Wild Stories

Common vetch (Vicia sativa) is a scrambling annual legume found across much of southern Australia. Also known as garden vetch, winter vetch or wild vetch, it was introduced from Eurasia and is now naturalised in several Australian states. It is also deliberately cultivated as a forage crop, grain legume and green manure. It is a close relative of the commonly cultivated broadbeans (Vicia faba)

How to identify common vetch
Common vetch belongs to the pea family, Fabaceae, and has the characteristic appearance of a small climbing pea plant.
It is usually an annual herb with slender, weak stems that may scramble through grasses and other vegetation or climb using tendrils. The stems can reach approximately 1 metre. Its leaves are compound, generally consisting of several pairs of small leaflets, with the leaf stalk ending in a tendril. Depending on the plant and subspecies, there may be four to ten or more pairs of leaflets.
The flowers are the easiest feature to recognise. They are the typical pea-shaped flowers and can be pink, crimson, violet or reddish-purple, although colour varies. Flowers commonly occur singly or in small groups from the leaf axils (where the leaf meet the stalk)
After flowering, the plant produces narrow, flattened pea-like pods, 2-4 centimetres long. Mature pods become yellow-brown to dark brown and contain several rounded or slightly compressed seeds. The pods of Vicia sativa are particularly useful for confirming identification because they are noticeably constricted between the individual seeds.

Where does it grow in Australia?
Common vetch is most widespread in southern Australia. It is naturalised in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and parts of Queensland. It commonly occurs in agricultural areas, pastures, roadsides, disturbed ground and other places where grasses and herbs grow.

Check the full article about this edible wild plants on my website, https://www.diegobonetto.com/blog/common-vetch-how-to-identify-forage-and-eat-in-australia

Baby Sunrose AKA Ice plant, is a succulent ground cover that spreads along the ground, making a dense mat. It is a short-lived perennial, meaning that when you find a colony it will likely be there year after year. The stems are soft and fleshy, and the leaves are:

bright to medium green

thick, smooth and succulent

opposite each other along the stem

distinctly heart-shaped

usually about 1–2.5 cm long

hairless and slightly glossy.

The flowers are small, up to 15mm in diameter, bright pink, reddish-purple or magenta and have many narrow petal-like parts. They commonly open in sunny weather, particularly around the middle of the day.

A good identification rule: look for the combination of a creeping succulent mat, paired fleshy heart-shaped leaves and bright pink/red flowers.

Check the latest article on my database about the plant, with maps, reference and recipes. Link in bio ☺️

Enjoy!

Slipperies are found in pine plantations across south-eastern and south-western Australia, under older trees where the pine needles are thicker. Depending on conditions (temperature and rain), they are in season from April to June. The Jacks are commonly found in clusters, growing one on top of the other, while the Jills and the cows tend to grow in groups but more dispersed. The older ones (three to seven days old) tend to get infested with slugs, so be quick to beat the these produce loving competitors.
The Suillus mushrooms are part of the boletus group (like the porcini), and unlike common field mushrooms (agarics group) they have pores in the underside. These pores are essentially small tubular holes that produce and expel spores when the mushroom is mature. When you look at it, this appears like a fine sponge.

The main difference between slippery Jack, Jill and cow is that slippery Jack has a ‘skirt’, or ring around the stalk (annulus), while slippery Jill does not have a ring but fine grains dot the stalk and slippery cow has neither ring nor grains. You are looking out for a slimy mushroom growing under pine needles, with a sponge-like underside that is off-white turning a dirty-yellow.

There are several under-described native bolete mushrooms that grow in symbiosis with eucalyptus and other native trees. Please make sure you harvest from a pine forest or near a pine tree so as not to misidentify.

There are so many recipes for pine mushrooms, from simple fry-ups and risotto to mushroom pies.
There are also several ways to preserve this seasonal bounty. You can fry them in a pan and then freeze. You can add to soups, air-dry or dry them in a dehydrator. My favourite way to preserve them is to dehydrate until bone dry then blend until you get a powder of umami deliciousness.
Please note that it is best to peel the skin from these mushrooms before eating, as they can be heavy to digest. Sometimes, if the specimens are not so fresh, it is also advisable to remove the spongy underside.

A regularly cooked meal in Autumn at my house is ‘Slippery Risotto’. Such a warming, easy and tasty meal after a big day foraging in the forest.

See link in bio :)