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Looking for Bush food plant

Posted by vegegrower (My Page) on
Mon, Nov 12, 07 at 2:02

Hi.
I'm looking for a bush foods plant relatively quick 'n easy to grow... i live in Canberra (ACT, relatively hot in summer, frost in winter). Any info would be really welcome!


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: Looking for Bush food plant

Yam Daisy / Microseris lanceolata is a very easy bush food plant to grow. Plant a few and they will self seed all over the garden if you let them - like Dandelions.

The Aborgines used them like potatoes but it does take a few years for the tubers to reach a worth while size for harvesting.

Another is Mentha australis / Native Mint. This is a very aggressive rhizomatous plant that will spread thickly through damp areas. The foliage a is fragrant like traditional mint and it can be used in exactly the same way.

There is Solanum laciniatum or one of the Bush Tomatoes. This is a large spreading shrub with large vivid purple flowers that are followed by bright orange berries. They usually start flowering and fruiting in the first year as quite small shrubs and grow astonishingly fast. They will also self seed vigorously in the garden, particularly if you have lots of native birds eating the fruit and roosting in trees in your garden. The fruit make tasty sauces and preserves.


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RE: Looking for Bush food plant

Tetragonia tetragonioides Warrigul Greens native spinach is really easy to grow, tastes pretty good.
Billardiera cymosa Sweet Apple-berry. Climbing, twining plant with small sweet juicy fruit.
Kunzea pomifera Muntries prostrate with crunchy apple flovoured fruit


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RE: Looking for Bush food plant

How about wattleseed? I believe these species are used in the bushfoods industry:
Acacia sophorae (or longifolia), A. notabilis, A. pycnantha, A. retinodes, A. victoriae (one of the most commonly used, but has the disadvantage of being a prickly plant, and the seeds are quite a bit lower in protein than most wattles) and A. murrayana. From what I’ve read, the latter sounds as though it may be one of the best, but perhaps other members could comment? There are a lot of other edible wattles, but also a few poisonous ones, so you’d want to be sure of planting something you could trust not to do you some damage.
Cheers, Trish


 
 

 

 


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