Galeru Rainforest Orchard… Noosa Hinterland… Queensland… Australia.
Kevin Kempter attends high school in Cooroy, a tiny town in the Noosa Hinterland of Queensland in Australia. Kevin’s passion for growing things brought him to Galeru as a horticulture trainee where he works in our rainforest orchards almost every Thursday to develop his knowledge of native plants. He spent much of his Christmas holidays helping with the harvest, (Christmas occurs during mid-summer down here in the southern hemisphere.) In the photograph, Kevin is checking out the fruit on a tree which, you will notice, forms along its trunk. The species is Davidsonia jerseyana. and its fruit are called rain plums because they look like plums. When ripe, they turn deep purple.
Abundant rain and ideal conditions triggered a bumper yield of rain plums this 2011-2012 harvest season. The Davidsonia flourishes best where it is not subject to wind or severe heat. Its natural environment is under-storey and since the rainforest invariably comprises diverse species, we at Galeru have planted in similar manner, incorporating the canopy of some trees to provide shade or a windbreak for others.
The fruit is delicious when turned into a sauce and recent laboratory tests have established the anti-oxidant level of rain plums is not only very high but actually RISES when it is cooked. Rain plum sauce is very popular with customers who visit our Galeru stall at the Big Pineapple Growers’ Market.
It tastes like an almond. It looks like a jewel. It’s Athertonia diversifolia, otherwise known as the Blue Almond, a tree that grows on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland and we planted in our Galeru Rainforest Plantation in the Noosa Hinterland. It’s beautiful foliage can be used as a florist’s decoration and those we planted about ten years ago are now approximately five meters tall with leafy canopies reaching a good three meters out from the trunk. The brilliant blue husk of these rainforest nuts dangle like jewels from the canopy. However, the nut itself is proving very difficult to crack. It is even harder than a macadamia. If you can figure out how to open this delicious rainforest bounty please email 
There are many varieties of lilly pilly (Almost fifty I have been told). Native to Australia, the berries produced by these trees are edible but not all of them are palatable. Galeru is the name adopted by a group of innovative growers who are not only developing rainforest orchards to harvest the yields from these native trees, but also create products that are both unique and delicious. It is worth noting that one of the species (Davidsonia) yields a fruit that is extremely high in anti-oxidants. Syzygium fibrosum, commonly known as Satinash produces a fruit that is colorful but of little taste–even the birds show little interest in it. However, Martha Shepherd, our culinary expert who has developed most of our products, knew what to do with this lilly pilly to creat a delicious compote and a phenomenal salsa. There being so many different lilly pillies we decided it made good sense to apply a name that would readily identify the commercial product. So we call them Raincherries TM . They are delicious with icecream, yoghurt and especially with cheese of almost any kind. And the raincherry salsa is great for the barbeque. You can order these products online directly from our website.
Galeru increasing its range of rainforest products with Australian native tamarind. Not only hard to find in the wild, it is a threatened and protected species. Back when he began planting Galeru’s rainforest orchard in the Noosa hinterland, David was fortunate to obtain precious seedlings and now, after more than ten years, these trees may be the only commercial source of this unique fruit. Once again, Martha has found a way to utilise what would otherwise be unpalatable and make it into a delicious addition to yoghurt or ice cream. Its flavour is unique–like a blend of apricot and something elusive yet pleasing. For want of a better definition it is called “Native Apricot” and is proving very popular at festivals and markets.
Here’s a delicious baked New York-style cheesecake–with a rainforest twist. The rich creaminess of the filling contrasts with the crunchy texture of the base and the macadamia crumble topping. The subtle flavour of our beautiful native rainforest Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) gives this cheesecake its unique taste.
