You can find muntries in our Australian Bush Food Garden at Green Olive at Red Hill.
Interesting Facts about Muntries
Muntries is a shrub which grows in the sandy soils of Victoria and South Australia. They have fuzzy stems, white flowers and greenish red berries. The berries are crunchy and have a cinnamon-apple flavour with a slight spiciness. The Narrindjeri people, the Aboriginal Australians local to the lower area of the Murray River in South Australia, are known to have traded dried muntries berries for other goods from different Aboriginal tribes. As well as providing delicious, edible berries, muntries can be used as a screen or cover as they can grow upright, in fact, its scientific name comes from the Latin word “fero” meaning “to cover”.
Uses of Muntries
Muntries berries are extremely rich in antioxidants, containing four times more antioxidants than blueberries! They also contain epicuticular wax, a coating on the outside of the fruit that helps prevent loss of moisture. This wax has the same effect on the skin, helping the skin barrier keep moisture inside, and so it is sometimes used in moisturisers and other skincare products.
Interested in learning more about Australian bush foods? We are developing a range of products and experiences that will allow you to feel, smell and taste bush tucker. In the meantime, check out our other bush tucker plants to learn about some of the other native Australian flora that we’ve planted: Strawberry Gum, Finger Lime and Bunya Bunya.
Muntries flowers
Photo credit: Dengarden
The fruit of muntries
Photo credit: Cate Cahill
Muntries flowers
Photo credit: Ligaya Garden
Banner photo credit: Taste Atlas
Cover photo credit: South Australian Native Foods Association