Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Mike Yardley’s on an adventure in London, experiencing luxury hotels and five star dining experiences.  He joined Jack Tame to delve into some of his top destination dining picks.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's catholic leader says Pope Francis' legacy will live on under the church's new leader.  69-year-old Robert Prevost was elected the new pontiff after the fourth ballot of the conclave yesterday, taking the name Leo XIV.  He is the first Pope from the United States and the first from the Augustinian order of the church.  New Zealand Archbishop John Dew voted in the conclave, and says in the ten days of meetings leading up to the vote, they discussed what's needed in the church and the world today.  He says everyone was saying while they can't have a copy of Pope Francis, his initiatives should continue.  He told Jack Tame the new pope has been a natural fit.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne recently received an email, passed on by Jack Tame, about advice he gave on the show 18 years ago. He said that parents should buy an exercise book, tie a pencil to it and write in even the little highlights of their kids growing up. The listener did just that, giving his son a book filled with special moments and memories on his 21st birthday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a decade of making music, Chaos in the CBD has finally released their debut album.  ‘A Deeper Life’ is a labour of love from brothers Louis and Ben Helliker-Hale, a house album that pays tribute to their lives growing up in Aotearoa.   Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on the release.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The internet is filled with a wide array of things – more than any one person could experience in their entire life.  However, as the internet has developed, spaces dedicated to children have been eroded – gone are the days of Club Penguin and flash games, replaced with adult and advertiser friendly spaces.  What this has resulted in is the exposure of generations of children and young people to harmful —sometimes outright illegal— content.   The Classification Office recently released a report delving into what young people are exposed to online, speaking with ten different groups, ranging in age from 12-25.  Dougal Sutherland unpacks the results, and the impact the exposure has had on young people.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams   From trips on private jets and encounters with world leaders to shocking accounts of misogyny and double standards behind the scenes, this searing memoir exposes both the personal and the political fallout when unfettered power and a rotten company culture take hold. In a gripping and often absurd narrative where a few people carelessly hold the world in their hands, this eye-opening memoir reveals what really goes on among the global elite.  Sarah Wynn-Williams tells the wrenching but fun story of Facebook, mapping its rise from stumbling encounters with juntas to Mark Zuckerberg’s reaction when he learned of Facebook’s role in Trump’s election. She experiences the challenges and humiliations of working motherhood within a pressure cooker of a workplace, all while Sheryl Sandberg urges her and others to “lean in.”  Careless People is a deeply personal account of why and how things have gone so horribly wrong in the past decade—told in a sharp, candid, and utterly disarming voice. A deep, unflinching look at the role that social media has assumed in our lives, Careless People reveals the truth about the leaders of Facebook: how the more power they grasp, the less responsible they become and the consequences this has for all of us.    My Name is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende   In San Francisco 1866, an Irish nun, left pregnant and abandoned following a torrid relationship with a Chilean aristocrat, gives birth to a daughter named Emilia Del Valle. Raised by a loving stepfather, Emilia grows into an independent thinker and a self-sufficient young woman.  To pursue her passion for writing, she is willing to defy societal norms. At the age of sixteen, she begins to publish pulp fiction under a man’s pen name. When these fictional worlds can't contain her sense of adventure any longer, she turns to journalism, convincing an editor at the San Francisco Examiner to hire her. There she is paired with another talented reporter, Eric Whelan.  As she proves herself, her restlessness returns, until an opportunity arises to cover a brewing civil war in Chile. She seizes it, along with Eric, and while there, begins to uncover the truth about her father and the country that represents her roots. But as the war escalates, Emilia finds herself in danger and at a crossroads, questioning both her identity and her destiny.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 10 May 2025, fresh from the conclave, New Zealand's Cardinal John Dew joins Jack to discuss his part in the process of selecting Pope Leo XIV.  Jack considers the rare instances when the world's eyes all rest on the same place.  Mother's Day is sorted with Nici Wickes' delicious No-fuss Sticky Buns.  Bill Gates will go broke to make the earth better – tech expert Paul Stenhouse discusses the reality of Gates' campaign.  And, Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas joins Jack from London at the Decanter World Wine Awards.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wine: Neudorf Tiritiri Pinot Gris RRP – $27.00  From the Moutere Hills in Nelson.  The Wine: A semi-aromatic variety, this PG delivers scents of Asian pears and red apple. There’s a natural white spice, almost pepper-like and a distinctive mineral quality. Satin smooth texture on the palate, juicy fleshy, ripe and delicious. Medium(ish) weighted and lengthy on the finish.   The Food: Whilst great on its own, this wine pairs well with starter courses like sashimi or Waldorf salad, and some lighter main courses like Flounder with fresh lemon or fettuccine with tomato, basil and prawns.   The season: 2024 was an excellent year for most growers in NZ, and especially Nelson.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A common problem in our homes, especially in the cooler areas of Aotearoa: gazillions of flies settling into your spare room, on the ceiling of a quiet place, or in the roof cavity.   The flies arrive at your place in autumn and find a good spot to hibernate – just like they do in their countries of origin: Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Germany, the UK, the USA, and Canada.    Pollenia pediculata is the cluster fly species we discovered on the North Shore for the first time in 1984. It may have arrived in some containerised luggage or cargo (we were not sure when we found it), it’s now well-spread, often in the cooler spots of our country.   It is quite a gorgeous fly species, with golden hairs on its back – easy to spot as it often sits quietly.   Flies have just one pair of wings whereas other insect orders usually have two pairs of wings in the adult stage. The second pair of wings is turned into small “halteres”: modified hind wings that provides stability when in flight.   Flies are real acrobats: they can fly up-side-down onto the ceiling   Our cluster fly lives a peculiar life as a parasite of earthworms.    The female fly lays eggs in dense grass habitats (paddocks and lawns) and often near or in earthworm tunnels.   