It's this of of year again and I've been on the hunt for more bush tomatoes, for some reason they have been selling like hot-cakes!! 

I have only enough on hand, which I've just got in, to make my Red Australian curry which has bush tomato in and also my Bush Tomato rub, so sorry for the inconvenience but just can't help. 

That's the negative, the positive is that because of the climatic conditions next year is going to be a bumper harvest I'm told.  They are still green on the vines, but come January, and don't quote me on this exactly, they should be back in stock with a vengance.

These spicey little desert fruits, called the desert raisin because they look like one when dried, have been a staple food for the aboriginal people who live in the arid regions for thousands of years.  I find that the more that I use them in cooking the more uses that I seem to have for them, and I guess with the increase in popularity so many others are discovering their unique flavour and becomming familiar with them in day to day cooking.  Whether it's spinkled on your favourite pizza, put into a pasta dish or otherwise as extra flvour to a slow baked dish they're fantastic.

If you really want to try them and havn't before I can recommend my Bush Tomato rub, great to put on any meat for the BBQ or roasting or otherwise the rub can be made into a great dukkha (recipe inside the pack).  My Red Australian curry also has bush tomato as one of it's bush food ingrediants and again inside the pack there is a recipe for a great curry cauliflower soup, or otherwise you can use it to replace any of your other curries for a wonderful bushfood dish.

I love the name Quandongs and it seems to get everyone in.......I've had a lot of people ask me how to cook them .....they're a bit like cooking ruhbarb, you need to add a fair bit of sugar as they are fairly sour if you want to stew them to eat over cereal or as a desert with ice-cream.

Often known as the desert or native peach, although they're not a bit like them in look or flavour the name goes back to the days of the European settlers. It's a tart fruit with a large pitted kernel.

The Quandong is now grown as a commercial crop and the CSIRO have been studying it since 1973 to find out the ideal growing conditions...the quandong moth is a bit of a problem and when you buy them in dried version keep them in a cool and dry place.

The fruit itself is very high in Vitamin C (twice that of oranges) and has been a staple food in the outback for the Aboriginal people.

The best way to store Quandongs is in the dried form and to reconstitute put into cold water...approx 1 cup quandong to 1 ltre of water, simmer for a few minutes then leave to soak a few hours, or ideally in the fridge overnight. They will plump up to over twice their size and weight.

The liquid used for this can be boiled up with equal parts sugar to create a syrup and used over ice-cream or other deserts...."waste not want not" it's a fantastic bright red and so looks great drizzeled around the plate.

more on Quandongs and cooking tomorrow......

This recipe was sent to me by Jenny Bury....... .

Quandong Fruit slab
after you reconsitute your required amount of dried Quandongs, add some sugar or honey to taste and a small amount of glucose syrup,boil up and mash until a pulp, cool down then place onto plastic lined trays and lay in the sun for 2-3 days and then flip over on plastic sheets and dry other side off.
when dried, cut into small squares and dust with castor sugar and store in glass jars-magnificant !

March 27, 2010 7:50 PM

I makes sence to eat what grows naturally in our own environment and even more sense when we realize that our native herbs, spices, fruits and berries are also so good for us.  Many of our native foods are high in anti oxidants...the cosmetic companies are always talking about anti oxidants and we can pay a fortune for them. 

Tasmanian Pepper, Lemon myrtle and Aniseed myrtle are high in Vitamen E, Quandongs are high in Vitamin C.  One of the richest sources of tocopherols is the Australian Hass Avacado, the Quandong is comparable to that.

According to studies conducted  by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation a division of the Australian Government

"Components of folate are water-soluble compounds (known also as vitamin B9) that play a key role in the methylation cycle and in DNA biosynthesis and the chromosome segregation.  Breaks in the DNA strand and chromosome malsegregation are the main forms of genome damage.  Adequate levels of folate, combined with the presence of Zn, Mg, Ca and vitamin B12 in the  diet can prevent genome damage that occurs due to oxidative stress, nutrient deficiency or calory excess.  Folate deficiency results in an increased rish of cardiovascular disease and dementia as well as neural tube defects.

