Kendall Farms | Dwarf Macadamia

The History of Macadamia

Macadamia (macadmia integrifolia) is true 'bush tucker'. It is believed that long before Australia was mapped by European explorers, Aboriginal people would congregate on the eastern slopes of Australia's Great Dividing Range to feed on the seed of two evergreen trees, one of which they called 'Kindal Kindal'.

In the 1850's these trees were noticed by a British botanist Ferdinand Von Mueller and Walter Hill, the Director of the Botanical Gardens of Brisbane, Australia. The two men were struck with the majestic beauty of the specimens found growing in the rain forests of Queensland. A distinction was made between Macadamia integrifolia (smooth shelled) and Macadamia tetraphylla (rough shelled) which also produces a nut that is edible, although not as good for roasting as Macadamia integrifolia.

The genus Macadamia was named after a prominent scientist of that time, Dr John McAdam.

The Kendall Farms Range

Today the macadamia industry is a multi billion dollar giant with the main plantations being in Hawaii and northern NSW and Queensland. Macadamia nuts are quite expensive so here is an opportunity to grow your own. We stock an Australian selection that shows dwarfing tendencies. It's a high yielder, with excellent nut quality. It is slow growing and highly wind tolerant producing a medium to large nut and high kernel recovery.

It isn't any wonder that the macadamia nut tree from Australia is regarded as the best quality nut in the world. The nuts are sweet and can be enjoyed eaten raw, roasted, fried, chocolate coated, candied, made into nut butters, biscuits, cakes and pies.

Cultivation Notes

As with all Australian natives, the macadamia prefers light friable soil (Australian native potting mix is ideal – and should NEVER be fertilized). Phosphorus or traces of phosphorus found in most fertilizers will kill macadamia.

Apply liquid seaweed every 3 weeks (soluble feed) to enrich your macadamia to produce a top quality bearer of quality mid size kernels that are quite easy to ‘crack’.

The macadamia grows to a height of 2.8m-3m (in pot or ground) is evergreen, self pollinating (but pollination can improve the crop) and will harvest between February and September.

Health Benefits

The University of Newcastle has recently completed a project on health benefit of macadamias which was a dietary study. It demonstrated a significant improvement in markers for oxidative stress, clotting tendency and inflammation. Persons with elevated cholesterol levels showed an improvement in cholesterol and blood fats. These people also had a slight weight reduction despite an increase in the total amount of fat consumed.

Separate dietary trials in Australia and Hawaii with macadamias have demonstrated a significant reduction in total blood serum cholesterol, a reduction in total blood triglycerides, reduction of the undesirable low density cholesterol and with little or no effect on the desirable high density cholesterol. These are all recognised indicators for the risk of heart disease. A range of tree nuts including macadamias have been shown to lower blood pressure in hypertensive people.

Interesting Facts

Here is a little tip - If the macadamia nuts are picked, de-husked and stored in the shade to dry out for 1-6 months or more then they are much sweeter and better tasting...that's if you can wait that long!!!

"Sweeter when stored!"

Print a PDF

Macadamia satay

sauce with

barramundi

Serves 4

Ingredients

5 tbsp boiling water

2 tbsp tamarind pulp

1 lge brown onion

6 garlic cloves chopped

6 red bird's eye chillies

1 cup vegetable oil

Salt

Pepper

160g palm sugar

1 tsp ground turmeric

200g macadamia nuts, crushed

400ml coconut cream

4 X 180g fillets barramundi, skin on, pin-boned

Method

Pour water over tamarind and break up with a spoon. Stand for 30 minutes. Pass through a sieve, pushing tamarind liquid through with a spoon. Discard seeds. Fry onion, garlic and chilli in the vegetable oil over a high heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Season and add sugar, turmeric and nuts. Cook until sugar has dissolved. Add coconut cream and tamarind liquid. Simmer, stirring regularly, until thick and shiny. Heat a little vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan and add seasoned barramundi fillets until just cooked through. Serve with satay sauce and snow peas or salad leaves.

Caramelised

banana and roast macadamia fingers

Makes 8

Ingredients

2 medium-sized bananas, still firm but not green

100g macadamia, unsalted and roasted

150g caster sugar

1 tsp ground cardamom

125g unsalted butter

4 sheets filo pastry

2 tbsp honey

Method

Peel the bananas and slice them, top to bottom, into eight long pieces.

Put the roast macadamia, caster sugar and cardamom into a mortar or food processor and grind until fine. Melt the butter gently in a saucepan on very low heat. Lay out the filo sheets one at a time and brush the surface facing up with the melted butter. Sprinkle the sheet with the ground macadamia, taking care to leave 3-4cm on each long end free of the nuts. Cut the sheet in half, top to bottom, with a knife. Take a piece of banana and put it at the beginning of one of the prepared filo ends. Don't worry if it is curved and it breaks. Roll it up gently but making sure it's as tight as possible.

Repeat until you have eight "fingers". Place them on some non-stick baking paper on an oven tray and refrigerate for an hour or freeze until you want to use them. To bake, add the honey to the remaining butter and heat gently then mix well.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Brush each finger well with the butter honey mixture and place in the oven. After 10 minutes, turn the fingers and baste with the caramelised liquid forming on the tray. Bake for another 10 minutes, remove and cool on a wire rack.

Serve with vanilla ice-cream.

www.cuisine.com.au