Saturday 6th September, 2025
Hi
Plants for eating by Tracy
I made a joke the other day about this month being the season for work shouts, as there are lots of September babies (me included) with the Christmas holiday being 9 months previous. Ange had bought to work some cookies made from her own macadamia nuts, harvested at home, cooked up with white chocolate. They were yummy and got me thinking about how cool it is to be able to harvest and eat from your own garden.
If you called into the garden centre in Winter you would have been treated to Lloyd sharing his
Cutler's Red Grapefruit with everyone as he had more than enough for his own needs. In fact, that's usually the 'problem' when you have a home orchard - there are bountiful amounts for the neighbours, family and friends. It's a nice way to share natures harvest and TBH at the moment can save you a few $$ along the way. You only have to mention your love for
Tamarillos (me) and people are offering you some of their extras.
With that in mind, I hope you have considered planting some sort of Citrus in your bit of dirt. They are generally compact, adaptable to different soil types and will grow and produce in most areas of New Zealand. From sweet and juicy
Oranges to lunchbox pleasing
Mandarins, versatile
Lemons, breakfast
Grapefruit to tasty and ornamental
Kumquats...there is something for everyone. Citrus can be a bit on the frost-tender side when young, so watch for those sneaky late season southerlies and cover accordingly.
Limes
Limes are a class all by themselves. There are a number of different lime varieties which can be used in cooking and garnishing food and drinks. They are all quite different so to help you choose the right one for your needs, here's some more information.
Finger Limes or Citrus Australasica are an unusual fruit which originates in Australia. They are found growing wild in the sub tropical rainforests of Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales. At first glance you would think that it's just what my husband would call a "prickly #%$%@$ bush", because it's covered in sharp thorns and in New Zealand can grow up to 3 metres. Not something you want to tangle with, as you make your intoxicated way to pick a few for afternoon drinkies. Just for something different you can also get these, and other limes, as
Standards which means the fruit (and prickles) are at eye level making it easier to pick without getting stabbed.
Adding an exotic touch to one's Gin and Tonic is just one of the uses of the flesh of these limes. They have unique, caviar-like capsules of fresh, sour juice inside the leathery finger-shaped fruit. These little citrus vestibules, as they are called, just pop in your mouth when harvested and make a cool little addition to your seafood or dessert as well as that summer drink. I have read that the fruit can vary in colour from yellowish green to pink or even bluey green. They are best left to ripen on the plant where they will be more of a dark reddish colour. Try to avoid getting the oil from the pod on the rind on the pearls in side as it will affect the flavour.
Finger Limes have exploded in popularity since the early 2000s, when commercial quantities started to become available. At $170 per kilo it's worth growing your own and when mature you can expect a yield of around 5kg per plant. Most of these will ripen in the summer months, but you can expect some fruit pretty much all year round.
Tahitian/Bearrs/Persian Lime; despite the abundance of different names for these, they are simply what most people would recognise as the quintessential lime. These have thick green skin, when not fully ripe, which becomes pale yellow when ripe. These are little rounded balls of sour juice which will add a zing to your cooking.
Tahitian limes are actually a triploid cross between lemons and key limes. Their main features are that they are virtually seedless, and also almost thornless, which makes them pretty user-friendly. They are also a bit less acidic than key limes and have a good shelf life. These will be in store again soon as we have had a run on them.
Kaffir Limes. These are the ones where you use the leaves in Thai cooking rather than the fruit. My favourite red curry recipes calls for 6-8 fresh leaves and luckily for me one of my generous colleagues has given me a little stash which I have frozen. Still perfect to cook when stored in this way. Thanks Michelle!
Key Lime/Mexican Lime. At a previous job ,one of my workmates was famous for her key lime pie. This is an American dessert which is made from Key lime juice, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk and topped with meringue or cream. Needless to say this never lasted long when it came into work. Key limes are smaller, more acidic and more sweet tart than Persian limes so perfect for a squeeze into your margaritas too! These guys are very seasonal so make the most of the fruit when it's in season.
Rangpur Lime. This Citrus has a bit of an identity crisis in that it looks like a Mandarin but tastes like a lime. It hails from India and it's a vigorous grower with light green foliage and relatively few thorns. The fruit is considered superior for marmalade production.
New in this week
More Edibles: If you have been waiting for
Passionfruit,
Rhubarb and
Raspberries then wait no longer. They are here! Yes we are kicking off spring with some delicious additions to your garden and we know you are going to love harvesting them when they fruit.
Veltheimia. These are south African natives and like many which hail from that part of the world, they are winter flowering. Easy to mistake for a subtle red hot poker, they are usually available in lemony yellow, pale or deep pink. These are stunning plants for the garden or pot and that do best in a little shade in well drained/sandy soil. Keep well watered in summer.
Clematis montana. The first of these hardy climbers have arrived and these are great for covering a wall or pergola. They are moderately vigorous, meaning they won't take over your life but will also cover the structure in a reasonable time frame. Pretty flowers of white or pink are available in a number of hues, and in either single or double. The blooms come out just before (or at the same time as) the leaves that are emerging in spring. Plant in full sun but where the roots of the plant can have a cool, moist root run.
Father's Day Sunday September 7th
For those who want to mark this day as a way to celebrate that special person in your life who is irreplaceable, the garden centre is a nice place to visit. Bring the family and enjoy the atmosphere in the peaceful display gardens and boardwalk. Otherwise, if you are looking for a gift, we have a wide selection from
Potatoes (suggested by my husband as stress relief after watching the All Blacks) to
Roses,
Tools and
Gift vouchers.
Hope your weekend is full of good food, good company and lots of plants!
Cheers from Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team.
.jpg?t=1757029813 "Lime Kaffir (Dwarf)")