All samples of native species evaluated in this study contained folate.  Among herbs and spices, the highest level was present in Tasmania Pepper Leaf, Anise Myrtle, Bush tomato and Wattleseed, followed by Tasmania Pepperberry and Lemon Myrtle."

I received this comment (see below) from Desmond Morley who has been getting Gumbi Gumbi from me for over a year now.....although there is no scientific proof that I'm aware of to support any claims of the healing qualities of Gumbi Gumbi, it has been used by Aboriginal people as a healing remedy for thousands of years...I'm not a herbalist and don't pretend to be, nor would I sell any product such as this with any guarantees, but I am interested in the results of people who have used it and feel that it has contributed to their good health.  I have also put Desmond's comment,  on my Community Forum and would be keen to hear any comments that you might like to make.

"When I found that I had prostate cancer and that my PSA reading was 12.4, the hospital took some biopsies which indicated that my cancer was aggressive, I immediately informed our five children. One of my sons Stewart had recently had a conversation with a man who was visiting England from Australia, what the Australian told my son was that he had suffered from prostate cancer, and that the doctors had told him there was nothing more they could do for him, and that his prospects were not good. He had heard about Gumby Gumby, so he decided to look into the matter more fully, he manage to obtain some which he ground down into a powder this he put into A A size gelatine capsules and he took just one day. According to the Australian man he had lived far beyond what was expected of him, and his PSA reading and gone down to about 4. I decided to except radiation treatment from the local hospital in Sheffield, and at the same time take Gumby Gumby in the same way that the Australian man had described. My first PSA checkup was six months after the end of the radiation treatment, and my PSA reading and gone down to 0.6, after a further six months I had another checkup, and my PSA reading and gone down to 0.3. The result is that now I do not have to go back to the hospital for a further check for a full year. I am 76 years of age, and although the radiation treatment took away much of my vigour and vim, it is returning, and I feel better now than I have been for the last two years."

Gumbi Gumbi (Pittosporum angustifellium) is an age-old Aboriginal natural remedy, also known as Cumbi cumbi and meemeei depending on regional dialects.

It is sometimes described as the most multi-purpose bush medicine in the central Queensland region.  It is rare because it is eaten avidly by cattle.

Gumbi Gumbi is drunk as a tea and has reportedly wonderful healing properties.  The dried leaves of Gumbi Gumbi can also be crushed and put into an empty capsule (purchased at the chemist) and taken that way.

Take one Coral Trout or any fish that you fancy

Stuff fish with Vegetables, whatever you like, zucchini, mushroom, pumpkin, onion, carrot, etc sprinkle with mountain pepper, murray river salt and lemon myrtle to taste, you could also use aniseed myrtle here instead of lemon myrtle, this herb goes fantastically well with any seafood.

I usually use of good sprinkling.  For this fish I used a heaped dessertspoon of lemon myrtle.

Now peel some paperbark of a paper bark tree, wash it and soak for about 5 minutes in water, use wet, then wrap fish in it...

I also wrap it all in foil, as it not only keeps the paperbark in place, but also stops coals and stuff getting into the food. 

The paperbark gives a lovely smokey flavour.  Onto to the BBQ for about 40 minutes, check after 30 minutes, just depending on the heat of your fire and also the size of the fish, little pieces or smaller fish obviously take less time ...now it's time to sit down, enjoy a drink....and have fun

I had an unusual request a few weeks back, Rachel Sims a student at the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales  was doing a design project on Bush Tucker, she asked for a lot of different seeds, herbs and spices to complete the work.  She kindly sent the finished project to me to take a look and I was blown away, it is fantastic. 

