Local Food Enthusiast Weblog

Getting people involved in the design of their gardens gives Jason Ross a kick. He offers edible landscape design services. More and more people are interested in growing healthy food at home. Jason helps by designing the layout and recommending plants especially suited to each property. 

 Jason grew up in Oamaru and has National Certificates on both landscaping and production horticulture (organics). His experience in working for a landscaping company reinforced his study and gave him the working knowledge of garden layout and maintenance. His fascination with gardening on the coast has given him, through study and hands-on trials, a specialised understanding of what works here for productive gardens. He’s designed edible gardens for urban and rural settings, community gardens, and schools. He’s been part of establishing a large cultivar preservation orchard with the Tree Crops Society. 

Fruit trees are his specialty, especially heritage apples and pears. His Sutherland Nurseries produces heritage fruit trees to order. The demand for these trees is so great that he is taking orders for 2010. The nursery also supplies plum trees, gooseberries, currants and comfrey. He’s also discovered little known edibles to grow, such as miner’s lettuce and Chilean guavas. 

As we come to the end of the active growing season it is a good time reflect on the successes of the season and plan for next year. Jason, through his Edible Landscape Design services, works with individual gardeners to develop shelter, create microclimates and determine both the placement and selection of productive fruit and vegetable plants, bushes and trees. He specialises in Coastal Otago climates, our “limiting factor” being summer heat. Selecting varieties suited to this specialised climate is crucial, so his designs are adapted for our gardens. “The right plant in the right place” is the goal of his designs. 

Jason describes the design/consultation process of working with both first time and experienced gardeners as satisfying. “Some are either confused or anxious to get started. Each site is unique. Each household has different needs. Working together we realise a productive garden.” 

In addition to whole edible garden designs, Jason offers short consultancies to advise on pruning, selection and placement  of fruit trees, and soil conditioning.  

Contact information: 

Jason Ross

Jason@sutherlandnursery.co.nz

www.sutherlandnursery.co.nz

03-482-2625

027-227-3004 

Parisette Dressings, known throughout the South Island for their versatility and high quality, are produced locally by Brendan and Suzi Flack.

The Flacks have been producing a full range of dressings from their Hawkesbury Village commercial kitchen since 2004. The dressing, named for the Dunedin café where the original product was developed, has gained a very good reputation. The Flacks receive requests for full cartons from North Island holidaymakers who return home and can’t source their products up North. A café in town reported customers complained when the Parisette dressings were temporarily replaced by another brand. Many of us enjoy these dressings on our home grown summer salads and take them along for contributions to holiday potlucks.

The secret to the success of this family business is that they produce small batches of these specialty dressings: aioli, blue cheese, sweet mustard, sun dried tomato, French, vinaigrette, and tartare sauce. The blue cheese dressing contains cheese from neighbouring producer, Evansdale Cheese.The product is also gluten free and contains no additives.

Suzi recommends the sundried tomato dressing be served with smoked fish – and that the sweet mustard version is fantastic with delicate fish like crayfish or scallops. Aioli is good with barbequed meats. She reports that customers send their favourite recipes using the dressings. One of those uses Parisette sweet mustard dressing as a glaze over roasted vegetables. It is also especially good with Xmas ham. Brendan had a regular stand at the Dunedin Farmers Market for several seasons to establish the brand and meet customers face to face. Their enthusiasm for cooking and creating good meals is contagious.
Parisette Dressings are available at New World, Fresh Choice, the Palmerston Butcher, Beano’s and the Karitane General Store. They also make gift packs of 2 bottles sold in lovely wooden boxes.

Suzi and Brendan Flack can be contacted about their excellent dressings at:
0-800-465-7060

Unless you’ve picked the fruit yourself you can’t beat the freshness of the spray free fruit Sandy Price and Neill Howard are growing on their 5 acre Merton property. Within hours of picking the fruit Sandy has graded and delivered it to the Karitane General Store for sale or is selling it herself at the monthly Seacliff Market. Years of experience working quality assurance in the food industry means the fruit is always of the highest standard. The delicious fruit we sampled was fresh and crisp. The orchard contains 6-7 varieties of apples and 3-4 varieties of pears including Bartlett, Packham and Buerre Bosc. Having a variety of trees ensures a longer season with the different varieties coming on at different times. Bulk orders and seconds are available by arrangement.

They had already harvested plums, competed with possums for nectarines and picked berries.
Any surplus or waste fruit is readily consumed by their animals. Their property is also home to chickens, a goat, 2 dogs and 8 beautiful Alpacas. The Alpacas grow a very soft, lanolin free, fleece. It is so gentle it can be worn next to a baby’s skin. Sandy has begun spinning some of the fleece on a newly aquired tabletop electric spinner. She loves the fact that the tabletop is safely away from her inquisitive 13 month old, Kate.

The Alpaca fleece is for sale. Bulk orders also available.

