issues.

Pics by Jan Brine unless otherwise stated.

 ___________________

Casino Community Garden

A project of the Casino Neighbourhood Centre

Contact Jo Nemeth on 66625435  email coordinator.cdp@cnci.org.au

Location: Head for entrance to Queen Elizabeth Park at South Casino

Garden on left - corner Adam and Hartley Streets.

__________________ 

 

NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2013

CASINO COMMUNITY GARDEN

Monthly Newsletter #6 Issued August 2013

 

Around Casino Community Garden this Month

Every Tuesday from 8.30am: Join in at the garden with Jo, Janine, Mark and Kevin, weeding, general garden activities, and planting still going on.

Every Wednesday 12 noon:  Lunch gatherings every week at the garden - come on down at noon and have a bite to eat, a cuppa and join in the chat with the regulars, topics include good food, gardening and healthy living.

First Wednesday of month:  Lunch 12 noon, MEETING 12.30 for about an hour

News:   

Lunchtime Wednesday

A very pleasant time to look forward to, with 12 present on the last Wednesday in July with at least three regulars not making it.

  Jean enjoying our mid-winter sunflower at lunchtime, pic Jo

Installation of tank

The tank has not arrived as yet

Next Garden Clinic Day - "Welcome to Spring"  Saturday 31st August

Jo has finalised the speakers and arrangements. There will be a media release in the Richmond River Express, posters around town and the latest on Facebook as details are available. 

The event, open to all, starts at 1.00pm

Speakers

Linda Brooks - Alternative Energy Production and Methane Power

Agnes Tierney - Unusual Ways to use Vegetables especially Asian

Keith Larsson - Composting and Biochar

Pizzas and afternoon tea will be ready from about 3.00pm or 3.30pm with the day concluding about 4.30 to 5.00pm

Participants are also invited to bring along their excess produce, plants, seedlings and gardening items to swap or share.  Any questions please contact Jo on 6662 5435.

Wheelbarrows

Our wheelbarrows were stolen in July, and Owen Crawford posted about it on Facebook.  We are very grateful to Ross and Sue Franey from Richmond Valley Tree Services who responded immediately with a $500 donation to replace the wheelbarrows. 

Garden and Tool Sheds

The garden shed donated by Aileen Daly will be relocated to the garden soon.  The concrete slabs are in place for the garden and tool sheds.  The sheds will be very much appreciated to keep items safe as currently some gardeners bring their own tools from home.

In this pic Liz, Jo, and Mark on ground, and Barry

The concrete footing for garden shed

Undercover Area

A stainless steel sink has been purchased at a local auction, and Jo is on the lookout for the stainless steel sheets for the bench and shelves.  An offer has been received to construct them when we get the materials.

Bench Seat

As a special project, the Youth Services and REAL Services from Casino Neighbourhood Centre and students from Casino High School are constructing a bench seat for a relaxing spot in the garden.

It will be a colourful addition to the garden as it will be mosaicked. 

Jo and Rod

John and Rod

John and Troy

Reading for August

The most common fruit in our gardens is citrus

THERE'S no doubt that the most widely grown fruit in the home garden in our part of the world is citrus.
Lemons, limes, oranges, and mandarins are really easy to grow.And they produce vast quantities of delicious, juicy fruit packed with vitamin C in winter, right when we need it most.I think they are worth growing just for the fragrance of the blossom in spring.The fruit is an added bonus.

Most citrus fruit last very well on the tree, sometimes for several months after ripening.So you don't have to pick the fruit and use it all at once, which makes a citrus tree an ideal choice for the home gardener.All you need is a position that receives at least six hours of full sun every day, and well drained soil or a large pot full of premium potting mix.

If space is a problem, choose one of the dwarf varieties available now.Eureka lemons bear several crops each year, have few seeds and not many thorns.Lisbon lemons have a high acid content and are pretty thorny, especially when young. They are more cold-tolerant than Eureka.Meyer lemons are actually a cross between a lemon and an orange, so they are sweeter, with a lower acid content, and a thin skin.

The most popular orange varieties are the navels, such as the Washington and Lanes Late, which both produce seedless fruit with good flavour, and the Valencia, a late, seeded variety. If you have room, you can plant one of each and have fresh oranges almost all year. Washingtons mature May-June, Lanes Late around August, and the Valencias mature September-October and last on the tree for up to six months, as long as the fruit fly doesn't get to them.

Good mandarin varieties include the easy-to-peel Imperial, the Emperor, which has excellent flavour and is really hardy and the Honey Murcutt, which can be a bit seedy and difficult to peel, but makes up for that with superb flavour.

