Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring - Summer 2016 i Grow to Eat

Mexican food is a rich, colourful mix of flavour and texture, born of the indigenous Aztec peoples, but much influenced by the Spanish, French and Americans who came later. While we can’t grow truly Mexican herbs and spices in South Africa, we can use many of our herbs to get that inspired flavour into our food. CORIANDER Whether you know it as cilantro, dahnia or Chinese parsley, coriander is commonly used by cooks across continents and regions. Every part of this short-lived annual herb is used; its leaves, the seeds (dried) and its roots. The seeds can be used whole or ground for use in confectionery, bread, salads and pickles. Growing tips • Full sun, lots of water and soil that drains well are essential. • Sow in spring or…

Green beans are an easy, highly productive crop for the home gardener and are especially recommended for beginners. They’re the biggest bean crop in the world today, the workhorse of so many delicious dishes from China to the Mediterranean world, yet until only a few hundred years ago they – like maize, tomatoes, potatoes and chillies – were unknown outside the Americas. Green beans originated in the highlands of Peru, and it’s believed that migrating indigenous tribes took them to Central and North America, where they became a staple of native American diets, and today they are still widely used in Mexican cuisine. They’re an excellent source of Vitamin A, minerals and dietary fibre, and give back to the soil as they are efficient nitrogen fixers. Some species of green…

Can you imagine life without tomatoes? It’s hard – they’re such a basic ingredient of so many of our favourite Western and Indian dishes. Yet it’s odd to think that not even two centuries ago they were regarded with great suspicion in Europe. The Spanish imported this exotic ‘vegetable’ (it’s technically a fruit) into Europe from Mexico in the sixteenth century, but its resemblance to the deadly nightshade made people suspicious. It looked lethal! To make matters worse, it also reminded folk of the mandrake herb, known for its lewd, aphrodisiacal effects. Hence its early common name, the ‘love apple’! Today we know better, and our passion for the tomato is huge. Its acid-sweet, bursting flavour brings so many dishes to life, and it’s good for us too, being packed…

There are few foods that can claim to be as versatile, tasty and nutritious as the sexy avocado. Because it isn’t sweet, some mistake it for a vegetable, but it is undeniably a fruit. (Believe it or not, it's classified as a single-seeded berry by the fundis!) Hailing from Mexico and Guatamala, and relatively unknown in the rest of the world until 50 years ago, it's an indispensible ingredient of Central American cuisine. In fact, some there know them as ‘guacamole trees’ because avocado is the main ingredient of that popular Mexican dish. Beyond this, its creamy, gentle flavour is ideal for mixing with the robust flavours of typically Mexican ingredients such as chillies, sweet peppers, coriander and lemons. Avocados are used in just about every country these days, from…

Sunflowers are yet another gift from the native Americans, having been domesticated eons ago. Today, through selective breeding, the flowers are much bigger than they originally were in nature, and that’s what makes them so productive in the food garden. Although the petals are edible, it’s the seeds that most of us are after and a single flower head can pack up to 8000 seeds! The seeds are the source of sunflower cooking oil, but home gardeners are much more likely to grow them as a nutritious and delicious snack or food supplement. High in magnesium and Vitamins B1 and E, the seeds can be dehusked and eaten raw on their own, or added to muesli, porridge, smoothies, soups, stews or salads to enhance texture and flavour. Great companions As…

For most of my life I’ve tried to eat healthily, sourcing organic veggies, herbs, free-range eggs and meat from farmers' markets in my area. It's certainly been an expensive decision but has yielded a strong constitution for myself and helped me rear healthy, balanced children. But as food prices soar, the trend towards sustainability and growing your own is no longer an option, but a necessity. I’ve heard people say that you can’t taste the difference between organic and chemically laden, artificially ripened veggies. I just nod, knowing that the reason they can’t taste the difference is that they’ve forgotten how good real food tastes. Start with the soil, as the more nutrient dense the soil, the more robust your veggies. I use wellrotted compost with a bit of horse…

Earthworms in nature "What’s all this business about worms and wormeries, and how can they help my food garden?" Of course, being a 'worm farmer' I’m asked this question all the time. To answer, I always start with nature and the vital role earthworms play in creating healthy soil. Healthy soil, healthy plants Earthworms play such a vital role in creating healthy, living soil, and we need to incorporate them into our cultivation practices. First, to attract them into your veggie beds you should: • avoid using inorganic pesticides and fertilisers that will kill them; • avoid disturbing the soil by excessive tilling, as this exposes them to sunlight that kills them and destroys the microorganisms that give the soil life; • apply frequent mulches of compost that provide an…

