Gang Gang Warfare

Underbelly has nothing on Avianbelly. Its on! Gang Gang warfare has started at Sunnybrae with this innocent looking member of the Callocephalon fimbriatum tribe living up to her handsome Australian cockatoo reputation as scout and spotter for this gang of thieves. After a quiet chat to her about the virtues of well hung game birds and a quickpick all the quinces are quickly stashed ready to be slow cooked in the residual heat of the wood oven. Ripe fruit is fair game but when they start to attack green fruit I get very curious as to how a well hung native bird might taste? Tony Bilson tells the tale of Cambridge style family dinners in the Western District of his youth, where roast Black Swan was featured on the menu and many older locals also recall the days of eating wild birds during the depression. Just joking Polly.

Then my neighbor Hans dropped in a box of his prized Bramley apples a variety seldom seen in the market. They are an old English variety mainly used for cooking but to my taste are an equally delicious fresh crisp eating apple. The variety celebrated its 200th anniversary last year. Disaster struck when the original Bramley tree blew down during violent storms at the turn of the 19th century. However, the tree somehow survived and is still bearing fruit more than 100 years later. http://www.bramleyapples.co.uk/

The non astringent Fuyu persimmons have never completely captured my taste buds. They are sweet crisp but nothing on the silken texture and taste of the well ripened astringent varieties.

Quite recently I realised that the Fuyu also bletts or ripens to a jelly like texture with an undefinable unique flavour . Many asian grocers almost give the ripe ones away as it’s the opposite of what they are looking for. I have to admit they also taste pretty good crisp with a seasoning of chilly salt.

Apropos to the last post this is the yellow stainer Agaricus xanthodermus it looks like a field mushroom but stains yellow and smells of Phenol.. Beware!

The next avian assault will be from the Sulphur Crested mob on the olives.

We’re ready Polly!