"The aim of the project to establish new behaviours and attitudes towards Australia's native cuisine. The intent is to educate urban dwellers, redirecting their practice and broadening their knowledge of native food consumption" quote from Rachel's project

After being involved in Aboriginal art and culture for many years it has been a bit of an uphill battle to get non indigenous Australians to take the time to reflect on the paintings or try bush food.  After seeing a project like Rachel's it really gives me much joy to realize that the message has not ony got thru as to the importance of this land and what it produces, but also, that the message is understood.

"The quintessence of the project is to objectify bush tucker being an essential part of urban and rural Australia" quote from Rachel's project

Art reflects the emotions of the people at the time, it always has and always will.....Australian Aboriginal Art is now recognized as a world-wide art movement and as Australians we embrace it in every way, from the gifts that we give to overseas visitors to large companies like Qantas and at events such as our Olympic Games, proudly displaying Aboriginal icons and motifs.

The bush food industry is still in it's early days, but I am hopeful that within the next few years each Australian kitchen cupboard will have some food that is a native to this land and be able to incorporate it into their own every-day cooking with confidence. 

Rachel has kindly let me put a link thru to her project, please take the time to reflect on it and enjoy, not only the work that she's put into it, but also the valuable message.

Project 'Bush Tucker Taste Tradition'

Also called Watery Rose Apple and Water Cherry, these small red, bell-shaped fruit are crunchy and acid-sweet.  I've just got some in from Atherton Tableland from the grower and I must admit I'm also looking forward to doing some cooking with them.  The tree can reach from 3 - 10 metres and has a short, crooked trunk branching close to the ground.  It's flowers are fragrant and are pale-yellow.  The tree is only suited to low altitudes in the tropics and areas where there is rainfall fairly well spaced throughout the year.

It is also known in Malaysia, Indonesia and India.  It is grown for its edible fruits, its hard wood; which is used to make tools  and also its bark which is said to have theraputic benefits.  A decoction of the astringent bark is a local application on thrush.

In Indonesia the water apple is loved by children who eat it to relieve thirst.  The fruits are sold in markets skewered onto bamboo sticks, also served in salads which can be a ceremonial dish for new mothers.

According to research done by RIRDC, (Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation)

The antioxidant activity of fresh and dried plant extracts of the Syzygium aqueum were studied using beta-carotene bleaching and the 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation assay. The percentage of antioxidant activity for all extract samples using both assays was between 58 and 80%. The fresh samples had higher antioxidant activity than the dried samples. The results of the beta-carotene bleaching assay were correlated (R(2) = 0.9849) with those of the ABTS assay.

A fungal disease know as Myrtle Rust was found on a property in north NSW in April 2010.   The NSW Department of Industry and Investment is leading the activities to supress the outbreak.  This potentially a very threatening problem and is classified as Category 1, meaning that if it is detected and reported it will be acted on straight away.

The fungus that causes Myrtle rust has not been found before in Australia. It belongs to a group of fungi known as the ‘guava rust complex’. Myrtle rust can affect plants belonging to the family Myrtaceae a large family which includes many Australian native species, such as Eucalyptus species.

The rust has been identified as Myrtle rust based on the host range seen so far in Australia and the structure of its spores. Information is continuing to be gathered on its host range under Australian environmental conditions through surveillance activities, and laboratory-based host testing of a range of important commercial and ecological species of Myrtaceae.

The fungus causes spots on leaves and stems that develop masses of orange to yellow powdery spores. The disease most often affects young shoots and the growing tips of plants causing leaves to become curled and distorted. More information, along with photographs of host plants can be found on the Department of Industry & Investment NSW website.

