I bet you didn’t know that olives are actually fruit
Whole olives are a simple way to add a hit of nutrients and flavor to pretty much any savory meal.
The Aussie farm growing toxic raw bamboo for fabulous food
One of Australia's oldest giant grass farms is forging a new future with a nutrient-rich food that contains cyanide when raw and has to be cooked to be safe to eat.
Becky Dart founded Big Heart Bamboo to capitalise on the species of pesticide-free, edible bamboo, her father Durnford Dart planted at Belli Park in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
In the early 1990s, he helped pioneer the industry Down Under and gathered 240 species from around the globe to produce plants, poles, mulch and food.
Back for the future
ABC Landline first visited the farm 27 years ago when Mr Dart was among the first Australian farmers to supply edible bamboo shoots to the Sydney and Melbourne markets.
But competition from the Northern Territory sent prices crashing.
"They were harvesting all the bamboo shoots along the Adelaide River up there in amongst all the crocs, and they flooded the market and we couldn't compete, so I pulled back on it," he said.
After researching the environmental and nutritional benefits of bamboo at university, Becky Dart decided to make the most of her father's foresight.
She revisited harvesting edible shoots from the groves to sell to chefs and pickles for value-adding.
Of the 1,575 known bamboo species, less than 300 were recorded to have edible shoots.
They are also considered a dietary staple for millions of people around the world.
But you may not know that raw bamboo contains cyanide and while pandas have adapted to eat it safely, the raw shoots were potentially deadly to humans.
Fortunately any risk of cyanide poisoning from the popular edible varieties can be easily overcome by boiling it.
Boil it first
"It actually has a natural toxin called taxiphyllin in it, which you want to get rid of when you're boiling it," Ms Dart said.
"So whenever you are eating [fresh] bamboo it's absolutely crucial that you boil it for at least eight to 10 minutes and make sure that bitter flavour's gone."
As an extra precaution, Ms Dart boiled her fresh shoots twice before pickling.
"There are some that I have heard of in Japan that are used in a sashimi so it is eaten raw but in Australia it is very strict standards as to how you cook the bamboo and so we make sure we're absolutely compliant with that."
Passionate about the healing benefits of food, Ms Dart added apple cider vinegar, black pepper smoked over tea-tree and red gum leaves, honey and locally grown organic ginger and turmeric to her pickling mix.
The pickled bamboo has a long shelf life and can be added to salads or eaten on their own.
Culinary delight, tourism potential
It can be a race against time to pick the bamboo which needs to be harvested just after shooting as it can grow as much as a metre a day.
Big Heart Bamboo has been recognised with a 'Snail of Approval' from Slow Food Noosa and was a 2019 Queensland finalist in the Delicious Produce Awards, to proceed to national judging later this year.
The farm operates on the ethos of 'slow food', that is good, clean, fair and local.
Respected executive chef and co-owner of Noosa's Wasabi Group, Zeb Gilbert purchased 250 kilograms from the Dart family last year and said canned bamboo was no comparison for the fresh produce.
He cooks the bamboo for six hours in its husk with rice bran and chilli and then adds smoked wood chips to a mirin, sake and soy mix, for extra flavour.
"The feedback from customers is really good because a lot of people don't eat fresh bamboo and when you do get bamboo normally from the markets it's a little bit old, so with Becky you're guaranteed like one day so it doesn't go bitter."
He has taken chefs on tours to Bamboo Australia, where the large established bamboo forests were an impressive sight.
Durnford Dart said it could be a lifelong investment.
"It takes seven years to get a clump established and get it into production but you'll get an annual harvest off that plant for the next 250 years," Mr Dart said.
"It's just the initial setting up where you've got your money tied up, but it virtually goes forever."
The farm imported bamboo flooring and building products but its main source of income was selling plants and fresh poles to festivals and even the exploration team in the Antarctic.
But food and agritourism were now firmly on the family's agenda and work has begun to carve walkways through the groves that whisper with the wind.
Becky Dart understood why her father fell in love with ever versatile bamboo.
"This has been my dad's legacy, essentially he's spent most of his adult life building this place up and he's put a lot of his heart and soul into this place and I'd love to see it keep going."
