Bundle - The Herb and Spice Collection

Come and explore the amazing, herbaceous wonderland that Australia offers. Herbs from the leaves from tall rainforest trees of the north, to seeds from the vast and arid Central Deserts, to fragile, tender herbs from gullies, and to leaves from sub-alpine trees of the south.

from Country to plate - from our kitchen to yours.

This is where our food comes from.

We respect the knowledge that our Aboriginal supply partners have taught us about these amazing food plants and thank them for their generosity in teaching us and inviting us on Country. We are thrilled and proud to have had so many wonderful experiences over the past decades.

Here are the  8 beautiful herb/spice products from our collection to set you on a journey of culinary adventure! If one of our Australian Native Herbs and Spices is unavailable (e.g. seasonality) we will replace it with something as equally delicious!

• Anisata - Provenance  Anisata is a coastal rainforest tree of subtropical eastern Australia. These days it's rare to find it in the wild, and the ones left in their natural environment must not be foraged. Fortunately for those of us who love to cook with this aromatic herb, there are significant plantations of Anisata in this region, particularly in the area around Lismore.
  Brush past an Anisata tree and an intriguing aniseed aroma will envelop you. The leaves are rich in the essential oils anethole and citral: anethole is an aromatic compound that gives the leaves their aniseed flavour, and the citral provides a slight lemon and eucalypt finish. Suitable for both savoury and sweet applications! For example dust whitebait in Anisata before flash frying or add to strained ricotta to make a unique chilled pudding!
• Lemon Myrtle -Provenance -

  Provenance: Lemon Myrtle herb is the dried and ground leaves of the Lemon Myrtle tree from the eastern sub tropical rainforests of Northern NSW and the more tropical Rainforest regions of South East Queensland and beyond..If we had to chose a tree that encompasses all the advantages of planting, growing, harvesting, cooking and enjoying native foods it would have to be the Lemon Myrtle.A magnificent subtropical rainforest plant in its own right, is also a beautiful specimen tree- bushy with low branches that have long tapering, deep green leaves and small bunches of clusters of tiny white, fluffy flowers in late summer and autumn. However, the most marvellous feature of this tree is its superb fragrance which is a blend of lemon, lemongrass and lemon verbena from the high levels in its leaves of its essential oil - citral.Lemon Myrtle is probably the most well known of Australia's native herbs. It is an  intensely citrus flavoured and fragrant herb and has very high level of citral - an essential oil that imparts a lemon/lime, lemongrass and lemon verbena complex flavour.

• Mountain Pepperleaf - Provenance
  The native pepper trees or shrubs that we use for culinary purposes are from the Tasmannia  genus of the Winteraceae family. This family of plants is one of a group associated with the ancient Gondwana Supercontinent that Australia was once part of, and is now represented in various species that we call native peppers. The one that we use is Mountain Pepper or Tasmannia lanceolata. We are always blown away understanding how truly ancient our native foods are and how they have survived through the ages in pristine wilderness areas and are now grown commercially - it is amazing to think about Gondwana then and Australia now.
  Mountain Pepper is not related to the true pepper , which is actually an Indonesian vine. It certainly has the spiciness and heat of pepper, and also a significant aromatic flavour. A Mountain Pepper tree is easily identified by its distinctive crimson-coloured young stems and branches, and shiny dark green leaves that smell spicy and peppery when crushed in the hand. The tree bears a small, yellowish-creamy flower that is also deliciously hot and spicy when in bud. This is followed by glossy black and fleshy pepper fruits known as Pepperberries, which are about the size of a small pea and contain a cluster of minute black seeds in the centre of the purple fruit flesh.
• Rivermint - Provenance -River Mint is a mint species within the genus Mentha. and is a native of eastern Australia, but it does occur in every state and territory except Western Australia. It is also naturalized on the North Island of New Zealand. It is usually found in the wild near rivers and creeks. Native mints are not often seen in cultivation but they are useful plants for a sunny or shady, moist situation and have culinary uses similar to introduced mint. The leaves of M.australis have a fresh spearmint aroma and flavour. Under optimum conditions it can become invasive but it is usually a difficult plant to grow and success is often more achievable when grown in a container.
• Wattleseed - Provenance -
  We respect the knowledge that our Aboriginal supply partners have taught us about these amazing food plants. 
  Wattleseed is intimately and immediately identified as Australian. Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) also knon as karrank to the Gunditjmara people of south western Victoria and is widespread in the south-eastern states, is Australia's floral emblem. Wattleseed is one of the most prolific plants in Australia and grows in almost all environments from the desert ( mulga and elegant wattle) to the sea (coastal wattle) and everywhere in between. Wattles vary in flavour and colour and size depending on the region but all are intensely flavoured and can be used in so many ways.
  Wattleseed is also one of the most widely used and useful Aboriginal food plants. Depending on the plant Aborigines eat the seed, either cooked or raw in its pod or dry-roasted to make damper. The seeds have to be roasted and ground into a powder for most culinary uses. Wattleseed has traditionally been a staple food for Aboriginal people across the nations and Country. The sweet gums that ooze from the trees are known as bush lollies and are a sweet treat.
• Saltbush - Provenance -

  Our Saltbush is grown in South Australia by Indigenous Australian growers within our supply chain in arid lands. This species is often called Old Man Saltbush.The leaves of the Saltbush are dried and ground and provide us with a unique seasoning that gives that  essential umami element to food - instead of using salt.The plant absorbs the salts of sodium, calcium, potassium and magnesium in its leaves and is also an excellent source of protein, vitamins and contains beneficial calcium and other trace minerals. and is a rich source of antioxidants. And using Saltbush as a salty taste for food seasoning, provides these salts that also happen to be hard to come by in other foods but are essential for human health.The actual sodium level in Saltbush, despite it's name and growing habits, is a fraction of the sodium found in table salt for example -  630mg per 100 g in Saltbush compared to 37800mg per 100g for cooking salt! Of course no-one would ever consume 100g of salt or saltbush in one helping. Let's break it down to a per serve ratio of 2g (approx 1 teaspoon)

• Blood Lime Flakes - Provenance -Australian Blood limes grow on a small leafed thorny tree with a slightly weeping habit that if left unpruned may reach 2.5 metres. However they may be grown in row crops forming dense but manageable large hedges, making harvesting and maintenance much easier.
  The Australian Blood Lime (also known as Red Centre Lime) is much smaller than most limes, approximately 4 cm (1.6 in) long by 2 cm (0.79 in) diameter, and somewhat more sweet than the standard - almost a sweet and sour flavour. It is egg-shaped and the flesh inside a blood lime is composed of red-orange vesicles (the membranes that hold the juicy flesh). The skin is very thin and can be eaten with the fruit. It is usually red or burgundy coloured.
  The Blood Lime is actually a cross between the red finger lime (Citrus australasica var. sanguinea) and a mandarin species and was originally developed by the CSIRO.
  Our Australian Blood Limes  is from plantations in Western Australia and NSW.
• Native Basil - Provenance - Native Basil is indigenous to large swathes of northern Australia, particularly in the Queensland and Norther territory Gulf Country. Although formally a member of the basil family this herb is often referred to in Outback Queensland as Wild Th6yme. The taste is highly aromatic and is more akin to thyme than basil . We use the tender and tiny leaves that have been gently air-dried to enhance their marvellous flavour.