Community Bush Food Garden

Recipes

Welcome to the rich and diverse world of edible native plants!

Our mission is to celebrate the natural bounty that grows all around us, often overlooked yet brimming with flavor, nutrition, and cultural significance. Here, you’ll discover a few recipes that harness the unique qualities of indigenous flora, transforming them into delicious, wholesome dishes that connect us to the land and traditions of our ancestors.

Recipes listed below:

SWEET
Saltbush Scones
Raspberry & Lemon Myrtle Jam
Orange and Native Mint Cake
Lemon Myrtle and Almond Biscuits

SAVOURY
Roasted Eggplant
Warrigal Greens Frittata

BEVERAGE
Lemon Myrtle Cordial

SWEET

Saltbush Scones

Ingredients

3 cups plain flour
3 heaped tsps baking powder
1/4 tspn salt
50 g butter
1 and 1/4 cups milk
3 tspns dried and crushed saltbush leaves

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 220C
2. Sift flour, salt and baking powder into bowl. Add saltbush leaves.
3. Cut butter in cubes and rub into mix until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add milk and mix quickly with a knife to a soft dough.
4. Roll out, keeping dough high. Cut into shape with floured glass or cutter.
5. Dust oven tray with flour. Place scones 2cm apart and bake for 10 minutes.
   Serve with Raspberry and Lemon Myrtle Jam + Wattleseed cream

Raspberry & Lemon Myrtle Jam

Ingredients

3 cups frozen raspberries
2 and 1/2 cups sugar
5 lemon myrtle leaves

Steps

1. Put berries into large pot and cook slowly until juice runs from them.
2. Bring to boil, add sugar, lemon myrtle leaves. Stir until sugar dissolves.
3. Boil briskly for 5 mins. Take off heat and stir for 15 mins.
4. Pour into sterilised jars. (Discard lemon myrtle leaves)

Wattleseed Cream

Beat cream with 1 tspn wattleseed and 1 tspn sugar

Orange and Native Mint Cake

Ingredients

2 large oranges
6 eggs
250g ground almonds
250g sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp chopped native mint leaves

Steps

1. Wash and boil oranges in water for nearly 2 hours. Let them cool, then cut open and remove pips. Pulp the oranges in an electric blender.
2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl.
   Add the almonds, sugar, baking powder and chopped mint. Mix thoroughly and pour into a buttered and floured cake tin.
3. Bake in a preheated 200 degree oven (185 if fan forced). 
Check after an hour. If it is still very wet, leave it in the oven for a little longer.
4. Cool in the tin before turning out.

   This is a very moist cake and may also serve as a dessert.

Lemon Myrtle and Almond Biscuits

Ingredients

1/2 cup caster sugar
Full cup gluten free flour
Full cup almond meal
2 teaspoons lemon Myrtle
1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
250 grams butter
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs

Steps

1. Simply sifted dry ingredients then added wet ingredients.
2. Knead into balls, flattened with fork.
3. Bake in a preheated 180 degree oven for 15mins until golden brown.
4. Cool before applying Icing.

Icing

Mix icing sugar with lemon juice and apply to cooled biscuits

SAVOURY

Roasted Eggplant

Cut eggplant into wedges, toss in olive oil, native mint leaves, salt and crushed pepperberries or ground pepper.

Bake at 200C for 30 – 35 minutes or until browned.

Salsa Verde (makes 1 cup)

Into food processor place 75g mixed herbs (parsley, dill, native mint), 2 small cloves garlic, one third cup chopped cucumber pickles, 2 tbspns pickle juice, 2 tbspns

lemon zest and juice of 1 lemon or lime Pulse until rough chopped, taste and balance flabours. Add one third cup olive oil and process to combine.

Warrigal Greens Frittata

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 bunch English Spinach, washed and chopped
4 large handfuls of Warrigal Greens leaves, washed
1 cup grated tasty cheese
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup cream
Grated rind of 1/2 a lemon
Salt & Pepper

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 190°C
2. In a large flat pan (with lid) soften onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add garlic and stir until fragrant.
3. Add the english spinach and warrigal greens. Put the lid on and leave to wilt (2 mins).
4. Take off heat and remove lid.
5. Cool a little. Then add remaining ingredients.
6. Scrape into greased oven proof dish. Place in oven and bake for 35 mins.
7. Can top with grated parmesan or chopped bush tomatos before cooking.

BEVERAGE

Lemon Myrtle Cordial

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
10 lemon myrtle leaves

Steps

1. Put ingredients into a pot and bring to boil.
2. Allow to cool down.
3. Mix to taste in sparkling soda or mineral water.

Perfect as a mixer or just as a refreshing non-alcoholic drink. If you add a dab of plum jam (preferably Davidson Plum) it will take on a delicate pink colour which looks fabulous on the table at Xmas.

NOTE: There is a large lemon myrtle tree growing near the Edible Native garden and although it’s on Pru and Jon’s property, they are happy for you to help yourself to the foliage.