Jostaberries (Ribes nidigrolaria) – and pronounced ‘yustaberries’ – are a genetic cross between black currants (Ribes nigrum) and gooseberries (Ribes grossuaria).
This thornless plant which resembles black currant in growth, but with leaves similar, yet larger than the gooseberry was developed by Dr Rudolph Bauer at Max-Planck Institute in Cologne Germany around 1970.
Jostaberries are more vigorous than their parent plants and can be easily propagated from cuttings at the time of pruning or can also be layered, though they do not tend to sucker.
Jostaberries are self fertile, do best in colder areas and will not fruit in warm districts. Leaves are not susceptible to powdery mildew, fungal dieback, currant bud mite and white pine blister. Jostaberries prefer moist well drained soils in full sun, produce small clusters of flowers borne on at least one year-old branches, followed by green berries with underskin veining resembling its gooseberry parent.

The largish berries can reach up to 1cm in diameter on ripening and mature to a purple/black colour more reminiscent of black currants. Their yield is higher than that of black currants and the sharpish tart flavoured fresh fruit, which is high in vitamin C also lends itself well to being frozen or used in various culinary applications.

Katrine and Mike Juleff of the Pennyroyal Raspberry Farm at Murroon in Victoria where visitors can pick their own berries have plantings of jostaberries along with the more traditional raspberries, brambleberries, youngberries, boysenberries, red and black currants, gooseberries, marionberries and strawberries.

Katrine explains, “Everything is organically grown, we don’t spray a thing. We decided to get jostaberries as they were a little bit different and also have a good shelf life, – better than the softer berries. They are not prickly so are easy for people to pick and Middle European people who visit go mad over them! They say they had enjoyed them over in Europe where they had them planted there – they weren’t wild plants in the bush. People do find jostaberries a bit tart after the other berries but usually people use them to make preserves.”

Net your berries to protect them from rosellas and other parrots

Katrine now drip irrigates the plants only in summer as they have enough rain all the rest of the year. Jostaberries take about four years to fruit with a decent crop, and they fruit on last year’s wood. It is best to prune in winter when the plants have lost their leaves and keep them to large shrub size below 2 metres.She takes out the oldest wood, the lowest side shoots and tip prunes each year to keep them under control and to allow access to pick the fruit from the 2nd and 3rd year wood then after pruning applies mushroom and poultry compost and heavily mulches the plants.

To keep the rosellas at bay the bushes are netted and it is best to harvest the fruit at full maturity when the sugars have had time to develop. Jostaberries are extremely well suited to savoury type sauces particularly served with fish or white meats.

It is a great addition to mixed fruit dishes as in summer puddings and also has excellent potential to incorporate into pies, cakes, ice cream or preserved as jam or jellies. Katrine also makes a semi-sweet jostaberry and thyme relish that goes beautifully with the locally producedl L’Artisan triple cream brie as well as any game or poultry dish.
Pennyroyal Raspberry Farm
Division Rd, Murroon 3242 between Birregurra and Barwon Downs,
For more information phone 5236 3238 or go to Pennyroyal Raspberry Farm
Pick Your Own Berry season, open 10-5pm from the first week in December to late January -  ring first for availability. Self contained cabin accommodation also available on the farm and the teahouse operates over the fruiting season.

Jostaberry plants are available in winter from New Gippsland Seeds, Diggers or Goodmans Seeds

Marionberries are one of the most luscious summer fruits, and although the plants are thorny the resulting delicious fruit far outweighs any prickly encounters! A cross between the Chehalem and Olallieberry blackberries, this vigorous trailing cane blackberry cultivar is named after the county of Marion Oregon where they were developed in the 1950’s.
Marionberries do well in areas with cooler winters, will benefit with an application of general fertiliser and potash in spring and are best trained along a wire trellis or fence line, ideally at eye level so they are easy to harvest. Ties or ‘S’ type hooks placed along a fence are good to support the canes during the growing season.
A good hint is to tie a little green tag at the base of each cane to identify the current year’s growth – the first year train the canes along the fence or trellis as these will fruit the following year.

