Our Story

A country that extols pavlova (actually a New Zealand invention) and Vegemite as their contributions to international cuisine has no authentic cooking style of its own. But for 100,000 years we did. The Australian obsession with denying any Aboriginal achievement in order to avoid conversation about how we came to possess the land is crippling our diet.

Aboriginal people domesticated grains and tubers and a multitude of other foods most of which have never been eaten by Australians. Gurandgi Munjie Food Company (Yuin country) have been growing murrnong yams for five years and are close to being able to sell them commercially thanks to the support of Pozible in 2015.

This year we are preparing for the harvest of two Indigenous grains; kangaroo grass and panicum decompositum. We’ve made bread from both flours and the aroma and flavour is superior to wheat flour. Ben Shewry Chef of the year 2016 at Attica Restaurant) ate two thirds of our kangaroo grass loaf on his own. He was amazed at the taste and texture.

Our harvest will require an enormous effort by volunteers. Last year we hand harvested these grains but this year we want to purchase a Bandicoot Native grass harvester so that we can take on broad acres. Can you help us?

Our aim is to raise $15,000 to purchase the harvester and start Australia on a whole new agricultural journey.

These grains are perennial grasses with amazingly large and deep root structures to take advantage of relatively poor soils and low moisture levels. Being perennial means the land doesn’t need to be ploughed so the ground is less compacted and the farmer uses less diesel and saves a mountain of labour.

‘The crops that the Gurandgi Munjie group are reviving are staples,’ as Max Allen wrote in a piece profiling our efforts for Gourmet Traveller magazine. ‘Everyday foods that were once widely grown and eaten in those parts of the country where most Australians now live, rather than exotic novelty "bush tucker" ingredients from the obscure outback that some high-end chefs in Sydney or Melbourne might incorporate into their cooking.’

                      Bruce Pascoe via Gourmet Traveller 

If we could convert just 5% of our agricultural lands to these environmentally friendly grains the contribution to reducing greenhouse gasses would be enormous. Australians have adopted solar power despite the coal dependent whims of government so maybe it is up to the Australian people to adopt these new plants and new farming techniques and convince government that the benefits far outweigh any residual colonial guilt.

Let’s do it together for the sake of Mother Earth.

                                                     Aboriginal pick used to till the land.

How Funds to be Used

NEWS FLASH 

"Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Pozible campaign. We reached our target of $17000 yesterday but as the campaign builds (17 days to go) we will be able to hire an experienced native grasslands harvester for the four weeks of the harvest period so our volunteers can be guided in the operation of the Bandicoot harvester and seed bagging.
The milling process is quite expensive and in the past millers have milled our seed gratis but this time our volumes will be so great we can't expect a miller to tie up his mill at that time of the year for nothing.
We really appreciate your enthusiasm for this enterprise and when we begin harvesting we will post photos of the historic event; bringing back the domesticated plants and baking methods of those old black geniuses who invented the food the world now calls bread. 

Any funds over the harvester will be used to fund the growth of the project.

We are  planning to purchase a Bandicoot harvester and our own cool plate flour mill. We’ve been supported by volunteers who have ground our flours so far but when we turn up with a truck load of grain their patience might be tested. We need to be independent so we can develop a company that employs Aboriginal people developing their own food industry and taking home real wages to support their families.

The Yuin were busy this year planting more gardens erecting a green house, growing more seedlings but the significant difference from last year is our entry into the field of grain harvests. This summer we will be harvesting 4-5 areas of kangaroo grass and panicum and milling it into flour for sale to the restaurants and bakeries who have helped us with our research. This promises to be a very exciting area. Our grasses are perennial with massive root systems so they sequester carbon and because the ground does not need to be ploughed there are CO2 benefits from turning to these crops. Buying our harvester will enable us to expand our program and help to achieve our aim of financial independence.

Challenges

We’re relying heavily on volunteers and the generosity of farmers in making their pastures available to us. We can’t continue to expect this when we scale up to commercial production. We have to develop business structures, acquire our own land and workforce.

Agriculture in general is inherently reliant on seasons we need to build greenhouses and  and continue to develop our workforce. We are continuing to research and develop our farming practice.

Ultimately we must challange the story many percieve of indigenous land management

The First Australians extracted grain from grass and ground it into flour. One of the grinding dishes has been dated as being used 36,000 years ago which makes us the world's first bakers.

http://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/story/4124513/challenging-the-story-of-first-peoples/

                                                                       Murnong (Yam Daisy)