Finally we managed to get a sunny day to commence the building of our Community Bush Food Garden. And what a morning it was!
It began with an air of mystery as we all stood around a small carton of tube stock and plant pots in the middle of the Reserve wondering what on earth they were, where they should go, what did they promise, and philosophically where did we all stand on the parameters of the project itself. There is nothing like a little bit of Western Shores Introspection for kicking off a morning. So this took a little time…
The important questions for us were why, where and what? Bit by bit the rationale behind the garden revealed itself.
The ‘why’ turned out to be a simple case of curiosity. Within our Spotted Gum Forest and other local plant communities we have a number of edible plants. Warrigal Greens dot our foreshores, Samphire grows in Morning Bay. The Lilli Pilli fruit, the native violet flowers, the purple berries of the dianella are all edible. All there for the taking if you have the knowledge. However, alongside that, we also wanted to learn about the bush food of Australia that has not only helped sustain local populations for 60,000 plus years but has both the taste and nutritious qualities that make it a stand out ingredient for modern cooking.
So that answered the ‘what ‘question as well. And from casual conversations it seemed that most if not all residents were just as curious and mostly for the same reason. By planting, tending and/or hopefully eating the produce we all stand to add further treats to our diet as well as gain a better knowledge of the past – one finger lime at a time.
Paul Webb and Elvina Residents Image by Lesley Stevens
The ‘where’ question was resolved beautifully by our Bushcare Supervisor Paul Webb who nailed the answer with a simple reminder of our goals as Bushcarers which is to build resilience in our native forests by weeding to allow self regeneration, not by planting tubestock. This is regarded as best practice. So the answer to ‘where should we put a bush food garden’ is ‘not on the edge of healthy regenerating native forest’. That means not in the regenerating forest along the waterfall track on the edge of the housing in SW Lovett Bay, and not on Rocky Point.
But Elvina Bay Reserve is another kettle of fish. It’s it’s mostly all grass with the forest a distant memory. Furthermore its the social hub of the Bay. A Bush Food garden there would sit well with the local community vibe and usage and become a focal point of interest particularly nearing harvest times. Phew!
The gumboot brigade Image: Lesley Stevens
And so, with the wind in our sails, we finally set out to start the garden. For the record we planted the following:
Kunzea pomifera x 3 aka Muntrie, Emu Apples
Alpinia Caerulea x 3 aka Native Ginger
Hibiscus Sabdariffa aka Rosella
Billardiera scandens aka Appleberry, Apple dumpling
Tasmannia insipida aka Mountain pepper
Leucopogon parviflorus (x 3) aka Native Current
Citrus australasica aka Finger lime
Prostanthera incisa (x 3) aka Native mint bush
Viola hederacea aka Native Violet
Citrus garrawayi aka Mount White Lime
Davidsonia pruriens aka Davidson Plum
And at the end of 4 hours we simply ran out of time. It’s not yet recognizable as the garden it will be.
However we will be holding a working bee on Easter Sunday (April 17) from 1000 to 1200 to define and cover the grass and mulch with cardboard, paper and leaf litter in our first 5 beds. And there may even be a small glass of champagne to celebrate the gardens beginning. Any cardboard and paper contributions would be gratefully accepted (as of course would a little extra champagne).
Fingers crossed for a fine day!
Story By Lesley Stevens