Native Bush Foods (forum)

Simon Munro starts with ...
I'm very much a novice with respects to growing but am super keen to try my hand at growing Bush Foods in Tamworth. I'm approaching this from a very self indulgent perspective but an educational one at that. I am always intrested in re-establishing species that were once use by my Aboriginal forebears to educate the next generation.
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Time: 23rd October 2017 1:34pm

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About the Author Simon Munro
Tamworth
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Pademelon1 says...
Hi Simon,

The world of Bush tucker is an interesting and largely mysterious one. Indigenous Australians used thousands of plant species for food, yet very little are grown by enthusiasts and even less for commercial purposes.
if you're looking at this from a taste perspective (aren't we all), only a select few can rival foreign produce for taste. This is because while used for millenia, most native foods have had little to no selective breeding for human consumption, and many even require complex cooking procedures to be made edible. Because of this, you will want to grow plants not native to the Tamworth area.

The key to successful gardening, bush tucker or no, is research. The internet has a plethora of information (Double/triple check everything). Daleys has a good selection of bush foods to check out, even if they are out of stock. It should also be noted that a large proportion of bush foods are medium-small trees.

Some Bush foods that I can verify as good having grown AND tasted (I have a number of plants growing but yet to fruit) are:
Native Limes (Citrus australasica or glauca)
Midgen Berry/Midyim (Austromyrtus dulcis)
Various Backhousia sp. & Anetholea (Lemon, Aniseed myrtles etc.)
Various Syzygium sp. (Lillypillies, Riberries)
Davidson's Plum (Davidsonia sp.)
Mountain Pepper (Tasmannia stipiata or lanceolata)
Native Mint (Mentha diemenica or australis)
Warrigal Greens (Tetragonia tetragonioides)
Quandong (Santalum acuminatum)
Native Sarsaparilla (Smilax glyciphylla)

This is just a select few that I personally have grown AND tasted, and there are many many more I haven't had the pleasure of doing either with. Not all of the above are easy to grow, or may suit your needs/wants. Again the key is research.

Good luck and happy exploring!

Regards,
Pademelon1


Time: 24th October 2017 11:09pm

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Original Post was last edited: 24th October 2017 11:46pm
About the Author Pademelon1
PADDINGTON,2021,NSW
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Kath5 says...
This website can help you check which plant species are native to your area:
http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/floraonline.htm

If you can get a book or other list of NSW bush tucker plants you could use it to check which ones are local for you.

I've been on a guided bush tucker walk in some local bushland led by two Aboriginal ladies, it was very interesting. Maybe find out if there is anything like that in your area?

Time: 28th October 2017 3:06pm

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About the Author Kath5
GIRRAWHEEN,6064,WA
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