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• Tapenade  by Marilena Stanton In a food processor blend: 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, 2 tbsps drained capers, 1 tablespoon seed mustard 4 cloves of crushed garlic, 6 anchovy fillets in oil, 2 tbsps of chopped fresh herbs, black pepper, juice of half a lemon and 4 tbsps olive oil. Delicious served on toasted Turkish bread.  Great for an end of day snack…will last a week in the fridge.
• Olives   I was dining at GOMA recently and our friends ordered the marinated olives which were served warmed. We loved them – far superior warmed than straight out of the fridge chilled!!  Ref: Sheryl
   
• Guacamole  Layer 1 ripe Avocado, ½ cup light cream cheese, ½ tsp taco seasoning, 1 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp sweet chilli sauce
   
• Use Cooking Spray on your Avocado  Guacamole with tortilla chips is one of the easiest and tastiest snacks to whip up for a party. However, the avocado dip inevitably turns into a mushy brown mess in just a couple of hours meaning it’s not the most appetising of leftovers. Luckily, a nifty little hack has been discovered to prevent your guacamole turning brown and keep it looking green and delicious for at least 24 hours. Guacamole and nachos are a great party snack to serve your guests and there is now a way to keep it greener and fresher for longer. All you need is one ingredient and you probably already have it in your kitchen cupboard: Cooking spray! According to the foodie genuises, simply ‘spray the top of the dip with nonstick vegetable oil, olive oil or coconut oil spray’. Then, they add: ‘Cover the dip with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge.’ Cooking spray, which can be found in most kitchens also keeps halved avocados green. The spray creates an oxygen barrier around the mashed avocado and stops any oxidation from occurring – which is what makes it turn brown. Your guacamole should then stay fresh and green for around 24 hours. It even works on halved avocados too.  Ref:  www.dailymail.co.uk
   
• Mixed Seed on buttered bread   by Sheryl Backhouse Take off the crusts from light grain bread. Butter the bread. Mix together your choice from the following seeds – roasted or toasted: Pinenuts, Pumpkin, Sesame, Sunflower, then add one or more of the following bushfood: Small chunks of Macadamia, Bunya, powdered or finely crushed Lemon Myrtle. Put the nuts into a wide shallow bowl then press the buttered bread into the mix. Cut into 4. Great to have with late afternoon drinks!
• Bush BBQ Lemon Pepper       from Jude Mayall   www.outbackchef.com.au There’s a lot of ways to use this combination, made with Lemon Myrtle from the rainforest and Pepperberries from the alpine regions. You can mix it with cream cheese and spread into celery sticks or on biscuits. Mix it with sour cream or yoghurt and put a dollop onto a baked potato or with an avocado. Mix with your favourite oil and put through a green salad. Sprinkle over roast vegetables or mix with cheese and put through your favourite pasta dish.  It also works well with fish or chicken Makes a great bushfood dukkha (recipes are inside my packs).
• Beetroot Dip   by Marilena Stanton Preheat oven to 200°C. Bake 4 whole beetroot and garlic on a baking tray. Spray with olive oil and roast for 45 minutes, then cool. Peel the skin from the beetroot and squeeze out the flesh of the garlic. Place beetroot, 1 whole garlic, 2 tbsps lemon juice,½ tsp ground cumin and ½ tsp paprika into a food processor and whiz. Optional: ¼ tsp chilli powder. Stir in 250ml yoghurt and 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander into mixture and serve.
• Asian Pesto    by Marilena Stanton Vietnamese mint, Thai basil, Coriander (leaves, stem and root), Ginger grated,Garlic crushed, Lemon grass stem – centre only, finely chopped, Lime juice, Roasted unsalted cashews, Peanut oil to bind Put all ingredients in a food processor and whiz till fine.  Add more peanut oil to form a pesto consistency. This recipe varies each time I make it.  Really is to taste and what you have more of in terms of the herbs on the day. Serve with crackers/ toasted Turkish bread or as an accompaniment to Asian chicken dishes.
• Coriander (or mint) Chutney  Put all ingredients in a blender and whizz together until well blended. If it does not blend well, put in some more water rather than more oil. As an alternative, instead of coriander you can use fresh mint – and add sesame seeds and little grated ginger.1 small spring onion, 1 to 2 gloves of garlic, 1 large bunch of coriander, 30ml (2tbsp) ground almonds, 45 ml (3 tbsp) lime or lemon juice, 45 ml (3tbsp) vegetable oil, 10 ml (2tsp) sugar or honey, salt & black pepper to taste, 1 tsp desiccated coconut
• Mango and Avocado Salsa In a large bowl combine 1 tbsp of olive oil, juice of one lime, 1 tbsp brown sugar and season lightly. Add 1 each of diced mango and avocado, 1 finely chopped red onion, ½ bunch of roughly chopped mint, ½ bunch of chopped coriander, 1 thinly diced red capsicum and 1 small red chilli thinly sliced. Toss briefly to combine and serve with fresh prawns.

  Variation on above – add Walnut Salad Dressing

  This recipe is for 2 Avocado and 2 Mango. Dice some bacon and cook until crisp. In a jar combine ¼ cup of olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp French mustard and1 tbsp thickened cream. Shake well to combine. Just before serving pour the dressing mixture over the platter contents. Sprinkle the crushed walnut pieces and the bacon pieces onto the avocado and mango.