Flowers appear in October-November with fruit ripening from mid December to mid-late January. New canes establish during the growing season. In winter it is easy to identify those canes which have fruited and need to be pruned as these are the ones with the green tags. Cut these at ground level keeping 4-5 strong new canes for the next season. To make identification easy for the following year transfer the tags to the new growth and repeat the same procedure each year.
Net plants as the fruit ripens. If growing on a fence-line peg netting to the top of the fence and drape it down over the plants, that way you only have to net one side with the fence providing extra protection.

Harvest the fruit when it has ripened past the shiny black stage to a duller velvety black hue – even though the shelf life will be shorter these plump elongated perfumed berries will boast a rich and intense flavour with a clean finish. Marionberries can be enjoyed fresh, in a summer pudding or trifle, pureed for a sauce, as a perfect accompaniment to creamy blue cheeses or transformed into ice cream or a vibrant jam. They can also be frozen for later use.

The Heide Museum of Modern Art at Bulleen in Victoria was a neglected former dairy farm when Sunday and John Reed purchased the property in 1934. At the end of their lives and after fifty years of dedication Heide was rich with exotic and native flora and boasted a stunning cottage-style kitchen garden.
As art benefactors the Reeds also created a nourishing environment for the artists they championed including Sidney Nolan, Albert Tucker, Joy Hester, Charles Blackman and Mirka Mora some of whose artworks are dotted throughout the book together with historic photos and more recent garden images. Nolan’s poems to Sunday and a dramatis personae of those who contributed to Heide’s rich tapestry and history all add to this fascinating read while a timeline from the 1800’s through to present day documents the couple’s lives, work and garden plantings on the property.
In the 1960’s Sunday’s love of roses is reflected in her rose planting list – Heide’s most famous rose Mutabilis was immortalized in Sidney Nolan’s 1945 painting – Sunday and Susie Bruntion set up Heide Herbs selling herbs propagated in the Heide I kitchen garden and there’s the construction of Heide II, a modernist home on the property which was sold to the Victorian Government in 1980 while the following year Heide Park and Art Gallery is opened.
A comprehensive glossary of trees and plants has been compiled by Heide’s current head gardener Dugold Noyes, in recent times the Heide II kitchen garden and rose walk have been restored and the wild garden is the focus of a major restoration project.

This captivating book will appeal to both art and garden lovers as it explores this intriguing property and its creators.

by Lesley Harding and Kendrah Morgan  Miegunyah RRP: $45.00

In her latest book house and garden expert Holly Kerr Forsyth has compiled a collection of seasonal recipes to celebrate the bounty of fresh produce from the garden.
Each chapter covers a season and along with contemplating a tomato and anchovy tart or rhubarb streusel cake for spring picnic hamper, there are plenty of garden-related hints on bringing flowers indoors, how to keep cut flowers fresh and skillfully arranging them. Summer sees grape and nectarine gratin or making an eye-catching moulded frozen ice bowl dotted with herbs and flowers, a perfect receptacle for serving prawns or an icy fruit sorbet. Getting into the festive spirit there are also details for making decorative flower wreaths, daisy balls and centerpieces for the festive table.

Carrot and ginger soup will bring out the autumn glow while quinces, with pork, baked, in a gooey cake or add to an aromatic autumn fruit pie packed with apples, plums and apricots show off their versatility in a season when it’s also the time to stock up the store cupboard. Preserves, fruit chutney or green tomato and chilli jam and don’t forget to think ahead and plant hyacinths, daffodils, tulips and other bulbs for spring flowering
Winter brings hearty offerings, an array of curries, poached pears with star anise and juniper or stuffed baked apples while you can also turn your hand to making potpourri, studded orange balls or pomanders, there’s even hints on keeping poultry – and the perfectly boiled egg.

