Thomas Edison on the 'Perfect Tomato'

Very few of you will know this, but Thomas Alva Edison - the inventor of such things as light bulbs and the gramophone - was a closet gardener!
He deceived the general public into thinking that, in the following statements to the press, he was talking about inventing. In fact, it was all in code, as he was really explaining his experiences of life to the cognoscenti of the ‘Perfect Tomato Club’.
I have decoded his gardening work here for you, and have included a photo of his efforts to sterilize tomato seeds for storage: -

1) "To invent a new type of tomato frame, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk."
2) "The opportunity to grow the perfect tomato is missed by most people because it is dressed in grubby clothes and looks like work"
3) "Gardening is one-percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration"
4) "I haven't failed to grow the perfect tomato, I've found 10,000 ways that don't work"
5) "Good tomatoes are what happen when opportunity meets with planning"
6) "I never failed once. Growing the perfect tomato just happened to be a 2000-step process"
7) "I never did a day's work in my life. It was all fun"
8) "Nearly every man who wants to develop the prefect tomato works it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then he gets discouraged. That's not the place to become discouraged."

Wait'n for the Greens to Grow

10am - buying seedlings from Diana & Jen at the Farmer's Market

11am - plants in their new home

wait'n for the greens to grow

What is a Kitchen Gardener?

Kate posted a great link to Kitchen Gardens International on this Blog site (see links). This morning, because its Sunday, I had a few minutes to browse around over there, and came across their beautifully lucid description of why its so soothing and peaceful to grow one's own food. I've reproduced it here, along with a photo of Barb in her very own kitchen garden, just metres from the back door: -

"Find the shortest, simplest way between the earth, the hands, and the mouth."-Lanza Del Vasto

First and foremost, Kitchen Gardeners love food, both product and process. They do not dream of eating a good tomato, but a true tomato, picked warm and juicy from the vine at the peak of its ripeness. Their enjoyment of the fruit is a complete one because it is inextricably entwined with the memory of the plant in its various stages of development. They taste not only the fruit, but the care and honest labor that went into making it.
In this sense, Kitchen Gardeners are gastronomes of the highest order. Unlike mere foodies who flit from one trendy spot to another in search of instant culinary gratification, Kitchen Gardeners set out roots in a place and begin planning their pleasure months in advance. Visions of pesto are not left for the heart of summer, but begin occupying their heads already in the spring with the purchase of basil seeds or plants.
Their love of food is a complete one that extends beyond the plate to the soil and the natural processes and cycles from which good food comes. Kitchen Gardeners are in tune with the natural world, the weather, and the seasons. They look for ways of working peacefully and harmoniously with nature, rather than fighting against her. They are stewards of the land, whether it be a farm or a window-box.
Kitchen Gardeners more often than not have a strong, independent streak. Rather than worship at the altar of celebrity chefs, they look for practical ways of bringing their own day-to-day cuisine into the realm of the divine by using the best ingredients their land, climate, and skills will allow. Their love of quality and freshness is reflected in the food they buy to supplement and complement their own production. Because Kitchen Gardeners understand where good food comes from and how it is produced, they tend to seek out food that is authentic, local, seasonal, and minimally-processed whenever possible.
Put simply, Kitchen Gardeners are a special breed. They are self-reliant seekers of "the Good Life" who have understood the central role that home-grown and home- cooked food plays in one's well-being. By seeking an active role in their own sustenance, they are modern-day participants in humankind's oldest and most basic activity, offering a critical link to our past and positive vision for our future.

Wide spread rain over Adelaide

At last - rain! Slow and steady, and coming down for the next few days.

After weeks of effort, and a gruelling day yesterday (Anzac Day Public Holiday), I've managed to connect most of my roof to most of my rain water tanks, so all that lovely salt-free water is all going into storage.

If you haven't already found it, radar images can be found on the Bureau of Meteorology website at http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/sa/, along with a one week forecast.

Just the thing for gardeners planning their irrigation!

Jewels in the garden

If you have dried up old beans hanging on the vine pick them and keep some for next year's sowing. The rest you can eat all winter long in soups and casseroles and dips. Soak them overnight, whatever sort they are, then boil for about an hour (this will vary) either in a soup or separately. If you want to use them in a dip, boil them until they are very soft and squash easily between your fingers. Next.....we hope Maggie will write out her ideas for us !!

Check out my beans and pumpkins on the photos link.

Beauty and Mathematics in the Veggie Patch

Mathematics can be scary stuff, but some of the most beautiful shapes and forms in nature are described by the simplest possible mathematical formulae.
The photo shown is one I found of a Romanesco Brocolli by Googling for Images under 'fractal' on the web. What a great desktop background!
Perhaps not surprisingly, this shape also demonstrates another esoteric piece of mathematics called "Fibonacci series", which describes all sorts of spriral shapes in nature, from sunflower seed heads, pineapples, nautalus shells, plant branching, flower petals, pine cones and this brocolli.
Does Fibonnaci sound familiar?
The new Cafe Fibonacci in our Botanical Gardens pays tribute to the Italian mathematician Leonardo of Pisa (1170 to 1250) , known as Fibonacci

Aboriginal Food and Plant Trail

We spent and excellent morning with Uncle Wally Kite at the Botanic Gardens. It was facinating to learn that Eucalypts, Yuccas and other indigenous plants had such a variety of uses. Did you know that the Cycad seeds, which are very poisonous, are prepared in a special way to make edible tasty flour. Possums roasted taste like mutton and the bones can make spear heads. Of special interest 4 possom skins make a vest and 16 possum skins make a cape for grandma.This was a talk where trees and plants were respected and implements and tools made from old bendy roots and knarls and burrs rather than chopping and destroying nature. I left the talk with a new awareness of the trees and plants around me and sad that I have just heard this for the first time after spending my whole life with almost no knowledge of Australian Indigenious culture.