#nativefoods — Public Fediverse posts

Pacific farmers are reviving traditional knowledge to tackle a changing climate

Drawing on long-held knowledge, research is helping farmers better adapt to climate challenges like #drought, weed pressure and declining #SoilHealth

By Associate Professor Dorin Gupta, Dr Viliamu Iese and Dr Sineka Munidasa, University of Melbourne, Dr Leslie Ubaub, University of South Pacific and Associate Professor Soane Patolo, #MORDITongaTrust

Published 14 August 2026

Excerpt: " #Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is central to #Samoan diets and #CulturalIdentity and is also an important export crop. It is a carbohydrate-rich staple, consumed both fresh and in processed products like flour, chips, noodles and baby food.

"Current techniques that use chemical #WeedKillers to grow taro are costly and negatively affect soil health and the surrounding environment.

"Now, farmers are trialling alternative weed control methods like #mulching and #SheepGrazing, and then comparing these techniques with traditional #HandWeeding in taro cropping.

"The integration of sheep grazing in particular is a new practice in traditional Samoan taro farming, offering an innovative approach to #WeedManagement.

"The project has also trialled leguminous #AlleyCropping, another relatively new practice in the region, where fast-growing leguminous trees like #Gliricidia, #Sesbania and #Erythrina are planted to generate biological mulch for #WeedSuppression and #SoilEnrichment.

"Mr Sala Sagato, the President of the #SamoaFarmers Association, is hosting one of the sites and has championed mulching."

Learn more:
https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/Pacific-farmers-are-reviving-traditional-knowledge-to-tackle-a-changing-climate

#SolarPunkSunday #Samoa #Tonga #SAI #SouthPacific #ClimateChange #FoodSecurity #NativeFoods #NativeCrops #NaturalWeedControl

Recipes bring #Australia’s native harvest into the kitchen

The Native Harvest Kitchen #cookbook demystifies native ingredients and helps you incorporate #IndigenousFood into everyday meals.

By Dr Dorin Gupta, University of
18 October 2024

Excerpt: "Through the book we hope to show how #Indigenous ingredients such as #murnong can be easily incorporated into our home herb and veggie patches and everyday cooking practices, widening the range of plants we eat (good for our health), and encouraging us to explore variety in agriculture (good for the planet).

" #WarrigalGreens curry is one of the dishes my family enjoys and also makes a lovely light gnocchi. #LillyPilly and #Pigface are perfect for pickles, while #RubySaltbush berries decorating pavlova are festive and joyful."

Learn more:
https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/Recipes-bring-Australias-native-harvest-into-the-kitchen

#SolarPunkSunday #NativeHarvestKitchen #Australia #NativePlantsAustralia #ClimateChange #FoodSecurity #Foraging #HomeGardens #NativeFoods #NativeCrops #AustralianPlants #WildEdibles #BushFoods #BushTucker #Recipes

Just released May's paid newsletter - our own original recipe for beer battered nopales!

And look, we know you can probably find your own version of this recipe for free, but that's not the point. Subscribing at the paid tier for just $5 a month (you can't get a coffee out for that anymore) helps us keep this project going. This means more trees in the ground, more education for our community, more food for us and our neighbors and extended family members, less water waste and erosion in our landscape. It matters! And just a little helps a lot especially if a lot of folks are willing to sacrifice just a few bucks a month for the mission.

https://rancholibertad.com/beer-battered-nopales-tacos/

#Cooking #Recipes #NativeFoods #Indigenous #Southwest

Also fun morning haul from last week: mesquite pods, some "volunteer" wheat (for the chickens, not for replanting), and a handful of squash blossoms.

The mesquite trees do so much for our ecosystem. They fix nitrogen, produce canopy, their thorny branches protect rodent and lizard burrows, and they produce lots of food very early in their lifespan comparative to most "tree crops". Our velvet mesquites produce the best, most edible pods with the biggest seeds, but the screwbeans (shown) do their job with little seeds but starchy pods. I try to harvest a combination and grind them into flour, pods and all.

#NativePlants #NativeFoods #Permaculture #RegenerativeAgriculture

If you're up in #Namgis territory/ #AlertBay - you'll want to try & get some yummy bannock eats from #DuchessBannockAndDesserts. The hours are irregular, like most small businesses on #CormorantIsland. If you luck out - you'll find the Duchess of #Bannock & she will fill your belly while engaging in lively conversations!
I found out on my 2023 trip there, that she's an Auntie/relative to some of my Indigenous friends 💗

She gifted me a book, a magic hat bunny plushie & gave us free cheese bannock bites to eat on the ferry. We bought 3 different bannock goodies from her.

#NamgisNation #SupportSmallBusiness #IndigenousFoods #NativeSmallBiz #CoastSalish #BCIndigenousSmallBiz #NativeFoods #CoastalBC #IndigenousOwned #ExploreBC #BCBusiness #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #PNW #POCwomen #CulturalConnections #CulturalDiversity

Toolkit for #NativeFoods in #Montana #SchoolMeal Programs

"This toolkit was created to help food service directors identify, procure, and successfully incorporate traditional, healthy foods into their breakfast and lunch programs. It is also a teaching tool to educate those interested in traditional foods about American Indian nations and tribal communities."

- Details on traditional foods of Montana

- Crediting information for common traditional foods

- Standardized recipes for food service directors to implement in their programs

#Recipes include:
- Little Gobblers
- Layered Enchilada Bake
- #ThreeSisters Salad
- Pumpkin Lentil Soup
- Bison Chili
- Maple Squash Bake

Learn more:
https://www.indigikitchen.com/traditional-foods-in-montana-schools/

#IndigenousFood #NativeAmericanFood
#SchoolLunches #IndigiKitchen