• Parsley Pesto   by Frances Gonano I always seem to either not have enough parsley or a glut of it! Until recently my gluts usually went to waste, but this recipe is really tasty. The parsley is mixed with parmesan and nuts, spiced up with lemon and garlic. It can be served with pasta or on a baked potato, but we usually use it in sandwiches. Macadamias can be replaced by almonds, or even try a combination of both. Process 3 cups parsley leaves, half cup macadamia nuts and 3 cloves of garlic together until finely chopped. Add one third cup virgin olive oil and 1½ tbsps lemon juice slowly to the food processor as it runs. Stir in 3 tbsps parmesan cheese. Taste, then add more lemon or parmesan if preferred. Once you’ve tasted this you may like to vary it by adding other herbs.
• Spiced Mixed Nuts  Heat oven to 150°C. Combine ¾ cup sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg. Stir in 1 egg white slightly beaten with 2½ tbsps water Add 3 cups nuts  – macadamia/walnut/pecan/brazil – about half at a time. Stir with a fork until the nuts are totally covered with syrup. Drain off excess and place singularly on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 45 minutes until nuts are golden and crispy.

  Allow to cool and then store in an airtight container.

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Ice Cream Plum Pudding      by Sheryl Backhouse Dissolve 1 tbsp cocoa in 2tbsp hot water Mix:  375gm small size currants, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 2 tsp mixed spice, 3tbs brandy, Add cocoa mix and stand overnight

Beat: 6 egg whites until stiff and add 1/3 cup castor sugar

Beat: 600ml thickened cream with 1/3 cup castor sugar Blend all ingredients together by hand Place in a bowl lined with foil. Freeze until solid. To turn out, run water over the base of the bowl. The original recipe called for mixed dried fruit but I chose to use currants. If you decide to substitute, don’t use any largest pieces of fruit as they remain in their frozen state. The recipe said you could use rum or sherry as an option. It can be made weeks in advance. I note that some manufacturers are putting out cream in 500ml containers – I think this would be fine. I also used a stainless steel platter which I kept in the freezer to keep it cold when serving. I used a 230mm round silicone ware container – doesn’t rust, easy to clean and exceptionally easy to turn out as food doesn’t adhere.

Grate a little chocolate over the top.

Fruit Icecream   This recipe is from Maleny Dairies website. No ice cream machine needed. Instead of using ice cream sticks, layer it in small individual containers. Pour 600 ml Maleny Dairies Cream into a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons honey (or to taste), 1 teaspoons vanilla paste/essence and 2 teaspoons coconut sugar (or other sugar) Carefully whip the cream. Taste. Drizzle carefully with extra honey if desired. Blend 2 ripe mangoes until smooth and runny. Arrange some ice cream moulds or plastic cups Fill with a layer of the cream then some macadamias then mango, then cream, more macadamias then mango until filled with the final layer being cream. (about ½ cup raw macadamias in this recipe) Insert the ice cream stick or lid with stick and freeze for at least 4 hours. Optionally swirl the layers lightly together a little or leave as layers. Run the outside under lukewarm water until ice creams can be easily removed.

Thank you Bec from author Rebecca Mugridge  Enjoy everyone!

Egg yoke recipe – Irish Coffee Ice Cream
In a double boiler beat 6 egg yokes, ¾ cup castor sugar and 1½ tbs instant coffee powder over hot water until thick and creamy. Remove from heat and when cold, fold in 3tbs Irish Whiskey (or substitute) and 450ml of cream. Pour into very small moulds or just give folk a small scoop due to calorie content!!

Pineapple & Lemon Cordial Sorbet       by Jackie French Puree 2 cups of fresh pineapple which has been peeled and chopped Add ½ cup of lemon cordial and blend in with pineapple Place mixture in a freezer proof container with the lid on until set.

Remove from freezer, scrape out and serve.

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Phil Ryan from the Brisbane Organic Growers says he has good results with this recipe below and says it is a good deterrent to just about all the insects that affect our fruit trees especially scale, aphids, borers and sap-suckers. Its main attraction is the paste’s ability to feed the tree through the pores in the bark.

Give the trunk of each tree a good brushing to remove loose bark etc.

Apply with a clean paint brush or use rubber gloves and apply by hand.

Do this in the afternoon and only to brown wood – not the green parts of the tree. 

Mix well together and use a little Maxicrop seaweed liquid to make into a rich sloppy paintable paste.

1/4 part diatomaceous earth

1/4 part powdered cow manure

1/4 part fine dry clay

1/4 part blood and bone

One cup sieved wood-ash

One cup molasses

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Small to medium Australian tree.
The best of the Antidesma species. It is dioecious, but a single female plant will bear a small amount of fruit. Sweeter than the bignay, the fruit are large and black.