Tahitian limes produce the round, green fruit much loved for gin and tonics. The Kaffir lime is grown mostly for its leaves, which are a mainstay of Thai cuisine. The fruit is very bumpy, and not as juicy as a Tahitian.  And don't forget the Citrus Gems range of native limes. Sunrise Lime is a cross between a finger lime and a calamondin. It produces elegant, sweet, pear-shaped golden fruit which can be eaten whole. Outback Desert Lime has masses of sweet, tangy grape-sized fruit with very thin skin. Macerate them in sugar syrup or just eat them whole.  Red Centre Lime is a cross between a finger lime and a Rangpur lime. The fruit are rich red, with red pulp and gorgeous pink juice. Rainforest Pearl is a finger lime and the fruit contain masses of lime pearls, which are just sensational in drinks, salads and desserts.

Caring for your citrus trees is easy. Water them deeply and protect them from scale insects, aphids and citrus leaf miner with regular applications of organic Eco-Oil. Feed them a couple of times a year and prune to keep them a manageable size. Protect the root zone with a layer of mulch. If you are growing your citrus in a pot, use a premium potting mix, feed and water diligently and re-pot every couple of years, trimming the roots as well as the canopy and adding fresh premium potting mix.

By Maree Curran as seen on Coffs Harbour Advocate website

Around our garden this month

Heartsease - herb garden

Flowering in the garden now as pictured, and  commonly known as 'Heartsease' or Johnny junp-up, this Viola Tricolour is a cheery little annual guaranteed to brighten up the bleakest winter's day. 

A rainbow of different cultivars has been produced by plant breeders, with flowers available in every colour except green.  The species has dainty white, purple and yellow flowers borne most freely from late Autumn to late Spring.  In recent years, heartsease has regained popularity as a dual-purpose plant.  It has a long history of use in herbal medicine, and the edible flowers add a splash of colour to cakes and salads.  Seedlings are available in nurseries, but heartsease is also easy to grow from seed.  Sow into punnets, then transplant to a fertile garden bed or a decorative container.   See more at heartseaase

Around the garden, two of our regular gardeners, Kevin and Janine

 Janine, these two pics Jo

Vegetable Planting Guide by Gardening Australia for August

On website, click on subtropical, then vegetable, for description 

Artichoke globe and Jerusalem, asparagus, beetroot, cabbage 9loose and tight-headed), chicory, endive, garlic, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustard greens, onion, parsley, peas and snow peas, potatoes, radish, shallots, spring onions, tomatoes and watermelon.

August in your garden

Start preparing the vegetable garden.  Dig in well-rotted animal manure, composted organic material and blood and bone.  The more time spent preparing the soil, the better the results. 

Rotate vegetable crops.  Divide crops into three groups: one with manure only, one with manure and compost and another with lime or dolomite and compost.  Rotate yearly for  best results.

Old clumps of herbs may be lifted, divided and replanted.  Check new shoots of bulbs when weeding, and put snailbait around young seedlings and bulbs. 

Feed all types of  citrus with packaged citrus food or complete plant food.  Water before and after feeding.  Follow dosage rates strictly and don't scatter fertiliser over soil: drill holes about 15cm deep into the ground under foliage canopy in concentric rings and fill with fertiliser (dozen holes for a mature tree).  Water steadily for several hours.

Citrus in tubs should be treated in the same way except that four or five holes are sufficient; no more than half a cup of fertiliser should be used.  Potted citrus also require trace elements as these are washed out by frequent watering.

By Better Homes and Gardens

Note: Sustainable Gardening "August in your Patch" 2012 post removed, and 2013 post not online as yet.

Recipe Corner

Easy Spinach and Potato Frittata

Spinach and silverbeet in the garden now, perhaps add some kale as well.

A recipe is only a guide, you could add cooked chicken or ham. 

Halve everything for 2 - 3 serves.

 

Pic from web 

Ingredients - serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 small red potatoes, sliced
2 cups spinach torn or roughly chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots or onion
1 clove garlic grated
salt and pepper to taste
6 eggs
100 ml or 1/3 cup milk
60g or half cup grated cheddar cheese

Preparation: 10 minutes. Cook: 20 min - ready 30 minutes 

1.  Heat olive oil in medium frying pan over medium heat. 
2. Place potatoes in the pan, cover and cook about 10 minutes until tender but firm.
3. Mix in spinach, shallots/ onion and garlic. 
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Continue cooking 1 or 2 minutes, until spinach wilted.
6. In medium bowl, beat together eggs and milk.
7. Pour into pan over vegetables.
8. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
9. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until eggs are firm
10. May be browned under the griller.

