Eat Wild Tasmanian – the first of the wild food books
“Eat Wild Tasmanian” explores 138 edible native Tasmanian plants. It shows you what they look like, what part to harvest – when and how…it tells you how to grow them in your garden…and there are over 100 easy to follow recipes for using the produce.
John Gibson from Plants of Tasmania Nursery has contributed distribution maps and growing notes for all the plants. Sally Wise, arguably Tasmania’s best known cook; and Tino Carnevale of Gardening Australia wrote the forewords, and there are about 400 colour photos of plants, berries and cooked dishes.
I’m really proud to have written this first comprehensive guide into Tasmanian edible plants. Fuller’s Publishing have published it, and the book has been beautifully designed by Julie Hawkins. I’m also both proud and humbled by the support of over 100 people, who assisted through a crowd funding campaign to get it printed here.
So, Eat Wild Tasmanian, is about Tasmanian plants, written by a 5th generation Tasmanian, printed published and distributed by Tasmanians.
Eat Wild Tasmanian was launched on 19th October in Hobart, and the 25th October in Burnie.
Eat Wild Tasmanian was completely sold out by 2022, so I re-wrote and expanded it.
Eat MORE Wild Tasmanian
Eat MORE Wild Tasmanian was born in 2022. It has a few more Tasmanian native edible plants, a medical information section; and a large weed section for all those foragers out there. There’s lots of new recipes and photographs too.
Again, John Gibson supplied distribution maps and growing notes, Sally Wise updated her foreword, so it’s bigger and better than ever.
We had marvellous launches as “Celebrations of the Wild” at Wynyard and Hobart. Its always fun to hold launches – everyone is joyful.
I was honoured to work with June Sculthorpe of the TAC assisting in the reconstruction of palaw kani for some of the plants. I was given permission to use palawa kani in the book, which is fabulous,
My new favourite recipe? Bush lemon curd souffles.
There are only a few copies left now (2026)
The Seaweed Supplement
And then, in 2023, I wrote and self published The Seaweed Supplement. This little book was an elaboration on the few seaweed species I’d mentioned in the Eat Wild Books. Seaweed is brilliant on so many levels … it’s free, easy to forage for, and is hugely nutritious. Tasmania lacks iodine in the soil, and the best source of it is in the brown kelps we see washed up on our beaches.
It’s legal to collect beach washed seaweed, but not to pick it alive from the rockpools.
Following the style of the Eat Wild books, there is information and identification photos about the best edible seaweeds, and some recipes.
I’ve also included information on how to collect and process the different types of seaweed.
This book is sold out too. I might re-print a few soon.
And now, it’s 2026 and there’s a new kid on the block.
Islands of the Island State
Islands of the Island State is just released. This book has been a long time in the making. It includes memories of childhood journeys, kayaking adventures 20 years ago; and many more recent island trips. I explore and celebrate 40 of our off-shore islands … from the journey to the destination … the geology, history, naming, what animals and birds call it home, what plants live there. At the end of each chapter I have a recipe of a meal you could eat if you were marooned there!
I decided to self-publish this book, and went on a new learning curve, as I did all the graphic design, layout etc.
I’d never done design before, so I taught myself graphic design 101 using InDesign. It was enormous fun, but took many, many long hours in front of the computer.
Have you ever been to Pedra Branca? It’s an incredible edifice rising from the southern ocean seemingly from nowhere. It’s the most southern Tasmanian island , except for Macquarie!
How about the Harbour Islets off the NW tip? They’re a pair of tiny rocky islets home only to thousands of shearwaters, petrels, and fairy penguins covered in a doona of succulent Disphyma.
A signed copy of the book is available directly from me for $70 +$14 postage; or from most good books in Tasmania.
I’ll be having a few launches around the place…the first and major party will be at Wynyard on 11th September, then conversations with interesting folk at Burnie, Ulverstone, Dover, Bruny Island …and maybe Hobart and Smithton. Get in touch with me at reescampbell1@gmail.com if you’re interested in a book or coming to one of the launches… or maybe you’ve got an idea for an event somewhere?
Feisty Tasmanian - the home of Tasmanian edible native plants 