Athertonia Nut Biscuits and Nut Roll

This season there is a shortage of bunya nuts but an abundance of Atherton Nuts. After collecting the nuts in between Jack jumper ants nests, their beautiful skin needs removing. The cracking is best done with a hammer or a rock. After blanching, the nuts are ready for use.

Here are some more pastry wonders from Jan and Ross. The nut roll is filled with pure nuts and honey. The small pastries are reminiscent of the famous Frankfurt pastry Bethmännchen (German for "a little Bethmann") which are made with almonds and sugar. Not being bankers, there is only one nut on top. They are pure nuts with honey and they are delicious.

It's Atherton Nut Time Again

It's Atherton nut time again. Athertonia diversifolia is a rainforest tree closely related to the macadamia. The proteaceae is endemic to north-east Queensland, but produces generously on the Mid North Coast of NSW. Nectar eating birds love the food tree.

The Atherton oak tree still has its name from a colonial pastoralist who associated it with the English oak back home. The Yidinji people of north-east Queensland who most likely have cultured the nut have their own name that might soon awake from the amnesia in the botanical nomenclature. 

The task is to get the seeds from the ground as quickly as possible. After spending some time admiring the colour/s and patterns, peel off the blue/white coat surrounding the shell. A very short time of airing the seeds and then cracking the woody seed with a hammer. The nut then has a tight coat like an almond. Pour some boiling water on them for a quick soak. Blanch like almonds.
The cripy white/ivory like nut is best consumed immediately. If they need to be stored, make sure they are dry and are kept in a sealed container in the fridge.

The taste it is said is similar to macadamia. But the oral tactile sensation of chewing the fresh nut is nothing like a macadamia or almond. Both of these nuts are quickly reduced to a mush in the mouth, whereas the Athertonia nut has different stages of decomposition. The end result is reminiscent of coconut fiber. It is delicious and like no other nut.

Should you have to store the nut for some time it might be best to roast the nuts to regain their crispness.
The empty woody shells could make for decorative mulch or craft projects.
Jan and Ross made a cake with Athertonia nuts. It was most likely the first Atherton nut cake in the universe.

Atherton Oak Nuts

12 o'clock: Citrus australasica, 1, Cissus hypoglauca, 4, Davidson plum (Davidsonia spp.), 7, Athertonia diversifolia, 9, Linospadix monostachya, 11, Macadamia tetraphylla, centre: Athertonia nuts

The Athertonia diversifolia tree (Atherton Oak) is endemic to the North East Queensland rainforest. It is a tall tree with large lobed leaves and large blue edible fruits. Inside the most unusual blue fruit is a woody kernel that contains a nut. The nut has a brown skin like the almond. The white nut has a taste that is slightly reminiscent of macadamia nuts and coconut. It is delicious and unique.

Hicksbeachia pinnatifolia and Athertonia

"Caution should be exercised and any seeds with the flavour or odour of bitter almonds should be completely avoided." (link)

Athertonia fruit and nuts

DO:
Pick up the blue fruit as early as possible, as wildlife and fungi like to move in on them. Admire the multitudes of blues, violets and red of the fruit.

Athertonia nut shells and leaf

Peel the pith, which is white and fluffy underneath as close as possible to the kernel. Let them dry for a day. Once the pith remains have gone, crack the woody nut with a hammer.

The shell will usually split into two beautiful wooden halves with craft potential. Blanch the nut as for almonds. The white Athertonia nut is thin and flat. A light dry roast enhances the flavour even more.

Links:

Bush Tucker of the Wet Tropics, The Ma:Mu Rainforest Aboriginal people’s  traditional lands are around Innisfail, Palmerston and Millaa Millaa areas.  The area’s volcanic soils and high rainfall have produced some of the most diverse tropical rainforest in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. (PDF)

"But we now know, thanks to Bill Gammage,  Bruce Pascoe and other writers, that Aborigines deliberately shaped their environment through firestick farming and various kinds of cultivation." Jeff Sparrow, What I’m Reading

Click to enlarge

All depicted fruits were grown on the Mid North Coast of NSW. Thanks to Jan for passing on the knowledge about the endemic flora.

Celery Salad with Brazil Nuts

GET
4 celery sticks
5 Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa)
1 garlic clove
Oil, lemon

Do
Clean vegetables. String celery sticks and chop them finely. Mash garlic and add oil and lemon to the dressing. Slice the Brazil nuts very thinly. Add celery, nuts and mix with the dressing. Let it rest covered for more than 30 min.

The Brazil nut grows in Amazonian forests. They do not grow in mono-culture plantations. "Brazil nut trees produce fruit almost exclusively in pristine forests"  (source) Local people collect these nuts in the rainy season.
Just as the southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii) distributes Australian rainforest fruit and nuts,  the agouti is active in the seed dispersal in the Amazon of the Brazil nut.

"The production of Brazil nuts more than halved between 1970 and 1980, apparently because of deforestation. .. Trees remaining in the vast cattle ranches of Pará and Acre are neglected and dying." (source)

One can of course take any local nut, like macadamias...

Salad goes with
Chickpea Capsicum Casserole

Jackfruit Dinner Music

The jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) originates from Asia. It is a fruit of the subtropical rain forests.

"The jackfruit is made up of hundreds or even thousands of individual flowers that are fused together. We eat the "fleshy petals" that surround the seed, which is the actual fruit." (source).

The fruit can weigh as much as 35 kg. The flesh has a very strong odour, and oozes a thick white sap. In India various dishes such as pudding are made out of it.

