eaten wattle gum or seeds?

[Dreamwalker.]

A black wattle Acacia mearnsii...was exuding gum..it tasted sweet, non assuming..not at all astringent..

My searching found that some seeds & gums of some Acacia species are eaten.

Anyone tried any?

[in_spirit]

Yeah mainly golden wattle, my dad used to tell me it was what kids in his time chewed before/instead of ggum.My taste prefers gum, lol it makes you feel odd in the mouth cavity like caked, tacky hard to describe.

[☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ]

ooooh that one can grow outside here , ive been tryna get it to germinate for about 2 years with 100% failure so far <___base_url___>/uploads/emoticons/default_biggrin.png

i hope its ok to eat and it sounds yummy , look forward to finding out too ...

and hopefully striking luck soon with some more seeds when i get round to it

[Dreamwalker.]

ooooh that one can grow outside here , ive been tryna get it to germinate for about 2 years with 100% failure so far

i hope its ok to eat and it sounds yummy , look forward to finding out too ...

and hopefully striking luck soon with some more seeds when i get round to it

tried puting the seed into a cup of boiling water...allow to cool..soak over night

[☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ]

yeah been successfully using the hot water tek right from the word go

thanks to wss blog

first was mim tenuiflora, 2nd was mim scabrella , 3rd was aca podalyriifolia , 4th aca confusa, simplicifolia and maidenii

5th accuminata , 6th floribunda, 7th mim ophthalmo, 8th aca victoriae... i think they'reall the ones Ive managed so far https://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/uploads/emoticons/default_innocent_n.gif started 3 winters ago i think

the bailyana purpurea and dealbata subsp' alpina were bought as plants tho.

hot water tek is absolutely fantastic , tweaking it is fun too , i found victoriae hard when i tried and easy by accidental neglect

post hot water tek (left in the water on a windowsill n forgot - next time i looked they'd pooped tails :3 )

thank you kindly for the intent though all the same

here's my acacia album on SAB if you can view it

http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?app=gallery&album=733

and me mimo one

http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?app=gallery&album=732

they were the first things uploaded here when i was too shy to post much https://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/uploads/emoticons/default_newimprovedwinkonclear.gif

just cuz theyre australis n all

i think I've only got 30 albums now though https://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/uploads/emoticons/default_biggrin.png , check em out at ya leisure if ya get time

also as a lil tip for anyone ... those lil scratcher things that kids get with the "scratch art" things

are perfect for scarifying pre soak AND gently removing the seed coating after the soak

was most useful on simplex, confusa, tenuifolia, scabrella, podalyrii, but not necessary on opthalmo

at all..

just dry the seed on a towel first or it'll ping out of your grip somewhere , luckily i found all my pingers

cept one that pung down the sink ;)

https://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/applications/core/interface/imageproxy/imageproxy.php?img=http://www.funfamilytips.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/scratchart.jpg&key=9b01fe26f06024caa0ccf5297de7aa2e8929359b64ffbb309ee94a5e5efcf7bd

https://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/applications/core/interface/imageproxy/imageproxy.php?img=http://c3.diapers.com/images/products/p/zlr/zlr-003_1z.jpg&key=ebb643faa13e20aa198eaca92a620f0d07692203be1c6a705d95a361609e41e6

Edited January 23, 2015 by ☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ

[☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ]

Acacia mearnsii Black Wattle GARRONG
(Wurundjeri) Edible gum and seed. Bark tea is used for indigestion. Open, dry, well-drained position, full sun. Tree to 15m.

Seed n Gum oooh yum yum

http://www.ceres.org.au/nursery/bushfoodcatalogue.html

found this too just now

http://www.sgapqld.org.au/bushtucker18.html

Edited January 23, 2015 by ☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ

[Cubism]

The local aboriginal people have eaten wattle seed for ever. Saw an aboriginal cooking show here on NITV. Called "outback cafe" or something sort of like that. The chef made wattle seed ice cream. Looked pretty tasty. Don't think they said a particular species though.

