Growing food in a time of crisis

We started growing food in 2010...I thought it would be a good life skill for my then 4 homeschooled children. For the next 8 years we slowly converted our whole garden to vegetable, fruit and herbs.

It was hard work, not just the sowing, composting, planting, weeding, watering and harvesting but the processing when the food was ready.

It is so much easier to just open a bag of lettuce leaves and dump them in a bowl...but when you have to pick and wash the leaves, pick the tomatoes, check for bugs - which always come along with organic veg - spin them dry and then make the salad, your salad making goes from 10 minutes to 30.

In 2016 when the drought hit Cape Town hard, we reduced our vegetable beds from 15 to 5. Where the 10 stood we changed into Fynbos and indigenous plants which could survive the drought. The 5 beds that were left took all the borehole water we were able to spare and the fynbos had to just manage on itself.

Yet here we are today amid the CoVid-19 pandemic and our Fynbos garden is blooming in the autumn sunshine and out small vegetable patch supplying what we need for the 3 of us that still live here. And with the time created by lock down the vegetables are getting extra love and care.

Planting out the winter seedlings today, reminded me of what food security is and where it comes from. It first comes from our Heavenly Father who has provided seeds for planting, rain from heaven and sunshine. It secondly comes from knowing that you can grow food, if not all, some of it no matter where you live and how much space you have.

Take a look back over the posts labelled on the side for ideas of what to plant in pots on windowsills, in larger pots on balconies, or how to pull up your lawn and grow on a larger scale like us. Either way, use the time to learn this skill...it really is rewarding. 

Cauliflower - the queen of the garden

Right now we are eating cauliflower....lots of it.

There is a circular flower bed in our pool area which has been the recipient of a good nitrogen feed ;) for a few years and since last winter I have noticed that heavy feeder crops grow beautifully there.

Our broccoli from winter 2012 was huge, deep rich green and delicious. Our Aubergines from summer 2012 never stopped coming and were given away as we were Aubergined out!

And now the queen has come into her own. There is something special about seeing those huge white heads standing around the base of the fig tree.

The green leaves are massive and once the cauliflower is harvested the chickens feed on a couple a day.

So far they have escaped the white moth and her caterpillar babies which can munch though those leaves in a day!

I made a delicious rich cauliflower cheese last weekend for guests, this week another cauli was added to Mac n Cheese with a lovely rosemary, garlic and bread crumb on top.

But the best recipe was a Jamie Oliver one called "Curried Cauliflower Fritters" from Jamie at Home. And boy, were they delicious.

I am not one who deep fries - ever - well except this once...and I am so glad I did. These were simply gorgeous and made the cauliflower the star of the show, not the normal side dish.

Even my fussy eater could not stop gobbling these delectable treats.

Fried in a crispy beer batter spiced with cumin, curry powder and a bit of chilli these were a hit!

This week in pictures

Just for you, Sis....

Broccoli was repotted

Broad beans really showed up

Compost was bagged for use in winter

The veggie garden that was is no more.

Tiffany looking beautiful

Toby looking buff

Wood was stacked for soon warm fires

Aubergines to come

Aubergines harvested

Garden plan done...so simple...only two areas now.