--- Explore life at the bottom of the world in Tasmania in , 8.30pm Thursdays from 18 November on SBS Food and SBS On Demand. ---
Tasmania is home to a diverse range of native plants that grow from the coastline to the countryside. Many of these wild-growing plants are not only edible and nutrient-rich but full of flavour.
Foraging for bush foods has helped chef better understand Tasmania's landscape. Here are four native plants that she likes to forage for in Australia's southernmost state.
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Fennel is one of the easiest edible plants for which to forage. The perennial herb is considered a and can be found growing by the plenty along roadsides, creek lines and streams. It has bright green, feathery leaves that smell like aniseed.
All components of fennel are edible, from the roots to the seeds, and Gregory likes "to use everything for different purposes". She prefers eating the younger leaves raw, since they are tender and sweet, whereas the older leaves are best chopped up and cooked with other vegetables.
I often pop down to the beach to forage. It sure beats trying to find a park in the supermarket.
Gregory likens fennel seeds to "little aniseed lollies," and uses them to give food more flavour – from bread and meat stuffing to herbal tea.
"Make sure you forage [fennel] from the cleanest, least-polluted place possible, and make sure it hasn't been sprayed," she advises.
Cumbungi (Typha latifolia)
Cumbungi, also known as bulrush, is the name given to a group of three semi-aquatic reeds that are found growing along the parameters of lagoons and waterways in Tasmania. The first, cumbungi (Typha latifolia), is a , while broadleaf cumbungi (T. orientalis) and narrowleaf cumbungi (T. domingensis) are .
It's easy to identify a cumbungi plant by its tall green stalks and the cylindrical shape of the flower at the tip of each stalk. You can eat the soft, white starch from the roots either raw or cooked, and the native varieties have been a staple food in the Aboriginal diet for centuries.
"It's like a cross between palm heart and the inside of a leek," Gregory explains. "I would totally use it in raw dishes, like maybe with wallaby or raw fish."
Bower spinach (Tetragonia implexicoma)
A relative of the well-known warrigal greens is bower spinach. This native succulent is foraged across southern Australian, especially in coastal Tasmania.
RECIPES WITH WARRIGAL GREENS
Scallops with Warrigal greens and Davidson plum butter
"When picking, I always take only what I need," Gregory says. "Never pull plants up by their roots and take care not to disturb habitat of seabirds or anything else that might live there. Ideally, you shouldn't leave a trace once you've come and gone."
If you're lucky enough to find a fruiting plant, Gregory suggests pickling the juicy red berries, "the same way that you do with capers".
The broad green leaves and stems can be steamed or boiled as you can with any leafy greens. It can also be added raw to salads. They not only have a salty flavour and crisp texture but valuable nutritional properties.
"It was used to treat scurvy by early sailors and settlers as it's a great source of vitamin C," Gregory explains.
Saltbush (Atriplex nummularia)
Saltbush is a plant that's endemic to Australia and grows in abundance across Tasmania's coast. There are of saltbush in Australia, which share a salty and herbal flavour.
This native coastal shrub can be eaten raw, cooked or dried. Simply use in the place of spinach or grind dry saltbush to make a salt substitute. Gregory loves the zesty, salty crunch of this dried herb when garnished over her signature wallaby pie.
FLAVOURS OF TASMANIA
Wallaby and saltbush pie
For more foraging tips and recipes, tune in to SBS Food's with Analiese Gregory. New episodes air at 8:30pm every Thursday night.
