Mamey Sapote 🧡

 The Mamey Sapote is a very popular fruit in Florida, the Caribbean islands, and Central America. The fruit was cultivated by the native peoples of Central America for hundred of years. It is this fruit that kept Cortes and his army alive on their famous march from Mexico City to Honduras.

The fruit is large, up to 25cm long with orange-pink flesh tasting somewhat like a flavorful pumpkin. The interesting fruit is usually eaten fresh out of hand, but can also be enjoyed in desserts and drinks. Even though it is of tropical origin, the Mamey will grow and bear very well in the subtropics as long as it is protected from frosts when young #daleysfruit #daleysnursery #mameysapote

The Dwarf Macadamia 🌿

 If you have limited space, consider a Dwarf Macadamia nut tree. They reach a size of 2-4m when fully established (around half the height of a regular sized macadamia tree), produce prolific quantities of smaller-sized nuts and are suitable for growing in pots.

#daleysfruit #daleysnursery #macadamia #dwarfmacadamia

The showstopping Sugar Maple 🍁

 With spectacular red, yellow or orange autumn foliage, the Sugar Maple is a showstopper. This beautiful tree prefers rich, moist, well-drained soil in a protected, shady position with full sun when mature.

The tree may grow to a height of 40 metres. It has a dense crown of leaves, which turn various shades of gold to red in Autumn.

The Sugar Maple is the principle source of Maple Sap 🍁 #daleysfruit #daleysnursery #mapletree #sugarmaple

Sweet Loquat 💛

 The Nagasakiwase Loquat is the best Japanese variety so far - it has deep orange flesh, high flesh/seed ratio and very sweet flavour. It is the earliest loquat variety to ripen. Thinning fruit will enhance fruit size.

The Nagasakiwase often has 2 crops a year in the subtropics. The first crop in April/May then again in August. We have found by cincturing in summer, the August crop is much larger and has better fruit size #daleysfruit #daleysnursery #loquat #backyardfruit

The Zamorano Dragon Fruit

With a striking crimson purple flesh and sweet flavour, the skin of the Zamorano Dragon fruit is red with dark red/maroon fins. 

Dragon fruit are beautiful night flowering cactus originating from Central America. They require a short trellis for optimal growth and harvest. 

The flowers of Zamorano are enormous and quite spectacular. This is a popular variety and for fruiting will require another variety of Dragon fruit such as Aussie Gold, Dark Star, Pearl, Pink Panther #daleysfruit #daleysnursery #dragonfruit

 

The Dwarf Black Mulberry

This mulberry has a very low chill factor making it ideal for our subtropical climate. Pruning after fruiting allows it to be kept under 3mtrs, and also encourages multiple cropping throughout the summer.

It is best to pick the fruit when ripe, as it doesn't ripen further off the tree. A benefit of a mulberry tree is that the fruit ripens over an extended period of time unlike other fruit that often ripens all at once. The fruits of the black mulberry - considered the tastiest and most versatile of the mulberries - are large and juicy, with a good balance of sweetness and tartness.

The fruit of the dwarf black mulberry is the same as that on the large black mulberry that we all know and love. The fruit is large, resembling a blackberry, sweet and luscious. When not devoured fresh it is ideal to use in jams, wines, and mulberry pies. This variety performs excellent in the Subtropics. There has been feedback that this variety doesn't perform as well in Temperate Climates #daleysfruit #daleynursery #mulberry #blackmulberry #dwarfmulberry

 

Crunchy Chinese Water Chestnuts

Chinese Water Chestnut

This popular Asian cooking ingredient is a tropical member of the sedge family. These nutritious underground corms reach up to 4cm in diameter, and have an appealing crisp nut like texture.

They can be lightly steamed or sauteed as a vegetable, or can deliver their sweetness and juiciness prepared fresh and raw. Water chestnuts can be grown in a pond, an old bathtub. or a salvaged water tank cut in half.

Plant the corms in spring, about 5cm deep into friable soil rich in organic matter and course sand. Keep the plants moist until the shoots are about 10cm tall, then cover with water until the tips of the leaves are just showing. Leave the container flooded at that depth for about 6-7 months, then drain off the water in late autumn.

Leave the soil moist but not wet for another month or so until the shoots die down, then harvest the water chestnuts.

Water chestnuts will grow in most areas of Australia, but they are frost tender and require at least an 8-month frost-free growing season. A single corm is said to be able to produce 100 corms within a growing season! #daleysfruit #daleysnursery #waterchestnet

 

Crunchy and refreshing - Yacon

 Also known as the "Earth Apple", the Yacon is one of the ancient crops of the Incas. This relative of the sunflower is popular to the people of Columbia, Ecuador, and Argentina.

The plant produces large tubers, similar in appearance to sweet potatoes, but they have a much sweeter taste and crunchy flesh. The tubers can be eaten raw as a refreshing treat on their own, finely sliced and mixed into salads, boiled or baked, fried as chips, or prepared as a pickle. There is also commercial interest as a flavouring for yoghurt.

They are sweet, juicy, and almost calorie free. The main stem can also be used like celery. The texture and flavour have been described as a cross between a fresh apple and watermelon. The plants are vigorous, herbaceous, perennial and extremely hardy - tolerating hot summers, drought and poor soils.

The foliage of the plant dies back in the winter after flowering, at which time the tubers are harvested carefully to avoid damage. They tend to continue sweetening if left in a cool dry and dark place for a week or two before consumption. The reddish rhizomes are then replanted for the next season #daleysfruit #daleysnursery #yacon #yacontubers