The larvae (aka "maggots") hatch, find themselves some way of getting into the soil (gaps around plants or through established earthworm tunnels) and gain entry into the body of an earthworm.   Inside the worm it feeds on the internal body fluids and organs.    Gross? Yep! But these flies do minimal damage to earthworm population densities.  Most animals on the planet have "parasites" that can cause damage (humans have parasites too). In spring and summer, I often see them pollinating flowers (the name “Pollenia” is a nice indicator!).  When temperatures get cooler in autumn, the cluster flies usually look for a suitable hibernation place: holes in the ground, under bark of trees, under mulch layers, etc. But if there’s a nice warm human house nearby, they will try to gain entry – by the thousands!   They crawl through small holes (ill-fitting window frames, etc) and mark their entry by leaving a residue of pheromone scent – this means that other Pollenia flies simply follow the trail and join the others.  The pheromone is rather sticky and smells somewhat of Buckwheat honey (hence the name buckwheat fly in the USA).   Cluster flies are not of medicinal importance (like some blowflies) but are hard to remove due to their messy pheromones. Best “prevention” is to ensure there are no entrance holes around the home.   A very residual aerosol can (available from SafeWorx – safety company) sprayed at the flies’ entry and exit holes, will stop them from getting inside.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Poker Face  Charlie Cale, a casino employee, has an exceptional ability to detect lies. She drives around the country and begins to solve cases of random individuals she meets on the road (TVNZ+).    Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles De Menezes  In London, July 2005, police hunt a rogue terrorist cell. An extraordinary series of events during a surveillance operation leads to the misidentification of an innocent young Brazilian as a suspect, resulting in his fatal shooting. As his relatives battle misinformation, they find support from an unlikely source, and the Met is plunged into crisis, forced to confront hard-truths about the shooting (Disney+).    Long Way Home    Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman get on their refurbished bike and travel from Ewan's home in Scotland to Charley's home in England; they take a two-month-long route, passing through the Arctic Circle and continental Europe (Apple TV+).    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bill Gates will go broke to make the earth better   The Microsoft founder says he plans to give away 99% of his vast fortune over the next 20 years. In a blog post, he wrote that he will not die rich. He cited Andrew Carnegie’s line: “The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.”   His foundation will close its doors permanently on December 31st, 2045. Before that it will be spending down its endowment, as well as almost all of Gates’s remaining personal fortune.   The Gates Foundation has spent $100 billion towards its health and development mission and plans to spend another $200 billion. The foundation is credited with eradicating Polo from Africa. Today, wild polio is found only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It's helped reduce childhood deaths from 10 million a year, to five million a year.    The goals for the next 20 years:   No mum, child or baby dies of a preventable cause.  The next generation grows up in a world without deadly infectious disease.  Bring hundreds of millions of additional people out of poverty and put more countries on a path to prosperity. Fortnite is trying to get back on the Apple App Store   But will Apple allow it? It's submitted the app for Apple's review over four years after it was pulled.   Epic Games has made a peace offering with Apple that if the company complies with the court's recent ruling to end the "Apple Tax", it will drop its litigation.   The Apple Tax has forced app developers to use the App Store's payments system, and only the App Stores payment system, which then takes up to 30% of the revenue. Developers couldn't even link to a website on the signup page which would allow off-platform account creation and payment. Epic challenged Apple on this, with the court ruling it a monopoly. No surprise, Apple disagrees with the decision. Why? Because billions of dollars are at stake. Apple's lawyers wrote, "A federal court cannot force Apple to permanently give away free access to its products and services, including intellectual property”.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another Simple Favor  Stephanie Smothers agrees to travel to Italy to be the maid of honour for the devious and cunning Emily Nelson. However, she soon suspects Emily's good will is part of an elaborate plan for revenge.    The Wedding Banquet Hoping to stay in the country, a gay man proposes a green card marriage to a female friend in exchange for paying for her IVF treatment. However, things soon get complicated when his grandmother surprises them with plans for an extravagant Korean wedding banquet.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is one of the simplest and quickest sticky bun recipes I know, and the buns are top notch.    Makes 8-10 large buns      Ingredients   Syrup   ½ cup brown sugar   3 big tablespoons butter   4 tablespoons maple syrup       Dough   1 cup warmed milk    2 teaspoons active yeast granules   1 teaspoon sugar    3 cups plain flour   ½ teaspoon salt   1 large egg   100g butter, softened       Filling   2 tablespoons butter - melted   1/3 cup brown sugar   3 teaspoons each cinnamon and mixed spice   1 cup walnut pieces, chopped roughly        Method  Line a 23cm cake tin with baking paper, making sure it comes up the sides.    Melt brown sugar, butter and maple syrup and simmer for 1 minute. Pour half of this into the base of the lined tin. In a small jug stir the yeast and warm milk and sugar together and leaving to froth for 5 minutes.    In a large bowl whisk together the flour and salt.    Whisk together frothy yeast mix and egg and pour this into the dry ingredients. Mix together with a knife until combined to a sticky dough. Add in butter a tablespoon at a time and keep mixing until it’s incorporated. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until it is shiny and smooth. This can also be done in a mixer with a kneading attachment too. Leave to rise until doubled in size – about 60 minutes.   To assemble buns: Roll out dough to a 20x30 rectangle. Brush with melted butter then sprinkle over sugar, spices and ¾ of the walnuts. Starting from the long side furthest away from you and roll up, bringing it towards you. Use a sharp knife or, my preferred technique, dental floss or thread (see note) to cut into nine equal portions. Place in lined tin, evenly spaced to allow for expansion, cut side up. Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size – about 45-60 minutes.    Preheat oven to 190 C fan bake. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.    Remove buns from oven and let settle for a few minutes before turning out onto a serving dish or board. Peel off paper to reveal the syrupy buns!     To serve, top with remaining syrup and walnuts. Eat up!       Nici’s note:   Dental floss, or cotton, makes a great cutting tool when making these buns. Slide a length of thread under your dough, wrap it around the top and quickly pull it tight. The floss/thread should cut cleanly and easily right through the dough.