It's morning teatime at a farm in Kergunyah, Victoria. Steeping in the kettle is fresh bush mint tea, and a homemade lemon myrtle cake is being passed around.
The native flavours are grown onsite at the farm.
The property is taking part in a University of Melbourne research project on redesigning broadacre farming systems.
Funded by the federal governments' future drought fund, the project intends to demonstrate the value of diversification in cropping.
This demonstration site is looking at how planting native vegetation on non-productive land could be a value-add for farmers as the Indigenous food market grows.
Dorin Gupta, a crop researcher based at the university's Dookie Campus, said that growing a range of crops was key to resilience to a changing climate.
"Primarily, when we look for broadacre cropping we are trying to promote and address the challenge when we have only two major crops growing like wheat and canola," Dr Gupta said.
"When we think of diversifying farms, we cannot forget the native crops and vegetation that has existed here for thousands of years.
"These crops are not going to replace broadacre cropping, which are staples, but having options in market that is something we are really keen to make happen."
Dr Gupta said the demand for native foods was already there, however pathways for commercialisation remained the industry's major challenge.
"There is interest, but it's not grown on large scale — that's why we don't see them where you get our groceries from.
"I believe any production system or any diet that isn't diversified isn't sustainable."
Bringing back Murnong
In the hills of Kiewa Valley in north-east Victoria, Indigenous farmer Gay Baker, has been busy turning slopey land into cropping country.
Ms Baker's Kergunyah farm Gap Flat Track, specialises in edible native crops.
It's her farm that is hosting the day's demonstration.
"I'm located up on the side of the mountain. It's land that your average farmer wouldn't consider viable, definitely not for the faint-hearted," she said.
Ms Baker has put in a road to access the terraced areas she has built, where she grows a vast range of crops.
Her first crop was Murnong, an indigenous vegetable similar to a parsnip.
"Murnong was a staple crop for Indigenous people in eastern Australia, but it was eaten out by sheep and cattle," Ms Baker said.
"It was always a cultivated vegetable so what has survived has now reverted back to its wild stock.
"We are looking for tuber sizes that will be acceptable to go into commercialisation, because we meet a bit of resistance.
"A native parsnip needs to look like a parsnip so your average shopper can recognise it."
More growers to meet high demand
Ms Baker is in her third year of growing indigenous crops commercially.
Although she has wanted to pursue native cropping for a long time.
"I've had the property for 21 years and this is the most development I've been able to achieve," she said.
"There's a huge demand for native foods, but the industry can't keep up with supply.
"The taste is there, the chefs are brilliant with what they do with it. I think if we had more supply, people would be more interested."
In the future, Ms Baker hopes to see more people growing natives and expanding the market.
"For people who are interested in growing native foods, I suggest learning about soils.
"Once you have a understanding of soil health, you can pretty much grow anything."
