Last Friday, Mullum Farmers Market hosted a  workshop called the Bush Tucker Food Experience as part of the Northern Rivers Food Harvest Trail,

Lead by three experts in Native Australian Foods, Auntie Delta Kaye, Mindy Woods and Rebecca Barnes you learnt how to forage, cook and grow.

With climate change, ageing  farmers  and a growing population, there are genuine  concerns for our future food security.  So why aren’t we all planting bush tucker foods and cooking with these ingredients?

Mindy said she put it down to people not knowing what to do with native foods. She said that 20 years ago we all thought Asian food was very exotic  and now it’s second nature.. Mindy went on to demonstrate how to make a very delicious chicken satay using all native ingredients. (The recipe below)

Rebecca had an abundance of native seedlings and explained how easy it is to make your own edible bush tucker gardens. Which are water saving, low maintenance  and chemical free.

She also spoke of all the various healing properties in native foods.

If you would like further information come and see Rebecca at New Brighton Farmers Market every Tuesday 8am-11am or at Mullum Farmers Market every Friday 7am-11am

Native Satay Recipe by Mindy Woods from Karkalla Restaurant Byron Bay

PASTE
50g peeled onion diced
20g peeled garlic crushed
7g lemon myrtle leaves ground
7 gm anise myrtle ground
7gm cinnamon myrtle ground
2 gm pepper leaf
2 gm toasted dorrigo pepper ground
20g native ginger
2 long red chillies chopped
2 dried chillies soaked until rehydrated
1 tsp sea salt
200ml coconut cream
Pound all ingredients in a mortar and pestle until a fine paste is achieved. Alternatively blitz in food processor.
FOR SAUCE
Sweat the paste in a saucepan with 25 grams of oil for about 10-15 minutes until aromatic.
Remove from heat. Season with
50g native honey
25ml fish sauce
30 ml native tamarind juice
Stir to combine.
Stir through  200g coarsely ground roasted macadamia nuts.
Booglebah min