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The centre of the world.   It’s a funny concept, really, because on a planet with 8 billion people, the world’s attention never settles on any one event or thing for much more than a moment. Most of the time you would probably argue that the world’s attention is divided and scattered. It takes an historic moment, something really big, truly significant, to hone those 8 billion sets of eyes to one point. And to be there in person, to actually experience it for yourself is to be an eyewitness to history. I met a guy who was on his OE in Europe in 1989 when he woke up one morning and heard maybe something was stirring. He hustled to a train and ended up with his photograph in the New York Times, tearing down the Berlin Wall.    Truthfully, I can’t compete with that. But by the nature of my job, I guess I’ve been fortunate to witness some reasonably significant events, first hand.    I sat there as Pope Francis addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations. I’ve seen Presidential inaugurations, Obama speaking on the mall. I was there in the room in 2016 when Donald Trump strode into a Philadelphia arena and formally accepted the Republican nomination for President of the United States.    Something tells me that despite our geographic isolation, New Zealanders are good at sniffing out big historic moments. It could be a regal one – a royal wedding of a funeral? It can be a tragic event like witnessing the 9/11 attacks.    Sport can be a good one. I saw Leo Messi score for Argentina at the opening game of the 2014 Football World Cup. That was special. And I was sitting on the finish line when Usain Bolt won the 100m at the Rio Olympic Games.    Sometimes it takes luck. Sometimes it takes money. And sometimes it takes an exclusive kind of privilege that almost none of us will ever have.   Take a papal conclave. There might be 1.4 billion Catholics on the planet, but only those cardinals who were in the room will ever truly know what it was like to be a part of that conclave. Just being outside in St Peters Square would be an incredible experience; the moment everyone saw the white smoke. But just imagine being inside. If you were to divide the number of followers worldwide by every man in that room, there are more than ten million Catholics for each individual cardinal. But only those cardinals will know what it’s like to be there in person, to see the votes tallied, to hear the new Pope choose a name.  The world’s attention might have been focused on the Vatican, waiting for the smoke, but for this moment, only a tiny few were there. 133 eyewitnesses to a moment in history. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Macintyre captivates readers with true stories.   He expertly unravels complex historical events, explaining sharp subplots and side characters while artfully deploying dry humour to make the true stories he tells digestible.    His most recent non-fiction work is The Siege – a story of how in April 1980, six men stormed the Iranian embassy in London and took 26 hostages they held for six days.   Macintyre told Jack Tame he was 17 when the situation took place, and since that point he’d always wanted to write about it.  “It was the most dramatic thing I’d ever seen on television,” he said.  “It was one of those stories that entered mythology very quickly – it became a sort of story of, sort of SAS daring do, and kind of you know, fighting against the odds, and you know, the story itself is much more complicated than that.”  “I've really enjoyed writing this one.”  Macintyre is coming to New Zealand for the Auckland Writer’s Festival, delving into his work at three different events across the festival.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prominent businessman, author and former politician Sir Bob Jones has died in Wellington after a brief illness - aged 85.   Jones formed the New Zealand Party in 1983, which stood for 10 years.    He received a knighthood in 1989 for services to business management and the community.   Kevin Milne told Jack Tame he will be remembered as a terrific writer.  He says Wellington already feels all the more grey for his passing.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of New Zealand’s most treasured musical acts, Sir Dave Dobbyn, will perform at Auckland Town Hall, the first time he has hit the stage there solo. The 68-year-old has previously performed at the prestigious venue with his band Th’ Dudes, but has never showcased his own set. That will change on June 4, when he and his touring band look to cover songs from his 45-year recording career. Announced as part of the Auckland Winter Concert Series lineup, Dobbyn and his band will perform everything from his celebrated anthems to “an extraordinary catalogue of deeper cuts”. Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to discuss the event. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Good Mistress by Anne Tiernan   Juliet never planned to be the other woman, but Rory was the only man she'd ever loved. She was sure he'd leave his frustratingly perfect wife - until he went and ghosted her, literally. Maeve is a bestselling novelist, and yet between her exasperating husband, teenage sons and ailing mother, success feels hollow. When she dallies in a surprising infidelity of her own, her carefully constructed life begins to unravel. Erica was the perfect wife, but Rory knew things about her that no-one else can ever know. And now she's left with a question she doesn't want the answer to: had she lost Rory long before he died?   As three women's lives collide, they must reconcile the realities of love, betrayal and the limits of forgiveness - because what does it truly mean to be 'good', anyway?     The Other People by C.B. Everett   Ten strangers.  An old dark house.  A killer picking them off one by one.  And a missing girl who’s running out of time…  And then there was one.  Ten strangers wake up inside an old, locked house. They have no recollection of how they got there. In order to escape, they have to solve the disappearance of a young woman. But a killer also stalks the halls of the house and soon the body count starts to rise. Who are these strangers? Why were they chosen? Why would someone want to kill them? And who—or what—lurks in the cellar?  Forget what you think you know.  Because while you can trust yourself, can you really trust The Other People?    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Budapest has long been a punching bag for invading powers and battled over by a litany of imperial bullies. But the legacy is a city stacked with historic layer upon layer of intrigue and faded glory, some layers still decaying while others have been ambitiously restored.  I was back in the Hungarian capital with Trafalgar, one of the headline stops on their splendidly curated 10-day Imperial Europe tour." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although we all try, budgeting doesn't work for everyone. Instead, Ed McKnight has what he calls the 'Economist's Pay Routine', an alternative that allows you to budget without budgeting. He joined Jack Tame to break down the method. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 3 May 2025, author Ben Macintyre joins Jack to discuss his expertise in espionage and latest non-fiction book ‘The Siege’ ahead of his trip to NZ for the Writer's Festival.  Jack reflects on dear memories.  