Your Garden Questions Answered – Bush Food
Presenter: Melissa King
Episode: 20 (8 September 2007)
It is not unusual to spot Bush tucker on the menus of top restaurants and cafes and more people are discovering ways to integrate Australian ingredients into their home cooking. So why not grow some bush food yourself – so you can enjoy native flavours straight from your own backyard.
Evan Clucas - Kuranga Native Plant Nursery
A bit about Quandongs
Evan: Also known as the Native Peach, it is a desert plant which grows wide spread through out inland Australia, from South Australia through to Western Australia and up to Victoria. They can be grown in Melbourne. The Quandong needs good drainage and a nice warm spot. The fruits colour up read when they are ripe, they also taste a bit like rhubarb.
A bit about Desert Limes
Evan: Limes now available in Melbourne which are grafted onto citrus root stocks. There is a desert lime and there is a finger lime, the CSIRO have also bread some limes, using the finger lime as a parent. They are very decorative limes and can be used as you would any lime, in marmalades, jams or dressings. They are good for a small garden as well; treat them as you would a normal lemon or lime tree.
A bit about Lemon Myrtle.
Evan: Can be used as a tee, or like lemon grass as flavouring, also in soaps and body products. They are easy to grow, although they are quite slow growing and can grow quite tall. But the scent is amazing. It is also possible to get lemon myrtle crème in chocolate, which Melissa would recommend.
A bit about Wattles
Evan: A lot of wattles are poisonous, there are over 1000 species of wattles in Australia, and there are only a few which you can use in food such as scone’s and ice cream.
You can sink your teeth into some great Aussie flavoured tucker such as Quandong tarts or even roast wattle seed at the Paperbark Café located in the Kuranga Native Nursery
http://www.kuranga.com.au/
Kuranga Native Nursery
118 York Road
Mount Evelyn 3796
Episode: 20 (8 September 2007)
It is not unusual to spot Bush tucker on the menus of top restaurants and cafes and more people are discovering ways to integrate Australian ingredients into their home cooking. So why not grow some bush food yourself – so you can enjoy native flavours straight from your own backyard.
Evan Clucas - Kuranga Native Plant Nursery
A bit about Quandongs
Evan: Also known as the Native Peach, it is a desert plant which grows wide spread through out inland Australia, from South Australia through to Western Australia and up to Victoria. They can be grown in Melbourne. The Quandong needs good drainage and a nice warm spot. The fruits colour up read when they are ripe, they also taste a bit like rhubarb.
A bit about Desert Limes
Evan: Limes now available in Melbourne which are grafted onto citrus root stocks. There is a desert lime and there is a finger lime, the CSIRO have also bread some limes, using the finger lime as a parent. They are very decorative limes and can be used as you would any lime, in marmalades, jams or dressings. They are good for a small garden as well; treat them as you would a normal lemon or lime tree.
A bit about Lemon Myrtle.
Evan: Can be used as a tee, or like lemon grass as flavouring, also in soaps and body products. They are easy to grow, although they are quite slow growing and can grow quite tall. But the scent is amazing. It is also possible to get lemon myrtle crème in chocolate, which Melissa would recommend.
A bit about Wattles
Evan: A lot of wattles are poisonous, there are over 1000 species of wattles in Australia, and there are only a few which you can use in food such as scone’s and ice cream.
You can sink your teeth into some great Aussie flavoured tucker such as Quandong tarts or even roast wattle seed at the Paperbark Café located in the Kuranga Native Nursery
http://www.kuranga.com.au/
Kuranga Native Nursery
118 York Road
Mount Evelyn 3796
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