Edible | Drylands Foundation

Butia odorata – Jelly Palm

JB — Sat, 19 Oct 2019 05:31:54 +0000

A graceful silver South American palm that produces a large weight of juicy orange fruit with a green tinge and taste similar to mango and mandarin.

Also known as the Pinto Palm and Wine Palm. The large seeded fruit are ~25mm in diameter and eaten fresh or dried or made into jellies, juices and liquors.

A vigorous and easily grown palm with a thick trunk that is used extensively in landscaping and is one of the more drought tolerant palms once established.

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Vanilla planifolia – Vanilla Bean Orchid

JB — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 07:46:22 +0000

Climbing vine from Mexico and Central America with large green-yellow orchid flowers and highly valued vanilla flavouring obtained from its mature, fermented pods.

Pods produced after two years growth. Self-fertile but short lived flowers will need hand pollination to develop into pods.

Does best in warm-humid location with part shade, and moist free draining soil. Requires a climbing structure as can grow to over 3 metres.

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Solanum muricatum – Pepino

Tue, 09 Jan 2018 07:45:46 +0000

This vigorous perennial plant loves lots of heat, moisture and fertilizer.

It produces large pear-sized, egg-shaped soft skinned fruit. They taste similar to rock melon.

Best eaten fresh, avoid eating skin as it has a slight bitter flavour.

Plant can be trained up a trellis or left to ramble along the ground.

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Rosmarinus officinalis – Rosemary

JB — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 07:45:05 +0000

A low growing rosemary with a pleasant fragrance and petite blue-purple flowers make this a great plant along pathways or as a spreading low hedge .

A reliable culinary herbs for meat dishes, an essential oil medicinal herb and valued bee forage plant.

Low maintenance and low water use, suitable for coastal locations.

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Punica granatum – Pomegranate

JB — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 07:45:00 +0000

Orange/red fruits with sweet juicy deep red seeds, hang from this pretty, deciduous tree. This juice of this old fruit has proven antioxidant health benefits.

Flowering from Spring to Summer, it tolerates wide conditions including hot dry summers, frost and limestone soils.

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Passiflora maliformis – Japanese Passionfruit

JB — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 07:44:28 +0000

This fruiting climber has beautiful fragrant flowers and delicious hard shell passion fruit.

Its amazing flowers are green and white with purple stripes and its oval fruits are green to light orange with a taste of grapes, which need to be cracked open. before eating.

This semi evergreen does well climbing over trellis.

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Passiflora edulis – Tennis Ball Pink Passionfruit

JB — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 07:44:25 +0000

Large fruiting pink/purple passionfruit the size of a tennis ball. Subtropical variety that prefers a warm north-facing location in winter.

Passionfruit need moist and rich soil to perform well.

They will climb along fences and along overhead trellis. In hot, dry summer regions it grows better along fences rather than overhead trellis. Will grow better if protected from strong winds.

This is our favourite variety at our farm with excellent flavoured pulp.Allow skin to wrinkle slightly to attain full sweetness.

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Passiflora edulis – Hawaiian Yellow Passionfruit

JB — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 07:44:24 +0000

One of our favourite varieties on our permaculture farm. Heavy bearing yellow passionfruit with a good sweet/acid balance.

Passionfruit needs constant moisture and rich soil to perform well. They will climb along fences and overhead trellis.

Warmth sweetens the fruits which are best around summer.

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Ipomoea batatus – Sweet Potato ‘Kumara’

JB — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 07:41:25 +0000

The real deal, the real māori kūmara. An heirloom variety with purple-pink skin, creamy yellow flesh that when baked or roasted will caramelize the flesh for added sweetness.

Traditionally cooked in māori hāngi’s. High in beta-carotene and nutrients. The young leaves, shoots can also been eaten when young.

Can be grown in containers and trellised.

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Ipomoea batatus – Sweet Potato ‘Whyatts White’

JB — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 07:41:09 +0000

This perennial variety produces brown skinned, white fleshed tubers which are a good source of dietary fiber and delicious to eat.

Our most drought tolerant and best roasting variety. The young leaves, shoots and tubers of this climber are often used in Asian cooking.

Sweet potato is an evergreen and useful for covering fences, trellises and can be grown in containers.

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