Sandy and Neill made the move from Auckland to East Otago 5 years ago as a lifestyle choice for their children, Ben 5 & 3/4 and Kate. They are very happy with the lifestyle they have and say it follows on from their own childhoods. Sandy grew up in the Bay of Plenty with self sufficiency being the norm in her family. Neill grew up in Dunedin where his family always had a productive edible garden.They have obtained further information

through books, a Sustainable Living Course held at the Waikoauiti Library last season (thanks Maureen Howard!) and networking with other people in the area.

Sandy and Neill are keen to meet consumers’ needs and are open to suggestions.

If you would like to be able to buy particular seasonal produce, and have trouble finding it for purchase, let them know. No promises but they are open to ideas.
To contact Sandy or Neill
Phone 03 4657706

Russian Red, Turbo. Virosa, Roma, Rams Horn, Purple Cherokee, Black Krim, Azoychka Russian, Garden Peach, Wonder, Uberich, Sun Cherry, White Cherry. Sungold. Fourteen types of tomatoes were laid out on the Hunter dining table. Lynley told us these weren’t all the varieties she grows and sells!

The Hunter family have been proving their green thumbs for generations. Lynley Eason grew up in Waikouaiti. When she married Mark Hunter she fit right into his family in many ways, especially as a skilled grower and keen market garden businesswoman. She got into market gardening to allow her to stay at home with the kids. Lynley, Mark and their children, Lauren & Shawn, have their home and fully organically certified (with Otago Farmers New Zealand – OFNZ) vegetable and seedling market garden on Inverary St behind the racecourse in Waikouaiti.

The Hunters maintain large glass and tunnel houses. Stepping inside the largest complex is like entering another world. One area houses over 700 tomato plants, neatly growing to about 8 feet in height, trained to miles of string and interplanted with companion plants of marigolds and cascading nasturtiums. Cucumbers grow along the ground. Tomatoes ripen along the long rows. The tomatoes got planted a little later than usual this year as the Hunters moved back home. The largest glass house has smaller tunnel houses set inside it in order to maintain speciailised climate conditions. One of the smaller tunnel houses is where seedlings get their start, in small germination punnets on an electric heat bed. A heater with a thermostat keeps that tunnel house above 3 degrees C for this critical part of the operation. Once established, the seedlings are replanted and can go outside to grow before being ready to sell. It takes 4-12 weeks of tending from seed to sale.

Organic seed, sourced from Koanga Gardens in the North Island, is first grown out and tested for our colder South Island conditions. The best types are then used for production and used as the seed source for future crops. Some of the surplus seed is donated back to Koanga as part of a heritage seed bank. Lynley says it is good to know they are keeping the varieties our ancestors grew alive – and is convinced that those types were grown because they are tasty than present day varieties.

It looks like a huge amount of work. Lynley credits Mark with preparing the extensive beds every year to get ready for the next crops. She has prime responsibility for most of the other work. Every month, every season brings different responsibilities. She says she never really stays ahead of it!

Lynley and Lauren sell vegetable seedlings, herbs, perennials dahlias, geraniums, gazanias, begonias, tomatoes, and other produce (spinach, rainbow chard, cucumbers, French and runner beans, courgettes, potatoes and lettuce) at the Farmers Market in Dunedin every Saturday. You will also see her plants for sale on tables outside the Karitane General Store, Waikouaiti Hammer Hardware, the Waikouaiti Food Centre and the Palmerston Four Square (bottom shop). Many of us depend on these sources to replenish our flower and veggie gardens. Their specialist organic plants, including a large variety of tomato heirlooms, are also sold at Taste Nature on Moray Place in Dunedin.
During this season you can stop at the Hunter place on Inverary Street from Sunday through Thursday to purchase veggies and plants. Look for the big red tomato sign at the end of the drive. Lynley also takes orders for folks wanting to make sauces/relishes – and she appreciates any plastic shopping bags.

This month Patti & I went off in search of a glasshouse user. When we arrived at the home of Eric & Marion Day we found a productive glasshouse & vegetable garden, but so much more. What a treat it was to discover a seemingly never ending garden complete with a fishpond & wooden bridge, garden furniture, sculptures & abundant fruiting trees.

