Sweet Tatie (Sweet Potato, Kumera)

Well it hasn't been readily available lately as the recent lack of rain fall made it very difficult to get the runners going. It is the first time that we have had to water sweet tatie to get them to produce and basically keep them alive!! But luckily we did as not to far around the corner we will have them available commercially again, which will make the Norfolk Islanders very happy come Bounty Day. They are flying along now with the rain that we are getting and a little nudge with my concoction of biological foliar feed!

To day as you can see in the photos my youngest son James 10yrs and I dug a few for dinner ( they don't have to be massive to be sweet) and it was Raining !! So we will probably roast them or boil them and mash them with some fresh kale mixed through as well. YUM!


When we dig sweet tatie it is dug by hand with a small drag fork. We drag the vines off the top roll them up, put them on the back of the truck, drive and look for our cattle that graze on the sides of the roads, generally in the Ball Bay area. When the cattle spot the truck they instantly come running toward us and start to eat off the truck before we can get the vines off. So not only is Sweet Tatie enjoyed by us, it is as equally enjoyed by our animals!

Now that it has rained

Thank the heavens for rain but what about the weeds and the mowing! Since October 2009 until April 2010 I think that we have had to mow maybe twice and the weeding in the vege patch has been pretty minimal but not any more the last month has made up for it, everywhere we look there are weeds and long grass. It is definitely beautiful growing conditions at the moment. The carrots have now shot so should be back in the shops in a couple of months.

What do we have right now? beans, spring onions, capsicums, kale, silverbeet, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, Garden Salad packs, Zucchini, Avocados, Rhubarb, Plun (bananas), lemons, chinese greens (pakchoi, tatsoi, kung kwong, mizuna ect), fennel bulb, basil (lemon, sweet, purple), coriander, parsley, chives, and I am sure that there could be more.

Coming on is Brocolli, Cauliflower, Sweet tatie, cabbage. Never be afraid to ask what is in the garden because you never know, it might just be growing.

Our produce is available at Rusty's Butcher shop Mon- Sat, Foodland supermarket and at the local produce market each Saturday.

bye for now

New to blogging

Thanks to the encouragement of our friends Cristina and Mary we are going to endeavour to keep you posted about whats new in the garden and life on the Bigg Fresh Farm though our blog. We see wah!!! there is alot to learn but knowledge is no weight to carry!

For more information on Norfolk Island visit the World of Norfolk