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.

Australian Aboriginal Bush Tucker - Bush Food for thousands of years the aboriginal people have lived off the land, eating well when food was plentiful and conserving in times of drought.  This food is called bushfood or bushtucker it's our native cuisine.  Today bushfood is modern, contemporary and fun, it can be used in all our favourite recipes or create new and exciting ones.

Healthy eating program Taste It, Do It, Live It   

See SBS story on the opening of the Jilamara Art Centre

Outback Chef's Red Curry Cauliflower Soup, one of the dishes that I made with the students for the opening of the Tiwi College new library.  If you would like the recipe it's on the inside of the Australian Red Curry pack

WATTLESEED ICE-CREAM

250ml full cream milk

600 ml thickened cream

100g sugar

pinch salt

2 teaspoons roasted wattle seed

LEMON MYRTLE & COCONUT ICE CREAM

250 mul full cream milk

300 mil thickened cream

300 ml coconut cream

100g sugar

pinch salt

1 tsp ground lemon myrtle (can add more if you want it stronger)

DAVIDSON PLUM ICE-CREAM

375g Davidson Plum puree

300 ml thickened cream

100g caster sugar

Note:  this one is quite tangy as the Davidson Plum is tart, more sugar can be added if you want it sweeter.

METHOD FOR THE THREE ICE-CREAMS

Mix all ingredients together, heat in saucepan

Chill, churn in ice-cream maker and freeze

or if making by hand, put in freezer and take out and beat by hand during freezing process

PEPPERBERRY & LEMON SORBET

200 ml lemon juice (approx 3 lemons)

450 ml cold water

200g caster sugar

2 egg whites (lightly beaten)

0.5g freeze dried ground pepperberry

METHOD

Combine sugar and water stirring over heat until dissolved

Boil for 5-10 mins until light syrup (110C)

Cool and add juice

Chill, churn in ice-cream maker, add pepperberry (it will then go bright pink)

Add egg whites when sorbet has started freezing

If doing by hand, beat egg whites until stiff add to mixture after juice and add pepperberry

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

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.

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

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

Ive just got a load of muntries in from the grower.  I must admit Im very excited to recieve these sweet little berries.  If you havnt tried muntries before their flavour resembles a sweet spicy apple.  They grown naturally as a ground cover, but now are being grown on a trellis in orchards.  Known to have at least 4 time the anti oxidant powers than blueberries, they also contain a wax in the fruit that is said to be very good for skin health.

They have been frozen and vacuum packed, yes I am getting organized with my packaging now!!!

Samples of the plant were bought back to England in 1889 for cultivation and were probably amongst the first Australian species of bushfood introduced there.

This magazine is a great read about those who are involved in Australia's new rural industries.  Their passion for their particular industry.   It features profiles on individuals and their businesses....this month it has included Outback Chef and the native food industry in it's profile.  Passion to Profit magazine has been selling in the newsagents but is now available on site and will be in the future.  Click to read magazine.

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.

If you are interested in stocking Outback Chef products please let me know......

VICTORIA

PROVINICIAL GOURMET FOOD & GIFTS, Doncaster Shoppingtown, Doncaster

THREE DUCKS GLUTEN FREE, Burnley Street, Richmond

KURANGA NATIVE NURSERY, Croydon

SOMETHING AUSSIE, North Melbourne

TREEHOUSE GALLERY,  Birregurra

LEO'S FINE FOOD & WINE, Heidelberg

LEO'S FINE FOOD & WINE, Kew

LEO'S FINE FOOD & WINE, Hartwell

MAXI STORES. Ferntree Gully

MAXI FOODS, Blackburn North

MAXI SUPERMARKET, East Ringwood

IGA, Fairfield

JEFFRIES FAMILY SUPERMARKET, IGA, Croydon

GATEWAY ESTATE, Coldstream

AUMAN FAMIL ORCHARD, Warrandyte

YERING STATION, Yering

YARRA VALLEY DAIRY, Yering

WARBURTON PANTRY, Warburton

TULLY'S CORNER PRODUCE STORE, Mornington

OLD TEA SHOPPE, Warburton

THE SANSCTARY, Healesville

DARWILLIFARM, Canterbury & Brighton

NSW

TUMUT VISITORS CENTRE, Tumut

YAAMA GANU CENTRE, Moree

TALI GALLERY, Rozelle

NGUNYA JARJUM, Casino

QLD

REDLANDS INDISCAPES CENTRE, Capalaba

DREAMTIME KULLILLA, Redcliffe

WA

YEUN WING GENERAL STORE, Broome

REEVES ON CAMPBELL, Albany

IGA, Denmark

SHELF LIFE EXTENSION OF KANGAROO MEAT USING NATURAL ANTIMICROBIALS

The following information is from research that was done by Dr Yasmina Sultanbawa at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland.

The harvesting of kangaroos for human and pet food consumption has become a significant domestic and export industry in Australia.

At present the pet food industry uses sulphites as a chemical preservative to extend the shelf-life of chilled kangaroo meat.

Sulphites cause thiamine deficiency in low body weight animals (including cats and dogs) and the ffects are exacerbated when the animals are exculsively fed a diet containing high concentrations of sulphite preservatives.

There is a consumer demand for additive free food and the trend is to use natural antimicrobils such as plant extracts as preservatives.  Certain plant extracts are also a rich source of antioxidants which can extend the freshness of the product by preventing oxidation.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the potential of using natural antimicrobils such as plant extracts and organic acids in extending the storage life of chilled kangaroo meat and as an alternative to sulphites as a chemical preservative.

METHODS

Freeze dried water extracts of kakadu and Queensland Davidson plum, lactic acid and citric acid were screened for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli using a mictotitre assay and the minimum inbigitory concentration was determined.

Different mixtures of natural antimicrobials both in-house and commercial blends were incorporated into kangaroo mince using vacuum and MAP packaging conditions and shelf life was determined over a chilled storage period of 29 days.

Samples from each treatment were taken on storage days 1, 4, 11, 15, 20, 25 and 29 and tested for microbiological, colour, gas chromatography mass spectrometry and sensory analysis.

FINDINGS

Screening of antimicrobial efficacy of kakadu and Queensland Davidson plum with organic acids completed inhibited S. aureus and E. coli.

It retained redness during the storage period and was comparable with the fresh kangaroo mince.  The highest reduction in redness was observed in treatments with 0.2% Oregano essential oil and 0.1% Queensland Davidson plum + 0.1% kakadu plum + 0.25% lactic acid over the 29 day storage period for vacuum packed products.

The most effective treatments observed were with a combination of Queensland Davidson plum + kakadu plum + lactic acid with vacuum packaging at day 20.

GCMS results revealed an increase in alkenes, aldehydes, ketones and alcohols in all treatments in comparison to the fresh kangaroo mince sample.  The highest off-flavour volatiles are present in the control sample without any treatment, indicating that the quality deterioration in the control was the most rapid at chilled storage.

CONCLUSION

Natural antimicrobial blends, both produced in-house and commercially sourced, were effective in extending the shelf-life of fresh kangaroo mince meat at chilled storage temperatures.  Vacuum packaging was more effective in maintaining the quality of fresh kangaroo meat than MAP.  Even though the aerobic bacteria were within the critical microbiological limits the sensory quality of most treatments was not acceptable after 29 days of storage.