5. Good Organic Gardening - September-October 2016 AvxHome.in

WEEKEND GARDENING | Bush foods
Bush tomato Solanum
centrale; at right, the fruit
GO
WILD!
Bush foods are easy to grow, are chock
full of nutrients and you can turn them
into tasty tucker that will have even the
fussiest eaters coming back for seconds
Words Carrol Baker
An Australian native bush-food
garden is low maintenance and
very rewarding because you get
to eat the fruits of your labour.
Often referred to as bush tucker, native
food plants are well adapted to our climate
and their hardiness and resistance to
diseases and pests mean they’re perfect for
organic gardeners.
Here are some of our favourites:
Native finger lime Citrus australasica As
the name suggests, this thorny little tree
produces a slender, finger- or sausageshaped
fruit that breaks open to reveal petite
caviar-like segments that pack a zesty punch.
Plant: Full sun to part shade. Native to NSW
and Queensland border ranges, but it’s frost
hardy so will grow in cooler climates. Prune
annually to remove dead wood. It can be slow
growing but it’s worth the wait.
Size: To 6m.
Dish it up: It adds zing to salads and soups.
Use as a seafood garnish or add segments to
sparkling water for a burst of fresh flavour.
Wattle seed Acacia victoriae This is the rock
star of bush tucker because it’s so versatile in
cooking and its flavour is one of the best.
Plant: Grows well in hot, low-rainfall areas.
Harvest seed pods during summer by tapping
the tree with a stick (with some force). Gather
seeds and pop them into an oven to slowly
roast. This releases the nutty flavour.
Size: To 4m.
Dish it up: Grind the seed to add to desserts
or mix with other spices and add to seafood
or meat dishes. Add the flowers (after
removing the stalks) to omelettes or scones.
Lemon myrtle Backhousia citriodora This
versatile tree is a stunning ornamental with
beautiful creamy-coloured flowers, but it’s the
leaves that have the intense infusion of citral
(the lemony fragrance).
Plant: Grows in part sun/full shade in welldrained
soil, thriving in warmer climates. It
also looks striking in a pot or as a hedge.
Size: To 6m. Potted, it grows thick and lush.
Dish it up: Use fresh from the tree in Thai
cooking, chicken dishes and desserts for a
lemon-lime flavour infusion.
Illawarra plum Podocarpus elatus This
beautiful tree is related to the pine, with fleshy
purple fruit encasing a hard seed. The fruit
has a berry-like sticky consistency with hints
of grape and pine flavours. Plums are ripe
when they fall from the tree in autumn
and winter.
Melburnian, Mark Marathon
70 | Good Organic Gardening