V: Veggies

In a previous blog I wrote about our problem with vegetables and fruits that are either of a very poor quality or difficult to obtain and in both instances very expensive as well. Last summer we started our own herb garden on the balcony and in the “box” garden downstairs we successfully grew very good tomatoes, green peppers, paprika, peppadew, spring onions and chilies.

The herbs are still going great guns, but (why is there always a BUT?), those pesky vervet monkeys ate all our tomatoes, in addition to the bananas, mangoes and freshly baked bread which they pinch from the kitchen counters whenever they can.

My daughter also tried growing butternuts and melon on the embankment, but the bushbuck quickly put paid to that when they started eating the new shoots.

But (and this BUT is a sigh of relief), someone told us about the fresh produce market which we now faithfully attend on Saturday mornings. The only problem is that we have to be there (“there” is 30 kilometers away) at the crack of dawn, which means that we have to get up very early to join the queues. Luckily, the produce is of excellent quality and we are very grateful to the local farmers for these supplies.

My dogter is vasberade om weer haar tuin aan die gang te kry en as ek nou ‘n aap of ‘n bosbok is, sal ek maar wye draaie loop om die groentetuin 😊 Gelukkig het die hotel langsaan nou ook ‘n groot groentetuin wat goed beskerm is en waar ons nou ook plantjies ingesit het.

Op aanbeveling van my man, wat ook ‘n helpende hand en advies verleen daar, word alle groente gekweek in groot houtbokse wat omtrent ‘n meter bo die grond staan (om die snywurms en ander goggas weg te hou) en die omheining sal hopelik die ape weghou.

Dankie tog vir goeie vriende wat bereid is om te deel.