There is always a sense of quiet change in the garden through May. The air has a fresh chill in the morning, the light softens with longer shadows and the colours of the falling leaves and bare branches in the orchard, signal the coming of Winter. Bare beds begin to show new green dots of life as the new Winter veggies emerge from the soil. The brassicas are now maturing, hiding under the white nets, protecting them hopefully from moths and other critters ready to set up home!
There has been much activity at the garden cleaning up old pots and other stuff that has accumulated over time. The place now looks clean and tidy with lots of space we forgot we had! The berries have finally been controlled and cleaned up, thanks to a very big effort from our gardeners.
The choko vine has been producing lots of nice fresh fruits which we are not only eating ourselves but also introducing to visitors who come in looking for something to take home. Chokos are an old-fashioned plant that produce a green fruit that is similar in taste to a zucchini with a texture no unlike a rockmelon. They are great to slice and cook in a frying pan with some butter and seasoning, and in stir fries, soups and pickles. The flavour is subtle and takes on other favours in mixed dishes.
We look forward to harvesting the new veggies as we move into the Winter season, ready to make hearty soups and stews!
As always, we welcome visitors on Tuesdays and would love to have more keen gardeners or gardeners-to-be join our merry band of volunteers!