Nici Wickes serves up a recipe that can be whipped up in no time with ingredients you likely already have in the pantry.  Now is the time to act to protect your stonefruit for next summer. Man-in-the-garden Ruud Kleinpaste discusses what to look out for and the importance of timing.  Plus, Dave Dobbyn has announced a special show at Auckland's Town Hall. Estelle Clifford digs deep into his archive to take a punt at what the setlist may feature.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Mother’s Day coming up soon, many will be casting around for ideas of what to get that special figure in their life.  Kate Hall has a few ideas on how to keep the day sustainable.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week we discussed the six-month hiatus between noticing troubles with stone fruit and the time of activating prevention.   Peach leaf curl is a rather ugly fungal disease that commences 6 months from now – in spring the leaf curl starts to become obvious on the newly emerged leaves of your peach trees.   Taphrina deformans is the name of the disease that targets peaches and nectarines. The infection begins in autumn when the leaves are falling to the ground – a double dose of copper (a few times, 3 or 4 weeks apart) will stop the fungi from settling on the dormant fruit trees.   Follow up questions I got: Does the copper spray debilitate the peach and nectarine’s buds?    No worries! The buds are going to a dormant phase   Another great example of important timing is winning battles from the Lemon Tree Borer.   These borers are mainly found from Nelson-Blenheim north – they don’t like it too cold.   This rather cool, sizeable, long-horn beetle is a native of our country. It was well-established here thousands of years before Charlotte Kemp introduced oranges into Kerikeri in 1819.   Originally lemon tree borers would tunnel into native trees – a wide range of species became host plants (Mahoe, Kowhai, Coprosma, Manuka, etc).  Exotic trees are also targeted by lemon tree borer. I remember them getting into our olive trees and Wisteria in Auckland – Tamarillo, Elm, Chestnut, Gorse, Apple are just a few of the exotic hosts.   The most important species targeted by this borer are the citrus varieties that are grown commercially and in the backyard, but apple, persimmon, almond, cherry, walnut, and grapes are just as much in danger of damage – these beetles are economic pests!   A damaged branch or trunk is the ultimate spot to lay eggs in. Small nooks and crannies are where the female lemon tree borer would leave her eggs – especially in branches where the bark had been removed or in the pruning cuts.    The small larvae emerge from these eggs and start chewing their way deeper and deeper into the wood. A year or two later these larvae will have grown to a serious size before changing into a pupa, ready to turn into an adult beetle.   This is the importance of timing: adult beetles emerge in spring and are active till late summer. Avoid pruning from winter till early autumn.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple has given more details on the US tariffs   iPhones being sold in the June quarter in the USA will be made in India, while almost all iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and AirPods products will be made in Vietnam. Products made in China will be sold elsewhere in the world.   Apple estimates that, pending nothing else changing, the tariffs will cost them US$900 million. Imports going forward will, at this stage, be exempt from the tariffs.     Meta is working to make your WhatsApp AI chats more private   They'll be creating "private processing" which is effectively a private instance of the AI software running in a cloud only you can access. Meta, WhatsApp, or their third parties can see what's going on. It'll be optional though and you'll need to select it to go into private mode.     Uber's competitor is targeting the silver customer   Lyft is Uber's the big rideshare competitor in the USA and they want to take a new group of people for a ride: the older, and maybe less tech savvy. The regular Lyft app can be turned into a more straightforward mode – think bigger buttons and larger fonts. They'll be connected to more accessible vehicles and there's even dedicated real human help to call between 8am and 9pm. Lyft says just 5% of their ridership is over 65, and they want to grow that.      LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Choir Games   A documentary series about how music can change lives, as it follows two choirs from New York and Kaitaia as they take part in the World Choir Games in Aotearoa last year (Neon, from Sunday).     The Four Seasons    The decades-long friendship between three married couples is tested when one divorces, complicating their tradition of quarterly weekend getaways (Netflix).   Carême The world's first celebrity chef, Antonin Carême rises to the height of culinary stardom in Napoleon's Europe; his talent attracts the attention of politicians who use him as a spy for France (Apple TV+).    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua – Two Worlds  Filmed over the course of four years, this documentary follows musician Marlon Williams as he takes on a deeply personal project — producing his first album entirely in te reo Māori, Te Whare Tīwekaweka. Williams began his musical journey as a teen, songwriting in Lyttleton, then carved out his own distinctive country sound that quickly took him to the world stage. Now, through te reo Māori, he sets out to reconnect with his Ngāi Tahu and Ngāi Tai roots.   Directed by Ursula Grace Williams in her feature debut, the film follows Williams through international tours to quiet home life, all while working on the album.     Thunderbolts*  Ensnared in a death trap, an unconventional team of antiheroes —Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker— embarks on a dangerous mission that forces them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From thinking about it to plating it up... 10 minutes maximum for these boozy caramelised bananas! This is the best don’t-have-much-in-the-house dessert.    Serves 4     Ingredients  4-6 bananas   3 tablespoons butter   4 tablespoons brown sugar   a decent squeeze of lemon juice   a pinch of salt   3 tablespoons brandy or rum (optional)   softly whipped cream to serve      Method  Peel and slice the bananas into 2–3cm thick slices.   Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a frying pan until bubbling.   Stir in a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt.   Place the bananas in the pan and cook in the bubbling sauce until softened but not mushy. Add the alcohol, if using, and let the sauce bubble for another 1–2 minutes.   Serve the caramelised bananas smothered in sauce with a dollop of softly whipped cream.    This recipe is featured in Nici's cookbook 'A Quiet Kitchen'. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was taken aback by how long it had been since I’d last come to town.   It’s amazing how time creeps up on you like that. One minute you’re at Grandma and Grandad’s place every few months, knocking around with your siblings. The next you’re going through Grandad’s drawers, packing him a bag of his most precious possessions. The next, you realise it’s three years since you even drove down his street.   