This myrtle rust could potentially have widesspread effect on the natural environment and also have a serious effect on the commercial aspects of the native flower industry.  The majority of sites found to have the rust are retail and commercial nurseries in NSW, but be beware....if you have a lemon myrtle tree please inspect it for potentail rust infectation, and if you do find something, don't break off the leaves and throw away report them

National Exotic Plant Pest Hotline for reporting sightings: 1800 084 881

State contacts:

• South Australia: 1300 666 010
• Tasmania: 03 6233 3352
• Western Australia: 08 9334 1800
• Victoria: 13 61 86
• Queensland: 13 25 23
• Northern Territory: 08 8999 2118
• NSW: contact the Quarantine Domestic Hotline 1800 084 881

Picture of the rust can be found on

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity/plant/myrtle-rust

This complex of diseases is native to South America and is also present in the USA (Florida and Hawaii) and Mexico. It is not known how this disease entered Australia, however, rust fungi produce microscopic spores which are easily carried on the wind, on people’s clothing or on goods that are shipped around the world.

Davidson's Plum can be used in the same way as blood plums when stewing fruits or jam making;  but remember they are a lot more tangy than blood plums with a high acidic taste.  You can also mix the two together and add sweetners to get the required taste.

A really quick and easy way to make JAM is with CSR's special jam sugar.....I usually buy it in my local IGA supermarket, it's in a brown coloured bag marked Jam Making Sugar.  Follow the instructions on the side of the packet, but in short it's equal parts fruit to sugar ie 1kg fruit to 1kg jam sugar, boil for 4 minutes and then bottle, it really is that easy.

Botanical name Davidsonia pruriens, Aboriginal name: Ooray.  Tim Low call's this plum "the Queen of Australian rainforest plums". 

The plum looks like a blood plum, but is very sour in taste. It has two flat seeds that are about the same size as the blood plum's.  It is a small, narrow rainforest tree.  The varieties found in North Queensland are different from those in Southern Queensland and Northern NSW.  The plums that Outback Chef sells are from Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland.  It is an importnt fruit in the modern bushfood industry.

According to research done by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) a division of the Australian Government

A high level of lutein, a carotenoil compound that plays an important role in eye health was detected in Davidson's Plum, possessing higher levels than avocado.  Lutein improves visual function and symptions in atrophic age-related macular degeneration this is the leading cause of vision loss in aging Western societies.  Lutein protects the retina from damage by inhibiting inflammation.

There is also relatively high antioxidant activity detected in the lipophilic fractions, which unlike hydrophilic antioxidants, which do not accumulate in the body and are excreted in urine, lipophilic antioxidants penetrate the lipoprotein cell membrane more easily and therefore reach a higher level of bioavailability.  The presence of anitoxidant compounds that are active in both the hydrophilic and the lipophilic environment, within the same food source, may provide more comprehensive protection for oxidative stress.  Subsequently this may result in higher levels of protection and possibly more pronounced health benefits.  In this aspect, Davidson's plum exceeds the quality of the Blueberry control and other traditionally consumed fruits.

for more information

The flesh of Davidson's plum has a high level of anthocyanins, a potent antioxidant with a range of health benefits. Anti-diabetic effects and reduction of obesity have been reported arising from their consumption.  A possible good source of a natural food colour with health-enhancing properties for a wide application in beverages and confectionery might be considered.

Cooking tips using Davidson's Plum

If you want to learn more about our environment and also the heritage of this wonderful park why don't you go on a Discovery Tour.  There are a variety of tours on offer that gives a "hands-on" environmental experience for school groups and people of any age.  From 1/2 day to a whole day you can learn to be a bush detective, make your own bush jewellery, weave baskets, mae traditional bush tools...or if you want to just sit, talk or listen....perhaps going on an Aboriginal cultural tag-along tour is more for you.  So if you're in the Tumut, N.S.W. area visit the centre and enjoy a Riverglade Wetlands Walk, a Cave cultural tour or go night stalking, did you know that 80% of Australia's native animals are noctural....there's something for everyone.  For more information contact the Tumut Region Visitors Centre for an order form on 02 6947 7025 or email tumutrvc@environment.nsw.gov.au

"Plant me I'm special" If you want to send a message, as in the written one or give a gift and need a tag.....why not make a GREEN statement.   I now have hand-made, recycled A4 paper and gift tags available impregnated with Australian native seeds.  Even if you want to send out a company message, make it a green one.   This paper can be planted and after about 10 days the little seedlings will appear, I have used Swan River Daisy, a pretty little mauve flower that is a native to Western Australia.  The paper acts as mulch then disintegrates and the flowers grow.  These are new to site and more cards are to be added to the page -  for more info

It's been a while since my last blog as my travels have been far and wide.  After a lot of packing and upheavel I've finally landed in Melbourne...a big change from the Sunshine Coast, but an exciting one.