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All photos by Jan unless stated otherwise.

Suggestions and photos welcome, by email to Jo (see below) or Jan - casinogarden@gmail.com

Or bring suggestions along to lunch on Wednesdays or the meeting on first Wednesday at 12.30.

Ask Jo about being a member of the garden for $5 (no obligation to do the gardening)

________________________________________

Casino Community Garden

A Project of the Casino Neighbourhood Centre 

Contact - Jo Nemeth Phone 6662 5435

Email: coordinator.cdp@cnci.org.au

Weekly Garden Gatherings -

Tuesdays from 8.30am and 

Wednesdays at noon for a free lunch - All Welcome

________________________________________

NEWSLETTER JULY 2013

CASINO COMMUNITY GARDEN

Monthly Newsletter #5 Issued July 2013

 

Around Casino Community Garden this Month

Every Tuesday from 8.30am: Join in at the garden with Jo and Mark, weeding, general garden activities, and planting still going on.

Every Wednesday 12 noon:  Lunch gatherings every week at the garden - come on down at noon and have a bite to eat, a cuppa and join in the chat with the regulars, topics include good food, gardening and healthy living.

NEWS: 

All Weather Access Path

Next project is to install a concrete path. It will be built by Novaskill.  Jo will seek sponsorship from the local community for each metre of the path to cover costs and get the community involved.

Names of Sponsors to be displayed on the undercover area for good visibility.   It will be 25 metres long, and a media campaign will be launched as soon as all the details are confirmed.

 Path  will go through this area

All photos at Casino Community Garden unless stated otherwise

Installation of Tank

The tank stand is complete and weldmesh or similar is being considered to create a storage area underneath for wheelbarrows etc.  The tank itself is due to be installed by the end of July.

Next Garden Clinic Day

Consideration is being given to the content of the next Open Day.

Garden Club Competition

Ideas are floating around about entering a couple of sections of the Casino Garden Club competition this year.

Join us on Facebook for news from our Casino Community Garden and interesting garden posts from Australia and around the world. 

Read current and back issues of this newsletter online at our newsletter blog.

Vegetable Planting Guide by Gardening Australia For July

On website click on subtropical, then vegetable, for description

Broad beans, burdock, cabbage (loose and tight headed), carrots, chicory, chives, endive, garlic, hauauzontle, Jerusulem artichoke, kohlrabi, collards, lettuce, mangle-wurzel, mustard greens, oregano, pak choy, bok choy etc. parslye, peas and snow peas, radish, rocket, salsify, silverbeet, spinach, turnips/swedes.

July in your patch (North from Coffs Harbour)

• Time to plant winter wonders - leeks, beetroot, celery, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, turnips, onions, kale, kohlrabi, spinach and silverbeet.
• Check out the herbs - lemon grass, spring onions, chamomile, thyme, mint, rosemary and lemon balm.  Try lemon balm in a pot around the outdoor area. It will stop it spreading, and keep away mozzies!
• Pretty up your patch with these flowers - marigolds, lupins, pansies, cornflowers, violas, snapdragons, stock, ageratum, verbena and lavender.
• Growing these flowers will add colour and interest, and attract beneficial insects.
• Feed your plants with a seaweed tea, especially the new seedlings.
• Keep up the weeding, mulching and watering when needed.

Sustainable Gardening

NO DIG VEGETABLE GARDEN

Do you need a new garden bed, but not up to digging much these days?  We've all heard about the No Dig Garden, but may not have tried it ourselves.

The no dig garden is build on top of the ground, existing beds, lawn or even hard rocky ground and can be any size or shape.

Choose a spot that gets at least four hours sun a day.

For a bed 1.5 x 2.5 metres you need:

• a bag of organic fertiliser -  cow poo or compost,
• a bale of clean straw (try to get clean straw without too many seeds)
• a pile of old newspapers,
• a bale of lucerne hay,
• your garden hose, gardening gloves, water,
• a tub (we use an old baby bath) to soak the newspapers.
• water as you go!

