Growing green fingers
In a natural environment, a carrot would grow, become fat, then die and rot back into the soil, giving the nutrients it had absorbed back to the soil. However, we come along and pull it out. To...
View ArticleThe magic of compost!
You will know you are becoming hooked on gardening when you find compost a fascinating subject! I am a compost addict. I love the smell of compost. I love the feel of compost. When I dig my hands deep...
View ArticleLeaves glorious leaves
Leaf mould is another way of enriching our soils. Leaf mould is just what it sounds like – fully decomposed leaves. Often we have more leaves than we can use in our compost, particularly in autumn. Dry...
View ArticleThe Cat Who Ate Everything
The Cat Who Ate Everything The knee high wave swirled around me, tugging at my calves. I could feel the sand disintegrating under my feet and I wriggled my toes deeper. Southbroom. Summer. Holidays. I...
View ArticleDelicious Garden Planner, spring & chickens!
I have very bizeee! Again. Spring is just around the corner so it has been time to sow seeds and get my garden ready for the warmth that is just around the corner. Keith has been handymanning. I have...
View ArticleWater wising up
Not that long ago, people who grew their own vegetables or used grey water for irrigation were considered fringe tree huggers. Just four years ago I only had one friend that I knew of who grew her own...
View Article“I am the special ingredient!”
“I am the special ingredient!” is the quote on the back of the chef’s T shirt in the open plan kitchen at Xudum camp in the Okavango Delta. And does he live up to it. I have just arrived back from six...
View ArticleChicken Tractor
I first heard about a chicken tractor from one of my American magazines about ten years ago. It was a review of a book a homesteader had written about using chickens to till and fertilise the land. I...
View ArticleNext book taking shape
I have just completed the manuscript for the next book – “Jane’s Delicious Herbs. Healing plants for home, health and happiness.” And now the photography starts. I have gone through my bottle...
View ArticleOkavango Delta
Earlier this year I received an invitation to Francistown, Botswana, to give a talk to their Garden Club. The Okavango Delta has been on our list of places to visit for many years and we thought it...
View ArticleUrban Farming Explosion!
I was in Cape Town last month for my niece’s wedding and I took the opportunity to visit the Oranjezicht City Farm (OZCF). A pop-in visit turned into an afternoon’s expedition. I met up with Sheryl...
View ArticleBroad beans
I love broad bean flowers. I grow my broad beans inside my tripods. This gives the floppy stems support and also provides a moist micro climate which is good on the dry highveld. Around the tripods I...
View ArticleSweet potatoes
It is almost time to start harvesting my sweet potatoes – I got them in a bit late this year so I have left them a bit longer. There are three different types in this bed. The normal red with green...
View ArticleEasy basil oil
Cold weather looks like it is on the way. Before frost hits your herbs,such as basil, harvest the leaves and pack them into bottles and add olive oil. Shake to remove air bubbles and make sure the top...
View ArticleLove Triangle
The Mafia, ancient ruins and an active volcano make exploring the triangular isle of Sicily an adventurous road trip The overnight ferry from Naples docked at the port in Palermo at dawn. Our first...
View ArticleRomancing Amalfi
When my delightfully quixotic friend Karen was planning her wedding, she wanted something ultra romantic. And I can’t imagine a more romantic spot than her choice of the dramatic Italian Amalfi Coast,...
View ArticleChasing away the winter lurgies
It is that time of the year when lurgies abound. Everyone is coughing, sniffing and sneezing. To avoid catching a winter bug, try using some of the herbs from your garden or on your pantry shelf....
View ArticleSinging the boerewors blues
Whenever I go through Pietermaritzburg I buy some Greenfields meat. From a farm near Mooi River, their free range, grass fed beef is superb. Usually I go for a whole fillet and spoil my Kzn family....
View ArticleCauliflower crunch
I picked one of the last cauliflowers today, along with collard greens and coriander. I also had some baby eggplants and all these ingredients suggested an Asian dish. (I never quite know what I’m...
View ArticleDown Pmb memory lanes
I grew up in Pietermaritzburg. My Dad’s pharmacy (Stephenson & Griffiths) was in Longmarket street, providing easy access to the warren of lanes between Longmarket and Church streets. Their names –...
View Article
