Lesley Stevens with other members of the Community Bush Food Garden at Elvina Reserve.
As part of Volunteer Week, we are giving a big shout out to our 350+ Bushcare volunteers, working at over 50 sites on the Northern Beaches.
Their hard work is vital in helping conserve and rehabilitate our natural bushland across the peninsula.
One volunteer group on the western foreshore of Pittwater is bringing a tastier twist to their work, by adding native edible plants to one of their bush locations.
We spoke to Lesley Stevens, a volunteer at the Community Bush Food Garden at Elvina Reserve about these yummy additions.
What motivated your group to consider using edible plants in the bush?
The ‘why' turned out to be a simple case of curiosity. Within our Spotted Gum Forest and other local plant communities we have many edible plants. Warrigal Greens dot our foreshores, Samphire grows in Morning Bay, as well as Lilli Pilli fruit, native violets and the purple berries of the Dianella, which are all edible.
They are all there for the taking if you have the knowledge. We also wanted to learn about the bush food of Australia that has not only helped sustain local populations for 60,000 plus years, they have both the taste and nutritious qualities to make them standout ingredients for modern cooking.
How did you decide on the best bush location?
The ‘where’ question was resolved beautifully by our Bushcare Supervisor Paul Webb who nailed the answer with a simple reminder of our goals as bush carers. Namely to build resilience in our native forests by weeding to allow self-regeneration, rather than planting copious amounts of tubestock. This is regarded as best practice.
So, the answer to ‘where should we put a bush food garden' was not on the edge of a healthy regenerating native forest, such as the waterfall track in south-west Lovett Bay, or at Rocky Point.
Elvina Bay Reserve proved to be the most suitable. It is mostly grass, with the forest a distant memory – but it is also the social hub of the Bay. We decided a bush food garden would sit well with the local community vibe and become a focal point of interest especially at harvest time!
What have you planted to date?
We have started the garden with Kunzea Pomifera (Muntrie, Emu Apples), Alpinia Caerulea (Native Ginger), Hibiscus Sabdariffa (Rosella), Billardiera Scandens (Appleberry, Apple Dumpling), Tasmannia Insipida (Mountain Pepper), Leucopogon Parviflorus (Native Current), Citrus Australasica (Finger Lime), Prostanthera Incisa (Native Mint Bush),Viola Hederacea (Native Violet), Citrus Garrawayi (Mount White Lime), and Davidsonia Pruriens (Davidson Plum).