Strawberry Gum

Botanical name: Eucalyptus Olida

Imagine a wild gum leaf growing out in the wild Northern Tablelands that has the mouth-watering smack of a strawberry lollies! One whiff of these coarsely ground, scrumptiously scented leaves will send you on a trip down memory lane. While most gum leaves are associated with the pungent, menthol-like smell of eucalyptus, the strawberry gum has an extremely sweet berry flavour profile with a passionfruit and peppermint undernote.

Savour the bubble gum scent of this sweet herbal bush tucker and let your culinary imagination run loose dreaming up all sorts of desserts to experiment with. Use it to up the level of berry flavour in cooked fruit dishes, tarts and flans, breads, scones, sauces and conserves, ice creams and parfaits. Add it to whipped cream, pavlovas, ice cream or simply sprinkle over sliced fruit or juices.

For something different, use it to cure the naturally sweet, delicate white meat of crocodile.

Brew this bush tucker into a strawberry tea. The leaves can also be brewed and blended with other favourite hot water infusion herbs and dried fruits to make a tantalising eucalyptus tea.

As a bonus, this “gum” is not confectionary, but a sugar-free herb, shown to have a host of health benefits including antioxidant, anti-fungal and antibiotic properties.

Australian Ingredient: Strawberry Gum leaf.