Sourced from: 

Sub-Tropical Fruit Club of Qld. Inc Newsletter June – July 2007

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Byron’s Party Punch   by Jan Sked  To make sugar syrup  Put 2.5 litres of hot water and 2.5 cups of sugar into a large saucepan and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add about 40 Lemon Myrtle leaves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow to sit until cooled, then remove the Lemon Myrtle leaves and pour syrup into sealable containers and store in refrigerator. (I use the 3 ltr empty milk containers) To make punch  Mix all ingredients together in a punch bowl just before serving then add ice cubes. 2 litre bottle ginger ale, 2 litre bottle lemonade, 1 can tropical fruit punch, 1 litre bottle orange/mango juice

2 litres Lemon Myrtle sugar syrup

Bush BBQ Lemon Pepper       from Jude Mayall   www.outbackchef.com.au There’s a lot of ways to use this combination, made with Lemon Myrtle from the rainforest and Pepperberries from the alpine regions. You can mix it with cream cheese and spread into celery sticks or on biscuits. Mix it with sour cream or yoghurt and put a dollop onto a baked potato or with an avocado. Mix with your favourite oil and put through a green salad. Sprinkle over roast vegetables or mix with cheese and put through your favourite pasta dish.  It also works well with fish or chicken Makes a great bushfood dukkha

(recipes are inside the pack).

Morning Tea/Afternoon Tea Plain or Wattle Seed Scones with Davidsonia Jam and cream.

Louise Slice using bushfood jam.

Anzac Biscuits with Wattleseed Set oven at 160C Mix together 1 cup rolled oats, ¾ cup (125g) plain flour, ½ cup (125g) sugar. Mix together 1 tbs golden syrup, 30g ground roasted Wattle Seed, 1 tsp bicarb of soda 2 tbs boiling water While frothing, add ½ cup (125g) melted butter and pout into dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Place spoonfuls on an oven tray, allowing room for mixture to spread. Bake at 160C for 18-20 minutes

Allow to cool on biscuit rack

Lunch
BBQ Kangaroo sausage served plain with bushfood sauce & finely chopped lettuce in a long roll.

Sea Scallops in Bushfood Liqueur Cream Sauce by John King rainforestliqueurs.com.au
Add 4 Tassie Pepper leaves Tasmannia lanceolata to Macadamia Oil and bring to smoking hot. Add 1 packet of sea scallops to fine rice flour & sea salt in a plastic bag and shake to coat the scallops. Add floured scallops to pan and fry for 1 minute each side to brown. Remove scallops and set aside and add a tablespoon of leftover rice flour to the frying pan.

Throw in a good slurp of your favourite bushfood liqueur to the frypan and reduce down for a minute. (one suggestion is liqueur made from Cooktown Lemon Ironbark  Eucalyptus staigeriana

Add 2 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp diced garlic chives, and 4 tbsp diced eschalots. Cook for another minute. Add 1 container of cream and simmer for a couple of more minutes. Place scallops on cooked rice and cover with sauce.

Serve and drink any leftover bushfood liqueur!

Saltbush Ice Cream  by Sheryl Backhouse 8 egg yokes 1 cup castor sugar 2 heaped dessertspoons of very finely ground Saltbush 600 ml cream In a double boiler beat 8 egg yolks, 1 cup castor sugar and 2 heaped dessertspoons of very finely ground Saltbush over hot water until thick and creamy. Remove from heat and when cold fold in 600mls of cream.

Pour into very small moulds or just serve a small scoop due to calorie content!!

Below is an excellent recipe to use up the 6 egg whites that are left over from the Saltbush Ice Cream recipe

Riberry Ice Cream Dissolve 1 tbsp cocoa in 2tbsp hot water Mix:  375gm small size cooked riberry, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 2 tsp mixed spice, 3tbs brandy, Add cocoa mix and stand overnight Beat: 6 egg whites until stiff and add 1/3 cup castor sugar Beat: 600ml thickened cream with 1/3 cup castor sugar Blend all ingredients together by hand Place in a bowl lined with foil. Freeze until solid. To turn out, run water over the base of the bowl. If you decide to substitute, don’t use any large pieces of fruit as they remain in their frozen state. It can be made weeks in advance. I also used a stainless steel platter which I kept in the freezer to keep it cold when serving. I used a 230mm round silicone ware container – doesn’t rust, easy to clean and exceptionally easy to turn out as food doesn’t adhere.

Serve with a riberry coulis sauce

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Mango Cheesecake   by Marelina Stanton Combine 1 cup plain sweet biscuit crumbs, 1 cup finely chopped pecans, ground almonds or walnuts, and 75g butter. Press evenly over base of greased 20cm springform tin & refrigerate 30 mins. Cream Cheese Filling Beat til smooth: 250gm packet cream cheese, ½ cup caster sugar and 1½ medium mangoes Add 300ml carton thickened cream til combined. Cool but do not allow to set. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon gelatine over ¼ cup hot water & heat 30 secs in microwave. Add gelatine to mango mixture and stir in remaining chopped up mangoes. Pour filling over biscuit base and refrigerate several hours.

Notes:  I used individual ramekins and pressed 1 tablespoon of the crumbs into the base.  I think it would be OK to not even have the crumbs, skip it and just enjoy this dessert.  Made 11 ramekins.  Also, I keep long life cream in the pantry so I don’t have to rush down to the shops whenever I need cream. There is only 200ml cream in these cartons but recipe turned out just fine.

