Field Trip: Saturday April 8, 2006
10:00 a.m.
Tour of the Fruit
Garden of Winnie Wu and potluck
@ 28926 Boniface Drive, Malibu
On April 8, we have a field trip to the extensive home garden
of Winnie Wu in Malibu. Winnie’s garden is quite large and she grows many unusual fruit tree varieties,
as well as kiwi, berries, melons, vegetables, and other edibles. The last
time we visited Winnie’s garden, most of her trees were quite young. Now,
many have had an opportunity to mature and fruit.
This field trip is to a private home and is NOT open to the public.
The tour will be followed by a pot luck lunch. Winnie wants everyone
to bring a favorite homemade dish and we will have a tasting contest, with a surprise prize from Winnie.
Note that Winnie also makes wonderful recipes! Bring
a sun hat and appropriate shoes if you want to walk to the beach after lunch.
Directions: Take the Pacific Coast Highway north. Turn left, toward the ocean, on Portshed, immediately (about 100 yards) after passing Kanan Road. When the road bends towards the left, the street name changes to Boniface Drive (there
is no street sign posted at this end). Winnie’s house is the one next to 28936. Park on
the street then WALK TO THE BACKYARD.
Parking space
is limited and car pooling is strongly suggested.
Future West LA CRFG meetings:
One May 6 Paula White will speak on Mason Bees and Other Beneficial Insects at the Ken Edwards Center. Note that this meeting is a week earlier than usual to avoid conflict with ArtsDay
LA on the 13th.
Arts day LA
at UCLA is on May
13 11:00-3:00. If you can help staff
our table, please call Carolyn.
On June 10, Dr.
Gary Bender will speak on Growing Cherimoyas at the Ken Edwards Center.
Then on July 8,
we will have a field trip to the garden of Mits Hawakara for a citrus budding
demonstration and a tour of his orchard. There will be a bus available
for this trip.
In regard to chapter membership, note that, although all chapters depend on the parent group for insurance
and support, membership in any one chapter is independent of membership in any other chapter.
Although you are always welcome to attend a meeting at any CRFG chapter, you need to pay dues to each chapter in which
you want to be a member. Chapters vary, but most chapter dues are between $5
and $10.
Chapter News
Need Plant Nutrients?
Macro or Micro?
Dexter Friede,
Sales Administrator for Grow More Products, was our speaker for the WLA Chapter CRFG March meeting. Grow More develops and sells garden products for maintaining healthy soil and healthy plants that develop
maximum crop production. They also develop specialized formulas for specific
crops.
Dexter brought
containers for many of the products that were discussed so we could read the information contained on the various labels after
the lecture. Many of the products are available in granular, foliar, or liquid
forms. Methods for determining nutrient deficiencies were explained and the products
containing the various combinations of nutrients were discussed.
Everyone in attendance
received a large package of printed material covering the topics that were discussed and a quart of Grow More Seaweed Extract. It can be used as a foliar feeding for field, vegetable, and fruit crops, as a seed
inoculant to enhance seed germination, to enhance chlorophyll production, and to increase plant resistance to drought and
disease. Thank you Dexter, for a very interesting and informative lecture.
For more information
go to www.growmore.com. Chapter members can purchase Grow More products at a considerable discount
by contacting West LA CRFG Chairperson, Carolyn Buckman.
Passing of the Torch
Many many thanks
to outgoing treasurer, Joan Wilder. After
serving as our treasurer for 7 years, she has requested to be released from the position.
Joan, you were a great treasurer and we thank you tremendously for your long commitment to the chapter, in one of the
most demanding positions in any group.
Ann Hagan has agreed to be our
new treasurer. Welcome Ann.
Thank you for the commitment.
Recorded for posterity
Member Glen
Woodmansee is recording
presentations on CDs for those who either missed the meeting or want to review the talk.
Thank you Glen, for all your time and effort. You are greatly appreciated. Ask Margaret if you want to borrow a copy.
