Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2020 i Grow to Eat

19 winners in total • Plus each school selected as a finalist receives prize money • Total prize money R300,000 To find out who the actual WINNERS are, please see The Gardener/Die Tuinier December issue which will be on the shelf towards the end of November. Categories 3 Emerging 3 Experienced 1 Most improved (intermediate) 1 Fan favourties (judged on social media engagement) 2 Mentoring 9 Provincial winners (1 winner per province) EASTERN CAPE George Dickerson Primary School Emerging Hlatikulu Senior Primary School Emerging Charles Duna Primary School Experienced Jamangile Senior Secondary School Experienced Mabandla Primary School Experienced Seyisi Primary School Mentoring WESTERN CAPE Bet-el School for Epileptici Emerging Blackheath Primary School Emerging Yomelela Primary School Emerging Eden School for Learners with Special Education Needs Experienced Kenmere Primary School Experienced…

2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh unpeeled ginger, gratedJuice of 1 lemonPinch of pink saltSmall dash black pepper (or cayenne pepper, if you can handle it)3 lemon balm or mint leaves, chopped5 whole fennel seeds Place in a small jar and top with ½ cup water. Keep in a cool place and use a teaspoon to spoon out the solid ginger to consume before your meal, or place that teaspoon into ½ cup warm water and drink before your meal. Optional extras: borage, dandelion or fennel flowers of your choice Replace lemon with lime (it is sweeter) if your digestive system is feeling ‘hot’ or inflamed. This is a wonderful digestive aid. Make and drink a fresh jar every day.…

Depending on who you ask and where you read, the madumbe is either indigenous to South Africa or was introduced in the 1500s and has become naturalised. (We tend to go with the latter theory.) Apparently it is one of the oldest food crops in the world, having been farmed for close to 7000 years. While it has been grown for centuries throughout the western parts of the country, it wasn’t until recently that it became readily available from supermarkets. These days, though, you can buy it anywhere from Woolworths to Checkers, and there’s a good chance that those root tubers you buy can be planted for a healthy crop of your own. The tubers themselves are brown and oval in shape, with a rough, husky sort of skin. Cut…

I love having borage in the garden. Any plant that thrives on neglect, seeds itself and adds greenery and touches of colour to the garden gets my vote. That it is almost irresistible to bees adds to the attraction for me. While most of us can picture the pretty, sky-blue flowers of borage, not many have seen or even know about a rarer form: Borago officinalis var. ‘Alba’, with delicate white flowers. Commonly known as white borage or snowy borage, it is a very beautiful plant that shares all the other characteristics and uses with the blue version. Medicinal uses Borage is full of minerals such as potassium, calcium and magnesium so is beneficial to one’s health. It has traditionally also been used as a poultice to treat everything from…

Go small Try growing baby vegetables. They are not just trendy from a gourmet point of view, but they are great for small spaces, are quicker to harvest and can be grown closer together. Traditionally, baby veggies are root crops or leafy greens that are picked young, before the mature harvestable date. There are also specific mini varieties available that are dwarf fruiting vegetables such as sweet peppers, brinjals, cucumbers, squashes and tomatoes that produce an abundance of smaller than normal fruit. These have been bred with small gardens or patio living in mind. Growing tips • Don’t let the soil dry out. Baby veggies have shallow roots that dry out quickly; give small amounts of water daily. • Feed cut-and-come-again crops with a liquid fertiliser once a week, and…

Hide your veg It is common in households to find one or more people that have a problem eating vegetables. Usually potatoes are it, and even then they have to be cut into long sticks, deep fried and called chips. Hiding veg can sometimes be the answer to this problem, and sauces and dips are a great way to do this. Try things like blended spinach and artichoke dip topped with grilled cheese, carrot and tahini dip, or Tuscan bean dip with sundried tomatoes. Use crunchy nachos or crispy biscuits to dip. Go vertical Space-saving veg that can be trained up trellises, fences or stakes includes crops such as tomatoes, beans, peas, squashes, melons and cucumbers. By going vertical, harvesting and maintenance is easier and fungal diseases are less likely…

When you enter the Somerset West Village Garden, the urban surrounds disappear from your mind as you are transported into a typical small farmland in the heart of the picturesque town of Somerset West. A fresh farm scent fills the air, a comforting mix of aromas from just-harvested vegetables, a range of herbs and the earthy smells of wet soil, all accompanied by a sea of green leaves waving in a gentle Cape wind. How it all started Somerset West Village Garden was established in 2015 in a derelict park, by a small group of passionate gardeners who wanted to assist local street people trapped in extremely challenging circumstances. Since then it has grown into a thriving, working organic vegetable garden offering employment, access to nutrition and facilities to the…

6 – 8 madumbes, peeled and cut into 2cm slices1 onion, chopped2 cloves garlic, minced1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated3 tablespoons olive oil3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped1 stalk of curry leaves1 tablespoon chilli powder1 tablespoon garam masala1 teaspoon ground turmeric½ teaspoon ground cumin Handful coriander (optional) – keep some for serving½ cup frozen peas (or fresh if you have them)Salt and pepper Keep the cut madumbes covered with water while you make the curry sauce. Add the onion and olive oil to a pan and sauté until the onion is soft. Add the garlic, ginger, curry leaves and all the spices, and cook for a minute to release the flavours. Chop up half the coriander and add it along with the tomato. Season with salt and pepper, then cover and reduce…

