Rees Campbell

I am so proud to have written "Eat Wild Tasmanian". It really is a first. It is the only comprehensive resource on which plants are edible in the Tasmanian bush. The book covers what the plants look like; when, what part and where to harvest; how to grow them in your own garden; and loads of recipes! It's over 200 pages, with lashings of colour photos and is being published by Fullers (Tasmania). I believe that through this book people will discover the treasures of the bush flavours hidden in our island state.

( Col and I showing grandkids Finn and Thorin some edible natives in the vegie garden)

The problem is - it's just not economical to print in Tasmania, making the price impossible for most people, so publishers outsource to Asia.  As part of celebrating this place, I want to see this Tasmanian bush foods book being printed right here, on Australian paper. If I don't raise the difference, the book will be printed in Asia and that just feels so wrong.

After a lifetime of eating Tasmanian wild food,a decade of research, and years writing it - I need some help to get "Eat Wild Tasmanian" printed here. Help me achieve " proudly written, published and printed in Tasmania" on the cover. 

My husband, Col and I have a garden in Wynyard, North West Tasmania where we have developed "Murnong Wild Food Garden". We now have over 100 edible Tasmanian native plants along with other habitat natives and an extensive domestic orchard and vegetable garden.  I make various jams, chutneys, sauces and seasonings with Tasmanian native ingredients under the name of "Feisty Tasmanian". We are passionate about the richness of the Tasmania's botanical larder.

(In the kitchen sealing up a batch of tangy Kangaroo Apple and Kumquat Marmalade)

The funds you help us raise will be exclusively used to pay part of the difference between Australian and Asian printing costs. 

For a 2000 book print run the Tasmanian quote was $32,549 while the Asian one was only $16,632!  Crazy huh?  We're trying to raise about half the difference, and we will personally cover the shortfall.

If we are lucky enough to exceed our target, it will allow a bigger print run. 

(In the car harvesting leptomeria we saw growing near the road. Along with poodle Roxy, we spend a lot of time exploring and tasting in the bush)

This project is already in the hands of the publishers. It will be launched in spring this year, but I don't want it printed in Asia - I want to keep Tasmanians in work, and promote our island. The main challenge is the time frame - I only have a month to rasie the necessary money.(Col, the main hunter-gatherer, picking pepper at the edge of a forestry coupe - look at those bunches of berries!)