Believe it or not, winter is the best time for planting in Brisbane. The weather is warming up nicely now. Alas summer is too hot and humid for most vegies. Being new at this, it's been mostly trial and error on my part. I've had a mix of success and failures but thankfully the successes seem to be improving. :) I've tried okra, snowpeas, dwarf beans, yellow wax beans, snake beans, (and now yam bean), chillies, tomatoes and several types of Chinese vegetables. I also grew a few papayas from seed but while they look healthy, flowering is overdue! Below is a link to some photos of my results. Here is a link that might be useful: See some of my gardening here

I found a recipe posted by a Chinese woman. It isn't quite what I had in mind but is sounds very tasty. Pickled Mustard Greens Pickled Mustard Greens, or Swan Tsai, are a traditional Chinese favorite. TheyÂre the sour chopped veggies you get in the Beef Noodle Soup (if you get an authentic one) or in Taiwanese dishes like Minced Pork Rice or Pork Chop Rice. Oh, I also love when they are sauteed with squid. So I asked my mom how to make Swan Tsai, and was shocked to learn how easy it was: 1. Get a large clean jar (with lid). Clean the mustard greens very thoroughly by rinsing with water and rubbing the dirt off with your fingers. 2. Press a few leaves into the jar, sprinkle with table salt, press another couple of leaves, sprinkle with table salt. Repeat until you reach the top, making sure to pack in tightly. Fill the jar with water and top with about a tablespoon of white vinegar. This is just to prevent mold. Cover tightly. 3. Bring it over to the sink and turn it upside down 2 or 3 times. 4. Now just let it sit. In warm weather, it will only take a few days. In the winter, it will take up to 9 days. It all depends on your room temperature. 5.You have to check to see when itÂs done. After a few days, the bright green will turn to yellow and brown. If you look closely, you can still see some bright green. Wait until all of it turns brown. Now you can taste it by using a clean chopstick. Every time you open the jar, top with a spoon of vinegar before closing it. You can also add water if the water level has dropped. If the mustard greens donÂt taste like they are pickling by day 6, you probably didnÂt use enough salt. Add more and turn the jar upside down a few times. 6. When itÂs done (to your taste), remove the leaves from the water and store in tupperware, in the fridge. *Note: Water can be re-used to pickle more mustard greens. Just pack in the leaves and sprinkle a little more salt and top with vinegar again. I LOVE Swan Tsai, sour and salty, crunchy and crispy, ok, they are an ugly color, but itÂs so so good! The anticipation while itÂs pickling is what kills me so start making more before you finish your stash.

Fermented foods are an interest of mine, both in the eating and the making. Some things I've made are: Dill Pickles - This was long ago. I grew a lot of pickling cukes and made a large crock (about 5 gal.) of fermented pickles with lots of garlic. I had beginner's luck. They were excellent. I took the crock to an office picnic and people ate them like candy all day long. Later I made another batch which did not turn out so well. They spoiled. Sauerkraut - This was very successful. Like you, I find the home made stuff crunchy and good flavored straight from the crock. Better than any store bought. Cheese - I've tried this a few times without much success. Probably should have started with something easier than cheddar. This can be sort of expensive unless you have a cheap source of milk because the whey is removed, reducing the volume significantly. Beer - I've done a fair amount of home brewing wit. It's a lot of work but the results are satisfying. Tsukemono - There are many varieties of these Japanese fermented pickles. I recently purchases a couple of pounds of nuka (rice bran) to make the kind which are made by burying various vegetables in the bran. Instructions can be found in Joy of Pickling and in several other books on the topic. Kimchee - I've made this a few times with good results. I've made both cabbage and daikon types. The process is like making sauerkraut. Here is a recipe from Rachelellen: RACHELELLEN'S KIMCHEE 2 pounds Napa (Chinese) cabbage, quartered and sliced into 2 inch pieces 4 or 5 green onions, chopped 6 cloves garlic, sliced very thin 2"x2" chunk of ginger root, peeled and minced 2 T Korean chili powder* 4 whole, dried red chilies (opt.) 2 T fish sauce 2 t sugar Salt Dissolve 3 T salt in 6 1/4 cups water in large container. Add cabbage, cover with a plate or plastic lid that fits inside the container and weigh down with a jar full o f water (or other clean, nonreactive weight) so that the cabbage is all held under the salted water. Leave for 12 hours. Drain the cabbage, reserving the salted water. Mix the cabbage with the rest of the ingredients (if using the dried, whole chilies, divide them among the jars) and pack into sterilized, screw top jars, filling the jars with the reserved liquid to completely cover the cabbage. Put the jars into a glass baking dish or other container that will hold liquid. As the kimchee ferments, it generally bubbles up and spills over a bit. Place the lids on the jars, but only very lightly screwed down just enough to fix the lid, not seal the jar. Leave the kimchee to ferment before covering and storing in the fridge. Timing depends on temperature and taste. The longer it ferments, the more sour it will taste. The aroma (some might say stink) when ready should smell pleasantly sour, with no raw cabbage scent and the flavor shouldn't be salty, just sour. It might be ready in a few days in warm weather, or take a week or more if cooler. I think kimchee (like sauerkraut) tastes best when made in relatively cool seasons, as the fermentation is slower and develops richer flavor. Notes: Korean chili powder is available in Asian food stores. There are different grinds. You want the one that looks like small flakes rather than powder. Korean chili powder has a rich chili flavor without a lot of heat. I have seen cookbooks suggest half cayenne and half paprika, but I think that would be quite a bit hotter, and cannot vouch for it as a sub since I've never tried it. This kimchee will keep in the fridge for well over a year, though as time passes, it will lose some texture. Jim This post was edited by jimster on Wed, Feb 13, 13 at 21:00

I am looking for chinese yam (Dioscorea batatas)? I've got some interesting plants to trade in exchange.