Mango Slice by Pat Saron Mix together 1 pkt vanilla cake mix, 1 cup coconut and ½ cup butter Bake 180 degrees for 15 minutes. Topping Put 2  blended R2E2 mangoes, ½ cup orange & mango juice and 2 tbs custard powder into a saucepan and bring to boil. Add more juice if too thick.

Turn down heat and stir until thick. Pour over base while still warm then sprinkle with coconut.

Mango with Avocado Ice Cream
Combine 500ml coconut milk, 2 avocados, 60ml honey, 10ml vanilla bean extract into a blender and blend until smooth then pour into an ice cream machine. Churn until frozen. Combine 4 diced mangos and ½ bunch of chopped mint and arrange onto plates, then spoon passionfruit over the diced mango and serve with a large scoop of the avocado ice cream. Garnish with mint. If storing the ice cream for more than 2 days, add 30ml of glucose syrup to prevent the ice cream from hardening.

Coconut and Mango Pudding   by Ann Dickson Lightly grease 8 ½ cup moulds with vegetable oil. Combine 800gm mango puree, 1 cup coconut milk and ½ cup cold water. Dissolve 2 tbs gelatine and ¾ cup sugar in 1 cup hot water. Pour the gelatine mixture into the mango mixture and stir til combined. Chill til set.

To serve, dip the moulds briefly in hot water, turn out and serve with seasonal fruit & ice cream

Mango Wine Recipe   Congratulations to Leigh Boileau for taking out a First for your class at the RNA Show. It was a really well balanced Mango wine. A winning Mango wine is a very difficult feat to pull off as it’s so hard to get a good balance. So from all of the Brewers, ‘Well done Mate’, and I hope we see a lot more club entries into the RNA Show next year.  Ref: Tony Bilborough

Boil 3.5 L of water. While boiling the water, prepare 1.5 kg of mangoes by peeling, slicing and dicing. Liquefy the fruit using a blender. If there is no blender available, you can put the mangoes inside a straining bag, place it inside the fermenting bucket, then mash the mangoes using a potato masher. When the water boils, add 1.3 kg of sugar to the water. Stir the hot water to make it absorb more sugar. Once all the sugar has been dissolved the liquid substance will become syrupy. Let it cool a bit, then pour the liquid on the mashed mango inside the fermentor. Add ¼ tsp tannin, 1 ½ tsp acid blend, 2 Campden tablets and 1 tsp yeast nutrients together with the mixture in the fermentor. Cover the fermentor and leave it at room temperature for 24 hours. Then add ½ tsp pectic enzyme. Leave it again for 12 hours. Add 1 tsp wine yeast. Let yeast do its work for 10 days. Squeeze the straining bag 2-3 times a day for ten days. On the tenth day, squeeze the straining bag till dry then discard the bag and the pulp. Let everything settle overnight. Siphon the concoction to the secondary fermentor. Minimize the transfer of lees from the primary to the secondary. Air lock the secondary and leave it for 30 days. Rack the wine every two months for six months or until wine has no more lees. Bottle and age.

Sheryl   The Club has equipment that you can borrow courtesy of Judy Walker – contact Sheryl.

We also have preserving equipment you can have the loan of courtesy of Noreen Lehmann.

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BOTANICAL NAME: Carica pentagona (Family: Caricaceae)

COMMON NAME: Mountain Papaya, Babaco

ORIGIN: It is a naturally occurring hybrid between the mountain pawpaw and the Chamburo, and originates in Ecuador. It has been cultivated there since before the arrival of Europeans.

PLANT DESCRIPTION: It is an herbaceous shrub, similar to the pawpaw, but the fleshy stems are darker and shorter. It grows to 2-2½ metres. The thickness of the trunk is associated with the vigour of the plant. The leaves are 30-60 cm wide, smooth and hairless with broad lobes. The leaves have an average life of 4-6 months. The plants produce female flowers only (usually solitary on the end of a long pendulous stalk), and no male trees or pollen are required for Babaco to fruit. It is not a long lived tree (4-8 years) but it is ornamental, easily propagated from cuttings and on the right scale for a small garden. It could also be grown in a large container.

FRUIT DESCRIPTION: Each fruit is borne on a long stalk, and grows up to 30cm long by 10 cm wide with 5 longitudinal ridges (distinctly 5 sided and pointed). Each can weigh up to 2kg, and they are generally seedless, juicy and fragrant. The fruit turns from green to yellow at maturity and is rich in vitamin C (a 100g slice contains about the same as an orange). The flesh is about 50cm thick and creamy white and the thin skin is completely edible. It also contains 3 times as much papain (a digestive enzyme) as common paw-paws.

FRUIT TASTE: It has been described as a blend of pineapple and pawpaw (and banana & strawberry?) but because of low sugar content, it may not compare well with the sweeter flavoured pawpaw. It is light, acid and slightly effervescent (hence it’s other name “champagne fruit’).

FRUITING AGE: Fruit is produced about 15 months after the cuttings are planted out.