Before coming to Melbourne I went on a trip up to Mission Beach and beyond seeking more bushfood and contacts.  It's been a lot of years since I've been there, although a few more exotic looking homes, not much seems to have changed, it's a fantastic place with the sugar cane fields and the banana plantations and lovely old Queensland buildings.  I met Annie at Off the Rails, a great coffee shop and giftware...Annie uses a lot of bush food in her cooking, jams, cutchneys, cookies and cakes her place is a taste sensation. 37 Hynes Street, Sth Johnstone (on the road from Mission Beach to Innisfail).

At Innisfail I went to see some crocodiles at the local Croc place, they are quite scary up close...the ranger went into the enclosure with only a long stick and gave us a good educational talk about their habits, I was a little nervy as the gate to the enclose was left wide open and metres between me and the croc, he did explain that if he (meaning the ranger) did a runner to the gate don't get in his way!!! AS IF!!  Also, very close to my heart are our native dingoes, these particular dingoes have been raised sinces pups and are used to people hangdling them (yes, that's me with the dingo...the picture was taken just after he gave me a quick lick across the face and then turned his attention to a wandering rooster!  Don't go cuddling any wild dingoes please.

Another place, one of so many, up Far North Queensland, is Parenella Park...this place is an absolute must see...built by one man in the 1930's the first in Australia to have it's own hydo power set in a botanic gardens of wonderful exotic foliage, a huge waterfall and caves, it's number 1 "must see" on the RACQ list.

from Far North Queensland, with it's heat and humidity to Melbourne...more on that trip later

Current situation

Myrtle rust has been confirmed in a public parkland area at Noosaville.  Biosecurity Queensland is working with the council to determine the source of the infected plants.  To date the plant disease has been confimred on 19 sites.  The infected properties include production and retail nurseries, one queensland Government property and now a public parkland area.

Current operations

Nationally, the decision has been made that it is not feasible to eradicate this disease from Australia.  Biosecurity Queensland is continuing to work with industry to develop ongoing management options.  The focus of surveillance to date has been on production, retail nurseries,  and any bushland surrounding  the infected areas. 

Spreading the word

Biosecurity Queensland is now on Twitter and Facebook.  Get updates and images by following on Twitter: @Biosecurity Qld and Facebook: Biosecurity Queensland.

website  www.biosecurity.qld.gov.au.

This Bushfood Combo is a hands-on bushfood kit designed to get things happening in the kitchen.  If you are interested in bushfood, but when it comes down to it don't know where to go in everyday cooking.  This kit is available at a special price, it incluces favourite bushfoods as well as fact sheets and how the Aboriginal people used them in their everyday cooking as well as easy to follow recipes and all the latest information on the health aspects of bushfood.  If you havn't yet tried any bushfood I can recommend this kit and am offering it at great value to entice you along the way a bit.

I had a wonderful email during the week from USA asking for some recipe advice using Australian native bushfoods.  On following up on the website that was given to me I found that "City Green" is a community based garden teaching kids how to grow healthy food.......part of their garden was an Australian themed bush garden grown muntries, warragul greens, mountain pepper and bush tomato.  Amonst other things on a very interesting website was the comment "Third, fourth and fifth grade students that participated in school gardening activities scored significantly higher on science achievement tests compared to students that did not experience garden-based learning activities" (Klemmer, C.D., Waliczek, T.M. & Zajicek, J.J.; 2005)  Food for thought!!!  Not only that gardens and growing your own food is fun....it really is....

