Peter Hardwick
Encyclopedia
Peter Hardwick is an Australian food
horticulturist and environmentalist, recognized as an early pioneer of the Australian bushfood
industry. He publicly challenged the established belief that native Australian food plants were not suitable for cropping; conceived the commercial strategy of processing strong flavored native food plants; and, developed the use of wild and seedling genetic
diversity to overcome the lack of domesticated varieties previously considered a limitation with Australian native food plants.
In 1977 Hardwick started researching native food plants for their culinary and cropping potential to highlight the economic importance of conserving rainforest
. In 1978, he studied at Ryde School Horticulture, and investigated potential crops like Davidsonia
, riberry, bunya nut and plum pine (Illawarra plum).
During the 1980s Hardwick worked for NSW Agriculture. In 1988 he founded Wilderness Foods Ltd, a bushfood
company which pioneered the selection and production of aromatic Australian spices
; planted mixed species cultivation trials; and worked with local Aboriginal
communities on developing native food enterprise. In cooperation with the Essential Oils Unit, Wollongbar Agricultural Institute, Hardwick screened native essential oil
plants for potential as Australian spices
in the developing bushfood market. This included riberry, lemon myrtle
, aniseed myrtle
, Cinnamon Myrtle
, Lemon Ironbark, and Dorrigo Pepper
.
Hardwick has authored several papers on native food plants. He currently lectures on the production of native Australian food plants in regenerated ecosystems.
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
horticulturist and environmentalist, recognized as an early pioneer of the Australian bushfood
Bushfood
Bushfood traditionally relates to any food native to Australia and used as sustenance by the original inhabitants, the Australian Aborigines, but it is a reference to any native fauna/flora that is used for culinary and/or medicinal purposes regardless of which continent or culture it originates...
industry. He publicly challenged the established belief that native Australian food plants were not suitable for cropping; conceived the commercial strategy of processing strong flavored native food plants; and, developed the use of wild and seedling genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
diversity to overcome the lack of domesticated varieties previously considered a limitation with Australian native food plants.
In 1977 Hardwick started researching native food plants for their culinary and cropping potential to highlight the economic importance of conserving rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
. In 1978, he studied at Ryde School Horticulture, and investigated potential crops like Davidsonia
Davidsonia
Davidsonia is a genus containing three rainforest tree species, that are commonly known as the Davidson or Davidson's Plum. The fruits superficially resemble the European plum, but are not closely related...
, riberry, bunya nut and plum pine (Illawarra plum).
During the 1980s Hardwick worked for NSW Agriculture. In 1988 he founded Wilderness Foods Ltd, a bushfood
Bushfood
Bushfood traditionally relates to any food native to Australia and used as sustenance by the original inhabitants, the Australian Aborigines, but it is a reference to any native fauna/flora that is used for culinary and/or medicinal purposes regardless of which continent or culture it originates...
company which pioneered the selection and production of aromatic Australian spices
Australian spices
Australian herbs and spices were traditionally used by Aborigines, especially to flavour food in ground ovens. The term "spice" is applied generally to the non-leafy range of strongly flavoured dried Australian bushfoods. They mainly consist of aromatic fruits and seed products although Australian...
; planted mixed species cultivation trials; and worked with local Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
communities on developing native food enterprise. In cooperation with the Essential Oils Unit, Wollongbar Agricultural Institute, Hardwick screened native essential oil
Essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove...
plants for potential as Australian spices
Australian spices
Australian herbs and spices were traditionally used by Aborigines, especially to flavour food in ground ovens. The term "spice" is applied generally to the non-leafy range of strongly flavoured dried Australian bushfoods. They mainly consist of aromatic fruits and seed products although Australian...
in the developing bushfood market. This included riberry, lemon myrtle
Lemon myrtle
Backhousia citriodora is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, genus Backhousia. It is endemic to subtropical rainforests of central and south-eastern Queensland, Australia, with a natural distribution from Mackay to Brisbane...
, aniseed myrtle
Aniseed myrtle
Syzygium anisatum , ringwood or aniseed tree is a rare Australian rainforest tree with an aromatic leaf that has an essential oil profile comparable to true aniseed...
, Cinnamon Myrtle
Cinnamon Myrtle
Backhousia myrtifolia is a small rainforest tree species grows in subtropical rainforests of Eastern Australia. B. myrtifolia is also known as carrol, carrol ironwood, neverbreak, ironwood or grey myrtle, or Australian lancewood. Cinnamon myrtle is a spice form of B. myrtifolia.Backhousia...
, Lemon Ironbark, and Dorrigo Pepper
Dorrigo Pepper
Tasmannia stipitata, Dorrigo Pepper or Northern Pepperbush is a rainforest shrub of temperate forests of the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. Leaves are fragrant, narrow-lanceolate to narrow-elliptic, 8-13 cm long. Dark bluish to mauve berries follow the flowers on female shrubs...
.
Hardwick has authored several papers on native food plants. He currently lectures on the production of native Australian food plants in regenerated ecosystems.
External links
- "Bush Food Pioneering", TROPO's Organic Info Library http://tweedrichmond.organicproducers.org.au/library/farmplan/bushfood.htm
- "Learn about bushfoods benefits", Northern Rivers Echo. http://www.echonews.com.au/story/2010/02/25/learn-about-the-benefits-of-bushfoods/