FRUIT USES: Its juice is a popular drink in Ecuador. The fruit is eaten raw when yellow or the green fruit can be used as a vegetable, though it needs to be well cooked (best in curries or made into chutney). Babaco syrup is also sold commercially in South America. Pieces of the fruit can be added to fruit salads. Babaco can be processed in a blender with sugar/honey as a drink, or with ice cream/frozen yoghurt as a milkshake. The latex (like that of paw-paws, figs etc) is quite corrosive when liquid and should be wiped away or allowed to dry up if the fruit is to be eaten raw. The riper the fruit, the less of a problem this is. This latex is an excellent remedy for warts and can be applied to the wart several times a day until it is burned away. The Incas used Babaco to treat obesity and stress problems. The enzyme papain emulsifies fats and breaks down cholesterol and protein. Papain is an ingredient of commercially produced meat tenderizers. Because of its low sugar content, it is perfect for slimmers.

CLIMATE, RAINFALL AND TEMPERATURE: It grows between 2000-3000 metres in Ecuador, and is moderately cold tolerant compared to pawpaw, with a temperature range of 5^oC to 20^oC. It fruits in temperate climates where paw-paw does not ‘set’ or ripen. The optimum humidity for growing Babaco is 75% -85%. The plant is sensitive to high temperatures and low humidity. Temperatures over 30^oC may result in sunburnt fruit and internal water stress, even though adequate irrigation is provided. Plants exposed to full sun in these conditions may drop most of their immature fruit in an effort to conserve water. The plants must be protected from strong winds. If the summers are hot you could try growing Babaco in large containers and move them to a cooler location in the warmer months. They can set fruit indoors as well as outside. Plantings should be done between September and March.

FROST TOLERANCE: Babaco can withstand a few degrees of frost, but are more susceptible to root rot if they have been injured by frost. To avoid blemishes and cold/frost damage, New Zealand Babaco growers cultivate the plant in greenhouses with controlled temperatures.

SUN OR SHADE:  A sheltered spot with broken shade in summer and sun in winter would be similar to its natural home in open forest. It won’t set fruit if it does not have a reasonable amount of sun. Shadecloth may be needed to minimize summer temperatures here.

SOIL PREFERENCE: It prefers well drained soil with plenty of humus/ organic matter and a pH. of

6-6.5. The plant will not tolerate salty water or soil. If the plant is grown in a container, then the potting mix should contain a large proportion of perlite/bark etc, rather than peat moss which is too water retentive.

DRAINAGE: Babaco is subject to root rot if the soil is poorly drained or heavy clay.

WATER: Water sparingly after planting as the roots are especially sensitive to excess watering just after transplanting. After that, the soil should be allowed to dry partially between watering. Overhead watering increases the risk of fungal infection and splitting of near-ripe fruit, so microspray or minisprinkler irrigation is considered best. Babaco plants require ample water for optimum production, but they dislike wet soil.

MULCHING: It prefers matured compost or leaf mould rather than manure. Mulch is important as the roots will grow up into the organic matter for nutrients and air.

WEED CONTROL: The mulch will suppress weed growth. Herbicides should be used with caution and should not come in to contact with the extremely sensitive tissue of the Babaco trunk.

FERTILIZING: A slow release fertilizer at planting time is desirable. Under fertilized plants produce small fruit. The plants have a high phosphate requirement (N:P:K of 1:3:1). [Some New Zealand growers have suggested 15:10:10]. Chicken litter is considered an ideal fertilizer as it is high in phosphate and has the advantage of increasing organic matter (5-10 kg per sq. metre per year is suggested. Plants also need an adequate supply of calcium (gypsum or ground limestone) depending on your soil. Boron, zinc and other trace elements need to be applied for best results.

FLOWERING: Flowers will appear soon after the first Spring growth and some should set fruit. Flowers form on new wood only. Sunlight intensity, temperature and day length variation all affect flowering and hence fruiting.

FRUIT DEVELOPMENT/HARVESTING:  The fruits ripen in progression from the lowest fruits, usually the heaviest, to those higher up the trunk. These smaller fruit constitute up to 10% -20% of the crop. The plants will need staking to prevent straining under the load of developing fruit. They are shallow rooted and are easily blown over when fully laden with fruit so wind protection is essential. It takes about a year to reach full size, and a further 8 – 10 weeks to ripen. The tree should not be allowed to completely dry out during this time, or the fruit will fall off. High temperatures may also result in sunburned fruit and immature fruit drop.

PRUNING: After harvesting the fruit, you can either leave the tree to form branches (in which case the fruits in the next crop will be smaller in size) or you can cut it off 10 cm above ground level. The shoots that form around the base of the plant should all be removed except one, and this can be allowed to become the main trunk.

YIELD: A healthy plant can have 25-100 fruits a season, depending on growing conditions and cultural practices (usually about 30).

PROPAGATION: Babaco does not set seed but may be propagated easily from cuttings. A tall straggly plant can be revitalized by cutting it off about 200 mm above the ground in Spring. It will promptly resprout. Leave 1 or 2 sprouts to develop into new fruiting trunks. The old trunk can be used for cuttings by cutting each into about 30 cm lengths, each with at least one auxiliary bud. The cuttings should be dipped in fungicide and the rooting end dipped in a rooting hormone. The cuttings are then set vertically in sand or sandy loam to form calluses. With the first signs of roots and the beginning of new leaves, they can be planted out, about 200 mm below ground level.

