Yurbay: Sowing the seeds of 60,000 years of Indigenous history

The seeds from which good things grow.

Australia is packed with native herbs and spices - and they may be more accessible than you think. Source: Instagram

Wiradjuri man, Adam Shipp, who hails from Dubbo in the central west region of NSW, began his native-garden business in Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory, four years ago. The business was filled with promise so he named it Yurbay, which in Wiradjuri language means seed.

"It's where most things start, so I thought it was a good name for a business because a seed has many opportunities; it can grow into anything," Shipp tells SBS Food.

Shipp previously worked as a ranger in conservation land management, where he showcased Indigenous cultures. However, he left his role to start Yurbay when he realised there was growing interest in Indigenous cultures. 

"There was so much interest out there in our culture and learning about it, it's not just from I guess our people, ourselves but from the broader community, the Australian community as well. So, that's how it kind of got started."

A seed has many opportunities; it can grow into anything.

Shipp has used his horticultural and land-management knowledge to create cultural-themed gardens across the Canberra region. You may find his gardens at places like schools. He most recently held educational garden walks as part of the Tasting Australia with Adam Shipp tour at the National Museum of Australia, which informed visitors about Indigenous food and medicine plants and their cultural significance.

He also holds workshops where he teaches people how to cook native food. One of his favourite recipes is marinated kangaroo fillets with macadamia salad.  

"It's a really easy meal to make, incorporating kangaroo meat, and macadamia nuts, which is an Australian traditional bush food," he says. "Not many people know that it came from Queensland originally."

He enjoys making marinades to pair with bush food. "The sky's the limit with what you can add."  

Shipp marinates his kangaroo fillets with lemon myrtle, native pepper and saltbush. It's a popular dish among his workshop participants, he says. Shipp likes to cook the fillets over the fire, in the traditional way, until they're tender. He adds native pepper to give them a kick and lemon myrtle to bring freshness. The accompanying salad is simple and versatile, including fresh lettuce, diced tomatoes, cucumber and red onion, and lightly toasted macadamia nuts, which he also sears over the fire.

If you want to try the recipe yourself, you can get kangaroo meat from a supermarket. Australian native herbs are also easily accessible: you can grow them yourself or get them from a nursery.

If you're tempted to grow your own herbs, it doesn't matter whether you live in the city or the country. In fact, he encourages people who live in the city to create their own edible gardens.

If you can't grow your own, Shipp recommends getting your Australian native plants from nurseries, instead of foraging in the bush, to avoid mistaking one plant for another.

People often remark that attending his workshops helps them understand how food connects Indigenous peoples to their cultures, and it's something he's proud of. "It has given them that cultural awareness, but in a different way," Shipp says.