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Category: Farming And Produce

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ABC Rural By Anthea Moodie and Kallee Buchanan Aug 2021

It is not made by any other bee and is better for you, and now scientists know how native stingless bees make healthy honey. 

  • Scientists discovered the rare healthy sugar unique to native stingless bee honey in 2020
  • The bees make it in their gut after consuming nectar high in sucrose 

Researchers at the University of Queensland in collaboration with Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services have uncovered the secret of trehalulose — a sugar that is only produced by the tiny insect and does not spike blood glucose levels when eaten. 

Nectar sugars are largely glucose, fructose, and table sugar (sucrose), not trehalulose, so the question became "were the bees finding it or making it?"

"We fed stingless bees some sugar solutions to try and find out the origin of trehalulose," UQ organic chemist and research leader Dr Natasha Hungerford said.

"Then we took two different solutions and fed them to a small colony of bees that were confined for a short amount of time, 24 hours, and we fed them sucrose or table sugar.

"We found that when we analysed the honey that they produced in that short amount of time [they had] transformed the sucrose into trehalulose.…

Published on Leave a comment on No More Weeds!!! Heres My Secret To Weed-Free Gardening!

By Candi from FarmFreshForLife.com

Weed-Free Gardening. Is It Just A Dream?

I have some serious experience in gardening.  I’m not your average “salad” gardener.  I grow most of what I eat…. all year…   For the 101 days I was on The Homesteaders Food Challenge I grew everything I ate.   Which is tricky.  When you decide to grow your entire diet you need to know how to grow things.  Or you’ll starve.

Mulch Is A Must If You Want No Weeds - Plus Advantages

I didn’t starve and I had a massive garden.  Last year I had 3 massive gardens actually.  When you have several gardens you learn a thing or two about weeding.

Like how much you hate it.

So, I became an expert at preventing weeds because I wanted to go to the pool and not weed my garden every day of my life.

If you want to ditch weeding and don’t know how – this is for you!!!!!

Of all the tricks, systems and methods I tried – this one is my favorite.

MULCH

My mulch of choice is:  STRAW

  1. Straw is easy to find.
  2. Straw is cheap.
…

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Published on 2 Comments on Mulberries Make It Back To Popularity In South Australia – Mulberry Lover Becomes Pioneer!

ANYONE FOR MULBERRIES? COUNT ME IN! HAVE YOU EVER COMPARED THEM TO BLACKBERRIES? THEY REALLY ARE PACKED WITH TASTE AND THEY MAKE A DELICIOUS JUICE TOO. ASK YOUR SUPERMARKET OR SPECIALTY FRUIT & VEG STORE TO BUY SOME IN!

Mulberry Farmer Pioneers Growing Techniques To Revive Ancient Fruit's Popularity

Landline By Jessica Schremmer  14 Aug 2021

Peter Szabo's Innovative Mulberry Harvester

Viticulturist Peter Szabo invented his own mulberry farming model to machine harvest the fruit.

A South Australian farmer is pioneering new methods of growing an "almost forgotten" fruit, to bring mulberries to new generations to enjoy their unique flavours.

A viticulturist by trade, Peter Szabo started growing mulberries at his farm in Kingston on Murray in South Australia's Riverland region from a single backyard tree six years ago.

"All our investments were in vineyards and that posed a real problem when we had a downturn in the viticulture industry and to improve my risk we decided to diversify," Mr Szabo said.

Mulberries have become a forgotten fruit in Australia

After running into trouble selling fresh mulberries, which are prone to grey mould issues, have a short shelf life and a need for handpicking, he decided to invent his own farming model.

"I have taken the mulberry tree and espaliered it onto a trellis system where I can machine-harvest the berries."…

Published on Leave a comment on Bees Are Popular Again: Beehives Choppered Into Victoria For Almond Pollination

ABC Rural  By Kellie Hollingworth and Hugh Hogan

Beekeepers are going to great lengths to ensure that the almond pollination season in north-west Victoria is a blooming success this year.

More than 277,000 hives are being transported to the region from across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

John Caseys 1200 beehives Into Victoria

It's the largest movement of livestock in Australia. 

But Tumut beekeeper John Casey needed help from above to rescue 1,200 hives that were stuck north of Condobolin because the road was too wet to access them.

In a rare move, the hives were moved by helicopter at a cost of $1,600 per hour, before being loaded onto trucks and transported to Boundary Bend.

"I've never seen it done," he said.

"It would be cheaper than doing a diff or gearbox on a truck. I think anyway.

