Sun, Soil and Sea. Rockmelon, tarla and hihi!

Sun, Soil and Sea. Rockmelon, tarla and hihi! -

 Our Norfolk Island’s rich volcanic soil, abundant sunshine, and surrounding sea is a wonderful environment for cultivating distinctive produce. Let’s explore our agricultural landscape, the history and cultivation of local crops like rockmelons and taro/tarla, and one of our all time favourite traditions that is deeply intertwined with our island food, the cherished activity of ‘gwen rumma' and the gathering of 'hihi'.

 Professor Peter Mühlhäusler shares a work in progress entitled ‘Plant Names in Norf’k’ as gathered from input by Norfolk Island community and botanists.

Quote:
...Norfolk Island has about 175 native plant species, fifty of which are endemic. 

...The Pitcairners, when they arrived in 1856, brought with them a number of plants from Pitcairn including new varieties of bananas, sweet potatoes and other food plants.

From our rich soil to our life-giving sea surrounds, we have a fascinating ecological tapestry on the island.

Rockmelons thrive in the island's subtropical climate. An excerpt from Merv’s Homegrown Book shares;

Rockmelons come in a vast variety of shapes, texture, colours and size. Hybrid ones need new seeds each year but with non-hybrids their seeds can be harvested and planted year after year. I grow two types that I have kept going and producing and harvesting for more than 30 years. Both varieties are wilt resistant so this is great!

Rockmelons will set some fruit just after flowering starts and will keep flowering until the plant dies but it only sets fruit the once. Fruit usually ripen after 10-12 weeks. 

>> LISTEN TO NORFOLK ISLANDER, MERV BUFFETT

Taro has been cultivated on islands in the Pacific for centuries, playing a significant role in the local culture.

Norfolk Island is home to a fascinating array of taro/tarla varieties, each with its own unique characteristics and culinary uses. 

>> LISTEN TO NORFOLK ISLANDER, RUTH McCOY

Rumma: A Traditional Island Activity

A favourite traditional island activity is: rumma. This means ‘to gather shellfish by torchlight at night’. Gathering shellfish by torchlight connects islanders to their marine environment in a sustainable way. Rumma is a popular island activity in which families spend time together, create lasting memories, and enjoy the island's natural resources. It provides not only food, but also contributes to the social fabric of the island, where traditions are cherished and passed down through generations.

>> LISTEN TO MERV BUFFETT’S POEM

A bit more of a description about our hihi is shared in this excerpt from Rachel Nebauer’s article: Ode to Hihi

Hihi are medium-sized globe-shaped marine snails found in abundance on Norfolk Island's rocky foreshores. The shell is generally dark black and smooth when small, larger ones have more distinct whirling grooves on the shell surface and tend to be dark grey; with many variations of white, black and grey in between. These hard, thick shelled sea snails or shellfish are what many call 'periwinkles'.

From the fertile volcanic soil to the surrounding sea, Norfolk Island offers a unique blend of flavors and traditions that are waiting to be explored by visitors to the island. You can savour the sweetness of a freshly harvested rockmelon, learn about the versatility of tarla in our garden tours, or listen to a local explaining about their nighttime "rumma" adventures.

We look forward to welcoming you to the island.

Thanks so much for joining me this week!

Untold Norfolk Island Travel Podcast Series - Sponsored by Baunti Tours www.bauntitours.com

Transcript

Sun, Soil and Sea. Rockmelon, tarla and hihi!

Welcome to Episode 15 of the Untold Norfolk Island travel podcast series.

My name is Jodie Williams and as a Norfolk Islander & Churchill Fellow, I am your ‘on island’ podcast host.

Audio - That was a short audio segment of as singalong at an island home.

Our Norfolk Island’s rich volcanic soil, abundant sunshine, and surrounding sea is a wonderful environment for cultivating distinctive produce. Let’s explore our agricultural landscape, the history and cultivation of local crops like rockmelons and taro/tarla, and one of our all time favourite traditions that is deeply intertwined with our island food, the cherished activity of ‘gwen rumma' and the gathering of 'hihi'.

Professor Peter Mühlhäusler shares a work in progress entitled ‘Plant Names in Norf’k’ as gathered from input by Norfolk Island community and botanists.

Quote:
Norfolk Island has about 175 native plant species, fifty of which are endemic. The first settlers, the Polynesians introduced a small number of food plants together with the Polynesian rat. Introduced rats are a likely source of extinction of some plants, A very large number of plant species were introduced during two British settlements both deliberately but more importantly, accidentally with the fodder brought for the animals. Accidental introduction of weeds is a problem shared with many other small islands. The Pitcairners, when they arrived in 1856, brought with them a number of plants from Pitcairn including new varieties of bananas, sweet potatoes and other food plants.

From our rich soil to our life-giving sea surrounds, we have a fascinating ecological tapestry on the island.

Rockmelon Revelation
Rockmelons thrive in the island's subtropical climate.

An excerpt from Merv’s Homegrown Book shares:

Rockmelons come in a vast variety of shapes, texture, colours and size. Hybrid ones need new seeds each year but with non-hybrids their seeds can be harvested and planted year after year. I grow two types that I have kept going and producing and harvesting for more than 30 years. Both varieties are wilt resistant so this is great!

I plant my rockmelons in 200mm deep drills and hill them up as I do the weeding which is usually twice. This means that by then the area that they are growing on is now flat. Rockmelons like water until they start ‘running’ then I don’t bother. Plus I only water if the season is extremely dry.

