About Bush Basil
By Bob · Published 28 Oct 2026 · Last updated 28 Oct 2026
Bush Basil (bushbasil.org) is a working record of cultivating then cooking with Australian native ingredients. The stories, recipes and plant pages are written by Bob, an oldie in South East Queensland, from a farm where many of the plants are grown, harvested and cooked. And every page is meant to be practical, referenced and free to share.
Who we are
I’m Bob, and Mary is my partner in the garden, the kitchen, the food forest and life. Neither of us are professional chefs or botanists: but we both love food, and country. So this is a simple honest account of what works, what doesn’t, and what we’re still figuring out, written for other home cooks and growers.
Where we grow
- The farm at Kerry, SE Qld: home to our native food forest, planted down by the river in November 2024 for Mary’s 70th birthday: close to 500 seedlings of 70 native food species, including a nut grove of macadamias and bunyas and a wattleseed grove of acacias. Around two-thirds are now thriving, with more plantings each season.
- Springbrook: a herb garden in the cooler, wetter hinterland, home to our native river mint and native thyme.
- K’gari: a coastal herb garden on the island, where we trial plants suited to sandy soils and salt air.
Growing across three very different sites lets us see how each plant does in SE Qld conditions, and every plant page includes an “On our farm” note on how ours are going.
What you’ll find here
- Plant pages: one page per native food plant, covering what it is, how to grow it, what it tastes like, what goes with it, how to cook with it, what’s in it, and the First Nations knowledge behind it, with numbered references throughout.
- Recipes: tested in our kitchen, each with a printable recipe card, notes from our kitchen, and the questions people ask.
- Stories: stories from the farm and the kitchen, all gathered in one place.
How we write
- Referenced: facts on plant pages are numbered to their sources, from herbaria, research papers, specialist nurseries and First Nations-led businesses, so you can check them.
- Our own experience, clearly marked: what we’ve grown and cooked ourselves sits in “On our farm” and “From our kitchen” notes, separate from the published facts.
- Kept up to date: every page shows when it was published and last updated, and we revise pages as our plants grow and we learn more.
- Credited: recipes adapted from others say so, and link to the original.
First Nations knowledge and Country
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands where we grow, cook and write, and pay our respects to Elders past and present. The plants on this site have been known, used and cared for by First Nations peoples for many thousands of years. Where published sources describe that knowledge, we credit them and name the language group where the source does. Where you have relationships with local Elders or First Nations knowledge holders, their knowledge takes precedence over anything written here, and we would welcome hearing from you.
Questions people ask
Who writes Bush Basil?
Bob, an EoL home cook and food writer in South East Queensland, with his life partner Mary. The recipes are cooked in our own kitchen and many of the plants are grown on our farm.
Is Bush Basil a commercial site?
No. We don’t sell products or take sponsored content. Links to nurseries and suppliers are there because we have found them useful.
Can I use or share the content?
Yes. Text on bushbasil.org is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0: you can share and adapt it, including commercially, as long as you credit Bush Basil, link to the page, and share your version under the same licence. Each page ends with a ready-made citation.
Why is it called Bush Basil?
Bush basil (Coleus graveolens) was one of the first native herbs to earn its keep in our food forest and other gardens, and a bucket of its leaves became our first native pesto and first post.
How can I get in touch?
Use the Contact link at the top of the page. We especially welcome corrections, growing notes from your own garden, and First Nations knowledge of the plants we write about.
Licence and how to cite this page
Text on this page is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Please cite as: Bush Basil, “About Bush Basil”, bushbasil.org, last updated 28 October 2026, https://bushbasil.org/about/