Plants as Food
20 Mar
0
85
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 15th March 2026
Updated on 20th March 2026
I cut a roughly 2 m cane of Cultivar 1 that other day and was absolutely transfixed by its top piece:
copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
Zooming in:
copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
Not..
21 Feb
0
132
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 21st February 2026
Strong winds once again brought down some especially tall and very mature canes of Cultivar 2 the other day, so what else could it be but chewing time!
And oh my, these were sweet juicy deliciousness! We’re ta..
09 Dec
0
357
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 9th December 2025
Here we are going to explore the botanical structure of a sugarcane stalk. These parts are common to all stems and branches regardless of species, but they are particularly distinct here in sugarcane (and the s..
12 Jun
0
850
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 12th June 2025
If you love alliums (of genus Allium) — onions, garlics, leeks, shallots, chives, and garlic chives — but are unfamiliar with society garlic, you may well need to become acquainted!
The name ‘society’ garlic comes..
11 Jun
0
952
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 11th June 2025
Some strong winds recently snapped at the base a bunch of canes growing at an angle out of a tall concrete pot. Decision made: it’s processing time!
Sugarcane is typically processed anywhere between twelve and eig..
11 Jun
1
1183
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 11th June 2025
Introduction to the Structure of Sugarcane
Sugarcane is super easy to propagate — possibly the hardest part is deciding which of the three different ways suits you best!
(There is a fourth way not covered here, a..
01 Jun
0
885
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 1st June 2025
Botanical Bits
Botanical name: Smallanthus sonchifolius
Family: Asteraceae (the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family: includes daisies, sunflowers, Curio sp. succulents)
Growth: Herbaceous (no woody stems)
..
06 May
1
2815
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 6th May 2025
On Bulbs
“Bulb” in the botany world has a very precise meaning — it is the underground stem (yes, stem) of a plant, made of fleshy leaves and used for food storage during dormancy.
A bulb is an organ. Other plant or..
09 Mar
0
1361
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 9th March 2025
One night I grabbed a normal-sized garlic bulb for dinner, and found it to be impossible to separate any cloves from it — the entire bulb turned out to be a single clove!
copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
copyrig..
07 Jul
0
10707
Title image above is copyright © Optimate Group Pty Ltd
First published 7th July 2022
Part One covered how I was inspired by three composting concepts to fill a raised bed which would always be self-fertile. The end result was essentially a hybridisation of Esther Deans’ no-dig garden and sheet mu..
06 Jul
0
5088
Title image above is copyright © Optimate Group Pty Ltd
First published 6th July 2022
My go-to method for filling a raised vegetable or garden bed was inspired by three composting concepts that weren’t quite the hot composting method per se, but which came close for the purposes I needed — that of..
07 Aug
0
6374
Title image above is copyright © Optimate Group Pty Ltd
First published 7th August 2021
My background is microbiology and biochemistry, but I developed an intense interest in botany much later, and wow, that discipline just does your head in, as investigating what exactly a fruit is reveals!
(Just..