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olive_treeI’ve just tasted some beautiful olives a friend’s mum grew in her back yard and then pickled. Most generously, I was given a recipe to post here. I’ll have to wait to find a tree I can raid. I’ve spotted a few olive trees growing on properties around Kapiti. We’ve certainly have that salt-laden wind of the Mediterranean. Olive trees have incredibly long tap roots so they can survive in very dry coastal situations. There are some commercial growers a bit further north.

Jill, the aforementioned pickler, has two Mission olive trees. Mission is a cultivar that’s been popular in NZ for quite some time, with a reputation as a reliable cropper. Her husband crops the trees every year keeping the fruit within reach. Harvest time is carefully chosen – just before the olives turn black, the birds will swoop in pretty quickly then.

Facts for the homesteaders, a tree producing 30-40 kilos of olives at year nine, with an oil content of 20% yields 8 litres of oil.  Recipe after the jump Read more

Apple WhakapapaThis family tree shows how the various popular varieties of New Zealand apples have been bred. They originated with the Cox’s Orange Pippin from the United Kingdom, and the Delicious variety from the United States. Royal gala and braeburn are both hugely popular varieties. My personal favourite though is the crisp and tangy golden delicious.

It’s just one of hundreds of beautiful images, graphs, video and audio resources that form Te Ara – the online encyclopedia of New Zealand. Te Ara has launched their new section of the site The Settled Landscape, which looks at the agriculture, horticulture and the general taming of New Zealand.  Their section on  The Bush is a luscious look at the unique flora and fauna here – more about that some other time. The encyclopedia is an incredible resource and hours of fun.

Come for the pictures stay for the fascinating info. There’s sooooo much for a horticulturally-minded wee thing to enjoy…..