TreeCropper Issue 68 - December 2011

Front Cover:
The 2011 Post-Conference tour was treated to wonderful morning tea on the lawn of the original homestead of Guthrie Smith Arboretum at Tutira. With views over the extensive plantings through to Lake Tutira, it a was an auspicious start to a wonderful tour. For a full report, see page 9.

Back cover:
Sunlit young growth on seedling walnut (Juglans regia) at Brandy Creek.
Photo by Peter Syms.

TreeCropper Issue 67 - September 2011

Front Cover:
Diana Bell presented a selection of heritage apples for tasting during the Hawkes Bay 2011 NZTCA Annual Conference.
Sourced from Plant and Food Research's heritage orchard of what was ripe at the time and looked tempting, the varieties included Egremont Russet, Rhode Island Greening, Golden Harvest, Merton Russet, Captain Kidd Kay, Grimes Golden, Kitaika, Opalescent, Hetlina, Karmijin de Sonnaville and Freyberg.
NZTCA members were asked to rate them yuk to yum; with the result that Karmijin de Sonnaville came out a clear favourite.

Back cover:
Heritage apple varieties, as detailed. Photographs copyright to Krystina Hill.

TreeCropper Issue 66 - June 2011

Front Cover:
NZTCA members view a custom-made brush unit used to clean feijoas and a sorter which uses weight to size and direct feijoas into four different off-ramps and collection crates.
This sorter was demonstrated during a field trip to Ray and Jean Hollis's Kapiti Gold Organics feijoa orchard in Te Horo during the 2009 NZTCA Annual Conference.

Back cover:
Snaps from NZTCA Conference 2011:
Top left: The tree care and labelling at Guthrie Smith Arboretum was impressive.
Top right: Management Committee: Andrew and Jennifer Hutson, Murray Redpath, Colleen Brown, Sjef Lamers and Gordon Lees.
Hazel varieties displayed by Wairata Hazels. Jo Duff with a water-conserving swale behind her.
Post-conference tour at Guthrie Smith Arboretum. Apple tasting of Jazz at Plant and Food Research Centre.

TreeCropper Issue 65 - March 2011
This issue was delayed in the Christchurch Earthquake 'Red Zone' for a few weeks.

Front cover:
Crispie™, a new pipfruit cultivar, is a typical European shape with a light yellow colour.
Bred by Plant & Food Research at Riwaka Research Station (see page 8) and commercialised by Prevar™.
Copyright © The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited. All rights reserved.

Back cover:
TreeCropper 63 contained an article on the uses of the South European Flowering Ash (Fraxinus ornus), also known as the Manna Ash due to the Manna Sugar which is extracted from it.
This article prompted reader Clive Dalton to send the following pictures of a Manna Ash tree, its stump and a close-up of its leaves, and the stool Clive made for his grand-daughter Hazel. (He also bought her a hazel tree).
Clive says: ...(see TreeCropper 65 printed quarterly magazine of NZ Tree Crops Association)

TreeCropper Issue 64 - December 2010

Front cover:
Native bee, Lasioglossum sp., in flowers of Bulbinella, a New Zealand native plant.
(Photo by Chris Morse, © Landcare Research New Zealand Limited).

Back cover:
Clockwise from top left:

• Why the Conference 2011 field trip property of Erica & Maurice Meneer is called Daffo Down Dilly. They grow them all from seed Maurice's father sends out from England.
  
• Hawkes Bay Small Block Field Day Show, NZTCA Stand, April 2010.
  
• A cider apple - Sweet Alfred at Camla Farm during a NZTCA Conference 2010 field trip. Probably cutting-grown, not sprayed or pruned— note the even fruit distribution. Fruit are harvested after they have fallen - allowing the maximum sugar and flavour to develop.
  
• What's underneath? Mushroom man Tim Thornewell sent this photo of the roots of a young licorice plant (Glycyrrhiza glabra). When asked why he had dug it up, he replied: "Doesn't everyone?"
  
• NZTCA president, Murray Redpath, past-president Diana Loader, patron Hazel Nicholls and past-president Maurice Denton at NZTCA Conference 2010.
  
• Apple tasting inside Linda Gardner's adobe and timber home during a NZTCA Conference 2010 field trip.

TreeCropper Issue 63 - September 2010

Front cover:
Spring is heralded by the mass of blossom on a three-year-old Dans Early plum.
Photo taken by Sheryn Clothier at her Waikato property in spring 2009.

Back cover:
Scenes from NZTCA National Conference 2010, held in Christchurch 25-28 March. Clockwise from top left:
• NZTCA members evaluate the Pickled Walnut competition entries. On display is the beautiful trophy that was won by Wilma and Nelson Rubber.
• Graeme Nicholas comperes Conference Dinner.
• Biodiversity on show during the pre-conference tour to Linocln University.
• Apple varieties on display at Dunsandel Store.
• Conference 2010 organiser Jenny Lawrence with the Taste of Canterbury platter.
• Linda Gardner (centre) shows her medlar tree during the Trees and a Tipple field trip.
• The Bell Tea Guy, Matthew Greenwood, teaches the flavours and fortunes of tea during a food-matched tea tasting.
 

