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Catalogue Number: 25/28
This painting shows bush tucker found across Central Australia. After good rain, the desert plants wake up and start to grow again. When the country is healthy, Aboriginal families walk out into the bush to look for food. They know which plants will be ready after the rain and where they grow on their Country.
The plants in this painting are bush tomatoes. They grow low to the ground and change colour as they ripen. When the fruit is green it is still young and not ready to eat. As the sun warms the plant, the fruit slowly turns yellow or orange. This is when it is ripe and full of flavour. If the fruit stays on the plant longer, it dries naturally in the sun and turns brown. These dried fruits are still good to eat and have a stronger, earthy taste.
Families have been collecting bush tomatoes for many generations. This knowledge is passed down from one generation to the next. It keeps families connected to their Country, their culture, and the old ways of living with the land.