HARVESTING: Fruit is normally harvested in Oct-Dec and should be removed with clippers. Fruits harvested half yellow will ripen indoors at room temperature.

TRANSPORTABILITY AND PACKAGING: The ripe fruit should be placed stem down in a container to prevent sap running over it. When picked 30% yellow, the fruit has a shelf life of up to 4 weeks.

PESTS AND DISEASES: It is important to start from virus free material. Overwatering and too much nitrogenous fertilizer may induce Phytophthora root rot. If this happens, plants can be propagated from portions of the trunk as above. Fungal diseases can affect the leaves in moist humid conditions. Plants can be affected by powdery mildew and yellow mosaic virus. The major pests affecting the Babaco are the two spotted mite, the strawberry mite and the broad mite. Control can be difficult because most miticides are phytotoxic to Babaco leaves. Predatory mites can give reasonable control. Thrip can cause superficial skin blemishes. There have also been reports of nematode infestation. Slugs and snails can damage the fruit.Some plants could suffer from collar rot in cool wet conditions.

COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL: Babaco was promoted and planted in parts of Australia in the 1980’s, but root rot, pest and disease, and low market prices saw a reduction in the area grown. They are grown on a small scale commercially in New Zealand and the Middle East. Because most growers send their Babaco to market green, buyers could be disappointed with the flavour. The low natural sugar content has resulted in serious doubt about the fruit’s consumer acceptability, as it would have to compete on the Australian market with the sweeter flavoured papaw. The most successful commercial plantings in Australia have been in shadehouses which provide protection from wind and hail. However, the low fruit prices may negate the capital intensive greenhouse/shadehouse planting. Some Babaco is grown in New Zealand and exported to Japan, while Ecuador exports to the US, Belgium, Holland and Switzerland.

Compiled by Bruce Hallett. References:The Sub-Tropical Fruit Club newsletter of Feb. 2000 had an article about Louis Glowinski growing Babaco (among other fruits) in Melbourne.  There was also an article in the newsletter of 12/1997.

Agfact H6.1.18 2nd edition 1989; Horticulture News (NZ) May 2001; Aust. Horticulture Dec 1983 & Feb. 1985   www.users.on.net/arachne/babaco   www.foodreference.com  www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/babaco www.actahort.org/books/235/235_21.htm       www.ssan.com/howto/fruits/meetbabaco    

The following are Babaco Notes from other members collated by Sheryl Backhouse:

Richard Poli  It seems they are very cold sensitive here in Brisbane in that they lose almost all of their leaves in winter.  They just get going again and flush in late spring only to be hit heavily by red spider mite (could be the two spotted mite) If you let this go they drop all their leaves again. I have used Rogor in the past season but the degree at which the mites attack is variable and can be almost non existent.  They don’t like wet feet even if grafted, however Phosphoric Acid (Phosjet) seems to give them some benefit when the heavy summer rains persist.  Anyway by the time they get to and get strong enough to flower, set fruit etc it is very much mid to late summer just in time to reach maturity while the leaves are falling off yet again.  So what do they do? They abort the fruit though sometimes if you are lucky you may nearly get them ripe before that happens.  If they abort the fruit even though they are mature they ripen with not much taste. Having said that if all the constellations line up at the right phase of the moon and you get some fruit to tree ripen they are very much sort after by all  family members. I would put it in a protected yet full sun environment with heaps and heaps of mulch and organics.

Peter van Velzen  – Mt. Tamborine   Mites tend to be a problem but can be controlled by Wettable Sulphur as long as it is not too hot.  Need some uses for the fruit as we find it a bit tasteless.  Apart from that, they are easy to grow and take care of themselves.  My trees are all seedlings.  They produce in the first year and are currently 3 years old.

John Prince from New Zealand    I think problems with Babaco reflect several things including (1) trying to grow them in what might be the wrong climate so that they struggle a bit and that makes them prone to disease or insect problems that don’t occur in a climate that’s more natural for them, and (2) a misunderstanding of natural growth habits, plus, probably, (3) the question of their eating quality.

They are a naturally occurring cross [technically best known now, according to one fairly recent scientific paper that I’ve sighted as Vasconcella x heilbornii ‘Babaco’.That is, they are in the Caricaceae family, but are now separated again from Carica papaya. The areas that the more than 20 Vasconcella spp. come from are centred in areas of Andean highlands, although they do range from drier coastal areas into moist subtropics. It may be that Babaco just doesn’t really like your climate. Isn’t red spider mite associated with overly dry conditions? It certainly is here, where it shows up as nuisance on many plants that are being grown indoors, often stressed by unnaturally dry air- as with the young palms that sit a few metres from where I’m writing this, in a sunny window seat area, and in a room heated artificially on cool nights. They crop heavily in northern NZ but are limited by our cool winter temperatures and, as with the other members of the family that are grown here, they eventually resent REALLY wet conditions around their roots. They (i.e. the Vasconcella species that I’m familiar with from growing them here, and from viewing them at other people’s places- perhaps half a dozen species in all) all lose their old leaves at some stage in winter. You are then left with a stem, and with incipient leaf growth, or a few small leaves. That’s completely normal here, and we have no trouble because of this. They come back into growth with warmer weather, set fruit in time, and mature it so that we harvest and eat it without major problems. Outdoor plants, given our spread of moist conditions throughout the year, are not a problem.