State Highway One was an absolute shocker. I was driving the old straight line, heading South from Christchurch. Rolleston, Dunsandel, Rakaia. The storm was fierce. There was surface flooding and the rivers were up which obviously made things worse, but some of the potholes were so large they could’ve swallowed the irrigators that usually crawl the paddocks on either side of the road.     Those irrigators have brought a lot of prosperity to mid-Canterbury. But not on Grandad’s street. His place was an old state house on what Dad always called the wrong side of the tracks. Given the main trunk line cuts right through the middle of town, it’s a literal thing in Ashburton.  Dad reckons the family moved in in about 1967. A two-bedroom place, clad in a shocking baby blue, an 85m2 state house, on a 900m2 section. They don’t do property like that anymore. The Tames had arrived from UK a few years earlier – migration had cost them everything they had. By the early 1980s, on his limited income, Grandad saved up and for $21,500 he bought the house from the government as a home for life. He spent his working life slowly chipping away and paying off the mortgage. The quarter acre dream.   Grandad always had an amazing garden. He made the most of all that space. There were vegetable beds and fruit trees, a huge compost heap. Flowers out the front. Harakeke. We used to play games of hide-and-seek and go-home-stay-home before retiring inside for luncheon and tomato sauce sandwiches and vegetable soup. At home, our parents didn’t put salt in our food, and it was always a thrill to eat a hot lunch prepared by someone less concerned by cholesterol readings.    The neighbours back then were mixed. I remember Grandad telling us once that if we hit the tennis ball over the fence it was best to just get a new one. I doubt the Police were strangers to the neighbourhood. Inside, I used to curl up in Grandad’s La-Z-Boy and read Grandma’s gossip magazines by the fire. On the times we stayed over, I read old Biggles stories. We’d all get covered in Labrador fur. They had a faux grandfather clock in the living room with a mechanism that filled every silence. Click, click, click.    Grandad lived in that house for 55 years. He raised his sons there. He lost his wife, there. When it finally came time to leave, my cousin found his war medals, hidden away in a clothes drawer.    When I came around the corner, the rain was pelting the windscreen. It took just a moment to get my bearings. The little place next door was gone. A similarly vast section, where once there was a humble cottage, it was filled now with a tidy row of modern units.  But there was Grandad’s. Some of the baby blue cladding was missing. The harakeke and the flowers at the front had all been ripped out. I’m sure the veggie patch is done. But the house was still there. Tired, but still there.  Nothing lasts forever. I can’t say with certainty when I’ll be back. But I know one day I’ll come around that corner, and Grandad’s place will be gone too. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ed Gamble is a man of many hats.  Champion of the Taskmaster UK, podcast co-host, author, television host, standup comedian – on top of this, he’s an absolute food fanatic.  He’s bringing a feast of comedy to New Zealand with his new show ‘Hot Diggity Dog’, filled with his classic “ranting, raving and spluttering”.  Gamble told Jack Tame he describes the show as a collection of things that have happened to him since he last did a show, including a bit about his disastrous honeymoon and one about buying a cat with his wife.   “It’s a lot more exciting than my description of it makes it sound,” he reassured.  “I promise you’ll be on the edge of your seat, even though it sounds incredibly tedious and middle class.”  He’ll be performing live in Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland – tickets available on TicketMaster.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Samantha Fish is offering up nine new powerhouse songs on her latest album ‘Paper Doll’.  It’s Fish’s 13th album, and the first she’s recorded with her touring band, leaning into her strengths as a musician in a way she hasn’t before.  Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on the new release.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Perfect Divorce by Jeneva Rose   Till death do us part. Yours. Not Mine. It's been eleven years since high-powered attorney Sarah Morgan defended her husband, Adam, against the charge of murdering his mistress.      The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue   Europe is racing towards the future. Steam travel is the emblem of progress; industry and invention are creating ever greater wealth and ever greater deprivation; and on an autumn day in 1895 a young woman determined to make her mark on history boards the Granville to Paris Express with a bomb.   With her travel the train crew and her fellow passengers: the men who run the engine, who have built a life together away from their wives; a little boy travelling alone for the first time; a wealthy statesman and his ill daughter; an artist far from home and in search of a muse; and another young woman with a secret of a very different nature hidden beneath the layers of her dress . . .    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne has been doing some research into his family history recently – notably the deaths of three of his uncles.  All three were soldiers in the First World War, and Kevin was surprised how much research already exists into the lives of New Zealand’s fallen soldiers.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 26 April 2025, the master of combining comedy with his love for food, Ed Gamble joins Jack ahead of his tour to NZ.  Jack marks an unusual anniversary.  Winter warmers on your mind? Margo Flanagan of Two Raw Sisters delivers a delicious Halloumi Saagwala recipe and discusses options for alternative proteins.  Francesca Rudkin offers her verdict on the much-hyped Sinners film.   And tech expert Paul Stenhouse explains new EU rules for devices to have a mandatory label.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Few cities in the world enjoy the stature of being a music mecca quite like Salzburg. It’s one of my favourite European destinations and I recently ventured back to this Austrian jewel with Trafalgar, as part of their magnificent 10-day Imperial Europe tour. It’s like a tasting plate of some of Central Europe’s most glittering destinations, steeped in history and spilling with scenic finery. And it’s all spectacularly brought to life with specialist local guides who live and breathe these destinations, with unbridled passion and pride." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some would argue our world has got too busy, too frantic, that we never get a chance to switch off. An estimate from a few years ago believes we have as much as 34GB of information coming into us every day. Some of this business is likely due to never being able to switch off from incoming info, as well as a loss of “stopping cues” around us, e.g. ads on linear tv, intermissions at movies.  We can get into a pattern of always being on, always “doing”, never stopping and just “being”. It’s arguably not good for our wellbeing —a constant low level of stress— and can also affect relationships, e.g. having a conversation at the same time as scrolling on your phone.  Here are three things people could try if they want to experiment with an antidote to this business:   1) Mindfulness: one aspect of mindfulness is becoming aware of when your attention has shifted and moving it back to just one thing, e.g. your breathing.  