deserted fruit.

the (f)route zine

deserted fruit.
jessee john.

harvest lane 2012 limited edition (f)route zine number one all content remains the property of jessee john. printed at ??? May 2012 1/100

A discovery got me thinking. How many fruit trees are growing in vain, full to the brim with fruity goodness that no-one harvests, no-one appreciates? Fruit WANTS to be eaten. And stewed, and preserved, and made into vats of sticky jam. So, my mission was: forgotten fruit love. This quickly developed into a tribute to abandoned fruit, excess fruit, wild fruit, native fruit & fruit so obscure it may have been ditched by the mainstream. Ta-da! A mish-mash of photos, stories, locations & recipes.

figs.
[undiscovered fruit]

Im sure I had always been faintly aware there were fig trees in my new backyard. But it wasnt until I returned home from a long trip to India & the fruit was in full bloom that I really discovered them. I raced the bats to pick them, set about making some fig, mint and ginger jam, then fell in love with the concept of forgotten fruits. The figs were what prompted my whole (f)route movement - If I had figs in my backyard that would be going to waste, who else might? Where else might there be trees growing in

vain? Everyday I bustled outside in my apron, toting a bucket, ready to fill it with pink and green bulbs of deliciousness. I made jam. Crumble. Poached figs with marscopone. Chutney. I used one kilogram of caster sugar in two days. I started hoarding the figs. Hiding them. Telling people the bats got them. Getting up early to have first shot at the jam. Eating dessert before dinner. I realised I had a problem. So, I begun my fruity journey and starting finding other trees to utilise.

location: 374927.94S 1473724.33E

Fig, mint & ginger jam.

Ingredients: 4 cups coarsely chopped dark-skinned fresh figs 2 cups sugar cup water cup fresh lemon juice 3 teaspoons chopped, fresh ginger teaspoon salt Method: Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Cool. If desired, blend further with a stick blender or food processor. Pour into airtight containers. Note: Refrigerate Fig and Ginger Jam in airtight containers up to six weeks.

mint.
[unrelentless fruit/herb]

We didnt plant the mint. We didnt water it. We didnt encourage it. We just didnt kill it. We moved into our new house in McCulloch street, happy it had a predetermined area for a veggie patch, with a BIG GATE for keeping out little puppies. It also, apparently, had a predetermined love for mint, which was outgrowing the weeds at a rate of one million to one. But, this was okay. Of all the things to be growing rampant in your backyard, mint was fine by me. It smells delicious, tastes delicious, can be sweet or savoury and all the extra can be used to make mojitos. We still have a LOT of mint though. You can have some if you like. location: 374927.94S 1473724.33E

Mint sauce.
Ingredients: cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves 2 teaspoons caster sugar cup boiling water cup white wine vinegar Method: Combine the mint and caster sugar in a small heat-resistant mixing bowl. Add the boiling water and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Add the vinegar and mix well. Allow the sauce to stand for 15 minutes for the flavour to develop before serving in a sauce jug with a spoon. Makes 250mls (1 cup)

lemon.
[too much fruit]

Once, I was given an esky full of lemons. An esky. FULL. Needless to say, I think the giver was swimming in an excess of lemons. There was no way I could use them all theres only so much lemon slice you can make before the need for condensed milk puts you out of pocket. Robbie and Anna live in Ellaswood, and on their property is a seemingly magic lemon tree that provides more lemons than physically possible. Very handy for them, very handy for me when Im in want of lemon-sugar pancakes. To be fair, the lemon tree itself isnt that impressive - a standard citrus tree. But apparently, on the day I picked a backpack full of lemons, there wasnt many on it - and there was more than Ive ever seen, littering the ground surrounding the roots, plopping to the ground with a gentle shake of a branch. I was impressed. location: 374824.51S 1473512.91E

Lemonade with mint.

