BUNYA DREAMING

FEBRUARY PLANT OF THE MONTH IS THE BUNYA –ARAUCARIA BIDWILLII

Around this time last year the weather was extremely wet.

The four Bunya trees that were planted here about 20 years ago produced an abundance of cones, packed full with Bunya seeds/nuts. We were flooded in here for ages last February so eating bunyas was on our menu. We were especially grateful to have them as the cupboards were soon empty and my food garden was literally underwater! But we still had Bunya nuts to spare.

The taste, the flavour and texture of Bunya nuts is absolutely delicious, very moreish, eating these nuts can be addictive! There’s fantastic nutrition in Bunya nuts too. They can be eaten fresh, dried and ground to flour, roasted, steamed or boiled, even sprouted and fermented. They store easily and can last a long time.

If you haven’t tried eating Bunya nuts I encourage you to give them a go! If you’re fortunate enough to have a place you could plant a grove of Bunya trees, get planting now, the next generation will be no doubt appreciate the sentiment and enjoy the food they produce.

If you’re looking to learn more about the Bunya – The Bunya Dreaming Festival is where you want to go! The cultural significance of the Bunya to Indigenous Australians cannot be overstated.

For the best recipes and ideas on cooking with Bunya nuts –check out Perri’s Plant to Plate blog on Facebook. Perri provides amazing resources for learning about edible bush tucker plants, weeds and foraging. Also, you have to try Romy Grammer’s beautiful Bunya nut pesto, find her at the Kenilworth Markets.

I can see the cycles of time in the Bunyas leaves (pictured below), branches and timber - the long spikes grew in Summer (in rain and heat) the short spikes grew in Winter (in the dry and cool). A calendar tree (with a thousand year life span) holding ancient knowledge of the seasons and their vicissitudes.

Blessed with native bush tucker foods, edible weeds and a sustainable flock of free range chickens, even in extreme weather events like lasts year's floods, the landscape supports all the resources for life to survive and thrive.

~ Words by Lisa Delanoue