When most of us think of getting a bed planted, we think of digging it over and adding things like compost or manure and fertiliser. It’s just the way we’ve always done it, like a farmer ploughing his lands before planting. It’s hard work, but we feel good about it because we’re doing the right thing for our plants and soil. But are we? A lot of research indicates that ‘no-dig’ gardening is actually the way to go, and here are some reasons why: 1. Digging over the soil can actually be harmful to it, by killing all the beneficial microbes and organisms in the soil. Just think of the earthworms that we accidentally kill. There are also billions of organisms in the soil that we can’t see, but are…

In nature you find the good (beneficial organisms), the bad (destructive pests) and the ugly, which includes beneficial and destructive pests. Beneficial insects and wildlife can work hand in hand to keep nasty pests under control. One example of this type of relationship between the good and bad is the ladybird and aphid. Both adult and the larvae of ladybirds feed on juicy aphids, so we need to keep as many as possible in our gardens. One of the main reasons to control aphids is that they are a vector (or carrier) of viral diseases that cannot be cured once the plant is infested. Organic formulations like Margaret Roberts Organic Insecticide contain garlic and canola oil and can only kill very small insects the size of aphids by means of…

Life threw me a curve ball some years ago, forcing me to move temporarily into a granny flat with a very neglected garden. Just like any gardener in the same boat would do, I tried desperately to find comfort in any plant, which in this case was an old and gnarled avocado pear tree growing against a high vibacrete fence in a narrow passage opposite the back door of the flat. The squat little tree looked awful, sprouting thin branches from the deep grooves in its bark. Its sparse leaves were yellow and dry, and the soil around the main stem was equally dry and as hard as cement. My heart started bleeding for this poor tree, so I loosened the soil around it, spread out a generous layer of…

EduPlant focuses on schools, learners, and their surrounding communities. It develops school-linked food security clusters in under-resourced communities and townships. In partnership with Tiger Brands and Woolworths, EduPlant took the culmination of the 2 year cycle online to host a virtual competition in 2020. Participating schools were encouraged to enter online by submitting a video of their school food garden, as well as photos showcasing how the garden contributes to the school feeding scheme. 42 schools have been selected as finalists in this year’s competition. There is a total of R300,000 worth of prizes to be won. Winners will be announced at the end of October 2020.…

Tip You can save the drained liquid, called aquafaba, from the canned chickpeas. It can be used to make vegan meringues or mousse. Store aquafaba in the fridge for 2 days in a container or frozen for up to 3 months. Vegan roast and gravy This is a vegan take on a turducken. To make this a real Christmas feast, serve with peas and roasted orange sweet potato. ⅔ cup (160ml) water⅓ cup white quinoa1 extra-large zucchini (350g), halved lengthways1 small leek (200g), white part only1.9kg whole butternut squash, halved lengthways1 small onion (80g), chopped2 cloves garlic, peeled2 ½ tablespoons olive oil2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves3 teaspoons ground linseed (flax meal)2 tablespoons hot water, extra¼ cup (35g) dried cranberries⅓ cup (35g) hazelnut or almond meal Vegan gravy 50g vegan margarine…

Culinary uses Borages, both white and blue, have a delicate cucumber flavour to the flowers and leaves. That said, you do need to be wary of the hairs around the base of the flower and on mature leaves. To eat the flowers, gently pluck the flower from the base, leaving behind the hairy bit. Eat the flowers while you’re wandering though your herb garden or use them in cocktails (did you say G&T?) or in salads. Likewise, avoid the hairy mature leaves and eat only the younger, more tender, less hairy ones. These can be chopped up and added to salads or even used in pasta dishes such as a ravioli with herbs, walnuts and goats cheese.…

2 cups wholewheat flour½ cup smooth peanut butter2 eggs1 tablespoon chopped parsley¼ cup water, extra if needed Mix the flour, peanut butter, eggs and parsley in a bowl until just combined. Add water a little at a time until the mixture comes together and can be rolled out like a dough. Use some extra flour to roll out the dough to about 5mm thick. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter or glass, or just cut the dough in squares. Place on baking paper on baking trays and bake for 15 minutes at 180°C. This recipe makes about 36 treats. They will keep for a week in an airtight container. Freeze half the mixture before cooking if you won’t get through them in time. NOTE: Make sure the peanut butter…

Growing The best spot to grow strawberries is in full sun, in soil that drains quite well. Start off by digging the soil over to about spade depth, removing all stones, plant roots and weeds. Apply ample bucketfuls of goodquality garden compost and enrich the soil further with bonemeal. Rake the prepared bed level and water lightly the day before planting. There are two ways to plant You can plant healthy runners removed from a previous season’s mother plants, or invest in fresh stock obtainable in pots or punnets at your local nursery. When planting bare-rooted plants, mound some soil at the bottom of their holes and position the plant on top of the mound while gently spreading their roots down the sides before filling in with soil and firming…

This is actually too easy to be a called a DIY, but it is fun and works well. You need: A slinky Some thin wire A stick or stake Some climbing plants, like peas or beans Tools Hammer, pliers To do 1. Once the stake is driven into the ground with a hammer, drop the slinky over it. 2. Cut a piece of wire to about 10cm long, and wrap it around the top of the stake so that there are two equal lengths of wire sticking out opposite each other. Squeeze the loops with pliers to get it to stay there. 3. Pull the top end of the slinky up to the wire, and manoeuvre it so that about three coils of the slinky are resting on the wire…