
Episodes

Sunday Oct 30, 2022
Grow, Harvest, Eat Yacon on Real World Gardener
Sunday Oct 30, 2022
Sunday Oct 30, 2022
THE GOOD EARTH
How to Grow and Use Yacon: Peruvian Ground Apple
Scientific Name: Smallanthus sonchifolius
Common Name: Yacon, Peruvian ground apple
Family: Asteraceae-same as daisies and sunflowers.
Plant Height & Width: 1.5m x 0.5m
If you look at the flowers they are like much smaller versions of sunflowers.
Here’s a tuber that tastes similar to a nashi pear, looks something like sweet potato on the outside, and the sugars from it aren’t absorbed by the body.
Not only that, the tubers contain a lot of juice, and the sugars that make it sweet is not absorbed by the body so you can't put on the kilos! How good is that?
Then there’s the fact that it’s easy to grow, and has small flowers that resemble sunflowers and you just can’t buy it from the supermarket or fruit and veg store.
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Yacon plant growing in Margaret's garden |
How to Grow Yacon from Tubers?
Yacon has two types of tubers unlike ginger or turmeric.
- The tubers that you plant are attached to the main stem and are much smaller and pinkish in colour. I planted mine in early September and October was the time that it sprouted in my Sydney garden.
- If you were to receive some brown tubers that look like a brown sweet potato, that's what you eat and not what you plant.
- The edible tubers spread from the clump sideways meaning you need at least 1/2 metre of space to produce sizeable clumps.
- Can be planted in any district as they can withstand frost.
When to Harvest?
Yacon is a herbaceous perennial meaning it has a dormant period that starts when the leaves die down in late autumn.
This is the time when the tubers are ready to harvest. Simply fork up the entire crop, and harvest the large brown tubers to eat fresh, and use the small reddish rhizomes at the top to replant for next year’s crop.
What Can You Do With Yacon?
Eat it of course but how, is the thing so here are some of Margaret's tips.
- Yacon is sweet and crunchy and is great eaten fresh.
- Ever heard of Yacon chips? That's right you can make chips out of this tubber.
- Just cut up into chip sizes and drizzle some oil over the top and bake in the oven.
- Try using it in salads like Waldorf salad and wherever you would use fresh pears.
- Use it in stir fries.
- You can also juice it or cook down the juice to make syrup and use it as a sweetener.
Fun Tip from Margaret
- Running short of toilet paper, try large soft fluffy leaves like those of the Yacon plant.
But there's more uses, have a listen to the podcast.
I'm talking with Margaret Mossakowska of www.mosshouse.com.au
If you have any feedback email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

Wednesday Sep 21, 2022
Leaf Celery in the Kitchen Garden
Wednesday Sep 21, 2022
Wednesday Sep 21, 2022
KITCHEN GARDEN
Leaf Celery
Scientific Name:Apium graveolens var. secalinum
- Leaf celery is a biennial plant growing to 60cm in height.
Sugo For Sure-How to Make it
Then adding the garlic and tomatoes to make a tomato base for any Italian dish.
This winter I have practically depleted my supply of leaf celery because of the number of soups, and slow co
- Corinne suggests dehydrating the leaves to make celery leaf salt.
Chop the stems and leaves and make a compound celery butter.
Much easier to grow too.
If you have any feedback email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

Sunday Sep 04, 2022
Cardamom in Cooking on Real World Gardener
Sunday Sep 04, 2022
Sunday Sep 04, 2022
SPICE IT UP
Know Your Cardamoms.
There are many budding chefs and cooks that use heaps of spices in their recipes going by the success of cooking shows on television.
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Green and brown cardamom pods |
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Brown (black) Indian cardamom (right) |
Cardamom pods are one such spice that comes a variety of colours and suit different cuisines.
- So which one should you use?
Brown cardamom-Indian and Chinese
- The brown Indian cardamom is a much larger pod than the green cardamom by 4-5 times the size. This cardamom has a smoky aroma and is especially used in tandoori dishes.
- Chinese cardamom is usually used whole.

* Ian’s big tip is never grind the pods and seeds together.*
Marianne (host of Real World Gardener radio show) is Ian Hemphill from www.herbies.com.au
Hopefully that’s set you on the right path to using the correct coloured cardamoms in your cooking.
If you have any questions you can email us Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

Monday Jun 20, 2022
Success with Germinating Australian Native Seeds on Real World Gardener
Monday Jun 20, 2022
Monday Jun 20, 2022
PLANT DOCTOR
Germinating Native Seed
Australian plants have evolved over thousands of years to respond to a variety of climatic extremes, from fires, to droughts to floods as well as being grazed by native animals.
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Wattle seeds need boiling water treatment |
Australian plants have developed various adaptations so that the seeds of which can grow in the most suitable environment for that species of plant to survive.
So what are some of the treatments to break native seed dormancy?

- Not all seeds need smoke chemical treatment, but there's a few that benefit from using it, in fact are difficult to germinate without it.
- Sturt Desert peas comes to mind, also Dianella, Philotheca, Xanthorrhoea, Actinotus, Callistemon and Banksia.
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Flannel flowers |
But what other tricks are there?
So let’s find out more.
I'm talking with Steve McGrane, horticulturist and agriculturist.
I hope that’s given you some idea about perhaps why some of the native seeds are more difficult to germinate than regular seeds.
In fact not everything germinates the same way, and here lies the problem.
That’s why a bit of research into the seed type you’re trying to germinate goes a long way.
If you have any questions you can email us Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.