2) Concentrating on doing everyday tasks one at a time, e.g. if brushing your teeth, just brush your teeth. Notice all the aspects of it – notice your mind wandering away and practice bringing it back to the task at hand.  3) Watch some slow tv. My best recommendation for the moment is the Great Moose Migration on Swedish tv (svtplay.sw). It’s 24/7 coverage of moose migrating across a river —over 30 cameras but very slow— long shots of Swedish wilderness without a moose in sight. It’s on right now but only lasts for a few more days – you can almost feel your blood pressure lowering.  Give it a go, see if it makes a difference!  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m trying a different tack on Newstalk ZB.    It’s something I use with teachers and kids at school: the meaning of scientific names of living organisms helps to remind us how certain creatures operate or how they can be identified.   Once you get that in your gardening vocabulary it becomes a lot easier to prevent or control the problem that’s causing you regular troubles.   Taphrina is the name of a parasitic fungi (belonging to the family Taphrinaceae) that produce asci in a superficial hymenium having an indeterminate margin and cause leaf curling and malformations like blisters on various vascular plants.   It literally tells us it’s a name of Rotter-Fungus that causes curling, malformation, and blisters.   The second name (deformans) repeats the symptoms: it causes deformations. That tells us it is a real bummer to have on your plants (especially on stonefruit: peaches, nectarines, plums, peachcotts, peacherines, apricots, etc).  Ladies and gentlemen: we’re talking about leaf curl on peaches (and Bladder Plum/Plum Pocket on plums).   Spring and summer are the main months of queries on our Gardening programs: how to deal with Taphrina deformans and, while we're at it, Taphrina pruni.   Short answer: in spring and summer you’re too late. Yes, the disease starts in spring, but you can’t spray copious amounts of copper on the new and tender leaves – young leaves will burn!   Right now, in the middle of Autumn you can avoid the infection.  Around mid to late April, when the leaves are falling off the deciduous stone fruit trees, the new buds for the next season are formed. Taphrina deformans will then be invading those new buds and overwinter on those buds to infect the trees again in spring.  First thing to do is to remove all fallen leaves from under the trees. That reduces infection chances.   Next thing is to spray a double dose of copper spray (copper oxychloride, liquid copper, or copper-sulphur mixtures, available form garden centres) on the remaining leaves and on the branches/twigs of the tree. Use a “sticker” if you can to increase coverage and stickability.  Do this again a few weeks or a month later and ensure good coverage of all parts of the tree.   Some people use Lime sulphur. That’s okay too as a winter clean-up – seeing as the trees are getting to dormancy, Lime Sulphur won’t harm the leaves, but I think that lime may not be a great material for apricots as it has the ability to raise the pH levels.   A last smack of Copper spray before budburst should “mop up” the last surviving spores before the flowering and fruiting season begins again.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dengue fever is in the news right now after the death of a young Samoan boy at Starship Hospital last week. As many New Zealanders travel to the Pacific Islands, the recent outbreak means it’s something to consider.  The other interesting fact about dengue fever is as well as being relevant to the Pacific, it’s becoming more common around the world due to climate change – increasing temperature and humidity driving mosquito population and leading to more people being infected.      What is it?   A mosquito-spread virus. You get it when a mosquito bites you that is infected with dengue fever.   Unlike malaria, it’s carried by the small mosquitoes that come out during the day. Not the evening/early morning mosquitoes that typically carry malaria.  It’s becoming more common around the world with climate change – with hotter more humid temperatures.   Endemic in Pacific, which is presently going through an outbreak.   Can actually now be found in places like far North Queensland.   It could it reach New Zealand one day – possibly with climate change.       What happens if you are bitten by a mosquito carrying dengue fever?   Symptoms occur 4-10 days after the mosquito bite.   Typical symptoms: High fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint aches (has been referred to as ‘break bone fever’), nausea, vomiting, and skin rash.   Often people recover after 1-2 weeks.   Severe form is called haemorrhagic fever with bleeding, cardiovascular shock, and sometimes death.   Typically occurs when you get an infection a second time – not the first.       What can we do treat it?   Important: There is no vaccine to prevent the disease, once you have it there is no treatment.   Just treat the symptoms:   Paracetamol, not ibuprofen or aspirin as this can increase bleeding risk.   Plenty of fluids and rest.   A majority will get better, however, if symptoms are severe, you need to see a doctor and may need the hospital.      How do we prevent it?   Be aware that Pacific destinations Fiji, Tonga and Samoa have had recent outbreaks.   Outbreaks are often every 2-5 years with year-round risk.   Resorts often put in place protocols to reduce/eliminate mosquitoes.   If mosquitoes are around, protect against getting bitten with insect repellents, long sleeve shorts/pants, and mosquito nets.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OpenAI would be open to buying Google's Chrome browser   Talk about an instant audience - imagine logging into your Chrome web browser and instead of getting Google results, you get ChatGPT. The DOJ ruled last year that Google is a monopolist in Search – now comes the search to decide what to do with Chrome.   OpenAI told the judge the company would be interested in taking it over. Open AI, with ChatGPT, wants to be the way you find and access information on the web. Attempts to partner with Google Search have been unsuccessful – they only have access to Bing. Only trouble, Open AI says it's not as good as Google. The line between iPad & Mac could be about to be blurred even further   One of the regular Apple leakers has as a scoop: a menubar could be coming to the iPad when the magic keyboard is connected. Assuming it functions like the Mac version, it gives quick access to app and operating system. They also say iPadOS 19 will enhance Stage Manager, the feature that allows a user to plug their iPad into an external monitor. These two changes would make it the most laptop-like iPad we've seen.   Devices in the EU are about to get a mandatory label on the box   Just how long will that new phone or tablet's battery last? You'll now get a way to compare from device to device with standardized labels. The labels will say how many times the battery is rated to be recharged, how energy efficient the device is, and how long the battery should last each day. It'll also rate now repairable and durable the device is.   They will also impose "ecodesign" requirements to make devices more resilient, including being protected from splashes of water, dust, scratches, and drops. All devices on sale across the EU from June 8 will need the label.      LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mobland   Power is up for grabs as two warring crime families clash in a battle that threatens to topple empires and ruin lives. In the crossfire stands Harry Da Souza, a street-smart 'fixer' who knows too well where loyalties lie when opposing forces collide (Prime Video).     Etoile   In an ambitious gambit to save their storied institutions, two world-renowned ballet companies in New York City and Paris swap their most talented stars. From the Executive Producers of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel comes a bold new series celebrating the beauty, humor, and unpredictability of a life devoted to the arts, both on stage and off (Prime Video).     Ransom Canyon   Passions run deep in a small Texas town, as three ranching dynasties fight for their land, their legacies and the people they love (Netflix).    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Margo Flanagan of ‘Two Raw Sisters’ serves up a delicious recipe for Halloumi Saagwala.  Serves: 2   Time: 20 minutes     Ingredients  Saagwala   1 brown onion, diced   1 tomato, diced - large   ⅓ cup coconut cream   4 cloves of garlic   1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated   1 tsp garam masala   ½ tsp chilli flakes   ¼ tsp cinnamon   1 tsp sea salt   5 cups greens (spinach, rocket, herbs, kale, silverbeet)      Fried Halloumi   100g halloumi, cut into cubes   2 tbsp cooking oil      To Serve   1 cup brown rice, cooked   2 tbsp chilli oil   2 tbsp peanuts, toasted and chopped   1/4  cup coriander, chopped      Method Add all of the saagwala ingredients, except the greens, to a pan and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the greens to the pan in the last 2 minutes. Mix until wilted.   Add the saagwala to the blender and blend until smooth and vibrant green.    Clean the pan and cook the halloumi. Heat the cooking oil in the pan until hot, add the halloumi cubes and cook until golden on each side.    Pour the saagwala sauce back into the pan with the halloumi and mix. Heat until you reach your desired temperature.    Spoon cooked rice into a bowl followed by the saagwala, chilli oil, peanuts and herbs. Enjoy    Any leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Alternatively, you can freeze the saagwala sauce without the halloumi for up to 3 months.    Simple Swaps / Additions    Halloumi for chickpeas, paneer or chicken.   Brown onion for red onion.   Garam masala for ground cumin.   Chilli flakes for fresh red chilli.      LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Correspondent  The story of the arrest, trial and imprisonment of Australian journalist Peter Greste, who while reporting on the Arab Spring uprising becomes entangled in a deadly game of rivalries.     Sinners  Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their Mississippi hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I had a funny entry in my calendar this week that took me a moment to decipher.   ‘Mava 1C anniversary’ it said.    My heart skipped a beat. Anniversary?! Oh, hang on. No. Stand down.    Forget romance. What my entry was telling me I’d just reached the anniversary for this very radio show, in which I’d shared with you our decision to become a one car household.   We made the call at the start of 2023 because Mava had an old dunger that needed to go, and in theory it didn’t seem necessary for us to replace it. Sure, it was convenient having two cars. It was what we’d always been used to. But with a bit of coordination and organisation, we reckoned at the very least, moving to one car was worth a crack.    We’re now more two years in, and we are still a one-car household. But in other ways, our circumstances have changed. For starters, there’s now four of us – Me, Mava, our eight-year-old, and our 10-week-old baby. That means a baby capsule AND a booster seat. And we’ve upgraded from my oh-so-cool, grey Toyota Corolla to an oh-so-cool white Toyota Corolla. You could say I’m on a coroll.   Every household and every family is different, and there are things that make our set up easier and things that make it harder. For starters, we live really centrally, which certainly helps. But we also have kids. Kids who have appointments and sports and playdates with their friends. Kids who need to be in different places at the same time.   The way it works is that I default to not taking the car. About 80% of my journeys, I ride my bike. When it’s really heavily raining, I take the bus to work or catch an Uber. When Mava isn’t pregnant or carrying a newborn baby, she rides her bike too.   The Uber thing is actually a big one. Again – easier when you live in a big city. But when we became a one-car house we told ourselves that we wouldn’t feel guilty spending on Ubers if the pair of us had a clash in our schedules or a thunderstorm was rolling through. It didn’t take a Nobel-winning economist to work out that a few big Uber journeys in rush hour traffic probably still wouldn’t come close to what we were spending on insurance, parking and petrol.   That was the theory. In practice it’s been a comprehensive money-saver. Last year we spent about $300 on Ubers. Compared to the price of buying and running a second car, it’s nothing. The hardest thing for me has been when plans change at short notice. One of us is out with the car and the other’s waiting at home, but then the first person gets delayed. And even though I know I have to look at the overall spend rather than one-off journeys, catching a $40 Uber when previously we might have driven still feels a bit galling. So, two years on, what’s the verdict? Sure, it takes marginally more coordination than it did with two separate vehicles, but if anything, it’s honestly been easier than I imagined. I’ve actually noticed that subconsciously, I often don’t even consider taking the car for most of my journeys. The biggest challenge is organising around a clash in our schedules. But there are surprising benefits outside the obvious: I LOVE not having to faff around so much with parking. I’m not saying our set up is right or will work for every household and family. Of course not. You do you. Although, our really good friends are a three-child house in a suburb much further out, and they manage with one car just fine. But not once in the last two-and-a-bit years has either of us doubted the decision. It’s cleaner, and even if you don’t care about that, it’s certainly cheaper. New Zealand still has one of the highest rates of car ownership in the World. I’m convinced it doesn’t need to be so.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ciarán Hinds’ acting pursuits have taken him far from his roots in Northern Ireland.   A quality actor - he lends himself to both villainy and simmering heroics.   His long career has included intimate Shakespearean theatre productions right through to major franchises like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and the Disney animated film Frozen.   His latest project ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’ is an intimate character study on human spirit – the Prime Video series based on the novel by Richard Flanagan.  He told Jack Tame when he was first introduced to the project, he’d heard of the book but never read it.   “They sent me a couple of scripts and I was immediately hooked by the quality of the writing and the story itself,” Hinds said.  “So I went out and got myself the book.”  “Deeply moved, I was, by the savagery, the cruelty, the brutality, the love, the deep passion, the haunting... it’s a huge and hugely emotional read for anybody,” he told Tame.  “And from then, I said I’m very interested in this project, and so we went on from there.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Beirut’s 7th album, Zach Condon returns to a place he had no plans to ever go back to.  ‘A Study of Losses’ was commissioned by the Swedish circus troupe Kompani Giraff, and at first he was hesitant to write a soundtrack for a circus, the idea a reminder of a time he’d been pigeonholed, as he says, “as a whimsical circus waif”.  However, videos of the troupe’s performances and an abstract of the work upon which the new project would be based changed his mind.  Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on Beirut’s new album.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nine Hidden Lives by Robert Gold   Secrets only survive in the dark  When journalist Ben Harper is asked to help re-examine an unsolved murder case from thirty years ago, he immediately agrees. It's not just that the victim was also a journalist, murdered after she'd published a series of shocking interviews with victims of domestic abuse. It's also that he understands all too well the need of victim's daughter, Doctor Uma Jha, for answers.  But it's not long before their investigation leads to threats being made on Uma's life. Ben needs to unravel this crime before it's too late, but instead he finds himself tangled in a web of lies and deception. After all, a crime like murder has implications for many people.  People who have been keeping secrets for thirty years, and will do whatever it takes to protect them.     Strangers in Time by David Baldacci   Fourteen-year-old Charlie Matters is up to no good, but for a very good reason. Without parents, peerage, or merit, he steals what he needs, living day-to-day until he’s old enough to enlist to fight the Germans. After barely surviving the Blitz, Charlie knows there’s no telling when a falling bomb might end his life.    Fifteen-year-old Molly Wakefield has just returned to a nearly unrecognizable London. One of millions of children to have been evacuated to the countryside Molly has been away from her home for nearly five years. Her return, however, is not the homecoming she’d hoped for as she’s confronted by a devastating reality: neither of her parents are there.    Without guardians and stability, Charlie and Molly find an unexpected ally and protector in Ignatius Oliver, and solace at his bookshop, The Book Keep. Mourning the recent loss of his wife, Ignatius forms a kinship with both children, and in each other they rediscover the spirit of family each has lost.    But Charlie’s escapades in the city have not gone unnoticed, and someone’s been following Molly since she returned to London. And Ignatius is harboring his own secrets, which could have terrible consequences for all of them.   As bombs continue to bear down on the city, Charlie, Molly, and Ignatius learn that while the perils of war rage on, their coming together and trusting one another may be the only way for them to survive.        LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Less well known than the days that follow it is Maundy Thursday – the day in which Jesus Christ shared the Last Supper with his 12 apostles.  A theme of the day is humility, and Kevin Milne had a taste of that and a bit of humiliation both earlier on this week.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 19 April 2025, Northern Irish acting legend, Hollywood royalty, and the man who has been in almost every major film franchise of the 21st century, Ciaran Hinds joins Jack to discuss the intimate character study of his new project The Narrow Road to the Deep North.  Jack considers the legacy of the Blue Origin spacecraft against this week's discovery within Earth's very own Big Blue.  Catherine Raynes reviews the latest novel from David Baldacci – the perfect long weekend read.  For those sick of hot cross buns, chef Nici Wickes has an alternative Easter breakfast recipe.  And as Food appreciation month approaches, sustainability expert Kate Hall reframes our view on food scraps.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"You could spill vast rivers of blue Danube ink try to encapsulate the enduring brilliance of Vienna and all that it has lavished on the world. It’s the city that vaulted Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Strauss and his waltz into the world’s consciousness. The city that unleashed the genius of Freud, published the world’s first newspaper, conceived the delicious Torte, and was the powerbase for the imperial Hapsburgs. Vienna remains a city of culture, class and beauty; of churches, castles and concert halls." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food Appreciation Month is coming up, and Kate Hall is thinking about food scraps.  New Zealand households are throwing away over 157,000 tonnes of edible food every year, costing the average household $1,326.   Instead of tossing out your food scraps, Kate has a few tips on how you can reuse them, turning them into ingredients and saving money.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A week ago I noticed one of those beautiful red toadstools in our garden – the classic red fungus with white dots all over the skin.   Amanita muscaria or Fly agaric – there are a few different sub-species with different colourations (orange-red to yellow, and various colours of the “dots”). This is a Mycorrhizal fungus that is associated with a few common host trees: Birch, beech and pine trees. It’s not very edible – in fact, it’s better not to muck around with. Some young children have ended up being poisoned and some rather risky adults (trying to go on a Hallucinogenic journey) ended up in similar troubles.   But they look great, and this was the first time I saw this species in our front garden, which surprised me. Of course, I never saw the 7-meter tall Betula which really need pruning away from electricity wires…   Many species are doing a great job in recycling dead materials, fallen leaves, and dead branches, and also dead trunks in all shapes and sizes.   These are some examples of fungi doing the recycling job in forests – small and large and colourful.  Ear Fungus is often found on dead trunks of trees.   This is a weird looking, feeling, and tasting mushroom that can hardly be misidentified: It looks like a human ear, it feels like an ear, and it even tastes like an ear!   This edible fungus was the very first export article that was sent from New Zealand to China in the eighteen hundreds. The Chew Chong brothers in Taranaki were the first people to send container loads of these fungi by ship.   Gardeners will encounter fungi that cause all sorts of problems in fruit (fruit rots), in roots (Phytophthora), and in stems and on leaves. Often preventative gardening will reduce the problems developing. Copper sprays tend to protect a plant from Spores settling on the developing fruit.   Brown Rot on Apricot  What I love to see is interaction between fungi and insects. Here is a stinkhorn fungus with a decent amount of smelly, brown liquid. Flies are keen to harvest that brown stinky stuff and in doing so, they get the brown spores on their body. Those spores are distributed through gardens and forests.   Autumn is the time to go for a walk and just look at fungi; I reckon they actually run this planet!  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.