Method

 

(Illustration - Esther Dean's No Dig Garden from Hunter Organic Growers Online)

1. Choose the position for your bed, full sun best, or at least 4-5 hours per day
2. Prepare the site by mowing the grass if necessary.
3. Build the border if you are having one.
4. Start with a thick layer of soaked newspaper, about 10 sheets at a time and make sure to overlap.  Glossy or coloured paper not suitable because of inks and plastics.
5. Lay down sections or 'biscuits' of the lucerne hay to a height of 100mm - 4 inches (no gaps) .
6. Sprinkle on even 20mm layer of good organic fertiliser.
7. Cover with loose bedding of straw, about 200mm thick.
8. Add another layer of organic fertiliser.
9. Finally insert pockets of compost in the straw, or a layer of compost or soil where you want to put the seeds or seedlings.
10. For most vegetables it is recommended to raise seeds in a tray first and transplant into your patch once they have developed their set of second and third leaves.  

(based on No Dig fact sheet from Camden Council

New bed at Barry and Jan's backyard, with netting to keep out cabbage moths and sparrows, 

suitable for vegetables that don't need pollination by bees.

Featured plants around our garden this month

The Herb Borage 

Borage is a wonderful plant to have around the garden.  Borage (Borago officinalis), also known as starflower, bee bush, bee bread and bugloss, is a medicinal herb with edible leaves and flowers.  It is a favourite of the honey bees, and also bumble bees and small, native bees.

With a taste comparable to that of cucumber, borage has various culinary applications.  The leaves can be used as a salad green and the flowers as edible decorations.  Can be used in soups, salads, borage-lemonade, preserves, borage jelly, various sauces, cooked as a standalone vegetable, or used in desserts, in the form of fresh or candied flowers, to name a few.

This herb is also the highest known plant source of gamma-linolenic acid (an Omega 6 fatty acid also known as GLA) and the seed oil is often marketed as a GLA supplement.  it is also a source of B vitamins, beta-carotene, fiber, choline, and trace minerals.

The uses of borage include repelling garden pests, attracting pollinators, and aiding many plants when interplanted by increasing resistance to pests and disease.  It is also helpful to, and compatible with, most plants especially tomatoes, strawberries and squash.  Borage adds trace minerals to the soil and is good for composting and mulching.  An annual, it readily self-seeds and thrives in full sun.  It is so proficient in self-seeding that once a borage plant has established itself in your garden, you will likely never have to reseed again.  The plants can easily grow to 3 feet (91cm) tall and 2 feet (61cm) wide, so give them room to grow, and let them shade your partial sun plants. Treat this easy-to-keep herb well and it will reward you with scores of beautiful flowers, lush foliage, and fertile soils.

Permaculture News - Borage

Rosemary for Remembrance

Rosemary is used as a decorative plant in gardens and has many culinary and medicinal uses.  The plant is said to improve the memory. The leaves are used to flavour various foods, such as stuffings and roast meats.  Rosemary is high in iron, calcium and vitamin B6. Rosemary antioxidant levels are closely related to soil moisture content.

Rosemary grows on friable loam soil with good drainage in an open sunny position.  It will not withstand waterlogging and some varieties are susceptible to frost.  It grows best in neutral to alkaline conditions (pH 7-7.8) with average fertility.  It can be propagated from an existing plant by clipping a shoot (from soft new growth) 10-15cm (about 4-6in) long, stripping a few leaves from the bottom, and planting directly into soil.

Sprigs of rosemary are worn on ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day in November signifying remembrance. The herb grows wild on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

More at Rosemary

Recipe Corner

Choko and Apricot Jam

Ingredients

2 kgs chokos
1 packet dried apricots soaked overnight
2 kg sugar
1 x 50g packet powdered Fruit Pectin (Jamsetta, available at supermarket)
Juice 2 lemons

Method

• Cut up choko (small)
• Sprinkle with 2 cups sugar, cover and let stand overnight
• Soak apricots
• Next morning strain water off apricots and save 
• Add two cups of this saved water to choko
• Boil until tender
• Add apricots
• When boiling add remainder of sugar, fruit pectin and lemon juice.
• Boil until jam forms skin on saucer when tested.
• Bottle jam into sterilized jars, seal, label and date.

Recipe by Shirley Wheatley who delighted those present at last lunch time meeting by bringing 

along a jar of the jam, and fresh bread for everyone to taste.

Any suggestions?

Email Jo coordinator.cdp@cnci.org.au  or Jan casinogarden@gmail.com

Or bring suggestions along to lunch Wednesdays

Ask Jo about joining the Garden (cost $5) to join email list.

All photos this issue Jan Brine

________________________________________

Casino Community Garden

A Project of the Casino Neighbourhood Centre 

Coordinator - Jo Nemeth Phone 6662 5435

Email: coordinator.cdp@cnci.org.au

Weekly Garden Gatherings -

Tuesdays from 8.30am and 

Wednesdays at noon for a free lunch - All Welcome

________________________________________