North Jersey Friendship House, Inc.’s Post

Summer is also the time when passion fruit is ripe and ready for harvest. Early in the morning, we headed out into the fields when the first rays of sunlight began to creep through the foliage. Ripe passion fruit has a shiny yellow color, plump fruits, and a sweet aroma. ### Passion fruit harvesting process 1. **Prepare tools**: We bring shears, baskets, and sacks for harvesting. The use of scissors helps protect the passion fruit plant from damage. 2. **Selection of ripe fruits**: We choose fruits that are golden in color, may have a few light brown spots. Ripe passion fruit will easily separate from the tree when cut. 3. **Gentle harvest**: When cutting, we are careful not to damage the fruit. The passion fruit after being cut will be placed in the basket, avoiding a strong impact. 4. **Inspection and Storage**: After harvesting, we re-inspect each fruit, removing those that are damaged or show signs of pests and diseases. The passion fruit is then placed in a sack and stored in a cool place. ### Preparing summer drinks from passion fruit After harvesting, passion fruit can be used to prepare cool, cooling drinks for summer. Here's a simple recipe for a refreshing glass of passion fruit juice: #### Ingredients - 2 passion fruit - 1-2 tablespoons sugar (to taste) - 300ml filtered water - Ice cubes - Mint leaves (optional) #### How to make 1. **Prepare passion fruit**: Cut the passion fruit in half, use a spoon to remove all the intestines. You can filter out the seeds or keep them according to your preference. 2. **Passion fruit mix**: Put the passion fruit intestines in a glass, add the sugar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. 3. **Add water and ice**: Pour filtered water into a glass and stir well. Add ice cubes to cool passion fruit juice. 4. **Decorate and Enjoy**: Garnish with more mint leaves if desired and enjoy immediately. A delicious, cool glass of passion fruit juice will help you cool down on hot summer days.

Correction : the space is only 1m x 1m but I do also have a few pots on the patio! I know this isn't very LinkedIn but it's Friday, I am sure there are some proper green fingered folk in my contacts list and you would be helping me reach one of my 2024 goals. 😁 Is there anyone here willing and able to give me any advice on growing vegetables? We invested in a "Vegepod" a couple of years ago, thinking how lovely it would be to grow our own veggies, with ideas of popping out to the patio to gather our crops and make into delicious meals or at least enhance my terrible cooking! Alas, all we have managed to grow is (far too much) parsley and some teeny tiny radishes. It is one of my goals this year to make better use of the Vegepod and grow something worth having. The facts are : The available area is only about 2 metres by 2 metres The patio is a wind tunnel but gets a lot of sun I don't like aubergines and feel onions are a waste of time growing as you can buy them so cheaply. Thanks in advance! #vegetablegarden #growing #2024goals

🍄 Growing Mushrooms at Home: A Recipe for Food Security In a world where food security is a growing concern, I have embarked on a journey to cultivate my own mushrooms right at my home. 🏡 Why mushrooms? Well, these edible fungi offer a host of benefits that directly contribute to food security: 1. Sustainability: Mushrooms are eco-friendly and can be grown on various organic materials, reducing waste and environmental impact. 🌍♻️ 2. Year-Round Harvest: With indoor mushroom cultivation, I can enjoy a steady supply of fresh, nutritious mushrooms, regardless of the season. 🍄🌧️☀️ 3. Space Efficiency: Mushrooms can thrive in small spaces, making them accessible to those with limited room for gardening. 🌱📏 4. Nutrient-Rich: Mushrooms are a rich source of essential nutrients, including protein, vitamins, and minerals, enhancing the quality of home-cooked meals. 🍽️🍄 By cultivating my own mushrooms, I have taken a significant steps towards ensuring my food security. It's a comforting feeling to know that I have some control over what ends up on my plate. I warmly invite each of us to embark on a similar journey. Even if it's just a small patch of herbs on your balcony or a few potted vegetables in our garden, every effort counts. These steps towards self-sufficiency not only empower us but collectively inspire change. Together, one small gardening project at a time, we can contribute to a more secure food security for all. #FoodSecurity #MushroomCultivation #Homegrown #SelfSufficiency #SustainableLiving

Companion Plant Series - Garlic Calling all garlic lovers! Wondering how to grow your own powerhouse cloves alongside other veggies? See how to plant California Early garlic with other vegetables and fruits. I planted them alongside my strawberries and asparagus for a companion planting dream team. Watch the video to see the easy steps (and maybe avoid my upside-down garlic moment!) #companionplanting #garlicgrowing #getgrowing

🐝Did you hear the buzz? It's World Bee Day! These amazing little bees deserve more than one day to be recognized for all they do not to mention the delicious honey they make. What makes these bees so important for our planet? 1. Honey bees pollinate flowers, fruits, and vegetables. 2. By pollinating our fruits and veggie crops, they help to produce 1/3 of our food supply! 3. Bee hives have six products that are collected and used for nutritional and medicinal purposes: pollen, honey, beeswax, royal jelly, propolis, and venom. #GoPublicGardens #PublicGarden #PublicGardens #WorldBeeDay #bees #savethebees

