Sustainable Living in the Suburbs Growing for Flavour How sweet it is! www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

What are we going to be talking about? What are todays veggies bred for? What is flavour? Aspects of flavour production – Variety, sunlight, water, soil & fertiliser Pest attack, pruning grafting and thinning Harvesting and storage What are we going to be talking about? www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

What are Todays’ Veggies bred for? www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

What are Todays’ Veggies bred for? grow faster and bigger mechanical harvesting, conveyor belts, endure long periods of storage & long distance travel. withstand repeated applications of toxic chemicals New hybrid seeds need expensive biocides & heavy artificial fertilizers. What are Todays’ Veggies bred for? www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs A complex collaboration between our senses of taste smell and touch, Designed to – Keep harmful stuff out Let the good stuff in Adults around the world prefer the taste of liquids containing 8-10% sugar. A 50:50 of ratio fat and salt found in processed foods is most appealing. Our perception of “flavour” is pretty universal What is flavour? www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

The Aspects Of Growing for Flavour www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Aspect 1 – The Right Variety Don’t grow what you can buy – eg Floridade tomatoes Varieties described as “huge”, “giant” or “mammoth” can be watery Varieties described as “novelty”, “ornamental“ or patio have been bred for looks or small size not flavour Don’t be afraid to try new varieties Aspect 1 – The Right Variety www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs Avoid glasshouses – glass can filter out 40% of available light Pale coloured fences, walls and pale coloured gravel can reflect light onto crops in winter Prune back fruit trees so sunlight gets to the fruit Leaf crops are the exception – high light levels boost chemicals responsible for pungent tastes. Aspect 2 – Sunlight www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Aspect 3 – The Right Colour Tomatoes & strawberries grown through red plastic mulch produce up to 20% more and sweeter fruit Basil grown over green surfaces produces more aroma chemicals Red and green mulches mimic light bounced of other plants fooling the plant into thinking there is competition Capsicums grown over aluminium foil produce 85% more fruit. Biochar mulch warms the soil earlier allowing melon fruits to ripen earlier Aspect 3 – The Right Colour www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs Cutting down on water improves crop flavour and nutrients Provide abundant water when they are first planted out to help them establish (2-3 weeks) Reduced watering for root crops means more sugar and polyphenols (nutirents). For fruit crops cut down watering leading up to harvest For leaf crops require lots of water if you like mild, less for a smaller stronger flavoured crop Aspect 4 – Water www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Aspect 5 – Soil and fertiliser Always grow in soil Heap on the organic matter Don’t use commercial fertilisers – they contain lush growth essentials (NPK) but little or no micronutrients or minerals for taste & nutrition Apply seaweed for minerals and micronutrients – scatter over beds or use commercial extract Apply molasses to kick start beneficial bacteria, ease establishment of trees and add nutrients Dissolve 450gms in a 9 litre bucket or watering can and apply 1 litre per square metre monthly during summer Aspect 5 – Soil and fertiliser www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs Attack from pests can cause plants to ramp up production of defense chemicals, also improving – Flavour Nutrition Mimic a pest attack – Aspirin spray – ¼ - ½ 300mg soluble aspirin tablet in 1 litre water – 1 application early in the season Jasmine flavour spray – jasmine floral water, spray neat onto plants shortly before harvest Aspect 6 – Pest Attack www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Making Jasmine Water

Aspect 7 – Pruning Grafting and Thinning Prune to let the light in – it gives larger sweeter more nutrient rich fruit Go for fruit trees grafted onto dwarfing rootstocks Thin fruit just after it has formed – the more you thin and the earlier you do it, the better the quality of the remaining fruit Aspect 7 – Pruning Grafting and Thinning www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Aspect 7 – Pruning Grafting and Thinning www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Aspect 8 – Harvesting and Storage Pick fruit when ripe For mild tender salad vegetables harvest in the cool of the morning For sweet tasty fruit, harvest in the afternoon of a dry day Store leaf crops in the fridge, strawberries, peaches, melons, onions and sweet potatoes at room temperature. Aspect 8 – Harvesting and Storage www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs What are todays veggies bred for? What is flavour? Aspects of flavour production – Variety, sunlight, water, soil & fertiliser Pest attack, pruning grafting and thinning Harvesting and storage What did we talk about? www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs The information for this presentation was extracted from the book – Grow for Flavour by James Wong; published by Mitchell Beazley in the UK, 2015 www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

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