Rockmelons will set some fruit just after flowering starts and will keep flowering until the plant dies but it only sets fruit the once. Fruit usually ripen after 10-12 weeks.

The fruit is ready to harvest if the yellowing fruit, once touched, the stalk parts from the fruit. If the stalk does not part from the fruit maybe it should be left for another day.

Humidity is not a friend of rockmelons. Rockmelons seem to rot easily in humid weather where they come into contact with the soil. The rockmelon harvest lasts only a couple of weeks so staggered plantings is the only way to extend a season.

>>> LISTEN TO NORFOLK ISLANDER, MERV BUFFETT.

Taro Tales
Taro has been cultivated on islands in the Pacific for centuries, playing a significant role in the local culture.
Norfolk Island is home to a fascinating array of taro/tarla varieties, each with its own unique characteristics and culinary uses.

Merv Buffett explains in his Homegrown Book:

There are two different types of tarla grown on Norfolk Island. One lot is known as dry land tarla, and the other type is wet land tarla.

The first of the dry land tarla has a purple-ish green leaf stem with a large dark green leaf. The trunk colour is brown and the edible tubers that come off it has a red/purple hue. This variety is known as 'Pa Forts' as Fortesque Buffett introduced it to Norfolk.

The second type of dry land tarla has white-ish/green leaf stems with a brown trunk and also has large dark green leaves. The tubers that come off the trunk underground has a white covering. The white tarla is known as 'Pa Petes' as Peter Buffett introduced it to Norfolk Island. The white tarla is softer than the red when cooked. Both are delicious.

I tend to harvest mine in the early summer after the strong root system starts to die off from lack of winter water. I find that driving a pick under the stem and levering it out is the easiest way to harvest your crop.

Once out of the ground tubers that have not already broken away from the trunk can be removed with a sudden chop with the 'heel' of your hand.

These tubers traditionally were stored in the dry loft above the shed and cooked as required the same as potatoes. The difference is that they are not susceptible to worms. The longer they are stored the drier and tougher they become.

Both types of dry land tarla can reach a height of over 7 feet with a trunk diameter of 7 inches. When growing in valleys these types of tarla will just keep growing along the ground with trunks up to 3 metres long if not harvested. These trunks can also be eaten and is usually grated to make patties.

The still curled up centre leaf can also be cooked and eaten, but at certain times of the year it can cause itching of the throat. So testing a small bit each time is a good practice. Same goes for eating the trunk.

We did have a third land tarla that was known as the 'blue tarla' because of the bluish tinge in the leaf stalks. I was never allowed to eat and experience this blue tarla, so there ends its story as I don't know if any more still survive on Norfolk.

Wet land tarla is totally different. It only grows in creek beds. One type, the most popular 'drain tarla' has a bright green leaf stem with a medium sized light green leaf atop. The trunk is slender coloured light brown and only reaches about 1/2 metre tall. To harvest, one pulls the plant out of the creek mud, cut the top off a little below where the leaves are, to then replant the top bit and keep the bottom bit for cooking. Delicious.

The second type of wet land tarla has a taller characteristic with bigger leaves and a slight maroon colouration to the leaf stem. Here again, I have not partaken of this plant so my experience of it is nil, although it still grows on Norfolk Island.

The third type of wet land tarla is inedible. It has a rhizome that continually forks once it is 100mm long and it's only about 10mm thick. It can rapidly cover a wetland and nothing eats it.

>> LISTEN TO NORFOLK ISLANDER, RUTH McCOY

Rumma: A Traditional Island Activity

A favourite traditional island activity is: rumma. This means ‘to gather shellfish by torchlight at night’. Gathering shellfish by torchlight connects islanders to their marine environment in a sustainable way. Rumma is a popular island activity in which families spend time together, create lasting memories, and enjoy the island's natural resources. It provides not only food, but also contributes to the social fabric of the island, where traditions are cherished and passed down through generations.

>> LISTEN TO MERV BUFFETT’S POEM

A bit more of a description about our hihi is shared in this excerpt from Rachel Nebauer’s article: Ode to Hihi

Hihi are medium-sized globe-shaped marine snails found in abundance on Norfolk Island's rocky foreshores. The shell is generally dark black and smooth when small, larger ones have more distinct whirling grooves on the shell surface and tend to be dark grey; with many variations of white, black and grey in between. These hard, thick shelled sea snails or shellfish are what many call 'periwinkles'.

Of all the shellfish, small though it might be, the hihi packs a fair flavour punch being among the tastiest of them all. It has an intense indescribable flavour all of its very own, somewhat akin to scallop roe, but not at all like it really. It is simply a very unique taste sensation.

For those who are allergic to shellfish, and anyone who suffers from asthma or are prone to anaphylactic shock it is best to avoid them completely.

Today on Norfolk the humble hihi remains enduringly symbolic of sharing and celebration; in earlier times it was often much more – it was in fact a saving grace. They are still collected and shared by our people for the everyday; but also most especially for large celebrations like Bounty Day, weddings, special birthdays and home comings. They are also gifted to the elderly who can no longer make the trip to the ocean but still relish their unique salty flavor. This is the Norfolk way.

A Taste of Norfolk Island
From the fertile volcanic soil to the surrounding sea, Norfolk Island offers a unique blend of flavors and traditions that are waiting to be explored by visitors to the island. You can savour the sweetness of a freshly harvested rockmelon, learn about the versatility of tarla in our garden tours, or listen to a local explaining about their nighttime "rumma" adventures.

We look forward to welcoming you to the island.

Thanks so much for joining me this week!