Now is the time to consider planting muntries, a native of South Australia to west Victoria, these great little berries have four times the anti oxidant as blueberries and a component in them that is great for your skin.  This Australian native food is also known as native cranberries or emu apples as they have a spicy apple flavour.  They are a low growing shrub that is practical to grow on a trellis for easy picking.  If anyone has a favourite Muntrie recipe that you don't mind sharing I'd love to hear from you....there were muntrie recipes in some of the older CWA cookbooks, as they were a favourite with the early settlers who made jams and jellies out of them....kids love them for the crunchy apple-like flavour and texture.  I 'll check on some of my old cookbooks (when I locate them) and advise.  Will be getting fresh (as in frozen) muntries on site shortly and I am keen to do some trial and error cooking with them.....will keep you informed.....

for muntrie seeds http://www.outbackchef.com.au/products/muntries-munthari-kunzea-pomifera/119/1

Also known as the desert raisin as it's dried appearance does resemble one.  It is a scrambling bush that grows in the desert areas of Australia.  Although I did see one the other day in Melbourne, just growing on the side of the road, surrounded by weed and frost!!...the plant is hardy.  Aboriginal people would only use them after they have dried on the bush, this reduces the harmful alkaloids in the unripened fruit.  To preserve they would mix them with tree resins, roll into a ball and put up in the trees to dry.  When needed they would be ground into a powder.

Bush tomato can be added to any of your favourite tomato dishes, pastas, soups and casseroles to give a spicy flavour.  They also act as a thickener, great if you're trying to avoid wheat based products.  Remember they are a spice not a direct substitute for fresh tomatoes.

As a health benefit they are high in folate and anti oxidant.

Always interested to hear from you and your favourite way to use bush tomatoes, if you go to my recipe site there are also ways to use bush tomato, not all that hard to do either.

This pics show unripe bush tomato on the bush and also the dried berriers ready to grind for use.

When Queen Victoria gave royal assent to the Australian Constitution on 9 July 1900, our nation was created. 9 July is now recognised as Constitution Day.  To celebrate in style, the National Archives commissioned culinary legend Maggie Beer to prepare a Constitution Cake. 

Outback Chef was very proud to supply the bush fruits for this fabulous cake and the recipe is as follows, thanks to the National Archives of Australia for making this recipe available <http://www.naa.gov.au>

Constitution Cake recipe

375ml verjuice
180g davidson's plums (defrosted, sliced and seed removed)*
120g muntries (defrosted)*
120g quandongs (dried)
120g dried currants
60g almonds, whole
50g caster sugar
120g dark-brown sugar
180g unsalted butter, chopped
4 eggs
180g self-raising flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
120g candied mixed peel
finely grated rind of 1 lemon

nut paste
120g macadamia nuts
100g icing sugar
1 egg yolk

* Available from specialist native food suppliers.

Reconstitute dried quandongs by soaking in 375ml of verjuice and 50g caster sugar for 30 minutes, then boil for 5 minutes. Turn off, add currants, leave to soften for 1 hour. Drain and reserve syrup.

Preheat the oven to 220ºC and grease and line a 20cm round spring-form cake tin with baking paper.

Dry-roast 120g macadamia nuts and 60g almonds (keeping them separate) on a baking tray for 6–8 minutes, then set aside to cool. Reset the oven to 170ºC.

To make the nut paste, blend the roasted macadamias in a food processor, then add the icing sugar and egg yolk and pulse to form a stiff paste. Set aside.

In the cake mixer, cream the brown sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour if the mixture curdles.

Fold in the flour, spices, currants, quandongs, sliced davidson's plums (seed removed), whole muntries, almonds and candied peel. Stir in the grated lemon zest and the reserved syrup, to give a soft batter.

Spoon half the batter into the prepared tin, then spread the nut paste over the mixture and top it with the remaining batter.

