Edible cities and an update on our garden and foraging

A quick post to send you off to view a slightly earnest and boringly made video about the growing movement for urban agriculture from the point of view of landscape architects. Some 800 million people a year worldwide are practicing urban agriculture. In the US last year 38% of households some 41m people had a backyard vegie patch. http://foodtank.org/news/2013/01/video-the-edible-city

Those of you who follow this blog will have read earlier postings re our efforts are growing some fruit and vegies in our yard on on our footpaths and also my urban foraging expeditions. 

Just to update you on that: the hot days we had in January were not good for the tomatoes so the crop was small but tasty enough and we have seeds now for next year. The chili bushes fared better and the hardier brassicas made it through and are being enjoyed now. The bitter gourd vine is climbing vigorously and putting out quite a few flower which I hope will set. The okra have given me the pleasure of a few pods with a few more to come, not heaps but enough to use as a sort of garnish in dhal, Two brinjal/aubergine.eggplants have appeared of their own accord possibly from the compost and are growing well but it's a bit late in the season for them to fruit I think and they are growing in a shadier spot than will be best for them - I am reluctant to move them though since they took the trouble to sprout up themselves. In the same side bed where the okra and brinjal are growing the watermelon vine is tendrilling its way healthily and the usual self seeded tom thumb/cherry tomatoes are going well.

Out on the footpath there is a mass of young dandelion plants that I will make use of in the next week and the lemon tree has decided to have another go at setting some flowers so fingers are crossed. 

Foraging wise I have had the pleasure of making Mangolorean green mango kasundi with fruit from the Kelly's magnificent Paddington backyard tree (and a few from a tree hanging over the footpath in a street nearby). The kasundi has been a big hit with two cafes I favour, being used as a seasonal addition to soups or as a side with cold meats.

The cherry guava up the road is fruiting again and I will collect the fruit as it ripens and store it till I have enough for this year's batch of guava jelly. I will also hopefully be in town to pick the guavas that are appearing on our tree in the front yard. No sign of olives this year.

I read recently about a growing interest in coffee leaf tea and am tempted to try to make some from the foliage of our two trees, I'll report on efforts later.

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