Fact Sheet: Understanding Bush Foods
Presenter: Clarence Slockee, 06/02/2010
SERIES 21 EPISODE 01
Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens in is the traditional lands of the Cadigal and, at the start of his visit, Clarence acknowledges the ancestors of the Dharug and Eora nations.
The land occupied by the Royal Botanic Gardens has a long history. The local people called it Woccanmagully and it is the site of the First Fleet landing 222 years ago. The first farms of the new colony were planted here giving it the contemporary name of Farm Cove.
Early settlers saw the abundant lush green vegetation and thought they could recreate the green hills of home. What the settlers didn't realise was that the local plants had adapted over millions of years to the poor soil and the lack of rainfall, so their crops failed.
Aboriginal people have lived, thrived and survived in this country for over 40,000 years. Clarence says, 'You don't get to live somewhere that long and that well without having an intimate understanding of your environment. Aboriginal people knew what plants to eat, where they could be found and what time of the year they could harvest.'
Many of the flowers of our native plants, such as grevilleas and bottlebrush, produce a lot of nectar to encourage pollinators. Nectar rich flowers were also an important food source for Aboriginal people. Clarence says the nectar can be mixed with water for a sweet drink or, after checking there are no bees, you can suck the nectar straight from the flower.
Western Australian Kangaroo Paws are also a good source of nectar. Simply tap the flower into your palm to get the sweet drops of nectar but, Clarence warns, 'you have to beat the birds to them!'
The Black Apple or Planchonella australis is a rainforest tree found along the Eastern coast of Australia. The sweet fruit are good to eat when they fall from the tree and the dark skin can be used for dye.
The Illawarra Flame Tree or Currajong, Brachychiton acerfolius, produces spectacular red flowers followed by large seed pods. The seeds are cooked on the fire to remove the hairs before eating. The fleshy stem of the Sydney Rock Lily, Dendrobium speciosum, or Wara-gal-darra can be roasted on the fire.
Aboriginal people even knew how to prepare plants to eat that were poisonous in their natural state. For example, the seeds of the Black bean or Moreton Bay Chestnut, Castanospermum austral, were pounded and placed in a dilly bag in running water to wash toxins away before eating. This was a common preparation for otherwise dangerous plants.
Clarence says that the Australian bush 'is like one big organic supermarket' but you need to know what you are doing. 'If you don't know what it is then please don't eat it.'
Watch the story
Information contained in this fact sheet is a summary of material included in the program. If further information is required, please contact your local nursery or garden centre.
Copyright Restrictions: This fact sheet is for private and domestic information purposes only. It may not be copied, reproduced, sold or used for any other purpose without the express permission of the ABC.