The Star: August 23, 2018

The Star Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Thursday August 23 2018 27
Gardening
Travel
Develop a taste for
tangy tamarillo
• By Diana Noonan
TAMARILLO are a
favourite cool-season fruit,
maturing from March or
April, and well into winter.
Depending on variety
and pruning regimes,
they will even continue
to produce into early
December.
Three main varieties of
tamarillo are now available.
The reds, with their deep
purple-red skin and darkred
colouring around black
seeds, are especially sought
after for decorating dessert
dishes.
Amber varieties, with
a golden skin tinged with
a red blush, are said to be
the sweetest tamarillos,
although the fruit tends
to be smaller than those
of other varieties. Gold
tamarillos are large and
fleshy and are a little
sweeter than the reds.
The tamarillo is a
subtropical plant that is
frost-tender to -2 deg C.
Grown under cover, they
become susceptible to
sclerotinia rot.
This limits the areas
where the trees can be
planted although gardeners
in marginal areas can
hedge their bets by
planting close to a heatretaining
wall and under
the eaves of a house with a
sunny north-facing aspect.
Tamarillo seriously
resent wet feet so excellent
drainage is essential.
However, their shallow
roots also render the trees
susceptible to drought so
moisture must be provided
during summer.
The key to knowing
when to pick tamarillo is to
be familiar with the variety
you are growing and to
FLAVOUR: A well-tended tamarillo tree will
produce up to 20kg of fruit.
pick when the entire fruit
is the colour described on
the growing label.
If the stalk has begun to
turn yellow, and is slightly
loose where it meets the
fruit, this is another sign of
full ripeness.
Picked at this stage, the
fruit will keep for up to
two weeks in a fridge or
for a week in a bowl at
room temperature. If you
pick fruit when there is
still a ring of green around
the top (the stalk end),
the fruit won’t ripen to
sweetness and will remain
acidic.
Store tamarillo with
other fruit, such as apples,
to hasten ripening.
Tamarillo (skinned) can
be eaten raw as a dessert
or with breakfast cereal,
used in baking or to make
relishes, chutneys and
jams.
They can also be used to
make salsa, can be grilled
with garlic butter, and
used as a sauce for grilled
meats. The pulp (or the
entire fruit, peeled) can be
frozen.
Easy peeling is achieved
by placing the whole raw
fruits in a bowl of boiling
water.
Rinse them in cold
water, pierce with the tip of
a sharp knife, and the skins
will come away easily.
•www.gardener.kiwi
BOOK FAIR!!
HUGE SALE OF
PRE-LOVED
BOOKS
at St Christophers Church
Friday 24th August
9am-7pm
Saturday 25th August
8.30am-4pm
Books $2, 6 for $10,
Kids Books 4 for $2
Jigsaws, Sheet Music,
CDs, Collectable Books.
244 AVONHEAD ROAD
Eftpos available
Singapore return in
premium economy
• By Kate Preece
THERE’S something
nice about being able to
jump a queue. It’s about as
satisfying as seeing those
bright orange ‘priority’
labels being attached to
your luggage.
Singapore Airlines is
bringing the A350-900
to Christchurch from
January and with it comes
the chance to have all
this and more – and we’re
not even talking about
business class.
THe A350 has 24
premium economy seats,
set out in a 2-4-2 row
configuration. On top of
special treatment, you
get a wider seat (49.5cm
versus economy’s 46cm),
can recline 10deg further
back than in the 187
economy seats, and have
your own reading light at
armrest level.
When we tested out the
A350, my favourite freebie
was the noise-cancelling
headphones. Ideal for
night flights and listening
to what dances across your
34cm HD LCD screen. As
for the PlayStation-esque
controller that navigates
the inflight KrisWorld
entertainment system …
you might want to ask
for help from a nearby
teenager.
If you plan ahead,
though, you can
download the Singapore
Airlines app, which will
enable you to preview
what programmes will be
available on your flight,
mark them as favourites
and, once onboard, pair
your own personal device
and use this to jumpstart
those movie credits.
If you are tall, it will be
easier for you to access the
overhead compartments
(the A350 is known for
its high ceiling) and you
will not feel hemmed in
by your fellow passengers.
Securing the front row
of premium economy
provides an impressive
TECH: The A350’s high definition screen
and entertainment system. You may need a
teenager to guide you through it.
MENU: Before you leave Singapore you can
order your meal up to 24 hours before the flight.
amount of leg room.
For the more vertically
challenged, the wider seat
allows for catnapping –
that’s snoozing in a curled
up sort of fashion.
The food and beverage
lists are enticing and vary
well to cater to a range of
tastes.
You can start the day
with waffles for breakfast,
or get into the mood with
some dim sum. For the
uber-organised, ‘premium
economy book the cook’
means you can lock in
your main course up
to 24 hours before your
flight (note: not available
ex-Christchurch, but
certainly ex-Singapore).
Whatever choices you
make, you will soon
discover the service is
impeccable with this
airline – rivalling our very
own.
FAST FACTS:
•The Christchurch
to Singapore
A350 flights will
commence January
8, 2019.
•This will be the first
time Singapore
Airlines premium
economy has been
available on this
direct route. Look for
SQ298 and SQ297.
•Flight time – 9hr
40min to Singapore,
10hr 50min back to
Christchurch