Saturday 4th May, 2024
Hi
Chayote, Christophine or Choko, Mexican Pear Squash or Alligator Pear
I am quite partial to the odd choko but you don't often see them around, well not to buy anyways. I had kinda forgotten about them until Brendon turned up at work with a bag full to share around the team. They are an unusual looking vege being sort of pear shaped, lime green and sometimes with bristles and some would say with not much flavour. On this point I have to somewhat concur, but then hey, many other vege like Zucchini, for example, are not overly overt with their flavour.
Just for some added interest, Chokos originate from Southern Mexico and Guatemala, belong to the Curcurbitaceae family i.e. gourds, and have quite a few common names like Chayote, Christophine, Mirliton or just plain old Choko here in NZ. You need a bit of space to grow these, if you intend to harvest a crop yourself, as it's quite a rampant vine. Don't forget you will also need something for it to grow it over.
Apparently all parts of this plant are edible, inclusive of roots, stems, leaves and seeds as well as the fruit itself. The tubers can be used as a root crop, like potatoes, and the stems, leaves and shoots are often used in salads. Personally, I have only ever eaten the fruit and I quite like it boiled until tender and seasoned with butter, salt and pepper. I often throw it in the oven with other roast veges and the guys here at the nursery say that they use them in stir fries.
The other day I called in at our dear friend's who just happened to present us with a container of Choko soup, which was just yum, and gave me the lowdown on how to go about making this. I also did a little google to see how others would go about making soup, but here is the version I made. As is with all my made-up recipes there are no hard and fast measurements but rather you should taste and feel your way.
Choko soup
7 or 8 Chokos peeled and diced, 3 or 4 potatoes, again peeled and diced, several cloves of garlic finely chopped, 1 large onion peeled and diced finely, curry powder, 4 cups chicken stock, 1 tin of coconut milk/cream and Kaffir lime leaves (optional).
Splash some olive oil into a cast iron pot and sauté the garlic and onion until soft. Add the diced choko and potatoes and continue to cook. At this point add some curry powder, to your taste, season with salt pepper and mix through. Pour in the chicken stock and simmer until all the vegetables are tender. I did have some kaffir lime leaves handy and so added these as well.
Once all is cooked through and tender, put through a blender or whizz until you have a purée and then add the tin of coconut cream and bring to simmer over a low heat so that it doesn't stick and voilà! Choko soup.
What's coming up over the next few weeks
Ang tells me that the Aussie and South African natives are on their way and will be in the nursery for the weekend. This includes the
Proteas with their gorgeous flowers that are so popular in floral work or just look fab in the vase.
Leucadendrons have the colourful bracts that are also pretty neat for flower arranging. In this delivery there are also the new seasons
Grevilleas of all kinds.
If these are on your waitlist then you should already have had an email saying these are due and to follow the link to secure them. Please follow these instructions as we now only put aside paid orders. If you have had the email and haven't been able to mange the process, then do please ring the nursery (07 824 3430) and sort with the admin team as we don't want you to miss out.
It never ceases to amaze me how fast the year goes and right now it seems like we have skates on and it's just rocketing past. In just over three weeks we will all have our potting hats on and be beavering away potting
Roses and so now is the time to get in and sort your orders for the stock currently on special, or to add any new season's roses that you may be after to your waitlist. Again, with our new system, we will be emailing you regarding any roses on your waitlist and you will need to pay to secure them.
Looking for help for our potting season
On the note of potting, we are still looking for 3 or 4 keen and motivated workers to help us with our potting season which starts in the last week of May. It is for approx. 12 weeks only and involves being part of a team which will help process all the new season's roses and trees into pb bags. It's quite fun and the tasks include all things from root pruning, labeling, potting and putting down in alphabetical order. If you have an interest, or know of someone looking for some short term work, then please pass this on.
Late Autumn and Winter colour
Looking for colour through the late Autumn and Winter? Then check out the Winter roses or
Helleborus. Quite a hardy plant that does well with some shade and great for a mass-planted effect. We have some of the famous
Clifton Homestead series in stock and for those that don't know, they have bred their own fancy flower forms that are renowned for their colour and shape. I do have a soft spot for their cultivar of Sternii which is a different species from the usual Orientalis. Then there is
Wester Flisk which has stunning foliage and of course pale green flowers typical of the species Foetidus.
This week the first of the larger grade Helleborus are now in, being
Tutu and
White Tutu. Both are peony forms and aptly named because of the tutu effect at the centre of the flower.
White Tutu Winter Rose. Elegant semi-double white blooms with delicate ruffled centres. Thrives in shady nooks. The perfect solution for a dramatic and graceful facelift - bring style and panache to your garden. Unique semi-double, white, speckled pink flowers are borne high above lush green foliage.
Tutu Winter Rose Single. You're going to want to add this gorgeous Hellebore to your collection. Fabulous dark rose pink, speckled blooms, that resemble little ballerina skirts, on upright stems. The centre of the flowers is bejewelled with yellow stamens.
Due in later this month are many other of the fancy hybrids and these are
Camelot,
Ice Breaker Pico,
Jacob, Jasper and
Lily and these are online and available to be waitlisted.
Flowering Quince or Chaenomeles
Chaenomeles or ornamental quince are famous for flowers borne on bare stems in the middle of winter. We have these in stock presently, both as bushes and trained as a standard for a feature in the garden.
Chaenomeles Green Ice as a bush only. A tough and hardy deciduous shrub with an interesting network of bare branches that usually have thorns. In winter these are covered with tight clusters of buds that open out to exquisite white blooms followed by gold-green fruit. Great for floral art.
Ericas, common name Heather or Heath and flowering now
Erica Ruby Shepherd This little shrub will brighten up dull winter gardens with its masses of bright cerise tubular blooms. Easy to grow in a sunny well-drained position in acid soil. Likes a nice mulch of bark or similar around the base of the plant. Trim after flowering if required.
Erica Kramers Red A very showy little shrub with bright cerise bell shaped blooms that brighten up the garden from winter through to spring. A vigorous grower with needles of dark green foliage.
Erica Springwood White A tough and hardy little shrub with needles of green foliage. In winter through to spring delightful little white flowers do their best to smother the foliage. Low spreading habit. Trim after flowering.
Remember the grasses of last week
Well the
dwarf Toi Toi, or more correctly
Chionochloa Flavicans if you can get you tongue round that name, have just arrived in this week and of course I was curious as to family that this one belongs to. It's a grass and belongs to the Poaceae family. All that aside, this glorified grass is amazing with its fabulous foliage and those classic feathery flowers or plumes that this one is famous for. A fab plant for mass planting and suits many looks from quite contemporary to perhaps a reveg situation.
We are getting closer and closer to the shortest day and so I hope that you have your
Garlic in or at least ready to plant. If you haven't got any cloves then we still have stocks of
Printanor and also
Elephant garlic for you.
I have sorted the lunch preparations for my family get-togather tomorrow, which is all quite exciting as we haven't all caught up for years. It's important to reconnect and that segues into the fact that next Sunday (12/5) is Mother's Day, though it's pretty hard not to know that with all the advertising on TV. Tony is out there in the garden getting our outdoor room tidy by blowing away the leaves that have found their way into all the corners.
I am hoping for a warm and fine Autumn afternoon tomorrow, so fingers crossed, as that would also be great gardening weather for you-all out there.
Have a great weekend.
Cheers from Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team.
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