Bake for 2.5 hours (or until a fine skewer comes out clean). If the top colours too quickly, cover with foil for the last hour. Leave the cake to cool a little in the tin before turning it out.

"I was thrilled to be asked to make a cake for this exciting day and immediately thought to bring as much history into the recipe as I could.

For many reasons it had to be fruit cake, but something very different and special. It's a cake that gets better with age, as long as it's been made with the best of ingredients and cooked with love.

This recipe marries the rich Aboriginal food culture so few Australians know much about with that of our first settlers.

Davidson plums, a native plum with great colour and flavour and quandongs, so revered by our Aboriginal community, add a defining taste to the cake. Muntries too, a berry hardly used. And, of course, I had to use macadamia, that king of all nuts we should be proud of being native to Australia. In recognition of the mix of cultures in Australia, currants and almonds are included.

The final recipe, I hope, shows the depth of our food culture with a footnote to the wealth of flavour to be found in our native ingredients that are truly unique."

Maggie Beer
9 July 2010

I had a wonderful time talking to nearly 100 kindergarten teachers from Knox city in Melbourne.  It's fantastic to see such a lot of interest in creating bushfood gardens where the children can see some of our native plants grow and also be able to cook and eat them.  We made wattleseed ice-cream which was a real winner and an easy recipe to make, as well as that a bush tomato sauce with lemon myrtle pasta.  Keep up the good work.

This flavour wheel (see below) and descriptions has been produced by RIRDC in conjunction the Queensland Government

Fruits and Berries

Davidson plum (Davidsonia jerseyana)

An earthy aroma like fresh beetroot with a slight pickled note.

Davidson plum (Davidsonia pruriens)

Aroma of rosella jam and stewed rhubarb;  some musk and lolly notes.

Finger lime (citrus australasica)

Aroma of fresh zesty citrus with a hint of cooked citrus.

Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana)

Aroma of stewed apples and pears; some cooked citrus, pickled and fermented notes.

Lemon aspen (Acronychia acidula)

A fresh citrus aroma, confier leafs and some chemical notes.

Muntries (Kunzia pomifera)

Aroma of moist fruit mince, spice, bush honey and butter

Quandong (Santaluum acuminatum)

Aroma of dry lentils; some earthy and fermented notes

Riberry (Syzygium leuhmanii)

A sweet, spiced tea aroma with musk, bush honey and resinous notes.

HERB, SPICE, SEED

Anise myrtle (Syzgium anisatum)

Aroma of aniseed, menthol and herbs.

Lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora)

A lemon lolly aroma, perfumed with some menthol notes.

Cut leaf mint (Prostanthera incisa)

A herbal aroma, bush scrub and menthol.

Bush tomato or "Kutjera" (Solanum centrale)

The savoury caramelised aroma of carob; some cereal notes.

Tasmanian pepper berry (Tasmannia lanceolata)

Aroma of bush scrub with perfumed, fruity lolly notes.  Lingering heat on the palate.

Tasmanian pepper leaf (Tasmannia lanceolata)

Aroma of Australian bushland, dry paperbark and herbs.  Developing heat on the palate.

Wattle seed (Acacia victoriae)

Aroma of toasted coffee grounds, sweet spice, raisin and chocolate.

For more information contact the Department of
Employment, Economic Development and Innovation
on 13 25 23 or visit www.deedi.qld.gov.au

© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment,
Economic Development and Innovation, 2010.

 See previous blog to work in conjunction with this Flavour wheel, compiled by; RIRDC in conjunction with the Queensland Government
 

For more information contact the Department of
Employment, Economic Development and Innovation
on 13 25 23 or visit www.deedi.qld.gov.au
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment,
Economic Development and Innovation, 2010.