Tumut beekeeper John Casey needed a helicopter to rescue 1,200 hives that were stuck on wet ground at Trundle.

"We're going to keep getting rain. It's supposed to rain more next month, but we need to get them out for the almond pollination," he said.

Bees go to work

Merbein almond grower Neale Bennett said the hives would be based at his property for six weeks before they were loaded back onto trucks for the trip home.…

Published on Leave a comment on Sun-Mapping And Positioning Our Veggie Garden-Beds For Success

Here You Have It Gardeners, Another Way To Improve On Your Veggie Gardening!

Last Week I Made A Companion Planting Guide For Gardeners And Beginner Gardeners. Now To Address The Light And Shade Aspect. Lets Work With Nature. Most Of Us Have Some Shade And Part-Shade In Our Yard (Or Space) When Thinking Of Growing A Veggie Garden (Big Or Small) And Some Of Us Are A Little Confused How To Work Things Out.

Happy Sun-Mapping For Your Veggie Garden

This Post Will Help Bring Some Clarity Into The Situation, So You Have An Idea Where To Grow Your Herbs And Veggies And How To Go About It. The Following Articles Should See You On Your Way To Good Results And Maybe Better Than You Have Had Previously.

How Sun Mapping Can Help Homegrown Veggies Thrive

ABC Everyday  By Koren Helbig

In hindsight, figuring out where the sun falls in our backyard would have been handy to do before we started planting any veggies.

Because edible plants need sunlight to grow — the more of it, the better — yet the sun changes position across the seasons, dropping lower in winter and throwing longer shadows across the earth.

My partner and I didn't even think to consider this when we moved into our Adelaide rental four years ago.…

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Published on 3 Comments on My Companion Planting Guide For Veggies, Herbs And Salad Veggies

By Janet Vargas - Owner Of This Website

GOOD NEWS FOR GARDENERS AND BEGINNER GARDENERS. YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF COMPANION PLANTING BEFORE. IT HAS REALLY INCREASED IN POPULARITY SINCE I FIRST HEARD OF IT. FOR MANY YEARS, CERTAIN GARDENERS HAVE FOUND THAT CERTAIN PLANTS PLANTED CLOSE TO EACH-OTHER CAN ACTUALLY HELP EACH-OTHER GROW WELL AND SOME ARE KNOWN TO HINDER EACH-OTHER. ORGANIC GARDENERS AND PERMACULTURISTS WATCH AND PRACTICE THESE PRINCIPLES VERY CLOSELY INSTEAD OF MONO-CROPS WHICH CAN ATTRACT A LOT OF BUGS.

CERTAIN HERBS AND VEGIES WHEN PLANTED TOGETHER CAN DETER A LOT OF INSECTS FROM DAMAGING OUR HERBS AND VEGGIES WE SPEND PRECIOUS TIME AND MONEY ON – NOT TO MENTION HOPEFUL EXPECTATIONS. PLANTING A DIVERSITY OF PLANTS TOGETHER IS ALSO KNOWN TO CONFUSE THE WOULD BE INVADING INSECTS FROM ATTACKING YOUR HOMEGROWN PRODUCE. THESE THINGS HAVE BEEN GAINING THE INTEREST OF SCIENTISTS ACROSS THE WORLD IN RECENT TIMES WHO ARE NOW INCLINED TO RECOMMEND THESE GARDENING PRACTICES IN PREFERENCE TO CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDES – IT’S MUCH HEALTHIER FOR YOU. IT IS BETTER TO SIDE WITH NATURE THAN WORK AGAINST IT. BE A FRIEND OF NATURE AND NATURE WILL BE A FRIEND TO YOU.…

Published on Leave a comment on Reasons To AVOID Modern WHEAT – Lots Of INFO Says Its NOT Healthy – Find Out Why!

SPELT, KHORASAN, EINKORN and a few other related grains which are the result of Ancient Natural Crossings also contain gluten, but do not have adverse affects on many who believe they’re “gluten sensitive”. So what’s different about Modern Wheat today that didn’t exist in ancient wheat? Just about everything.

What Is Modern Wheat Really - We Should All Know These Things

  Dr. William Davis

Cardiologist + Author + Health Crusader

"The food you eat is making you sick and the agencies that are providing you with guidelines on what to eat are giving dangerous advice with devastating health consequences. You can change that today."

Check it out — Dr. Davis newest book, Wheat Belly: Revised & Expanded Edition that condenses all Wheat Belly strategies into one book with new recipes, new success stories, with plenty of other updated material is in stores now! Click to order and learn more.