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Be careful as some 'cacia seed will kill ya!

[☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ]

thanks for the heads up , which ones should we avoid?

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Hmmm off the top of my head I embarrassingly couldn't tell ya! I've read it tho, and we also had some acacias where I grew up that were toxic to our livestock. Cyanogens and saponins, or something is what I remember causing the toxicity when I researched it ages ago.

I've also seen it referenced in a few bush tucker books but once again I can't find the references when I need to!

Edit; maybe it was also just for raw seeds, I recall some types need to be cooked to be consumed

Edited January 23, 2015 by prioritise

[☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ]

yeah vigilance I guess is always a good key

mind you acacias have powers to "suddenly decide" to kill ya if they dont like ya

-judging by some nature programs on how they wiped out some critters for munching them too often

I'll hunt the doc on youtube and paste it in here after i find it

cant find it but here's a vid thats cool i came across whilst hunting for it

 

 

sorry its not about acacias specifically but when i do find that vid , i'll be sure to edit it in

here is a different one with the exact same reference I was hunting

South african acacia

 

 

Edited January 23, 2015 by ☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ

[Strontium Dawg]

If you roast the seeds a lil bit they'll be fine to eat.

[Dreamwalker.]

Acacia mearnsii Black Wattle GARRONG

(Wurundjeri) Edible gum and seed. Bark tea is used for indigestion. Open, dry, well-drained position, full sun. Tree to 15m.

Seed n Gum oooh yum yum

http://www.ceres.org.au/nursery/bushfoodcatalogue.html

found this too just now

http://www.sgapqld.org.au/bushtucker18.html

wow.thanks for these ...They seem to say yes to gum & seed consumption...(I spent hours & found very little...only this ...which I haven't read yet)..."Structural characterization and emulsifying properties of polysaccharides of Acacia mearnsii de Wild gum"

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0144861712009599

[Francois le Danque]

I used to often enjoy Dick Smith's wholesome family muesli-like breakfast cereal , which had wattle seeds in. They were crunchy and good. I wonder if the cereal is still available, i quite liked it. No idea about the wattle's identity though soz

[☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ]

still hunting for specific species list re: toxicity/ edibility.....

but I did come across this funky ID key in the meantime which is SA

http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/id_tool/acacias_sa.html

some info on wood toxicity of melanoxylon

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/australian-blackwood/

wildseed Tasmania sells it as edible seed tho , and a few others

http://www.wildseedtasmania.com.au/bush_food.php

found a funky forum with wattle sap eating thread

http://bushcraftoz.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-2960.html?s=bb8de36e1260f7bbaa54c857cd2e2bae

Aussie123

22-04-12, 12:07 AM

Almost,no one has ID a wattle that has a poisonous sap.I guess a lot of knowledge about the edible aspects has been lost.

Here's a poisonous one for ya’:

Georgina Gidgee, Gidgee, Poison Gidgee (Acacia georginae)
It is indigenous to Northern Territory, far northern South Australia and Queensland ie the general area East of Alice and through the Simpson Desert. (You see it growing in the small valleys between the dunes, and also in more open desert areas).

I believe it contains sodium fluoroacetate, which is sold as 1080 poison from your friendly local poison supplier. The sap, gum, wood and foliage all contain the poison.


Other acacias are poisonous too, however correct processing (eg grinding and cooking the seeds) will de-nature some of the poisons. Some of the poisons are concentrated in different parts of the plant too, even at different stages of growth and maturity.
Its harder to find specifics about sap/gum, however some species do contain a lot of tannins and these are classified as poisons.


Tannins from acacias were used by Aboriginals as fish poisons, and will cause a variety of illnesses (even death) in livestock, and humans if consumed in any quantity.
The tannins were generally extracted from the bark, so would be present in the sap and resin too.
Acacia ditricha and Acacia holosericea are two which were used as fish poisons.