For a larger (readable) view of this wheel

This sequel to Womat Stew, a favourite with so many children, Wombat Stew Cookbook is just the thing to inspire the inner chef.  It's full of really good-fun recipes and the illustrations are sensational.  With recipes such as Bandicoot Ginger Biscuits, Possum Peanut butter Balls and Dingo damper the fun goes on and on.  I really recommend this book as one that I'm sure will not only delight your children but also bring out the inner "child" spirit in any adult.

To all those that have been waiting, this book is now back in stock.  From roasts to rissoles and everything in between this outback bush cookbook is a lot of fun.

The Tumut Region is holding a Harmony Day, if you want to celebrate and learn more about indigenous culture, then a visit to Tumut and the National Park is well worth it. See the menu below....

 
For more information regarding the  events, please
contact the Tumut Region Visitors Centre on 
02) 6947 7025, or Cooee Cottage on 02) 6947 3362.
tumutrvc@environment.nsw.gov.au
www.tumutregion.com.au

NPWS Aboriginal Discovery Programs Tumut in partnership with Cooee Cottage, the Brungle and Tumut Community Working Party and the Tumut Shire Council will be hosting three community activities in Tumut on the 4th, 6th and 8th of October finishing with a Community Harmony day being held at Cooee Cottage in Tumut from 11am to 3pm.

NPWS Aboriginal Discovery Program

NAIDOC Harmony Day Menu

Saturday 8^th October 2011

Bush Tucker Fusion Menu

Main Tucker

Kangaroo Stew with Mountain Pepper and Bush Tomatoes

Tender diced Kangaroo served in a thick and tasty sauce

of bush tomato and mountain peppers.

Emu Curry

Emu fillets slowly cooked in an Australian Yellow Curry with Lemon myrtle.

Bush Tomato Sausages

Locally made sausages mildly spiced with bush tomato.

Native Fish Skewers with Lemon Pepper Rub

Fish fillets tossed lightly in a tangy lemon myrtle and mountain pepper rub

cooked on the BBQ

Bush Treats in Bush Tomato Rub

A grubby little morsel for those who are game served with

a strawberry gum, chilli and native lime dipping sauce.

Bush Dampers served with a selection of Australian Native Jams

Desserts

Lemon Myrtle Cheesecake

Served with fresh cream and rainforest plum coulis.

Chocolate and Wattleseed Cheesecake

Served with Chocolate Grande Marnier Sauce

Quandong and Mixed Berry Pie

Beverages

A selection of Native Teas and Wattle Seed Coffee

We are currently on the look-out for my retailers to stock Outback Chef products, please let me know if you know of any retailer that could be interested.

VIC

PROVINICIAL GOURMET FOOD & GIFTS, Doncaster Shoppingtown, Doncaster

THREE DUCKS GLUTEN FREE, Burnley Street, Richmond

KURANDA NATIVE NURSERY, Croydon

SOMETHING AUSSIE, North Melbourne

NSW

TUMUT VISITORS CENTRE, Tumut

YAAMA GANU CENTRE, Moree

QLD

REDLANDS INDISCAPES CENTRE, Capalaba

WA

YEUN WING GENERAL STORE, Broome

REEVES ON CAMPBELL, Albany

It has been estimated that there are at least 5,000 different native food species that were gathered and hunted by the Aboriginal population.  This unique food has been just about forgotten since the arrival of the European settlers.  The loss of traditional land and the loss the of knowledge that was handed down from generation to generation amongst the Aboriginal population meant that Australia's native food was not developed as part of our day to day diet.

I'ts now great to see the emergence of native food amongst non Indigenous  people.  It just makes sense to make the most of what grows naturally in this country.  It has developed naturally with Australia's environment;  resistant to the extremes of climate as well as many of the pests that prove problems with the introduced species.

Ingrediants

40g Outback Chef Lemon Pepper

150g roasted macadamia nuts

80g sesame seeds

50g roasted pine nuts

2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds

Method

Grind nuts coarsely in food processor

Mix together with other ingrediants

Serve with bread and a good Australian olive oil