Reflections in, on and round about…with a lot of cooking on the side
The garden is another place where I get soul food – it’s possibly in my genes. I love growing vegetables and I love flowers and arranging them….
The Husband groans every time some of my regular customers arrive at the market, bulging bag in hand and make a bee-line for me. I take great delight in these deliveries: they're usually glass jars (and the odd bottle) that they have emptied and saved. Sometimes for me to refill or to fill afresh. Before … Continue reading The quest to use less plastic
It's a truism that if one's never had or enjoyed something, one doesn't miss it. When I was in my 20's, I discovered that I had a problem with caffeine. And, a couple of years later, with pseudoephedrine. Both give me a buzz, stop me from sleeping and the latter gives me serious nightmares. That’s … Continue reading Fabulous Fungi
Unless you've been under some or other lockdown a rock for the last few years, you cannot but know about the growing popularity of a plant-based diet. If you read my blog from time to time, by now you'll also know a few things like: I have long (like, thirty plus years) been a wannabe … Continue reading Carrots, beans and other foods: a contemplation
Gale force winds are not unusual in South Africa, especially the Western Cape coastline, and into the Eastern Cape. These winds are a feature of summer and winter, with the winter storms accounting for the Cape's original appellation as the Cape of Storms. We've had more than our fair share this year and wind, in … Continue reading When the dog barked
The colours of the dripping Acacia gum are beautiful. It forms the most magnificent stalactites that deposit resin onto mounds of wannabe stalagmites on the ground below. Unless you are looking for them, though, gummy the piles are well camouflaged and easy to miss.
I love trees, and trees are central to so many things in our lives, from paper to picnics. They bring people together and drive them apart.
Words fascinate me. With my recent foray into making chutney, where did the Afrikaans word, "blatjang" come from? Before I had satisfied my curiosity, Jan Boer presented us with a huge quantity of, yellow cling peaches. Windfalls. They really were. In every sense.
No, I'm not referring to either my youth or the best days of my life, but rather logical eating choices during the hottest summer in many, many years. Certainly since we arrived in McGregor and when the top temperature was 41ºC (106ºF).
This was not what was originally planned for today, but having shared pictures of the Gazpacho that we had this weekend, on Instagram and on my personal Facebook page, I was "inundated" with requests for the recipe. I hadn't made it for a while because our tomato crop last season was underwhelming. To say the … Continue reading Gazpacho – easy peasy!
Next to the pea patch, we had a bed of broad beans. Broad (or fava) beans are another childhood memory: picking them during a sunny winter afternoon and then shelling them in front of the fire for supper. We had another bumper crop this year, I am delighted to say, so some are safely stored in … Continue reading Bountiful broad beans