Johnny Cakes

Jonny Cakes

I had to re-blog this post.  I am making my outside fire able to accommodate Johnny Cakes and a griddle today.   Not making an entire kilo of flour though as there is only two of us.


 Enjoy Johnny Cakes..

Aunty Viv a Bunjalung elder ... we had Johnny cakes together.
Before invasion of this land the women gathered and soaked and dried and ground to make flour to make johnny cakes in the coals.  Flours were made from plants that had to be processed to leech out any toxins first.

Helen said... "DON'T KNEAD the Johnny Cakes" .. I made a batch and didn't knead them and these were 100% better. 

Images @ Eminpee Fotography

Beware to Prepare when using Australian Bush Tucker ... Peas

Toxins and Tucker

The black bean

Although no Australian member of this group has been seriously exploited as a food crop, some have been important as food for both aborigines and for the early European colonists. However, as some of the latter found to their cost, many of the native "peas" are also toxic unless the seed is prepared correctly. This usually involves soaking to leach out the toxin or heating to destroy the toxic chemicals.

Some of the species used for food include:

• Castanospermum australe, the black bean. The seeds of this species are toxic when raw and are prepared by roasting or soaking in water.
  The Black Bean has also proved valuable as a timber species, it's seeds have been utilized - following extensive preparation as a food by Aborigines and it contains alkaloids which have been shown to have anti-HIV and anti -cancer properties.

Coastal Jack, Canavalia rosea
(toxin removed by heat). This plant was eaten by members
of James Cook's expedition in 1770.

Vigna lanceolata, maloga bean, from northern Australia

Vigna lanceolata

• 

  Mucuna gigantea, burny bean.

Mucuna gigantea, burny bean.

The toxic properties of some species have also had an impact on agriculture by other means; ie. by being implicated in livestock poisoning. Nervous system malfunction is seen in poisoning of livestock by some Darling peas. (Swainsona species), and by Gastrolobium species.The rattlepods, Crotalaria species, are also implicated in livestock poisoning. They contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids which accumulate in the liver and produce long-term damage which is often fatal.

"Horses and cattle are more susceptible to poisoning than sheep, but sheep have been poisoned by bluebush pea (Crotalaria eremaea ssp. eremaea) in western Queensland. Poisoned horses develop a condition called "walk-about disease" or "Kimberley horse disease" in which they become unaware of their surroundings and wander blindly. A major cause of this poisoning is Crotalaria crispata, a small plant common in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Other Crotalaria species cause the disease in the remainder of tropical Australia.

 In central and northern Queensland an unusual disease of horses is caused by two other species of Crotalaria, C. aridicola (Chillagoe horse poison) and C. medicaginea (trefoil rattlepod). Horses may develop a taste for these plants which damage the oesophagus (gullet) producing ulceration severe enough to stop the horse swallowing food."

 

Dr Ross McKenzie, 1993 Bill Tulloch Memorial lecture to the Queensland Region of the Society for Growing Australian Plants

More Information: 
 http://www.anpsa.org.au/peas1.html

http://www.nationalregisterofbigtrees.com.au/listing_view.php?listing_id=793

 
Images @ Eminpee Fotography

They cannot take away our self-respect if we do not give it to them.

~ Mahatma Gandhi ~

Finally the sun shines after what seems days of rain.  Was it great to see this? Yes, it was because finally I could get some early morning rays into my body.  I love the sunshine at dawn.  In the image above I was standing at the base of Uluru at Dawn, my favourite time of the day.  I felt more than connected to the universe in this moment and during the time I spent with the Anagnu people.

Because I have great respect for the various vibrations and resonating energies that are about me, I had to make some changes around our house.   So yesterday we moved the lounge room around so as to freshen the energy in the room.  It was the last room to do.  I love cleaning so it was a lot of fun re arranging things in new places and re grouping and going over scraps of paper, one of my  bad habits.  If only I could pick up my book and write my varied scribbles then it would be so much easier to find what I am looking for usually.  Endless song lists and phone numbers with no names attached.  This is another bad habit.  I write these numbers down and neglect to add a name lately and this is such a pointless affair.

Today the Uluru images numbering approximately 10 gig were fully collated for the film maker.  I did most of this yesterday but I abandoned the job in favour of furniture re arrangement.  So with a fresh mind I finished it off today.  Tyrone can take the images and put together a show for Uncle Tom and his friends who helped him get to Uluru and realise his life's dream.

Image by Mezza - Mary realising one her life's dreams looking at Uluru

Pink,  purples and all kinds of greens, reds and browns and just beauty every where.  I have cried because it is so awesome, how could you not when you have done what we have been doing here helping the Aunty and experiencing it first hand.

I am just so amazed by the colours all around me here.  The absolute beauty is spectacular. I collected the sage seeds to grow the sage in the sand at home and hopefully I can make my own smudge sticks eventually.  I would like to think that I could anyway and that is the plan.  I have a quandong seed that Aunty gave me as well.

All of these grasses and bushes have a purpose and that is the great part about it.  You can see just how these people existed in peace and ceremony for so many thousands of  years.

Image by Mezza- The Olgas from the Hill and the Grasses around Uluru