In this section , we feature some of the Australian native plants that can be used as food. There are a great many plants that fit into this category. Some are quite delicious and some may be just barely palatable. Much depends on the taste of the individual.
Many plants used for food by the Aborigines had to first undergo a considerable amount of preparation; so be very cautious when experimenting with native foods. If you are unfamiliar with a plant , try to find out some information about it before eating any of it.
The Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) has done considerable work investigating safety of bush foods. A substantial report Food Safety of Australian Plant Bushfoods by M. P. Hegarty, E.E. Hegarty, and R.B.H. Wills is available as a pdf file bush_food_safety.pdf. Relevent web references:
- Main RIRDC site: http://www.rirdc.gov.au/
- RIRDC reports: http://www.rirdc.gov.au/fullreports/index.html
- RIRDC new plant products reports: http://www.rirdc.gov.au/fullreports/npp.html
MILLAA-MILLAA VINE (Elaeagnus triflora) by Greg Calvert
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