Before we look at the ingredients and cooking instructions, some basic principles need to be explained.

Types of Compost

Composting is the facilitated decompostition of organic matter for ease of absorption by plant life. In other words, you are supporting the natural process of the decomposition of your garden waste. The end result of this process is that the nutrients stored in the garden waste are broken down by bacteria so that they can be absorbed by new plants.

There are two main types of bacteria and these form the two methods of composting. Aerobic composting depends primarily on the work of aerobic bacteria. Anaerobic composting requires only anaerobic bacteria.

Aerobic simply means that the bacteria depend on oxygen for their survival. These little organisms are rapid breeders and rapid eaters of the organic matter. They break down your garden waste quickly and efficiently.

This is the recommended composting option, however, it is also the more labour-intensive as the compost requires regular turning. This is the method that we will follow in these instructions.

Anaerobic bacteria on the other hand, do not require oxygen. They break down the garden waste very slowly. Anaerobic or ‘cold’ composting takes a much longer time. It is the easier option: involving little work, simply piling the organic waste in a big heap and leaving it for many months.

The Cooking Pot

Composting works best in a loose structure or ‘pot’. For example, an ideal structure is made of four old pallets tied together at the corners. Whatever you build, make sure that there is plenty of room for air to access the compost. A sealed wooden or brick structure will not work well. The cooking pot should be placed on loose ground in a shaded area.

For small gardens, a single ‘pot’ will suffice. When you need to turn the compost, simply remove the walls of your pot, allow the compost to fall out and then rebuild the whole pile in an adjacent space.

For bigger gardens, a permanent system of three ‘pots’ works well. These should be lined up side by side. Pot A can be turned into Pot B, Pot B into C, and so forth in a cyclical pattern.

Ingredients

Sticks and small branches

Wet greens (fresh cuttings/leaves, fruit and veg peels, teabags) Dry browns (dry cuttings/leaves, shredded newspaper and shredded cardboard)

Manure (optional, although critical for rapid composting)

Water

Do not add:  fruit and veg cuttings with seeds, meat scraps, anything rotten or mouldy.

Cooking Instructions

• Within your loose structure (the pot) loosen the ground soil with a garden fork or spade.

• Place the sticks and small branches at the bottom. This allows air pockets to form once you start layering in the other ingredients on top.

• Place a layer of wet greens about 2-3cm thick. If you don’t have enough, ask your neighbours to keep their scraps for you, or approach your local fruit and vegetable shop for their old stock.

• Place a roughly equal layer of dry browns directly on top of the wet greens.

• Place a roughly equal layer of manure directly on top of the dry browns. Manure, or soiled straw, can easily be found at any stable.

• Note – at each stage, add enough water so that each layer appears damp.

• Repeat this process with another series of layers, filling the cooking pot as high as possible, or until all your ingredients are finished.

• Finally, cover the pot with a lid. Another pallet, an old piece of carpet, or some shade cloth are good options. This keeps the compost dark – encouraging the activity of bacteria and animals such as earthworms which are crucial to the composting process. The lid also limits evaporation.

Leave your pot to stand for two weeks. In the meantime, you may want to start a second compost pile, following instructions from the top. After the two week ‘cooking’ period, turn the compost into a new pot. Cover and leave to stand.

Transferring the compost is absolutely critical for the rapid breakdown of the organic matter as it exposes the pile to more oxygen.

After another two weeks (four weeks in total) transfer the compost into a third pot. Cover and leave to stand for another two weeks. After six weeks in total, your compost should be ready for application! This process will take longer than six weeks in winter, without turning, and if there is no manure.

You will know the compost is ready when your kitchen and garden scraps have broken down completely, the layers can no longer be seen and you have cooked a healthy looking, soft-to-the-touch, moist pile of garden goodness! Yum!

