Tahuri Whenua hui, Haraki Marae, Te Puke

Another great Hui-a-Rohe for Tahuri Whenua, this time in the Bay of Plenty, Te Puke, Kiwi Fruit country (I'm old enough to remember these little tarts as Chinese Gooseberries, a more accurate term...). I stopped off at Maketu for some quiet time. Never been there before but definitely want to go back.

The famous Catholic church ... and a wee kina

 Manaia detail...














I was one of the first to arrive, the other members dribbling in from around the motu. Then we were called on...

In the midst of a growing district. Detail from the whare nui... and of course, the ukelele appeared!

Epic broccoli

Willa holding one and a half heads of broccoli which I was just about to par boil for freezing, cut them up and throw the bits in boiling water for a minute, then drain, dry (I did this in a lettuce spinner), and pop into freezer bags.

I've been told you boil greens to destroy natural toxins present in many plants. This helps them keep better while frozen.

Maori vegetables: taewa and kamo kamo

The most popular post on my 'Maori Economy' blog is on the 'Physico-chemical and morphological characteristics of New Zealand Taewa (Maori potato) starches', which links through to a research paper investigating Maori potatoes for their starch properties.

The most popular search term has been 'kamo kamo', something I'm not growing this season (and regretting that decision...next year!). So, here's some pictures from when I last grew this ever popular, somehow defining Maori vege...

Alby Marsh, Plant and Food, is working on some research with Tahuri Whenua on Kamo kamo to prepare a kamo kamo worksheet which will involve interviews with growers across the country over the next 6 months.

Preparing winter crops...

Pulled my last row of tutaekuri and the few huakaroro that I had planted out. I need the space for leeks and onions, with brocolli, brussell sprouts taking up the last remianing gaps I had.

The tutaekuri crops well - about 4-5 pounds a plant (although when I first planted this variety in Washbournes Rd, it cropped twice a heavily). Huakaroro a bit disappointing but I didn't have good seed this year.

Here's a pic of a 'Pepper Tree' bought from a hippy shop in Mapua. Evidently crops a very hot pepper for about ten years.