 A papaya hybrid that is torpedo shaped and has 5 flattened facets. The skin, which is edible, turns from green to golden yellow depending on level of ripeness.

Mine are in built up beds made of bluestone to store heat and give good drainage. It will flower and fruit in one season in the sub tropics but here it has flowers and green fruit in summer-autumn then from Sept to Dec they ripen, while the next set start growing above this lot. This means you don’t get to cut down the tree to a stump for it to shoot again (if you do you lose a years fruit) so I run two branches and cut them alt years to get fruit every year. the next thing is to cut it off so it shoots out again, this is why I keep 2 branches cos you sacrifice those green fruit before they ripen down our way. I have been told you can use the green fruit to cook with such as in a curry to replace green papaw but I have not tried it yet. Makes lousy wine but a nice spirit. They also freeze whole for later juicing.    If you give them a bit of a chill in the fridge before eating them they are amazing. There is a lot of juice in each one.  Ref:  Peter

Daleys Nursery – Babaco is grafted onto papayuelo rootstock. I didn’t do anything special to my babaco apart from putting it into a 55cm pot with premium potting mix. I added half a kilo of chicken liver into the pot at the beginning and added a layer of mushroom compost at the top. I water it once a week and just a few months later tiny fruits started appearing. I don’t think my fruiting babaco was due to any special technique but more to the suitability of the weather and how much sun it gets. Of the two I bought from the same nursery one fruited in 2 months and the other a year later. The earlier fruited plant was in full sun all day while the other one was in part shade . Ref:  Michael

Propagating Babaco Take cuttings say, about 10 times as long as thick (eg. 2cm dia x 20cm long). Leave to dry and heal the cut ends. You can paint the cut ends with potassium permanganate solution (enough to make water red-purple) as fungicide before drying, but not essential. Put gently into coarse sandy potting mix without breaking sealed cut ie. don’t just shove them in, rather, make hole, insert cutting, backfill/firm down and water. Water once and once only as they’re very sensitive to rotting. Avoid getting the top of cutting wet unnecessarily. stem cutting that is – tips, no worries do them in late winter-spring. They don’t like too hot or too cold, around 25 deg C is optimum. Babaco is an acid fruit more like the Tamarillo, but we have found it very good when used in both icecream (the milk cuts the acid) and in sorbet but the best way to use them has to be baked- slice a whole fruit longways into 1/4’s and place in dish with a touch of apple juice and sprinkle with demerara sugar and bake at 150-180C for 1/2 hour my wife eats a whole fruit for breaky like this with yogurt. 

Sheryl:  Best grafted in the sub-tropics or put them in raised beds.

I suggest you eat it when it still has some green tinges on the edges and its quite firm, other wise we enjoy it teamed with the flesh of a mango as they compliment each other perfectly. Just top & tail the babaco and shove in the blender even with banana and some orange juice, we also freeze this mix for later in plastic cups.

If you think babaco is tasteless, think again! I got a recipe from a South American. They love babaco over there. You just cut it up and stew it with a tiny squeeze of lemon juice, a good helping of sugar and enough cinnamon for your personal taste. I do a variation on this recipe with powdered cardamom instead of cinnamon and it tastes heavenly. You can eat it warm or cold. You don’t have to add water before stewing because babacos are so juicy. I also make babaco jam and babaco marmalade. Delicious! And they grow SO EASILY from cuttings that of my original tree (which took 2 years to fruit, as they all do) I now have six more trees and I could easily take more cuttings. This tree is one of the best plants I have ever bought.  Ref: Violet

Best babaco cuttings I ever had was at a rental of mine. I cut back the babaco, dumped the prunings in the rubbish pit, mowed the lawn and dumped the clippings in the pit on top of the babaco. When I cleaned up the pit 6 months later I found about 100 rooted cuttings. I find when I do propagate them intentionally that they root far better when laid almost fully covered at a 30 degree angle. 

Ariel from Israel   During 1987-9 I was a Babaco consultant to the Guernsey Babaco growers. The island of Guernsey is located in the Gulf Stream near the island of Jersey. I used to fly there every 3 months from Israel and give a lecture, a Babaco workshop for the growers and visit the glasshouse grown plantations. The conditions there were perfect and the entire canopy stayed in full leaf area thus contributing photosynthesis products in both cold and warm weathers. Based on the experienced gained, an annual model for growing Babaco was made up, keeping a specific leaf area to fruit load ratio. Thus, both deleafing and defruiting practices were conducted in order to achieve good quality fruits at specific times of the year. At that time, the Italians were flooding the European markets with their small soft Babaco. The conditions produced leaf and soil sample analysis with values similar to optimal values for papaya. A nice Babaco recipe booklet was published there. I think that most of the horticultural problems were defined and solved by the HAS team and it was nice to work with them. We tried grafting Babaco on papaya and Papaya on Babaco and it was successful. The first conclusion from my visits was that you must start with an excellent plant in the flowering stage with 10 litres roots/volume that should be planted around Sept-Oct (for the Southern Hemisphere) and should set fruit within 1 month from planting. Then, fruit set was allowed for 3 months and then stopped by deflowering all new flowers and fruitlets formed until the plant was cut back.