Foraging refers to the act of gathering wild plants for food, and dandelions are a prime example of a plant that can be foraged for various purposes. In this blog post, we delve into the art of foraging dandelions, focusing on the art of foraging and providing you with everything you need to know about this humble yet versatile plant. Continue reading -->

In this video you can see Jason and Mike performing a citrus maturity test on grapefruit in our new lab. The Florida season is officially underway and we are busy harvesting and packing fresh Florida grapefruit, navels, tangerines and juice oranges which will soon make their way to your local supermarket. This is a behind the scenes peek at how we test for brix levels (sugar), acidity and juice content. Every block of trees is tested in this manner several times prior to harvest to ensure we are picking fruit at its peak time. Understanding the internal qualities of the fruit helps to guarantee a great tasting piece of fruit to the consumer, and provides useful information on the conservation potential of the fruit. These tests help guide our decisions regarding which blocks to pick when throughout the course of the 6 month season. At IMG Citrus, we manage 180 blocks across 18 distinct groves spanning 7 different counties, covering 7,000 acres. This amounts to picking over 75 million pieces of fruit by mid March! Leveraging data and technology to make harvesting decisions is key to managing this complexity. With greater precision and intelligence we can reduce waste and increase yields which is good for the bottom line and good for the environment. #PrecisonAgriculture #FutureofFarming #Sustainability #Florida #Citrus #Grapefruit

Discover the vibrant world of raspberries! From red to black, yellow to purple, these berries come in a rainbow of colours. With some varieties tough enough to withstand freezing temperatures, raspberries are a resilient and versatile fruit. ❤️🖤⁠ ⁠ Purple raspberries, a hybrid of black and red varieties, are known for their robust nature and delicious flavour. Perfect for enjoying fresh or preserving, these berries are a must-have in any garden. 🌳⁠ ⁠ Whether you prefer a single summer crop or two harvests throughout the year, there's a raspberry variety for you. Summer-bearing raspberries offer a bountiful harvest in the warmer months, while fall-bearing types provide two rounds of fruit from early summer to fall. ☀️🍂⁠ ⁠ At Berries for Africa, we have a wide selection of raspberry plants to suit your needs. Contact us for more information, pricing, and availability.⁠ ⁠ ✉️ [email protected]⁠ 🌐 www.berriesforafrica.co.za⁠ ⁠ #raspberries #raspberry #berriesforafrica #berrycultivation #sustainability #berryplants #agriculture #berryfarmers #berrysuppliers #berries #growberries #berryproducers⁠

I. Preparing for the harvest Check the harvest time: Passion fruit is usually ripe and ready to harvest from June to August. Ripe passion fruit will have purple or yellow skin depending on the variety. A slightly wrinkled peel is a good sign that the fruit is fully ripe. Tools Needed: Baskets or baskets for fruit. Pruning shears to cut passion fruit from the plant without damaging the other branches. Costumes: Wear long-sleeved clothing and a hat to protect from the sun. Wear gloves to avoid scratches from tree branches. II. Passion fruit harvest Pick ripe fruits: Observing the brightly colored fruits and slightly wrinkled skin, these are delicious ripe fruits. Avoid fruits that show signs of rot or damage. How to cut the fruit: Using pruning shears, make a gentle cut at the fruit stalk to avoid damaging the rest of the plant. Place the cut fruits in a basket or basket. Storage after harvest: Passion fruit can be stored in a cool place for several days. Keeps longer, can be stored in the refrigerator. III. Making summer drinks from passion fruit Ingredients to prepare: 2-3 fresh passion fruit. 1-2 tablespoons of sugar (depending on taste). 200ml of filtered water or soda water. Ice cubes. Mint leaves and lemon slices (optional). Steps: Step 1: Prepare passion fruit Cut the passion fruit in half and take the intestines inside, put them in a cup. A spoon can be used to remove all the water and seeds. Step 2: Prepare Add the sugar to the cup containing the passion fruit intestines, stir well to dissolve the sugar. Add filtered water or soda water to the cup, stirring gently to blend the mixture. Step 3: Add ice and decorate Put ice cubes in a cup to create coolness. Garnish with mint leaves and lemon slices if desired. Step 4: Enjoy Passion fruit drink has a refreshing sweet and sour taste, which is very suitable for hot summer days. IV. Enjoy the fruits Once the harvest and preparation process is complete, find a corner outside the garden or a cool place to enjoy a glass of passion fruit juice. This is an opportunity to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

🌱 Are You Really Saving Money on Your Food? 🌱 Think your grocery bill is high? What if I told you a $70 investment in home gardening could save you $600 a year? 🤯 Stop paying for overpriced, pesticide-laden produce. Grow your own fresh, organic food and transform your diet with Seed to Stomach's expert seed-saving techniques. One kit. Years of healthy, delicious eating. Watch our video to see how easy it is to start. Are you ready to take control of your health and finances? Join us now! #SeedToStomach #InvestInHealth #GrowYourOwnFood #SustainableLiving #HealthyEating