Saltbush- leaves with a salty taste

[mindperformer]

Recently I watched a (german) documentary from Mark Olive about aborigine cooking,

here the page from him: http://www.blackolive.net.au/

He used saltbush among many other native spices and there I like salty plants and grow some (Arthrocnemum glaucum and Triglochin maritima) the saltbush fascinated me.

I ordered seeds of the old man saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) and still waiting for them...

Does anyone have experience in using it as spice?

The taste is described as "salt in a herb" with a wonderfully subtle crisp taste. Aborigines also use the seeds which are ground and roasted for damper.

Some describe the leaves as salty, others as not so much salty as robust, juicy and exquisitely tender...

In traditional aboriginal medicine it was used for the treatment of scurvy and blood diseases.

It is also used as a healthy fodder plant.

The leaves can have a blue hint:

http://www.ausemade....p-images-07.htm

Edited October 4, 2012 by mindperformer

[mindperformer]

I'm wondering if it's good to fertilize the saltbush with strongest mineralized waters like Rogaska and Vincentka (for those, interested: compare the contents of elements, this waters are among the strongest mineralized). I've done this with my glasswort (Arthrocnemum glaucum) and the sea arrowgrass (Triglochin maritima), which are both salty tasting.

[mindperformer]

Atriplex nummularia- seed with the salt crystals:

[mud]

Yep, its YUMMY!

The salt experience varies. Often only very subtle..especially when dried..

it can also be intense when used fresh from near the beach of growing in salty ground.

For a couple of years the family and I were lucky enough to only eat 'saltbush' meat. Lamb and Beef that roamed the saltbush plains of Central west N.S.W. This meat is so tender, and delicious.. it also doesnt need salting! lol.

Saltbush grows everywhere. I tried transplanting one last winter, but it wasn't real happy coming from a warm salty dune, to a muddy cool backyard.

[mindperformer]

This saltbush meat must have tasted delicious ;-)

Yes, the saltiness should be dependent on the salt concentration in the soil, where it grows. I hope that the seeds I planted, will germinate.

[SunChaser]

Yeah, they say inland aboriginals used to utilize Atriplex nummularia as a food source. Though this could be more because food was so scarce in the regions it inhabits, rather than it being a particularly popular food source for aboriginals.

The grey saltbush (A. cinerea) of the southern Australian coastal regions was an important staple food for early European settlers in lean times. Yet it was apparently despised by aboriginals, which probably had something to do with coastal aboriginals having access to more abundant food sources than the inland aboriginals.

[mindperformer]

thanks for insightful info

I will try fertilizing it with vincentka- mineral water when its grown up

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

I'm a vegetarian now but who ate meat our family slaughtered, but stopped cause the quality of meat is horrible at the supermarket and we don't slaughter anymore... But if I could one day try that saltbush fed beef o boy would I!! There would be a massive market for this if cultivated commercially and fed to the cattle adequately!

I'm off to research this bush now and get me a plant from a local spot this weekend! maybe I can take local dirt/sand in a bucket and grow using that. Ill also try and find fresh seed of people are interested, any idea of its flowering season??

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

I just read there is male and female plants! Mayb it'll be harder than I thought to bring some of this home to propagate!

[mindperformer]

If you want to find it in the outback, have a look on this distribution map:

http://www.anbg.gov....nummularia.html

The flowering season is mainly spring to early summer, after heavy rains.

Do not grow the seeds in very salty sand, the plant adapts to salty conditions, but the seed only germinates when rain washes the salt out of the soil for a short time.

Most important, also in my germination experiments, is to remove the seed hull, because it contains germination inhibiting substances.

With the hulls no seed germinated, but with the hulls removed the germination rate was much better.

Soak the seeds for 24 hours in water and then put them in sandy and loamy soil and keep it damp-dry.

My seedlings already have this silvery shine:

Edited November 15, 2012 by mindperformer

[mindperformer]

This is the surface (24-fold) of a living saltbush-leaf, it is completely covered with salt-crystals:

Edited February 14, 2013 by mindperformer

[waterboy 2.0]

Trials had been going on on some properties in the midlands region here as a broadacre fodder bush in the drought areas (where evaporation exceeds annual rainfall = desert), and areas affected by dryland salinity. I'll see if I can dig up some of the research findings.

Lamb that has been browsing this heavily is absolutely beautiful to eat.

EDIT - I also get it coming up at times as "weed" from using seagrass as a mulch

A.hamilis is the species preferred for salt management here.

http://www.google.com.au/url?q=http://www.saltlandgenie.org.au/_literature_85868/PP_-_Tas_-_Saltbush_-_Best_Practice_Salinity_Management&sa=U&ei=sIgfUcGvBe-MmQX2pYDoCA&ved=0CCIQFjAC&usg=AFQjCNFtxS9Ay_HfgxpolWxXW9YxMW4ENQ

Edited February 16, 2013 by waterboy

[waterboy 2.0]

I should also add the local traditional lads on Island, did not use the leaves at all (A.paludosa). It was the seeds that were ground and cooked, due to oxalic acid and nitrate content

Edited February 16, 2013 by waterboy

[mindperformer]

...interesting, this lamb must have a fantastic taste ;-)

It is possible that also A. nummularia contains oxalic acid and nitrates, but I only use the leaves in small quantities as spice. They are also sold commercially.

[shaneygrog]

I have grown a few A. nummularia from seed and trued a leaf after reading this thread two weeks ago and it was salty. Now my plants are in the ground so we shall see how they grow. I hope to use them as shrubs for the gardens around the house and also as fodder for goats when I get them. I am heading back to South Australia and get some saltbush fed lamb from a butchers in Burra which was great last time I ate it. I will look out for them in the outback and collect seed if possible. I read in my Native trees book that they can flower most times of the year, I guess after good rains.