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• Banana Sourdough Pancakes   by Jason Spotswood – inspired by the Golden Buttermilk Pancakes recipe from the Canadian cookbook “Diane Clement at the Tomato”. With this recipe you can make sourdough pancakes overnight. The bananas add flavour and reduce the need for oils in the mixture but it can be done up to 30 minutes before cooking. To make buttermilk from scratch, juice a whole lime and place the juice and any pulp into a 2 cup measure. Then top up the 2 cup measure with milk. Let this sit for a couple of minutes. Voila, quick buttermilk. Note that anything acidic will work, e.g. vinegar, lemon juice, pineapple juice, etc. Use about 15 ml of acid to 1 cup of milk, ratio can be higher as is the case with the whole lime. Combine in a bowl: 2 cups organic wholemeal flour, 5 mls baking soda, a pinch of salt, 2½ mls ground cinnamon, 1 millilite ground rnutmeg, 30 mls raw sugar. In another bowl, lightly beat 2 large eggs. Then combine with 2 cups of buttermilk and 2 mashed bananas. (medium size). Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until the flour is barely moistened. The batter will have a few lumps. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes, however it is best if left overnight as this will allow the natural yeasts in the organic wholemeal flour to activate. Cook as you would pikelets or pancakes.
• Simple Banana Bread     by Carolynne Spotswood Cream 113gm softened butter, 1 cup sugar, coconut sugar preferred and 3 extra large eggs together in a bowl. Add 3 very ripe large mashed bananas. Sift the dry ingredients together – 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, half tsp baking powder, half tsp salt. and add to the creamed mixture alternately with 3 tbsps buttermilk and half  tsp vanilla. Stir until just combined.  Fold in the half cup chopped walnuts or pecan nuts. Pour into greased and parchment lined loaf pan. Bake 180C in preheated oven for 50 – 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when tested. Cool in pan briefly then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.  Keeps well refrigerated. Note: To make the recipe gluten free, substitute the flour as follows. Half cup almond flour/meal, quarter cup rice flour, 1¼ cups plain gluten free flour, 1 tsp Xanthan Gum Better still, if you can find an All Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Mix just use it as a cup for cup flour replacement.  Baking products need a binder/thickener/stabilizer to make them rise – something gluten does in wheat flours.  Xanthan gum does this when using gluten free flour.
• Banoffee Slice Mix 500g crushed biscuits with 200gms melted butter then cool.  Spread 2 cans Carnation Caramel over base then cover with sliced bananas Cover with 600ml whipped cream Decorate with grated chocolate Or try this base – mix together and bake 10 mins. 1 cup Uncle Tobys Rolled Oats, 1 cup self raising flour, 1 cup desiccated coconut, 1/2 cup brown sugar 150g butter, melted
• Banana Flower Salad Discard the tough outer leaves from 1 banana flower or bell* (about 500g) then finely shred the rest. I keep the outer shells for serving. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a wok or frypan over high heat. Add 1 onion, 1 – 2 red chilli, seeded & chopped, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 1 tablespoon shredded ginger.  Cook for 3 minutes or until golden. Add shredded banana flower and cook for 8 – 10 minutes or until banana flower is tender. Add 500g lean rump steak, finely sliced and cook for 5 minutes or until sealed. Add 2 tablespoons lime juice and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes. Toss through 3 tablespoons mint and 3 tablespoons coriander and serve. Instead of beef a lot of times I simmer a chicken breast in coconut milk and fine shred or use prawns, fish or whatever your fancy … even fried tofu. Note: when shredding the flower keep in lemon juice and water to stop it browning till you have finished shredding when ready dry on a paper towel. Hint: crushed roasted peanuts are wonderful sprinkled on top

  Caution:  On commercial banana farms chemicals are routinely injected into the bell.  You must only use flower/bells from a chemical-free source.

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Beetroot and Apple Salad Blend together until roughly chopped:

400gms of beetroot peeled and quartered, 100gms of carrot roughly chopped, ¼-½ small red onion quartered, 1 small green apple quartered, 2 tbl spoons of fresh coriander leaves, 2 tbl spoons of olive oil, ½ lemon juice.

Beetroot Cake by Jenny Awbery This cake is a spectacular crimson colour and is very moist. I promise it doesn’t taste like beetroot! You can substitute part grated carrot for some of the beetroot,  if you prefer. Heat oven to 180C. Sift together 200g self raising flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 1/3 cups brown sugar  In another bowl or food processor, thoroughly mix together 185g softened butter, 3 eggs and juice and grated zest of one orange Butter bottom and sides of 8” cake tin and stir in 2 cups grated raw beetroot and orange zest, pressed lightly into cup.  Pour beetroot mixture into flour mix and blend well. Glaze: Heat glaze ingredients in a small pan until melted and pour over top of hot cake. 3 tablespoons marmalade, juice of one orange, tablespoon of honey.

Bake for 50 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.