Outback Jack Australian Bush Tucker - Bush Fruits
Ruby Saltbush Enchylaena tomentosa.
Small shrub to 1 meter, has long, soft succulent type grayish leaves. Grows nearly everywhere. It Has currant-sized yellow to red fruit and can be found on the plant at different times of the year. It is fruiting in the S.A. Outback this March due to the great rains we have recently had.
I found the fruit soft and sweet, pleasant to eat.
These berries can be soaked in water to make a sweet drink, dried for later use and they also make a good red dye.
Small shrub to 1 meter, has long, soft succulent type grayish leaves. Grows nearly everywhere. It Has currant-sized yellow to red fruit and can be found on the plant at different times of the year. It is fruiting in the S.A. Outback this March due to the great rains we have recently had.
I found the fruit soft and sweet, pleasant to eat.
These berries can be soaked in water to make a sweet drink, dried for later use and they also make a good red dye.
Quandong Santalum acuminatum.
This is a small tree from 5-6 meters. The fruit and seeds are edible. According to CSIRO the fruit has high vitamin C content. Good for stewing, liqueur, jams etc. Quandong fruit is easily dried and readily constituted for use later.
One friend of mine made some really nice liqueur from quandong by using a cumquat liqueur recipe.
The quandong fruit is a partial root parasite and needs a host plant to propagate. I have heard rumour from locals that the root system of some lawns is adequate for this. In industry acacia species, bluebush and saltbush are giving great results.
It pays to remember however that your Quandong may be attached to weeds so don't use roundup or pull out all the vegitation around the plant. Nutrition values bottom of page
This is a small tree from 5-6 meters. The fruit and seeds are edible. According to CSIRO the fruit has high vitamin C content. Good for stewing, liqueur, jams etc. Quandong fruit is easily dried and readily constituted for use later.
One friend of mine made some really nice liqueur from quandong by using a cumquat liqueur recipe.
The quandong fruit is a partial root parasite and needs a host plant to propagate. I have heard rumour from locals that the root system of some lawns is adequate for this. In industry acacia species, bluebush and saltbush are giving great results.
It pays to remember however that your Quandong may be attached to weeds so don't use roundup or pull out all the vegitation around the plant. Nutrition values bottom of page
Muntries
Common Names & Species:
Muntries, Munthari
It usually grows on South coast of SA, up to the Eyre Peninsula and around Portland Vic, also found in Kangaroo Island. Rainfall areas 500mm-800mm so would need a bit of watering in the Australian outback in a spot that would get some shade or protection from the hot summer sun.
Fruit is great eaten fresh or used in preserves or would even make a great relish to go with steak or pork. I have tried this at a nursery in Bamera S.A.
Prostrate or occasionally semi-upright shrub. Grown successfully on trellis under cultivation. Below picture muntries
Common Names & Species:
Muntries, Munthari
It usually grows on South coast of SA, up to the Eyre Peninsula and around Portland Vic, also found in Kangaroo Island. Rainfall areas 500mm-800mm so would need a bit of watering in the Australian outback in a spot that would get some shade or protection from the hot summer sun.
Fruit is great eaten fresh or used in preserves or would even make a great relish to go with steak or pork. I have tried this at a nursery in Bamera S.A.
Prostrate or occasionally semi-upright shrub. Grown successfully on trellis under cultivation. Below picture muntries
Important! It always is important to prepare bush tucker foods correctly. The correct preparation will ensure that the harmful elements are removed. The Aboriginals learned this and we would do well to learn from them.
Seeds such as the edible Acacia seeds need to be roasted before eating. Many greens need to be blanched.
Also remember that just because one part of the plant is edible does not guarantee that all parts are.
Don't let this put you off though as many plants that are a regular part of our Western diet are the same. Like rhubarb whoose leaves are toxic and silverbeet which contains oxalic acid too.
Seeds such as the edible Acacia seeds need to be roasted before eating. Many greens need to be blanched.
Also remember that just because one part of the plant is edible does not guarantee that all parts are.
