Autumn fruits

The bunch of ladyfingers began to ripen last week, and as usual, we cut it down and hung it on the verandah to pick the bananas as we needed them.

As always happens, they all ripened within the first three days.  There are only so many bananas that two people can eat.  We passed some on to our neighbours and to anyone who called at the house.  The over-ripe ones will be recycled in the worm farm.

Compost worms just LOVE banana skins.

This week we also got to pick our first red dragon fruit (pitaya).   I ate it just like this, halved and with a spoon.  It was perfectly ripe - soft and faintly sweet, rather like a melon. 

I must say that the appearance is more luscious than the taste.  The brilliant colour and the tiny black seeds create a mouth-watering expectaion of a combination between a strawberry and kiwifruit flavour.

The shops price them accordingly - at around $5 each!

Now that we know that they are relatively easy to grow, we will take more cuttings and send the cacti plants up some of the trees and fences about the garden.

The citrus fruit is all suddenly beginning to ripen too.   Here is a selection picked one day this week.

It includes our first citron (aka Buddha's hand), a tangelo, a lemon, a lemonade, some kumquats, and three kinds of lime (Kaffir, West Indian and Tahitian).

With them is the pink dragonfruit, a pomegranate,  a pineapple, some bananas and some tamarillos (tree tomatoes).

Naturally the fruit-fly have descended upon our orchard, but we are having some success controlling them organically by trapping them in bottles of Wild May oil hung in the trees.

A good way of recycling plastic milk bottles.

Comments

[elsewhere]

I had my first dragonfruit the other day and found it a profound disappointment -- all that colour and not enough taste! It was like realising one's amour really is just a beautiful dimbo.

[Tjilpi]

So - two red dragon fruit would be enough to pay, in kind, your overdue medical bill. And, by the way, did the Rx work??

[Jude]

I agree, El. The best use for dragon-fruit is as colour in a fruit salad. 'Dimbo' is a new one on me. Same as 'bimbo'?

Sorry, Tj, my ears are better but still not clear - so, no cure, no pay. Lots of crackling happening though. Am tempted to continue on with the script !?

[Tjilpi]

Sorry - my understanding of the system is that one pays for the advice, not for the cure. Even people with incurable conditions pay. So, as you have an outstanding account, I am unable to offer any advice as to whether you should continue with the prednisolone or not.

[Tjilpi]

Of course, I could make an exception because of my well known propensity to altruism!!

[Sonia]

What a beautiful color of this dragon fruit, Jude. I never tasted it and looks delicious!

[Tabor]

That dragonfruit is really gorgeous. What kind of a plant? How tall? Could it be grown in a greenhouse? I am thinking of putting up a cheap one on the Southwest side of our house to extend the growin season.

[Mimi]

Excuse me but do you live in paradise? If not it sure looks like it. Some day I'll come visit Australia. My mom traveled there alone when she was in her 70s and had a wonderful time.The fruit looks lovely. I wish I could taste it.

Mimi

[kim]

just massive envy. no. way massive envy. and, well, some admiration too. nice work. i'd do banana bread though, before i'd give the whole fruit to the worm people.

[Tabor]

Mimi, I traveled to the area and it IS paradise with just enough hazards to make you appreciate it.

[Buck]

That fruit fly sure is a bummer I know this, even though the state's control it, they are ever present; same with Aphids on Roses which drove me nuts when I lived in NSW and grew them; I never see roses growing up here on the sunshine coast.
I must say you have a Beaut garden Jude, those lady fingers I like so much.

[Tjilpi]

I hope your ears are better. Has something happened to your typing fingers?