Australians love their gardens and since spring has arrived, many are looking for ways to revitalise their veggie patch, or to add to their collection of balcony plants.
Native edible plants – like lilly pilly, lemon myrtle and midyim berries – have been gaining popularity over the last few years; not just in kitchens and restaurants, but also in home gardens.
As well as adding a pop of flavour to home cooking, these plants might be worth considering for their resilience, sustainability and connection to Country.
Why plant edible natives?
Australian native plants have adapted to ecosystems that can be hostile or drought-ridden, developing a resilience that other plants cannot offer. Many have specific behaviours that bind water and tap into energy sources differently to introduced species, which make them a particularly good choice for Australian gardens. Many natives require less irrigation, fertilisers and pesticides.
“It comes back to the DNA of the landscape and the plant itself,” says Samantha Nyudbi Martin, who runs an edible natives consultancy as Bush Tukka Woman.
“In Italy, they wouldn’t be planting lemon myrtles, they’d be planting olive trees.”
Planting edible natives can also play a role in supporting local ecosystems. Native plants provide habitat and food for birds and other pollinators like native bees and butterflies. This harmony helps maintain healthy habitats and can support and encourage other Australian plants and animals to return to urban and suburban areas.
What can you do with them?
Part of the fun of edible natives is choosing indigenous plants that can replace more conventional produce.
Lemon myrtle and other native plants are great flavourings for home cooking. Photograph: Rob Palmer
Warrigal greens, which generally thrive in dry, coastal areas, can be used to stand in for spinach or chard. Bush tomatoes, on the other hand, are more drought-resistant than normal tomatoes. Finger limes, with their unusual shape and caviar-like consistency, can take the place of other citrus fruits while adding a pop of flavour, and native river mint can be used to flavour ice-creams.
Bush tucker plants can introduce new flavour profiles to dishes for home cooks looking to explore new cuisines. Old man saltbush, with its bitter, smoky accents, can be used as a base or stuffing for baked fish. Native fruits like the tangy midyim berry, cranberry-like lilly pilly and spicy apple muntries are good for jams and cakes, or, as Martin says, even a gravy or jus.
“I like to do a herb mix of saltbush, mountain pepper and then lemon myrtle,” says Martin. “And that in itself right there is a beautiful blend.
“Mix with some oil, and maybe turmeric and paprika for a more robust flavour, and you’ve got a beautiful paste that you can put on everything.”
Native edibles are also incredibly nutrient-dense and medicinally valuable. Compared with introduced crops, they can have higher levels of protein, complex carbohydrates, antioxidants and minerals like calcium and potassium. These plants have been used by Indigenous Australians for tens of thousands of years with uses ranging from anti-inflammatory teas to antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral treatments.
What to watch out for?
Not all edible natives are easy to cultivate at home. Macadamia trees are finicky and prone to rot. Davidson’s plum can die easily if not tended to properly.
And not every edible native can grow in all of Australia’s climate zones. For instance, finger limes – native to the tropical north – can be grown in pots and are adaptable, while warrigal greens struggle in humid areas, and river mint thrives only in swampy soils. Muntries, which tolerate cold and sandy soils with minimal water, are ideal for temperate zones.
Selecting plants native or adapted to your region, like mountain pepper in cooler climates or redback ginger for balconies, helps ensure sustainable growth with fewer added resources such as fertilisers or irrigation.
Kakadu plums, as an example, cannot be grown in Victoria, says Leonie van ‘t Hag, a researcher from Monash University.
“It’s a tropical plant and you’d need to still give it lots of water. Buying plants that are native to your area is a good idea because otherwise they will probably still require a lot of external inputs, like fertilisers and water, and that makes them again less sustainable,” she says.
Overall, by matching native plants like lemon aspen, native tamarind, or sea celery to your garden’s conditions – whether indoor, balcony, or outdoor – you can cultivate thriving, low-maintenance yields.
How to cultivate ethically
Van ‘t Hag says that, where possible, there should be Indigenous involvement in the production chain when sourcing native edibles. Buying plants from Indigenous-run suppliers, or choosing nurseries that reflect the local climate, may be a more ethical way of engaging in native plant stewardship.
Cultivating native edible plants must also, says Martin, be more than treating Australian bush tucker as a culinary exoticism. Best practice involves acknowledging Indigenous knowledge systems and treating native plants not merely as food trends but as vital parts of a living culture and history.
“When you’re embarking on utilising native foods,” says Martin, “take away the novelty of it.”
“Think about how old our culture is and think about the fact that our people survived on this land for over 65, 000 years. You’re not just bringing in the nutritional value, you’re bringing the culture into your home. You’re introducing cultural knowledge and integrating that into your western world, you’re paying respect and homage to the traditional people of this land.”
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