Fruit production of brinjals and peppers slows down rapidly in February and March as temperatures reach their peak, but you can pickle the last of your crops to preserve that unmistakable taste of summer. Here are two quick and easy recipes that work well. Red chilli relish Take a handful of freshly harvested red chillies, cut each one lengthwise and remove the seeds (if you want a milder relish. Leave them in if you like it hot!). Mix the chillies with about 3-5 teaspoons of salt and lay them in a colander for about 1 hour. The salt will draw water out of the chillies and will also remove some of the spiciness. Meanwhile, take 2 tablespoons each of yellow mustard seeds and fennel seeds, and grind them together using…

Water-wise gardening has become something of a household term, and never more so than now, off the back of the worst drought experienced in most provinces since records began in 1904. And there’s a warning that the summer of 2016/17 will also be bad, which is scary stuff! Tried-and-tested ways to save on irrigation The sad fact is most veggies are water guzzlers. So we need to look first and foremost at conserving water to reduce the volume we use, simply by watering wisely. There are many ways of doing this. Direct watering is one, where we take care to water only where we need, when we need. A simple, low-cost example of this is trickle irrigation, where a submerged cool-drink bottle with drainage holes is used to percolate water…

There is always a whiff of danger around chillies. They are hot, they burn and they are tempting, with a glossy, red brilliance that says ‘eat me’! The name chili comes from the Aztecs, who cultivated them hundreds of years before they were introduced to the rest of the world. It’s no surprise then that this species is indigenous to Central America and remains an indispesible ingredient of Mexican food. Later it found its way to Asia and into our favourite Indian and Southeast Asian curries. Sowing chilli seed Most unusual heirloom varieties of chillies are only available in seed. There are a few tricks to successful sowing worth taking note of before you start. The mix: Sow in seed trays using germinating mix, not seedling mix, which is too…

Throughout North and Central America three staples of the diet – corn, beans and squashes – were traditionally planted together because of the special way each plant helped the others, and formed part of a nutritional triad of complementary foods. This living heritage is one of the most elegant examples of companion planting, a practice followed by all inthe- know modern food gardeners. How to do it 1 Set out 2-3 rows of circular mounds of well-prepared soil, each one about 50cm in circumference, and about 10 cm apart. You should have at least three mounds per row. (Remember, sweetcorn is wind pollinated, which is why you need a block of it, planted in rows.) 2 In each alternate mound, plant four sweetcorn kernels equidistantly, about 30cm apart. Stagger your…

What you need Runner bean seedlings (‘Lazy Housewife’ is a good choice) Compost Bonemeal or superphosphate 3 bamboo sticks Rope or twine How to do it 1. Prepare by adding a bucket of compost and a handful of bonemeal to the soil and digging it in well. 2. Push the three bamboo stakes into the ground about 30cm apart, to form a triangle. 3. Tie the top of the stakes together with the twine and then make supports for the beans by wrapping the twine around the structure, moving downwards and making a loop around each stake as you go along to prevent it from sliding down. Tie it off at the bottom. 4. Plant the beans and water well.…

What you need 200mm x 110mm PVC pipe 110mm PVC connector 110mm PVC end-stop PVC Weld Spray paint String Tomato seedling Potting soil Tools Drill, 18mm drill bit, 3mm drill bit GOOD TO KNOW Indeterminate tomatoes, such as ‘Moneymaker’ and the various smallfruited, cherry varieties, are best for upsidedown planters. What you do 1 Cut a 200mm length of PVC pipe and glue it into one side of the connector using PVC Weld. 2 Drill an 18mm hole in the centre of the PVC end-stop. Glue the end-stop into the connector to close one end of the PVC pipe. 3 Drill two 3mm holes opposite each other in the top of the open end of the pipe, through which you will thread string to hang the planter. 4 To make…

