It has been known since the 12th Century that the aniseed flavoured herb fennel is good for eyesight.  Hildegard of Bingen who was a herbalist of that time said that fennel strengthened the eyes, brain and hearing.  The poet, Longfellow wote " above the lower plants it towers, the fennel with it's yellow flowers, and in an earlier age than ours, was gifted with the wondrous powers, lost vision to restore"  So what's that got to do with Anise myrtle? a lot they both have that same aromatic aniseed flavour and the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation has been doing extensive research on Anise myrtle and found that it is not only high in Vitamin E but also lutein, a carotenoid compound that plays an important role in eye health. 

Chlorophyll a and b have also been identified, this is implicated in the reduction of oxidative stress in the human body, which is linked with the prevention of chronic diseases.

Anise myrtle (Backhousia anisata) is a medium-sized tree grown int he rainforest areas of eastern Australia and is related to the lemon myrtle.

To use in cooking it can be substituted for Stan Anise, Pernod or even fennel to give that great aniseed flavour.   Use with fish or chicken or what I often do it  put some in when I'm baking vegetables, just mix Anise myrtle with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and add.

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.

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.