Sourcing bush tucker ingredients to prepare a meal in Kakadu | Discovery | Gardening Australia

Costa meets a mother and son in Jessie Alderson and Ben Tyler who have created an abundant community kitchen garden in the heart of Kakadu, overflowing with indigenous and exotic fruits, vegetables and herbs. Subscribe 🔔 ab.co/GA-subscribe
The garden is at Murdudjurl, also known as Patonga homestead community, in the heart of Kakadu. About 50m south of Jabiru, it is on the way to Jim Jim falls, home to the Murumburr clan. The homestead was constructed as a game lodge in the 1950’s, and has since operated as a school and now a community home to a number of families.
The land here is diverse and abundant, having provided for the local people for tens of thousands of years. Ben says ‘the food we eat is reliant on the seasons. As the water recedes it is mostly plant-based foods we are collecting, chestnuts and lily seeds. The young geese are eating the wild rice; once they fatten up we will eat them!’
But as is common in many remote communities, the supply of fresh non-traditional foods is limited. Ben explains ‘it is really expensive, and really not at all fresh’. In 2014 Ben’s mum Jessie, a traditional owner and community leader, decided to start her own home-grown solution, a garden. Ben has been her right-hand man. ‘We are hoping that others in the community will get gardening, but at the moment it is really just me and mum’.
Their 30 x 15m plot is now filled with an astonishing array of productive plants, supplying fresh food to their own community and those beyond. Ben - ‘we started out with 3 bananas, now we have hundreds. The fruit gets sent all over Arnhem land!’ Tropical fruits, nuts, herbs and spices grow alongside some traditional native food plants, native lemongrass and many of the local apple species - pink, red and white fruited Syzygiums.
Given the garden is in the national park, all plants brought into the garden need to be approved. Ben - ‘there is an allowed plants list for new things but also others that need to be closely managed’. Rosellas are a weed in Kakadu, but have become a resource for many local weavers, with the calyx’ collected to provide vibrant red colour as well as food.
Ben says that despite the exotic location, they have some fairly standard challenges, lots of pests! ‘Lots of bugs in the wet season, they really stunt growth’ but in the dry season, it is fire! ‘One went through the garden a couple of weeks back!’
Ben, a fabulous cook who works at finding the balance between traditional and modern cooking, introduces Costa to some of his favourite indigenous ingredients found on the property. This includes the Cheeky Yam, the Green Tree Ant (Oecophylla smaragdina), and Water Lilies,
He says he is not a professional chef, ‘I sort of fell into cooking watching mum, and just being interested’. He is constantly trying to find the balance between traditional and modern cooking. ‘As soon as you add salt or sugar the flavours are changed, I often ask myself whether we should do that’.
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[@clubgus07]

Yes connection to country thats whats mIssing these days cheers

[@takemasu45]

Awesome. I'd love to see heaps more indigenous culture flora uses on the show.

[@kyraharrison56]

What a nice bloke. I would love to live a peaceful life like that.

[@wildlifegardenssydney7492]

Lovely chef preparing that gorgeous dish under the huge mango tree, in his Mum’s garden🙌🥰. I would love to see more of him and his bush tucker and regular tucker on GA. The more native edible plants the better. Encouraging by example all Australians to plant Australian plants for food and wildlife.

[@benschulz3871]

That's a proper feed right there... well done

[@vivecawiersma3722]

Educational. Great

[@marcb1958]

We, white fellas, are hopeless in looking after the land and surviving in the bush, we should have Aboriginal classes at our schools. thank you for the info.

[@brianquinn5060]

what a beauty,loved every second of if, more more please. love how they always want to share their beautiful culture.with all.after how we treated them and still are. Lets start again.

[@FuckYTube]

Great video!! Great people!! So much indigenous knowledge out there. 👍🏼

[@whatkjsaw4461]

Wow 😮😃😋

[@craiglewis4429]

What an awsome episode! Top work!

[@awesomeideas8950]

wow!

[@FlyTyer1948]

So different than what we see in the northern US. Quite interesting. Thank you for posting.

[@laineabreulaine1420]

Adorável o seu canal, virei fã! Um abraço aqui do Brasil 🇧🇷❤️

[@johnhannonHanno]

What happened to Gardening Australia on a Sunday arvo?

[@anerawewillneverforget]

Something very important thing to note is, with over 65,000 years of habitation... the land is still intact. Not like what other humans have done to this planet. Our Planet has been decimated by the decisions made by bureaucrats and global puppets. Humans need to go back to soil regeneration and being caretakers of this beautiful planet.

[@cactuscake1323]

You're kidding me this cross dresser gets paid to go to the N.T for this!!!

[@kyraharrison56]

How is he a cross dresser?

[@cactuscake1323]

@@kyraharrison56 he's a drag queen look it up

[@whatkjsaw4461]

@cactus cake WTF?

[@AlAmmar]

Very nice