If you are like me, the thought of having a glasshouse is a scary unknown. Let me pass on some of Eric’s tips & share what works for him. He was lucky enough to come across a glasshouse free to a good home if he could take it away. After a tricky trip over the Kilmog with a trailer in tow, he reassembled his glasshouse onto his level Waikouaiti property, situating it for all-day sun atop treated 4×4s. Eric plants right into the soil he refreshes each year by digging in compost, tomato fertiliser & some blood & bone. The day we visited Eric’s glasshouse he had tomato plants- beef steak, black Russian, Amish paste and cherry tomatoes and cucumber plants – prickly eastern & burpless telegraph. Also producing were basil, cos lettuce & capsicums. He puts the success of his lovely bushy basil down to lots of watering & warmth. Eric waters his glasshouse during the day to retain heat. He did add that he thought a tunnel house or plastic clearlite house might retain the heat better than glass. Ventilation is important. Eric opens the windows each morning & prefers to keep the internal temperature below 25 degrees Celsius. He also recommends putting potash onto the soil once the plants flower to help set the fruit. If aphids appear they are sent packing with a spray of cold water or ‘ digital control ‘, Eric’s term for picking them off with his fingers.. Their veggie garden and glasshouse keep the Day’s pantry filled with preserved goodies. Eric’s favourites are green tomato and apple pickle, chow chow, horseradish and pickled onions. A taste of Eric’s home preserved horseradish brought tears to our eyes. Fantastic !

Eric’s interest in gardening started while at school in his home town of Kent, England. Gardening was available as an elective subject in high school. His love of gardening grew from there & the garden Eric & Marion have now created, in the six years since they moved from Malborough, is truly inspirational. When asked the secret of their magnificent garden Eric answered, « We’re both on the same wavelength, but I see the vision in 3D and Marion is able to carry through on the detail »

We left the Day home with basil seedlings and horseradish plants (with Eric’s warning not to let them break out of a strong growing container !) and great inspiration. I now have the desire to give it a go & get the Mediterranean menu happening at my home too.

World famous in Waikouaiti.
The reputation of our local fresh fish reaches to the far corners of the world. The proof is the world map on the wall at the Fish Inn. Having found the Fish Inn, usually by word of mouth, tourists and visitors leave their business cards or a push pin indicating their city or country of origin. There is also another board for more local business cards. It all makes for very interesting reading while waiting for your fish & chip order.
Many of the overseas business cards carry with them a story, personally remembered by John Forrester. John is the expert fish smoker at the Fish Inn but also enjoys creating new items for the menu. The day we called he was busy smoking fish for the kumara & smoked fish balls. Busy preparing for lunch was Kellie Simpson. She told us customers were varied and could be a mini-bus from a Dunedin retirement home, off to the beach with their fish & chips, the Otago rugby team or truck drivers passing through and, of course, local customers. She also remembers the day Gwyneth Paltrow popped in while on location here.

Owners Jill & Chris Coughlan have been supplying their customers with fresh seafood and take-aways for 9 years. As well as being a busy hands-on boss, Jill is very supportiveof the community and local schools..
Fish for their shop is caught from Karitane and Moeraki all year round. The variety and availability is dependent on the season and weather conditions.

Their most popular item from the menu is blue cod and chips. The fish is all cooked from raw and can either be battered or crumbed, no seafood is precooked. Other varieties you may find for sale include rig, sole, tarahiki, flounder, gurnard, whitebait, ling, brill, stargazer, perch, moki, elephant, red cod, conger eel and octopus. Always available are mussels from Malborough and smoked salmon.

The shop starts cooking for lunch at 11.00am and closes between 7-8.00pm, depending on road traffic. Closed Tuesdays. Phone 03 4657999.

Sue and Andy Barratt’s energy, planning and hard work over the last 18 years have transformed their 42 acre “lifestyle block with a difference” on Apes Road south of Karitane into a productive wonder. Looking out over the property Andy commented, “Everything you see we’ve planted or done!” What started out as unimproved pasture now grows exotic and native trees for timber, heritage fruit trees, vegetables and berries. Their method of growing trees is continuous cover forestry, much like old English woodlands. A small number of trees are felled at a time with care to maintain the woodland. Their main income crop is garlic sold in lovely braided ropes in the late summer.

They describe their method of farming as organic working with the ideas of permaculture. Sue remembers that they didn’t necessarily start out to be organic growers but “once you start planting your own things it becomes obvious that you want to do it right”. Fruit tree orchards bloom, strawberry beds are well mulched, garlic fields are already growing well. New vegetable sections are standing ready for planting. Soil health is paramount. Using the principles of permaculture means that that everything on the farm is intentional; everything fits in with everything else. For example, the two donkeys, named Gorky and Mac, provide manure for the compost. Eventually Barratts plan to have a cow or two to provide enough milk for the household and surplus to provide high protein food for pigs.

Sue and Andy have developed their farm with a lot of thought. “We’ve had the freedom to develop it over time, because of holding other jobs along the way, and to trial things on a small scale before moving to the next step.” They belong to the Tree Crops Association and were preparing a new population of heritage fruit trees to be planted at the association’s tree “bank”. They also belong to Otago Organics and help others learn about growing food.

“Local food is about having local people grow food”, Andy remarked. “We are all learning more about this together. It is also about finding what foods grow well locally and capturing local knowledge. Properly grown food should be available to everyone”

Andy and Sue’s main cash crops are garlic, fruit and berries. Contact them: asbarratt@farmside.co.nz or 021-890-048