YEAR'S BEST.

[Dave Riley]

Great moments in agriculture award:

• Balinese corn  -- finally found one that I can grow.
• Perennial Capsicum -- producing AGAIN as we speak.
• Dragon Fruit -- keenly fruits.

Festering Passions:

• Squashes -- the journey is endless and rich.
• Spring Onions -- keep on keeping on.
• Potatoes -- not quite a spud master.
• Vetiver Grass-- I learn by growing heaps of the stuff.

Best decisions of the year:

• Installing a spear pump.
• Planting much more Vetiver.

Fresh discoveries:

• Ethiopian Cabbage -- easy to grow.
• Chinese/Leaf Celery -- we use celery all the time in soffritto and this one is always there for you.
• The joy of rye.

Year's Failures:

• Beans
• Radishes
• Carrots
• Turnips
• Jerusalem Artichokes
• Coriander
• Mulberries

Most loyal harvests:

• Thyme
• Spring Onions
• Parsley
• Okinawan Spinach
• Tommy Toe Tomatoes
• Chili bushes
• Chicken's eggs

The Ferment Winners:

• Filmjölk
• Chili Paste
• Mustard
• Red Pepper Paste
• Turmeric

What I wish for in 2018:

• Pumpernickel
• Radishes

[Cathie MacLean]

Christa, I won't ask how the car 'developed a little dint' !!!! I'll PM you re gynura once I get this weekend out of the way (family function) and can think again! 

[Cathie MacLean]

Interesting that you can dehydrate to store and then rehydrate to use filmjolk just like sourdough.  I got my sourdough starter as flakes in the mail - one of the best envelopes I ever opened! Love natural foods. 

BTW Dave, have you ever used okinawan spinach in a tempura? Seems to me the herby flavour of it would be nice and fresh in tempura - I love shiso leaves in tempura. The mentsuyu you mention is what I would use with soba noodles and a few pieces of tempura served on top of that is so good. 

[Christa]

Dave. according to a book I have on fermented beveridges, Filmjolk has Lactococcus lactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides bacteria strains.   I had ordered some culture from up north Qld but it went astray in the mail.  So I would be interested in sending mail.

[Christa]

Dave,  in the link to maximize nutrition, it mentions that moringa cassava and chaya are not eaten raw.  I believe and have seen a few people eating moringa raw. I wonder why they have said that?

That recipe of pumpernickel in link is definitely what we had as kids. It looked like a brick and weighed the same but was tasty and filling.

[Dave Riley]

Just on the Filmjölk -- I'm drying out some cotton balls of the stuff which should revitalize when added to milk as an inoculant.

I'll test it out first. But if folk want to start making their own Filmjölk this should work a treat.

One cotton ball per cup of milk. Remove and discard the ball later and then replicate using the Filmjölk you created.

Just send me a stamp self addressed envelope when I know the method of lactobaccilus sharing works.

[Dave Riley]

That's mine -- purple under neath. It's all over my patch as a ground cover ++. I also have plenty of Longevity Spinach -- its cousin --Gynura procumbens. Not that either are truly delicious, but Okinawan spinach -- Gynura crepioides -- tastes better. Indeed I prefer BOTH to spinach per se.

I had some last night as part of a delicious noodle soup with mussels. Korean hot and spicy it was. Based on Jjamppong (LINK).

Wow! Best noodle soup I've ever made -- and I based the stock on the easy-to-use noodle soup base -- Mentsuyu (LINK).-- just add water.

Too easy peasey.

To go truly ethnic, I added more seaweed.

Mentsuyu  is pretty good tucker by the bottle or home made: It is a concentrated sauce.

• ¼ cup sake (1/4 cup = 60 ml)
• ½ cup mirin (1/2 cup = 120 ml) (I usually add additional 1 Tbsp)
• ½ cup soy sauce (1/2 cup = 120 ml)
• 1 kombu (dried kelp) (1" x 1" (2.5 cm x 2.5 cm))
• 1 cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (packed)

Rather than all that I'm keeping a bottle always in my fridge.Purchasing source: Korean/Asian grocers. Various makes -- but you may need linguistic assistance.

[Sophie]

Excellent summary!

[Christa]

Cathie, thank you for your kind offer. Please let me know if I can swap something for it.   We are car less at the moment, for a week, it developed a little dint in the door.  We will pick it up at a time that suits us both.  Thanks.

[Cathie MacLean]

Christa, I have the purple undersided gynura if you would like a cutting...

Dave, I love your synopsis of the year's gardening triumphs and disappointments.  

[Christa]

Dave, there are a few types of Okinawa spinach, does yours have purple underside leaf? That is the one I am looking for.