May at Siema Organics
Autumn has finally arrived; the red and orange leaf of the persimmon trees are a stunning reminder of the seasonal changes that are taking place. The fallen leaves are a great mulch for under the trees, helping to add rich nutrients to the top layer and improving soil fertility. Planting deciduous trees in and around the orchard is an important part of a permaculture system. The fallen leaves help to maintain the health of themselves and the trees around them.
We have been enjoying supplying the fruit to Ooooby, Thames Organic shop, The goodness grocer and individuals that have contacted me via Instagram and our website. The persimmons are tasting delicious right now. we have both astringent and non astringent varieties growing in our orchard. . The astringent variety often get overlooked, but for some these are the only ones worth eating. We have been peeling them and drying them using a traditional Japanese method. They not only look festival and beautiful hanging in the windows but also mean that we can enjoy persimmons beyond the fruiting season.
The other lesser-known fruit that we have available in May is the casimiroa, aka sapote or ice cream fruit. This fruit is very popular in subtropical environments. The skin is light green with a white creamy flesh, which tastes like ice cream. It is perfect on its own or added to apple pies and crumbles, adding an almost custard like taste and texture.
Our limes are just starting to ripen, as are the other citrus fruits, including our easy peal mandarins, a great addition to my tamariki’s lunchbox.
We have been busy preparing our boundary to plant more native trees. This is one of the way we have been using the margins. The dense trees should eventually shade out the kikuyu, provide food and habitat for native birds and insects and reduce out time spent on the end of a weedwacker.
This month we welcomed Rachel onto the team, she has been getting to know the land and the tamariki, providing a much needed hand around the orchard and whare.