Acacia salicina is described as a fish poison (tannin from the bark), however the foliage and seed pods are described as an important fodder for stock. The leaves of A. salicina are thought to be psychoactive, since indigenous Australians "burn its leaves and smoke the ash to obtain a state of inebriation." That’s quite a few uses for one plant so I’m not sure what advice I’d give about it.

Each acacia really needs to be identified and then researched !

Templar

22-04-12, 12:19 AM

Having done a bit of digging it seems that acacia gum isnon-toxic when ingested, however it does cause irritation to the eyes and lungs on contact.

Acacia gum is used in many foods, cosmetics and adhesives and is commonly known as Gum Arabic...

Australian Acacias were tested for use in Gum Arabic export, and were found to be of low quality and difficult to harvest due to high cost of labour at the time, the gum needed to be boiled over several days to become soluble when harvested East of the Great divide, however arid zone gums dissolved readily in warm water. (Useful Native Plants of Australia, J.H. Maiden 1889)
Some of the seeds from Acacia are toxic, A. georginae, for example, but Acacia gum is not listed as an ingestion toxin with any of the national databases or international ones, only as a contact irritant for eyes and lungs in the cosmetic industry.

and another small on mearnsii

http://www.blissfulmind.com.au/?_escaped_fragment_=black-wattle,-acacia-mearnsii/zoom/cjaj/image118h#!black-wattle,-acacia-mearnsii/zoom/cjaj/image118h

another funky forum with some cool info and further links on it

http://www.permies.com/t/26676/trees/acacias-edible-pods-climate-choice

Edited January 23, 2015 by ☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ

[waterboy 2.0]

grew up regularly munging on a bit of A.dealbata or A.mearnsii gum...lol...still stick it in my mouth. A.dealbata is "sweeter".

A.melanoxylon makes good wattle seed flour <___base_url___>/uploads/emoticons/default_newimprovedwinkonclear.gif Roast first, then grind.

A.sophorae seed (roasted) was a coastal blackfella food. Haven't eaten them myself, but I have been warned that the juice from inside a roasted pod can blister the lips.

A.verticillata produces a little gum at times, but nowhere as "palatable". A better species for cordage....

The gum and ash from burnt wattle bark is good for open sores/wounds, also burnt freshwater mussel shells and wood ash mixed with the warmed gum makes an excellent adhesive

Edited January 23, 2015 by waterboy

[Cubism]

Found this list of toxic acacia. Not sure on the accuracy as it lists Blackwood's which waterboy says he's eaten an he seems pretty alive for all intents an purposes

*****

Acacia

a large genus of trees and shrubs of warm, dry regions, belonging to the legume family Mimosaceae, which provides valuable browse for grazing ruminants but also contains some poisonous plants.

Acacia spp. capable of causing cyanide poisoning: A. binerva (A. glaucescens), A. burrowii, A. caffra, A. cheelii (motherumbah), A. concurrens (A. cunninghamii), A. crassa (A. cunninghamii), A. cunninghamii (black wattle), A. erioloba (camel thorn), A. glaucescens (sally wattle), A. gregii (catclaw), A. lasiopetala (A. sieberana), A. leiocalyx (A. melanoxylon), A. longifolia, A. longispicata (A. cunninghamii), A. osswaldii, A. sieberana.

Acacia aneura

see lipofuscinosis. Called also mulga.

Acacia berlandieri

contains tyramine which causes ataxia in sheep and goats. Called also guajillo.

Acacia cana

can accumulate selenium if the soil selenium content is unusually large.

Acacia catechu

cyanogenic plant. See catechu.

Acacia erioloba

host plant of Gonometa spp. (molopo moth); the moth larva produces indigestible silk in its cocoon; causes rumen impaction; a South African phenomenon.

Acacia georginae

has a high concentration of fluoroacetate and can cause sudden death. Called also Georgina gidgee or Georgina gidyea.

