In Mudgee for the Small Farm Field Days, Mr Bonetto led members of the Watershed Landcare group on a walk along the Cudgegong River on Sunday in search of useful native and naturalised plants. 

Within a couple of hundred metres, Mr Bonetto quickly discovered dandelion (commonlly used for food and medicine in his native Italy), plantain (known as “the Bandaid of the bush” for its medicinal properties), horehound (used to treat coughs) and edible pepper berries. 

Useful plants identified by Mr Bonetto included native species,  introduced plants which have become naturalised such as dandelions, and plants cultivated for landscaping.  

Lomandra, a native plant which Mr Bonetto describes as “a companion plant for council workers” due to its widespread use in public parks,  is also an nutty tasting edible plant,  a source of starch, and useful for weaving into mats and baskets. 

Yellow dock, commonly found in waterlogged soil, can be chewed to quench thirst. 

Mr Bonetto learned to identify useful plants as a child growing up in Italy, foraging with his extended family. 

Working in orchards in Orange after he arrived in Australia 25 years ago, he found that while the orchardists focused on the cultivated species, while either disregarding useful species found along the orchard edges or regarding them as problematic. 

He began to run workshops investigating the relationship between plants, cultural identity and ecology. He is now collaborating on a Wild Food Map of useful plants in the public domain.

However, Mr Bonetto warned anyone considering foraging to be careful to  identify any plants accurately. 

A case in point:  Wild fennel, proliferating in Lawson Park, is easily confused with the poisonous hemlock plant, which also grows along the river. 

“Knowledge is the key,” Mr Bonetto said.  

“You should only ever harvest what you are 100 per cent sure of. If it doesn’t feel right, leave it alone.”