Some highlights from our August Newsletter, or you can download the full issue here.
Contents
Native greens for health and enjoyment
Native Teas
Australian Medicinal & Edible Plants
Australia Truffles and Truffle-like Fungi
Persoonia Project Report
Guided Wildflower Walks in the Granite Belt
Bushfood Gardens at Woodfordia
Indigenous Plants for Health – Field Day Foxbar Falls, Qld
Garden Design for Bushfire Resistance
Indigenous Plants for Health – Spring Field Day Wootton, NSW
Highlights
Native greens for health and enjoyment
By Andrew Pengelly, PhD
Most of the research and commerce around bushfoods seems to be concentrated on fruit, whether fleshy (e.g., Davidson’s Plum), nutty (Macadamia, Bunya) or seedy (wattleseed). Far less attention has been paid to vegetables or greens, although these are arguably the most readily available wild foods in Australia.
While our native greens might not form the recognisable heads of lettuces and other exotic greens such as cabbages, they compensate by providing unique flavours and high nutrient levels.
Greens for cooking or salads include:
Warrigal greens
New Zealand spinach
Bower spinach
Rainforest spinach
Native nettle
(and many more – see the PDF)
Salty plants from sea and land include:
Samphire
Sea purslane
Pigface
Karkalla
Sea blight
(and more – see the PDF)
Brassicas and native cresses include:
Peppercress
Bittercress
Native cresses
Wintercress
Spicy leaves for flavour and tisanes include:
Mountain pepper
Cinnamon myrtle
Lemon myrtle
River mint
Native lemongrass
(and more – see the PDF)
Leafy shoots for snacks when bushwalking include:
Supplejack
Mat rush
Scrambling lily
Devil’s twine
Screw pine
(and more – see the PDF)
Whether beachcombing along our sandy beaches, hiking through the bush or rainforest, or venturing into the semiarid inland of Australia, there are likely to be a selection of native greens around for enjoyment and – should the situation arise – survival.
Indigenous Plants for Health, Inc. 