Recipes: Poached
Tamarillos with Lime and Clove Curd serves
4
from Earl & SP Rand
1 cup fruity red wine (e.g. Shiraz or Merlot) 4 ripe tamarillos
1/2 cup liquid honey
1 tsp cornstarch (optional)
juice and grated zest of 1/2 lime
4 ripe tamarillos
1 cinnamon stick
whipped cream and Lime and Clove Curd, to serve
Combine the wine, honey, lime juice and zest,
and cinnamon stick in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cut a cross into the bottom of each tamarillo, and leave the
stems intact. Carefully lower the fruit into the saucepan, holding them by the stems. Add enough boiling water so that the
fruits are floating. Bring back to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the tamarillos are
tender when prodded. Remove from the heat, and leave to cool in the saucepan.
Remove the cinnamon stick and the tamarillos
from the saucepan. If the skins are thick enough, lightly score the fruit in quarters, and peel the skins back like flower
petals, leaving the stems intact. Place the tamarillos on individual serving plates.
Meanwhile, bring the poaching syrup to a boil,
and cook until reduced by half. If you prefer a thicker syrup, mix a little of the liquid with the cornstarch, and then stir
into the syrup and cook until thickened. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool. Pour some syrup over each fruit, and serve
with a dollop each of whipped cream and lime curd.
Ordering Trees
26 members ordered a total of 125 trees from
Brokaw Nursery. The most popular tree, by far, was the Meiwa Kumquat. Also popular were the Bays Cherimoya, the Hayward Kiwi, and the Moro Blood Orange. We anxiously await the arrival of our new trees! Thanks
to Larry Rose of Brokaw Nursery for this opportunity!
Pay your
chapter and national dues for 2006! Help our chapter, continue your newsletter, and receive the Fruit Gardener Magazine.
Our parent
CRFG has determined that all chapter members must be members of the parent group. This
is mostly due to insurance concerns and is supported in the by-laws. Our parent
CRFG provides our meeting site insurance and publishes the Fruit Gardener, as well
as multiple other services. All are strongly encouraged to join the National
CRFG. All chapter officers must be members of the parent group.
Brochures for CRFG membership are always available at the meetings or on the internet site: www.crfg.org. Note that there are various ways to
join CRFG, including email only magazines or hard copy magazines. Each membership
category is associated with a different charge. For example, if you receive your
Fruit Gardener:
by Regular Mail, the cost
is $30 or
$600 for a lifetime membership;
by First-Class Mail, the cost is $35 or $800 for a lifetime
membership; and
by Electronic Mail Only, the cost is $20 or $500 for a lifetime
membership.
Membership is assumed to be a family membership. Thus, you need only
have one membership per household and you will receive only one Fruit Gardener.
Visitors are always welcome and those paying $8 to our local chapter will continue to receive newsletters, regardless
of the status of their membership in the parent group. However, if you do not
pay national dues, you can no longer be officially considered a member of the West Los Angeles Chapter, CRFG. Please do not plan on being a long term visitor. Come a few times and check us out. Then join! We want you to come but we also want your membership, commitment, and participation!
Remember that ALL the participants in the West LA Chapter are volunteers. They
spend a lot of their time planning, growing the raffle plants, transporting plants,
arranging the sites, handling the finances, setting up the tables for plants and food, composing and mailing out the newsletter
(both as post and email), updating our website, letting others know about the CRFG, and providing you with great speakers
and field trips. With the plants comes the out-of-pocket expense of pots, potting
soil, fertilizer, etc. No one is reimbursed for their expenses or paid for their time. This is just a small list of the many contributions made by our active members. Consider joining us by taking a more active part in your chapter.
What topics would you be interested in having covered at our meetings? We
need a speaker for August. Do you have an idea for a great speaker? Where would you like to visit on a field trip? Could we see
your garden this year?
Join the board and help determine the West LA CRFG agenda
for 2006 and 2007!
