With Spencer Shaw – FOREST HEART Eco-Nursery
THE bounty of this country is considerable, and a reflection of the long-term and ongoing good management by First Nations People. We are only just recently becoming aware—listening—to the benefits of “bush tucker,” and best of all, bush tucker is good tucker, for us and the wildlife!
Bush tucker must-haves that you should plant in your garden include:
- Midyim (Austromyrtus dulcis): a great low-growing shrub/groundcover with attractive weeping foliage and tasty white berries. Kids (young and old) love them.
- Lillypillys (Syzygium spp.): all are edible if you’re hungry enough, but the local Riberry (Syzygium luehmannii) is bountiful and tastes good raw, or glazed in a sugar syrup.
- Native plums: Ooray (Davidsonia pruriens) and Gudjin (Davidsonia jerseyana) are not Sunshine Coast natives but are must-haves, with spectacular foliage and large, plum-like fruit rich in antioxidants. They are slightly sour but make amazing jam, chutney, sauce, or syrup with a little sugar.
- Plum Pine (Podocarpus elatus): produces juicy, succulent fruit with a pleasant pine taste, fantastic for jams and syrups.
- Warrigal Greens (Tetragonia tetragonoides): an easy-to-grow native spinach.
- Native Celery (Apium prostratum).
And of course, the Bunya (Araucaria bidwillii): thanks to the custodianship of the Jinibara and Kabi Kabi peoples, we are blessed to share space with these ancient trees. They’ve been around for almost 200 million years and are serious food producers, historically enabling gatherings and filling many bellies.
Bunya season is almost upon us, so keep an eye out for cones blown from the trees before Christmas, which are tender and succulent. In late January, when the mature crop falls, you can boil, bake, mash, or grind the nuts—so many great ways to cook and prepare!