Seasons at Home reflects Holly Kerr Forsyth’s unique style, passion for food and practical information on flower arranging, decorating the table to suit an occasion, and growing potted plants to bring indoors.

by Holly Kerr Forsyth, MUP $34.99

The Biology and Ecology of Insects that Live in Plant Galls

This comprehensive handbook, complete with full colour photos will be a useful tool for entomologists, botanists, natural history enthusiasts and native plant nursery managers as well as bushwalkers, forestry students and managers.
Gall-inducing insects can cause problems for agriculture, forestry and horticulture and this book covers the whole gamut from explaining what Australian plant galls are and how they are caused, the little known gall-inducing insects and their host plants to the problems they cause, their enemies and also the benefits associated with gall-inducing insects.
The book explores the ways the insects have adapted to living part of their lives in the confined spaces of galls, and describes the strategies employed by different insect groups to find a suitable site to induce a gall, obtain food, mate and escape the gall. It also looks at the predators, parasitoids, inquilines, kleptoparasites and micro-organisms that prey on gall-inducing insects and the ways the insects defend themselves from these enemies, giving examples of several pest species.
On the positive side, the book describes the essential services gall-inducing insects provide by pollinating figs, controlling invasive weeds and contributing to indigenous food. There are also tips for people who want to collect and study galls and a glossary of scientific terms making this a useful title to a wide range of readers. Buy it from an independent bookshop, borrow it from a library or buy a copy online at the CSIRO website
by Rosalind Blanche, CSIRO Publishing, $29.95.

Bright yellow yakon flowers

Article by Gail Thomas

Yacons (Polymnia edulis) are an Andean crop with a long history, having been found in pre-Incan tombs. They produce edible tubers which somewhat resemble dahlia tubers in appearance. Yacons are similar to, but not as invasive as, Jerusalem artichokes. Along with green cuttings, small pink skinned offsets at the base of the plant’s stem are used for propagation while the smooth, elongated brown skinned crisp textured tubers which can weigh from 100-500g, are the edible portion of the crop.
Planted in spring, yacons grow with a central stem – young stems can also be cooked as a vegetable – reaching around 2m high and having large triangular spade shaped leaves. In autumn, gold daisy-like flowers appear, after which the plant dies down and the tubers are then ready to harvest and are best dug as required as the tubers tend to soften once harvested. Yacons store carbohydrates in the form of inulin rather than starch and consequently are suitable for diabetics.

Yakon tubers need to be carefully washed before peeling and eating

The sweet translucent flesh retains its crunch when cooked

Yacons are low in calories and can be eaten raw or cooked making them a tasty addition to salads and stir-fry dishes or they can be prepared similarly to potatoes, -boiled, baked, or as chips, – but are best peeled before consuming. Their sweet translucent flesh retains its crunch when cooked and pickled yacons make an interesting accompaniment to cold meats, terrines or as part of an antipasto platter.

(reproduced with permission)

If the pests are taking hold, this useful reference has plenty of quick and easy organic solutions to getting the upper hand in both the garden and home.
With a host of ideas, strategies and answers this new revised edition has been updated and expanded, documenting more than sixty relevant plants along with traps, barriers, sprays and more to assist in addressing all manner of pest problems while maintaining a healthy balanced lifestyle and garden.
Penny Woodward who has a wealth of knowledge, having penned seven herb and garden related books has divided the plants and recipes in this volume into four categories; those that will kill pests, actively repel them, those that can mask the scents of plants targeted by pests and those that will kill or control fungi and bacteria.
Importantly it is imperative to take a holistic approach in maintaining a balance between pests and predators and the book also features tips and safety guidelines when making and using homemade pesticides.
The comprehensive A-Z of plants and organic remedies is fully illustrated with clear colour photographs throughout and also includes recipes using many easily accessible household ingredients including coffee, bicarbonate of soda, milk, molasses, flour and garlic.
Many plants have multi-purpose benefits – dill helps repel spider mites and white cabbage moths while simultaneously attracting bees and other beneficial insects to the garden, sage not only has a natural culinary affinity with pork, it also helps repel ants and is used medicinally as a tonic for colds and sore throats while a simple milk spray can be used against powdery and downy mildew and botrytis blight.
A further A-Z chapter on pests contains a diagnostic chart to head you in the right direction identifying various problems along with cross references to suggested plants, sprays, traps and barriers to safely remedy the challenges at hand.
Listings of useful websites and suppliers further extend the scope of this invaluable reference which is highly recommended and is a must-have for those seeking chemical-free alternatives to a balanced organic approach to both home and garden.
If you want to buy a copy, get it from an independent bookshop, borrow it from the library or buy a copy online from the store.