Microgreens are leafy green veggies like Asian greens, beetroot, baby spinach, cabbage, radish, rocket and wheatgrass that are sown densely in seed trays and harvested within 10-14 days after germination, when they have developed 4-6 true leaves. They’re great ingredients for stir-fries, salads and healthy sarmies, and make an eye-catching garnish for so many other dishes too. It’s been claimed they contain up to 40 times the vital nutrients of their mature counterparts, so if you don’t already have your microgreen farm on your windowsill, start one now! Seed trays can be started indoors in a warm, well-lit room, using a heat pad if needed, and after germinating can be grown on in a sunny room or outside in a sunny but protected area. In summer a windowsill that gets…

The Cape gooseberry (Physalis edulis) is a quick-growing annual or perennial fruit plant that originates in South America. It has been grown extensively in many parts of South Africa for the little golden berries that are produced in abundance, on bushes that can reach a height of about 1m. It is grown commercially to produce jams and stewed gooseberries for desserts. It is not to be confused with the English gooseberry, a popular plant in the colder temperate zones. Cape gooseberries are easy to grow from seed and well worth cultivating if space permits. How to achieve success with Cape gooseberries • Grow them in full sun in almost any well-drained soil – they even cope with poor or impoverished soils. • You can grow them all year round in…

Roses are not only food for the soul, but certain varieties are food for the body too. Their nutritional value lies in their rose hips and, to a lesser extent, in their petals, especially red roses. As companion plants, the exposed stamens of single roses attract pollinators, birds love the rose hips and taller bushes will shade tender crops from the heat of the summer sun. As roses and most vegetables have similar growing requirements (full sun, well-drained soil, regular watering and fertilising), they don’t mind sharing space, and the bonus of pickable blooms for the home is another cost saver. What’s good about big hips! Rose hips contain lots of Vitamin C as well as Vitamins A, D and E and antioxidants. A tea made from dried rose hips…

The problem Each child is totally different, but you need to figure out how to win over each one to the ‘green’ side. Take my nine-year-old son for example. He will eat almost anything if there is a paté or dip to go with it, but what he does is eat a bowl of hummus or mayonnaise with one carrot stick, licking off the dip as he goes. Not an ideal situation. And while he quite liked sugar snap peas (maybe because he heard ‘sugar’), he was more interested in taking out the seeds and saving them to grow in the garden. I was not going to argue on that one! Some tips that may work There are several tips around to help parents deal with this situation, and I…

Bug off! It happens to all of us – some pest or another gets into your veggie garden and wreaks havoc. All your hard work is put at risk and you need to act. Protek 350 SC is an efficient systemic pesticide that we turn to on occasions such as this, to deal with aphid, red scale, thrips, leaf miner and psylla on citrus trees and aphids on cucurbits and roses. www.proteksa.co.za Grow your own Banting mix Starke Ayres has made gardening for a lowcarb diet as easy as buying a single pack of seeds. The Starke Ayres Low Carb Mix contains seeds of baby marrow, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and tomato, and comes in an affordable econopack. Sowing directions for all five vegetables are printed on the back of the…

TRANSPLANTING TIPS • Seedlings are ready to be transplanted when they have two or more true leaves. • Transplant in the afternoon, when it is cooler. This allows the seedlings to settle in overnight. • After transplanting, water with lukewarm water rather than very cold water, which is another shock to the system. • Protect newly transplanted seedlings from birds and pets by pushing small sticks around the plants. MORE BRINJALS Increase the yield of your brinjals by pinching out the growing tip when five or six leaves have formed. This encourages the plant to branch, which increases the number of flowers. Don’t neglect watering and feed with a potassium-rich fertiliser, like Vigorosa, for more flowers. DID YOU KNOW? PLANT IN TRIANGLES FOR HIGHER YIELDS Planting seed or seedlings in…

‘Chocolate Habanero’ has a very intense fruity flavour. A little bit goes a long way with this really hot chilli. This one is hotter than the traditional orange variety. It is a long-season pepper that needs a bit of heat to germinate. ‘Mayan Love Pepper’ is from South and Central America and was originally mixed with chocolate and used as an aphrodisiac in the local culture. This is a very productive variety and the bush is covered with hundreds of spicy fruits. It can be eaten green or ripe. ‘Peruvian White Habanero’ is actually a light yellow colour. It has the full fruitiness of a traditional ‘Habanero’ but not the excessive heat. It still packs a small amount of heat and is a great introduction to the wonderful world of…