Acacia melanoxylon

contains toxic tannins; rarely causes ataxia, recumbency, alimentary tract irritation.

Acacia mellifera

host plant for Gonometa spp. (molopo moth), the larva of which produces indigestible silk in its cocoon; causes ruminal impaction.

Acacia nilotica subsp. kraussiana

pods contain toxins which cause hemolysis, methemoglobinemia and diarrhea.

Acacia salicina

contains toxic tannins; rarely causes incoordination, recumbency.

http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Acacia+tree

[waterboy 2.0]

seed of blackwood has to be roasted first.

With "bushfoods" half the knowledge is the treatment prior to eating <___base_url___>/uploads/emoticons/default_newimprovedwinkonclear.gif

[Cubism]

Might have to look into blackwood seed then. Can get it by the barrow load off my oldies property.

[Dreamwalker.]

wow thanks everyone.......getting a list together of must grow wattles......

from what I'm reading so far ...most of the toxic component is in the foliage...the seeds generally appear safe but like most legumes need to be cooked...I will chew on some gum later ...so if you never see any more post's from me then.............

[Cubism]

Seems theres a few commercial bushfood companies selling wattle seed too.

And if you happen to be interested, here's the Outback Cafe guy I mentioned. Names Mark Olive (in the middle) aka the Black Olive apparently hehe

[ghosty]

ate maidenii seeds once. lightly toasted. didnt eat much. was going by only one "paper" i came accross. provided systemic effects from thyroid swelling to obvious anti-nutritional effects. it caused issues with liver and kidneys and they were shown at stages throughout this time to be less than great function. caused all mineral levels to go hay-wire. had doctors baffled. blood tests every week, showing another issue, thus further testing. none wanted to take hair samples, despite my ongoing requests to do so, as i thought it's the only way to determine what has gone into my system. anyhow, after a few months, i knew as per normal it would once again be up to me to save myself. so, i asked nature for help. i asked for a soursop plant as i thought it would be my next step, after ringing everyone who deals in fruit, to no avail. found it next day (as always) and took it too. well, it took about 11 plants from 8 country's to get me back to health again. now, liver, kidney function is better than it was before i made this mistake. thanks to nature once again, and little thanks to western medicine, as per normanl, I'm in great health. the morral of this tale. please dont ever rely on just "one" document for bush-foods. it can kill. edit- took about 3 months to get better. about 1 week after i found the right mixture (synergetic mix) to get back to health again.

Edited January 24, 2015 by ghosty

[Cubism]

^^^^^^^^ Geezus farkin cryst mate!!!! Glad to hear your recovered ok.

[ghosty]

thanks mate. was a tough time last year for me. still fighting residual stresses from it i think. whilst it's nice to be OK again, i now face a battle that somehow means more to me with my beloved cat. it's harder i think to face the loss of a loved one, more-so than to have to accept the loss of self.

[Dreamwalker.]

That was a bad experience for you ghosty ...with Acacia maidenii

wiki has some interesting info, the gums a bush food...nothing about its seeds or their toxicity..Bark has some % of cough cough...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_maidenii

Gotta be careful...

I tried the gum of black wattle last eve.........fresh & soft just melts in your mouth sweet as.....totally recommend...the hard stuff is a bit chewy...but has a soft centre, probably could be added to bread & cake recipes or salad dressings etc...

I noted over time some research into the antioxidant properties of gums......still need to do a lot more reading though...but seems a good thing to add to my foraging diet........

thanks TH for http://www.wildseedtasmania.com.au/bush_food.php "Acacia mearnsii 'Black Wattle' Seed and gum are edible. Bark can be steeped to make a tea - good for indigestion."...a few others mention there too.

Gum Arabic health benefit

http://www.greentea-extract.info/gumarabic.html

Microcapsules containing antioxidant molecules as scavengers of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species

"gum arabic a more potent antioxidant than maltodextrin."

Edited January 25, 2015 by Dreamwalker.