Ingredients: 2 cups granulated sugar 6 cups water 2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice cup fresh whole mint leaves Method: Make a simple syrup by combining 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water in a saucepan and bringing to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved and then let cool. Pour lemon juice and remaining 4 cups water in a large pitcher. Add 1 cup of the sugar syrup and taste. Gradually add more simple syrup to reach desired sweetness. Stir in mint leaves and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve over ice. If keeping for more than one day, replace the mint leaves

fennel.
[not really fruit]

Ryan Bowden is probably Bairnsdales answer to the bush tucker man. An urban bushtucker man. With mismatched socks and the standard flanny. Nevertheless, he is a perfect candidate for fruity direction, having spent most of his life outdoors, and a great portion of that time trying to find edible wild flora. After spending a rather fruitless (ha!) day trying to find peaches and blackberries on plants that had clearly prepared themselves for the upcoming winter, Ryan interrupts our

drive home with rally-car driver finesse, spinning his troopy around and propelling us to the river post haste! He has brought me to the place where he likes to walk our dog, along the Mitchell River, in between the Lind Bridge and Picnic Point. He uses his nature-loving eyes to discern what is edible and what is not, to show me where the healthiest plants would be growing, and to explain the variances in heights of the bushes we are encountering. We find fennel plants well over 10 foot tall, as well as

new seedlings battling their way up through the ivy. Bushes upon bushes of wild fennel grow here, and although we have caught them at the end of their season, plenty of seeds are still begging to be picked. I leave with my hands smelling strongly of aniseed, with my pockets stuffed with the

starburst-shaped branches. Being a liquorice lover, I am excited to find new recipes to utilise these tiny but flavour some pods. (And Ryan was very happy to eat the ice cream I made him to say thank you.)

location: 374839.95S 1473636.59E

Fennel & mint ice-cream.

Ingredients: 300ml thick cream 300ml milk 1 vanilla bean, split 6 egg yolks 175g caster sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla essence cup fennel seeds mint leaves, finely chopped Method: Add cream, milk and vanilla beans to a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and let stand for ten minutes to infuse. Beat eggs, caster sugar and vanilla essence with an electric mixer until pale. Carefully pour the milk mixture and the egg mixture together and return to the heat. Mix in mint and fennel seeds. Cook over low heat, stirring, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Let cool for 30 minutes, then place in a freezer until edges are frozen. Beat again then freeze again. Repeat two more times. Then enjoy!

cumquat.
[tiny fruit]

Okay, Im going to take some liberties here. Im fine with it, so lets just go with it. Trust me. Technically, these tiny little gorgeous cumquats are not deserted at all, but tended to carefully and lovingly harvested from the Cameron-Crisp family garden in Wy Yung. But - there were no adults home the day I assaulted their fruit trees, therefore the cumquats had been left to their own devices and TECHNICALLY had been abandoned. Thats my story and Im sticking to it. (Poetic license win!) location: 374839.95S 1473636.59E

Cumquat jam.
Ingredients: 1 cups chopped cumquats (without seeds) cup water cup sugar cup chopped mint leaves (optional) Method: Add cumquats, water, sugar and mint to a saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring gently. Once it has reached boiling point, turn the heat down to a simmer for roughly half an hour - until mixture is smooth and jam-like. If you want, blend with a stick blender once cooled. Jar up and make pretty! Last for 6 weeks in an airtight container.

Now, it is YOUR turn.

Send us your (f)routey stories, poems, photos, paintings, craft, locations & more. Let us know how fruit fits into your world and why YOU love it!

(f)route
(f)route is a project for artists and fruitists interested in producing public art, private art, ephemeral art, (f)route CARTs and fruit maps about fruit, localism & community gardens. its also about (f)route breakfasts. the (f)route PRESS is calling for fruit images, stories, information and whimsy as contributions to the (f)route book.

froute.com.au
contact: andrea lane andrealane@bigpond.com. 0438 352 370. jessee john harvest.lane@hotmail.com. 0415 479 950.

 harvest lane 2012 limited edition (f)route zine number one