Bush Tucker

Yesterday I went to the first week of a Bush Tucker course held at the ACT Aboriginal and TSI Cultural Centre. The centre is in a beautiuful location, on the banks of lake burley griffin, very close to the special place between the mountain and the river where the Ngambri used to camp prior to white settlement. If you want to learn more about the Ngambri, and Aboriginal history in the Canberra area, then Ann Jackson-Nakano's work "The Kamberri, A History of Aboriginal Families in the ACT and Surrounds" would be a very good place to start. It is available here.

I am pretty sure that part of an elegantly frugal life must involve learning about the cornucopia of native foods that surround us. So off I went, keen to learn more about the spuds and peas of the Ngambri, and I wasnt dissapointed.

My main interest in the course was to find out what was possible with the abundant lomandras that grow in our garden. You can find out more about lomandras here. When they flower, the backyard is FILLED with the sweetest, honey smell. I learned that the flowers can be soaked in lemon juice, or water and then strained to made a lovely sweet drink. They can also be used to make "elderberry wine", except you substitute the elderberries for the lomandra blossoms.

The white stem bases can be eaten raw, and taste just like freshly picked peas. I just tried this, and it is true - they do! In a very efficient way, the discarded leaves left over from eating the bases would have been used to make baskets for use in earth ovens, and for carrying things.

Now for the potatoes. The potato of the Ngambri was probably the Yam Daisy, or Microseris lanceolata. In South Australia this is called the Murnong. We went for a little look at what was around in the native pasture near the cultural centre, but it is the wrong time for Yam Daisies. Apparently it would have been baked in an earth oven, probably wrapped in a woven basket, and either eaten for dinner or cold for breaky. Weight for weight the Yam Daisy tubers provide 80% of the calories of a spud, but have no starch, and taste a little on the water chestnut side of potato. I think I recognise this little plant though, and will keep a look out for it in spring.


Photo source here

We also wandered down to the lake and played around with the bullrushes, but it was a bit hard to pull up the tubers. We also started building an earth oven which we will hopefully get to use some time later in the course.

I also found out that the slippery jacks I had eaten ealier this year were probably a native mushy, rather than the imported varierty - which explains why they look a little different to the text books but tasted good just the same.

Well, thats about it for yesterday -unless folks want my recipie for pear and pepita muffins - yum yum, I am eating one with a cuppa while I write.

Random Fungus Flat Rooster Sunday

Well. Another bone crunchingly cold night followed by a crystal clear sunny day. The poor old avocados are taking a beating. They have spots and splotches and crunchy leaves. None of this is good! The Bacons seem to be doing a bit better. The Gwens – well, they look like crap! I am not sure what the specific problem is – is it the cold? Is it the “green with envy” spray? Did they get wet feet? Have they caught a fungus? Will they die? Sigh…. there are many avocados questions.

In other random news, I got two flat tires riding to mum and dad’s this morning. I changed one tube, and then the replacement tube went flat as well. I think my tire is worn out – all those 25km commutes to and from struggle town for work! In the end I had to walk home with the bike.

I am not sure if it is bad blog etiquette to talk about pre-blog experiences, but I wanted to show you the slippery jacks and saffron ladies my friend from the community garden gave me. He found them just up the road in the pine forest a few weeks ago, a few weeks after some rain. I have always wanted to find out which of the mushrooms growing in the pine forests are edible, but have never been able to find anyone who knew before! So here they are:

Both are quite distinctive, and I think I will be able to find them again in the wild next spring - the safron ladies especially

There is some more information about them here.

I fried them up in some butter and home grown garlic – DELICIOUS!!! The saffron ladies especially! Mr Duck Herder refused to eat them, but I thought they were wonderful.

And finally, true to my word – here is a picture of Nefley and her boyfriend Byron. Byron is a regular visitor to the princess castle and he is very sweetly in love with Nefley, and Nefley is very sweetly in love with him too. Jenni however, hates him with a passion. Thats half of Jenni there on the right.