"There is also another tree which is very large and has wonderfully sweet and large fruit; it is used for food by the sages of India who wear no clothes." Theophrastus 300 B.C. (source)

It seems that every part of the tree can be utilised - food, dye and wood for musical instruments. The hardwood from the trunk is used to make drums for the gamelan.

As both the fragrance and taste did not agree with us, we prefer the percussive instruments made of the tree and the music generated on it. Dinner will be accompanied by the traditional ensemble music of Java and Bali, 'reverberations the influence' (video) of Steve Reich. (video)

Quinoa Salad with Finger Limes

This Quinoa salad is very similar to Tabbouleh made with bulgur wheat.

GET
1 cup uncooked quinoa
½  red onion
2 tomatoes
1 small red bell pepper
1 small 'Lebanese' cucumber
2 large bunches of flat-leaf parsley
1 bunch of fresh coriander
3 pieces of garlic
olive oil
lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Finger lime (Microcitrus australasica)
1½ cups water 

DO
Boil the water. Place quinoa in a fine sieve and rinse well under running water. When the water is boiling, add the grain and cook for 5 min. Turn down the flame, cover and simmer for another 10 - 15 minutes. When the quinoa is cooked, turn off the heat and allow to stand for a while.

Chop the onion and pepper very fine, peel the tomatoes and cut them and the peeled cucumber into small cubes. Chop the green herbs finely.

Mince the garlic and make a rich dressing from the oil, lemon juice and the garlic.

Cut the finger limes lengthwise and scoop out the pulp.

Fluff up the quinoa in a bowl with a fork. Add the dressing, mix and then add all the vegetables and herbs and mix gently. Allow to settle for a while, mix again and sprinkle the citrus caviar over the dish. Serve hot or cold.

Once in demand overseas even Australians pay attention: Citrus caviar plucked from the obscurity of the Australian rainforest... 14012015

Queensland Raspberries

Rubus probus is a widespread tropical raspberry that occurs in Queensland and in Papua New Guinea. Like the NSW Rubus rosifolius it is edible. It can be used like all other raspberries either raw - it has a slight crunch - stewed or in cakes. It also is cultured on the north coast of NSW. It is rather prickly and can form impenetrable thickets if left unpruned.

see
Native Raspberry Tea and Fruit (Rubus rosifolius)
Infusion of Raspberries and Passionfruit
Green salad with Native Raspberries and Violets

Jabuticaba - The Brazilian Grape Tree

Jabuticaba (Plinia cauliflora) is a tree from the Amazon, that bears large grape-like fruit directly on the trunks, limbs and main branches. The fruit is 3–4 cm in diameter with one to four large seeds.

Some people do not eat the skin and suck it out like a dark grape and discard the seeds. Any type of food like jams, sauces or juice and wine could be made from the fruits.


Being from the subtropical rain forests and cauliflory, it calls to mind many Australian cauliflorous trees that flower on the trunk.


Bumpy satinash (Syzygium cormiflorum)

Davidson's plum (Davidsonia pruriens)

Durobby  (Syzygium moorei)
and many more...

Update
Design of antiseptic formulations containing extract of Plinia cauliflora

Native Raspberry Tea and Fruit

Native Raspberry, Rubus rosifolius Sm, (syn. Rubus rosaefolius) occurs in rainforest or on rainforest edges of SE Australia. It is one of many in the Rosaceae family. The (Thimble-) berries are delicious raw or prepared into desserts. The leaves of the Rose-leaf Bramble make a pleasant tasting herb tea, that is supposed to have many health benefits. The plant is very prickly and can be grown in cultivation. Outside its endemic home range it has the potential to become an invasive plant.

Herb Tea
Remove stems, wash, crunch a hand full of leaves, pour boiling water on and let steep for a short time. Drop in a raspberry ( if available).

See
Queensland Raspberries
Infusion of Raspberries and Passionfruit

Blackberries (Rubus spp.) weed or native?

Guava Compote - The Dorrigo Way

Guava or Feijoa (Psidium) are, like other good foods, cultivated in the neotropic ecozone. Here, on the feet of Dorrigo National Park they are allowed to go 'feral' like so many other flora and fauna.

Collecting the ripe fruit, they exude a strong fragrance filling rooms for hours.

Compote
The scooped out fruit-pulp can be cooked with a bit of water. If you do not like the large seeds, strain them. This is best done (Ad alarm!) with a chinois strainer and the matching beechwood conical pestle. Add a dash of honey and cool. Local wild-foods connoisseurs, who inspired this method of preparation, use the skins and seeds as well to prepare the compote. Serve with yogurt.

Others use the fruit to bake a 'Guava and macadamia torte' or use them for dressing.

Davidson's plum sauce

get
1 kg Davidson's plums, images of the Australian rainforest tree
1kg organic raw sugar
1 cup water

do
Place the plums with the water in a large pot. Boil. Allow to cook for 15 minutes until the plums break down.
Press the plum mass through a fine sieve to remove the seeds, so that a smooth sour liquid is formed. Return it to the stove and reheat.
Add the sugar and allow to simmer for 10 minutes until the sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally.
Use less or more sugar according to your preference (see tip below).
Bottle it up in jars or bottles and store in the fridge.
Serve cold with yoghurt or ice cream on a hot day.

tip
Because Davidson's plums are extremely sour - too sour to even try to eat raw - they need a lot of sugar. It is always good to reduce sugar wherever possible, but in this recipe quite a lot is used. You can try to cut it back, but test the sauce while preparing it otherwise it may be too sour for you or your friends to eat.

The plums can be frozen for several months before using them in this way. It also is very delicious with ice cream or yogurt.

See also
Davidson's Plums with Cashew Cream

Image 1. Plum sauce 2. Biscuits with Davidson's jam/sauce, Davidson's plum and leaf