The idea of corn on the cob smothered in melting butter is a mouth-watering prospect. For home gardeners, sweetcorn is the domestic counterpart of field maize, and it's an easy, undemanding crop to grow. It may be a South African staple, but like chillies, tomatoes and potatoes maize is a precious gift to us from the Americas, cultivated by the Aztecs of Mexico long, long ago. Avoid this common mistake Because this tall-growing plant is wind pollinated, never plant it in a single row where wind blowing from one side or another could blow the pollen away without it ever making contact with the tassels. Cobs that weren’t pollinated will be missing half their kernels. Always plant corn in blocks of 2-3 rows, running north to south. Ideal spacing is…

Although butternuts, like pumpkins, take up more space than other veggies, they are easy to grow and very rewarding, which makes them ideal for beginners. And if you’re still hesitant to sacrifice space on the ground for them, why not grow them vertically? They can easily be grown on a fence or trellis, or up a pole so they can clamber on top of a carport, or some such structure. Have no fear that the butternut fruit will snap off – the plant will ensure that the stems attaching them to the vine are strong enough to allow the fruit to dangle attractively in the air. That's another bonus! Bees pollinate the male and female flowers, so steer clear of any harmful insecticides. Feed with a general fertiliser once a…

www.soilforlife.co.za 1 Build the humus content of your soil Humus is the dark organic stuff that forms in the soil when plant and animal matter decays. It can hold many times its own weight in water, so increases the watercarrying capacity of soils, particularly sandy ones. It also prevents nutrients from being leached out of the soil. One answer to the long, dry summer months ahead is to feed your soil with all your waste. If you’re in doubt as to whether your household waste is really good soil food, ask yourself: Was it once alive? Will it rot? If the answer is ‘yes’, then bury it, mulch with it, add it to the compost heaps, feed the worms (start a worm farm) and create life-giving, water-saving, nutrient-catching humus. 2…

Citrus trees grow well in pots, but ensure you choose a large container – the larger the pot, the more productive the lime tree. Make sure the pot has adequate drainage holes and that they don’t become blocked over time. Plant into a mixture of potting soil, compost and fertiliser. Plant mint around the base of the tree and water well. Pot care tips Potted trees can be allowed to dry out a bit before watering, but shouldn’t remain dry for prolonged periods. Take care to water citrus trees well when in blossom and when the fruit is starting to form. Reduce watering when the fruit starts swelling and changing colour. Citrus trees, unlike deciduous fruit trees, don’t require vigorous pruning. It is only done to shape and neaten the…

Many of you will have read that if bees become extinct, mankind will follow within a few years. Whether or not that is actually true, there is no doubt that bees play a crucial role in the pollination of our food, and they are facing a tough, tough time out there. Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, monocultural farming, viruses, mites, a loss of habitat – these are just a few of the threats that bees are facing at the moment, and they are losing the battle in many parts of the world. But we, the humble gardeners, can play an important part in saving bees from extinction, just by planning what we plant in our food gardens, and what chemicals we use on them. Bees need flowers that produce both pollen and…

Many types of fruit are ravaged by fruit flies, causing extensive damage to the quality and value of the crop. This is particularly so in home gardens and backyard orchards where preventative control mechanisms are not followed on a regular basis. Other non-cultivated host plants, like loquats and bugweeds, provide fruit for the insects to continue breeding through the winter months. The net result is fruit flies being active year round, making control more difficult. There are various different species of fruit flies. They all have large, shiny eyes and marbled wings, and they all lay their eggs under the skin of ripening or ripe fruit. Visible signs of infestation are tiny puncture marks on the skin, sometimes with a gum-like substance oozing from the wounds. The term often used…

What you will need 2 x 1900mm x 235mm x 40mm pine roofing timber 2 x 350mm x 110mm x 40mm pine roofing timber 4 x 500mm x 180mm x 170mm plastic troughs 8 x 30mm x 4mm wood screws 8 x 80mm x 4mm cut wood screws Wood primer or universal undercoat Enamel paint Tools Circular saw or hand saw, electric sander, drill and screwdriver bit, tape measure, pencil, combination square, paintbrush Cutting Diagram What to do 1 Mark and cut the two 1900mm planks according to the diagram, using the combination square to get the angles correct. 2 Sand all your timber to a smooth finish, removing all sharp edges. 3 Join the two sides together by attaching the two 350mm braces with the 80mm screws to points…