See His Website And Video HERE

 According to the Weston A. Price Foundation, here’s what’s lost by modern industrial processing.

Thiamine (B1) 77% Riboflavin (B2) 80% Niacin 81% Pyridoxine (B6) 72% Pantothenic acid (B5) 50% Vitamin E 86% Calcium 60% Phosphorous 71% Magnesium 84% Potassium 77% Sodium 78% Chromium 40% Manganese 86% Iron 76% Cobalt 89% Zinc 78% Copper 68% Selenium 16% Molybdenum 48%

Excessive Input Farming And Genetic Alteration

The 20th century has brought a new monster to the “advancement” of food technology.…

Published on Leave a comment on Wonders Of Khorasan – Nutritional Ancient Grain We Can Use Instead Of Modern Wheat

Khorasan is an ancient wheat also known as Kamut and is thought to have originated in Egypt. Khorasan is a much larger grain than wheat and is higher in minerals, vitamins and fats and has up to 40% more protein.  This makes it a super energy source plus this gives it it’s unique rich and nutty flavour. Khorasan flour with its gluten ratio is ideal for any kind of baking and along with wheat, it doesn’t lose its texture with freezing. By Jesabe Warner – Naturopath

Khorasan: A Tasty Nutritious Ancient Grain With Benefits To Our Health

A variety of whole grain wheat, kamut (a brand name for khorasan) contains about 250 calories per cup with 7 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein. Compared to modern wheat, it is much richer in polyphenols and fatty acids as well as minerals like selenium, which support a healthy immune system. Kamut also offers antioxidant benefits, helping to reduce gut inflammation and reducing pain associated with IBS.

By Natures Path – Pioneers Of The Organic Movement HERE

David Wolfe, A Leading Natural Health Expert And Advocate Has This Information On His Website:

KAMUT: 8 BENEFITS and USES

Kamut (say “ka-moot”) is an ancient grain rich in nutrients and high in energy.…

Published on Leave a comment on Companion Planting For Vegetable Patches

From Very Edible Gardens in Australia

I FOUND THIS ARTICLE TODAY ON THE NET WHICH MAKES A LOT OF SENSE FOR THOSE OF US WHO DON'T HAVE A LOT OF GARDENING EXPERIENCE. MY SEARCH WAS FOR WINTER COMPANION VEGGIES AND I FOUND THESE HELPFUL PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES TO PUT INTO PRACTICE FOR A SIMPLE COMPANION GARDEN THAT WOULD WORK MOST TIMES FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. THE WRITER EXPLAINS HOW TO GET THE MOST BENEFIT OUT OF THE SOIL FOR EACH PLANT WE ARE GROWING. HAVE FUN. SHALL WE GO?

Learning Some Simple Practical Principles In Companion Gardening

There are a lot of books written on this subject, filled with long lists, many of which contradict the other.  We say: don’t get too carried away by matching each plant according to someone’s list.  There are however a some simple rules to grow by.  We’ll expand on each below:

  • Use plants with different nutrient requirements and roots at different depths as they compete much less.
  • Some plants are considered natural growth stimulants for other plants
  • Some plants are certainly natural growth inhibitors for other plants
  • Some plants capture nutrients from deep in the soil profile and make them available for nearby plants
  • You can create suitable micro-climates for one plant by using another (eg.
…

Published on Leave a comment on An Interesting Love Story Growing For Nearly 100 Years – Citrus Orchard

ABC Wide Bay / By Brad Marsellos  2021

Nearly 100 years ago, an orange tree was planted on the banks of the Burnett River near Gayndah in south-east Queensland that would grow into a story of love. 

Walter Benham planted that tree in 1924, and four generations later the legacy continues with a family partnership and around 70,000 citrus trees.

Rachael Benham started making citrus products after advice from her grandma. (ABC Wide Bay: Brad Marsellos)

Like something from the pages of a Spanish romance novel, rolling plains filled with fruit-heavy trees and the occasional rocky outcrop, the Beyenda Citrus farm remains home to the Benham family.

The family now grows grapefruit, lemons, mandarins as well oranges for export and the Australian market on the picturesque property.

Rachael Benham was not born a citrus farmer like her husband and fourth-generation grower, Matt. She grew up on a western Queensland livestock farm.

The couple met at university and Ms Benham went from animal science to living on an orchard. 

Eleven years and two children later, Ms Benham still feels she has a lot to learn from the family with "orange juice flowing in their veins".

"Trees are a little different, they don't move and they don't kick, run away or need mustering," she says.…