In South East QLD, Australia where the Kandanga Farm Store is located we don’t have the traditional 4 seasons in a year – nope we have 3 seasons and they are all summer. Well it feels like that at least. The 3 summers vary in personality best summed up as Tropical, Cool Temperate and Mediterranean.
Tropical Summer – running from late November to late March. This is the hot hot hot time of year. Days are high humidity, when you sweat standing still and the nights are at best warm, at worst – ‘why didn’t we invest in airconditoning?’ Rainfall can be heavy, with intense storms but there are also dry periods like we are experiencing right now – COME ON RAIN!!!
Cool Temperate Summer – from late March to early August. This season has cool mornings, warm days, and is humid and wet initially, then becomes dry. Everything is generally pretty green still and its usually a pretty safe time to organise outdoor events. In July/August there are ‘cold’ nights and frosts can happen in low lying areas but generally we are all back in t-shirts by 11 so who are we kidding – that can’t really count as winter can it?
Mediterranean Summer – from mid-August to late November. While the mornings initially remain cool they warm up pretty quickly to become warm to hot days with low humidity and low rainfall. This is generally the time of year around here when we start to wonder if it will ever rain again as landscapes take on a brownish hue.
What to Eat – January!
S0 let’s get to the important stuff – what’s good to eat right now. Only hardcore farmers are bothering with softer leafy greens like lettuce so if your heart is set on a traditional green salad you might have to look at sourcing your lettuce from further afield. But what is thriving in the Mary Valley right now are the hardier greens like –
Silverbeet, kale and other italian style greens. Eggplants, cucumbers (see Bec’s beautiful Cucumber Pickle recipe for inspiration this month), and tomatoes. Fruit wise – Figs are gorgeous right now but there are also bananas and grapes available locally. Meat wise – though we could do with some rain right about now this is the time of year when grass is usually abundant so livestock are putting on weight and getting the nice even fat cover that ensures the ultimate grass fed flavour. Grass, herbs and ahem weeds are all thriving which means livestock get diversity in their diets which adds depth of flavour.
If you are looking to purchase some fresh local produce you can come visit us, of course, for chemical free local produce including certified organic K2Beef from Kandanga Farm. But also try the Amamoor Station Markets on a Saturday morning or if you prefer a later start to your weekend the Dagun Growers Markets make for a leisurely Saturday afternoon.
What to Plant – January!
So gardeners – if your New Year’s resolution was to get a garden going then the things to plant right now are –
Silverbeet, capsicum, cucumber, radish, tomato, zucchini, choko, eggplant, beans, sweet corn, squash, carrots & sweet potato. Also herbs such as basil, parsley, mint, tarragon and lemongrass.
You will need to keep the moisture up to your garden and despite what the seed packet says about full sun – dappled light is best in a veggie garden so don’t be afraid of planting your garden under a canopy (shadecloth, tall plants etc)