Don't let this put you off though as many plants that are a regular part of our Western diet are the same. Like rhubarb whoose leaves are toxic and silverbeet which contains oxalic acid too.
Do you have a recipe using Australian bush tucker? Like to share it with us? Email your recipe to:- jackie@outbackjack.info
Here is a great bush tucker site Outback Pride
Here is a great bush tucker site Outback Pride
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Some interesting and useful links below
Spicy Quandong Fruit sauce This sauce is nice with Kangaroo fillet. 15 Quandongs (dried or fresh) rough chop 1/4 cup vinegar (don't use sweet spiced type) 2 small chillies - chopped and de- seeded 1 tsp salt 1 tbspn brown sugar or palm sugar If using dried quandong soak in a little warm water for half an hour, then drain. Simmer slowly quandong and chillies in the vinegar with salt and sugar added, until mixture has become reduced and quandongs soft and mushy. - About 30 mins. Sauce should be nappier, meaning the mixture coats the back of a spoon it does not just run straight off, a bit like thin custard. |
Quandong Fruit Jam 21/4 cups fruit 2 cups sugar rainwater to cover. Foil fruit until tender, add sugar and simmer 20-30 minutes. Pour into clean warm jars seal with lids tight allow to cool. You can use half brown sugar instead of all white. You can also make Quandong chutney. Use recipe as above then add 1 tbspn of sultanas, 1 dspn of mixed fruit (optional) 1/2 an apple (fine dice), pinch salt, pinch cloves, 1 tspn lemon or vinegar. Simmer for another 30 mins. Nutrition value Quandong Fruit:- per 100g 2645 kj, Protein - 16 g, Fat - 63.1g, Fibre - 4.8g Minerals:- Cu-1.8mg, Fe-10.6mg, Mg-200mg, K-388mg, Na-65mg, Zn-6.6mg Vitamins:- Niacin 2.7mg CSIRO says it is high in vitamin C but I have not yet found anyone with specific values. |
Did you know that Australia has some natives that are a member of the Citrus Fruit family? Desert Lime Species: Eremocitrus Glauca Family: Rutaceae is one of these and grows in the Southern Flinders Ranges. Sour like other limes is great for fish, sauces and marmalades.
| Bush Cucumber: Cuccumis melo Subspecies agrestis |
This species of fruit has relatives in Asia and Europe where it has been bred into all manner of melons and cucumbers, including the cantaloupe. It prefers a sheltered spot and is a creeping vine, spreading up to 3 meters. It has triangular, pale green leaves with a rough texture. Grows in semi-arid lands of NT Queensland and South Australia. It is a little frost sensitive. Has a pleasant taste. The seeds are spread by birds as their stomachs do not digest them but cattle and sheep digest the seeds and are causing a decline of this species in Australia. |
Ever wondered what Australian Aboriginals survive on in desert regions such as Uluru (Ayres Rock). Well one plant commonly know as the Mulga (Acacia aneura) has a rich source of food. You can eat the lumps of gum that form after insect attack - very sweet. You can eat the seeds by making flour from them - high in protein. Then there are the parasites that live on them which taste good too. Such as the Mulga apple - wasp gall, the Red lerp - Austrochardia acaciae red scale insect. and the fruit of the pale leaf mistletoe Amyema maidenii. Australian Bush Tucker is amazing |
Has the information on this proved useful? Could it be improved? How about letting us know by signing the guestbook. Also is there some native food you would like to know more about. I love research because it makes me learn just ask and I will try to find the answer for you.
| Australian Figs Rock Figs - Ficus platypoda, found in the outback of australia contains upto 4000 milligrams of calcium ber hundred grams, far more than any western food. ( Tim Low - Bush Tucker Australia's Wild Harvest. The Morten bay fig is also edible. The Rock Fig sprouts in crevices among boulders - hence the name. |
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Hint for growing Quandongs - put some hot ashes in hole where they are to be planted, put seeds on top. Cover with dirt. Water a couple of hours later - From Roma Wilton Quorn formerly of Nepabunna Flinders Ranges