TreeCropper Issue 62 - June 2010

Front cover:
The Mandeville Meander 2010 Conference field visit took NZTCA members to the blackwood woodlot and sawmill of John and Robyn Fairweather - see more photos on page 32. Photo by David Colley.

Back cover:
Scenes from NZTCA National Conference 2010, held in Christchurch 25-28 March.
Clockwise from top left;
Southern Woods Nursery's display of hedgerow plants.
Lunch at the Brew Moon brewery and cafe in Amberley during a field trip.
The Waipara Wander field trip bus, parked outside a massive gum tree at the gate of Limestone Hills. Note Cordane Precious Peggotty (Peg), the truffle-sniffing dog in the foreground.
During the pre-conference tour to Lincoln University, international guest speaker Professor David McNeil (far left, front) discusses the Rex Baker Mermorial Walnut Trial, established in 1985.
Gareth Renowden shows off his producing hazelnut tree, a seven-year-old seedling now supplying him with Perigord black truffles.
 

TreeCropper Issue 61 - March 2010

Front cover:
Fred Davey demonstrates 'Lady Muck' during a NZTCA Conference 2009 field trip to Cobtree Farm. Originally designed as a alpaca and horse poo collector, it also picks up olives, and in this case, hazels. See other members' harvesting ideas on pages 32-37.

TreeCropper Issue 60 - December 2009

Front cover:
Macadamia A4 in full flower at Torere Macadamias. Read Vanessa Hayes' update on the New Zealand Macadamia Industry on page 14.

Back cover: Shown during a Conference 2009 field trip to Hanui, the property of Don and Louis Mclntyre, was a pine tree that had been struck by lightning. Instead of being rent asunder, a scar showed how this tree earthed the power of the heavens. (photo cropped for website)
 

TreeCropper Issue 59 - September 2009

Front cover:
Flowers of the hazelnut, Tonda di Giffoni, encased in ice. It was midday in Clyde (June 2009) when this picture was taken, and still -2°C. But the styles can still be receptive - see page 24.

Back cover: Sunlight shining onto one of Rosy Laing's producing pinenut trees.
Presumed to be Pinus pinea, eight of these trees are keeping Rosy and family supplied year-round with pine nuts - see page 10.

TreeCropper Issue 58 - June 2009

Front cover:
Trevor Byron (front), Bruce Christensen (center using draw knife and shaving horse) and Eric Cairns (rear - foot operated lathe) demonstrate green wood-working techniques at NZTCA Conference 2009.
Tool, chair, hurdle and trug making were just some of the skills demonstrated. The emphasis was for using local material and improvising on design. The splitting (riving) of green logs using a maul, wedges and froe allowed rapid conversion of round wood to useable furniture components. Green wood is much easier to work with than seasoned dry wood, when simple hand tools are used.
Trevor displayed and used his large collection of home made woodworking tools for making a hurdle.

Back cover: from top left: Members catch-up before the AGM starts. Mark Christensen gets friendly with alpacas at Cobtree Farm. Saturday's dinner tables were decorated with a fantastic variety of tree crops. Jean Hollis describes the properties of various figs grown on their Te Horo orchard. Christine Soong gets some products from Stanmore Farms. Young grapevines are inspected at Stanmore Nursery. Brenda Farrell talks about processing hazelnuts.

TreeCropper Issue 57 - March 2009

Front cover:
A banana plant growing in an unheated greenhouse.

Back cover: Conference 2009 notice: Register before 15 March 2009!
Photograph by Grant Baxter of Ocean Retreat homestay.

TreeCropper Issue 56 - December 2008

Front cover:
Selection of pine cones with edible nuts. Photograph by Eric Cairns.

Back cover: Conference 2009 notice.
Photograph by Grant Baxter of Ocean Retreat homestay.

TreeCropper Issue 55 - September 2008

Front cover:
The fruit and seeds of a New Zealand-grown asimoya. Photo by Roy Hart. See article on page 20.

Back cover: Conference 2009 notice.
Photograph by Grant Baxter of Ocean Retreat homestay.

TreeCropper Issue 54 - June 2008

Front cover:
Tropicana, a red-fleshed apple. See page 23 for details. Photograph by Sarah Macmillan.

Back cover: Conference 2009 notice.
Photograph by Grant Baxter of Ocean Retreat homestay.

TreeCropper Issue 53 - March 2008
 

Front and back cover:
The Dragon Fruit or pitaya - see story page 14
 

TreeCropper Issue 52 - December 2007

Front cover:
Photograph by Stephen Goodenough courtesy of 'A Cracker of a Nut'

Back cover:
A photo of an original apple tree in what remains of the first orchard created by Sir William Fox at 'Westoe' in Marlon.
The variety is known currently as 'Jim's Favourite' after the current owner, Jim Howard's, Uncle Jim.
This is an example of heritage fruit trees being found on properties around New Zealand. We were able to obtain grafting wood and graft a number of these trees at NZTCA Central Districts Branch's latest grafting day to preserve this variety.
One day, we may be able to determine its original name.
- Mark Christensen