Sam Adams runs Living Green, an eco-consultancy. Contact him on 021-7855236 or visit www.startlivinggreen.co.za

That year, long ago, we made an offer on a farm where we hoped we would find the space, freedom and the agrarian lifestyle we longed for. But the deal fell through as there was a problem with the water supplies. We were going to grow grapes and without water…well, that would be hard.

From that time I would look wistfully out my car window every time we were driving through the beautiful farmlands in South Africa…dreaming of “if” and “when” we got all our ducks in a row to purchase our farm.

The following 12 years saw us having sporadic bursts of looking at small holdings and farms. We also changed tack and decided to look into olives and lavender growing and did lots of research into these crops.

We had offers in on two more small holdings, but both of them never came to fruition. Our main issue as that we were also limited in how far from the CBD we could go as my husband would have to continue to work while I farmed, at least until the farm was breaking even.

Fast forward to 2008 – while surfing the net one day I came across the term “Urban Homestead”. A quick Google search and I ended up at www.pathwaytofreedom.com and this little site, and the Dervaes Family testimony has set us on a new course.

For the first time I looked at my 900sq meters of earth with new possibilities. I began to see that I didn’t need flower beds…and even our paved areas could produce food for us in tubs. So began the great conversion of our little erf into a food producing garden.

In a matter of weeks our few rose bushes, a Bay tree and a small patch of lawn were uprooted and replaced with raised beds for veggies.

My back yard received half wine barrels for fruit trees with strawberries in the bases, tyres were collected to grow potatoes and seeds were sown for late winter plantings.

By December we were eating all our salads out of the garden, had dined on fresh broccoli and had some great spuds!

Corn followed in January as well as carrots, tomatoes and globe artichokes. Beans were grown outside on a trellis, chillies wherever we could, melons and squash flowers replaced roses!

It has become a family effort as each Sunday before the sun got too hot we all weed and sow and enjoy our food growing endeavours. Our goal is to be able to eat 50% of all our vegetables from our garden in the second year of growing our own veggies. So with this goal in mind we cleared a second patch of hedges and planted corn, sweet potatoes and potatoes to see us through autumn and early winter. We also planted berries and a grape vine to grow along the fences.

Fences were a necessary evil for us as we have 3 dogs who would trample everything as well as the darlin’ chickens who tend to eat the shoots of anything. The chickens we added to our family in July. The “girls” have kindly been supplying us with 4 eggs a day, which having seen and tasted, we will never buy shop eggs again.

I no longer look wistfully out my car window at farms…I have created a little farm, just for us, right outside my kitchen door.

Subsequently I have adopted a creed of sorts – it goes like this: “To embrace self-sufficiency now instead of waiting another day, week or year.”

So if the only “green people” you have met are really weird and make you feel like you have to opt out of society, live in a commune and become a vegetarian then you may want to follow my journey into a simple green lifestyle as pursuing a self sufficient lifestyle is for everyone – no matter what your age, creed, race or religion is. It’s for you whether you live in an apartment, in a small home, in a rural area or on a farm. Sufficiency says: “What I have right now is good enough!” This therefore became one of my mottos and what we have lived for a year… still in the middle of a city, on the same 900 sq meters, but with a different outlook on life. `

“Living simply is not about giving things up, forsaking them, frugality, denial, stinginess, deprivation or lack. It’s about taking things up: self-determination, freedom, autonomy and abundant living.” Linda Cockburn

I travelled to Cape Town for the course run by Dom Marchand and his wonderful wife, Jenny. The course, held over a few days, covers everything that an aspiring beekeeper needs to know, as well as the history of beekeeping.

By the time we moved to our farm in the Kouga at the beginning of winter last year, which is supposedly not the season to catch migrating swarms, I had already purchased a number of empty hives. A migrating swarm is bee reproduction in action: when an existing swarm becomes too large or there is a shortage of food, part of the colony sets off with a newly-made queen in search of a new home.

The day a migrating swarm makes one of your vacant hives their new home, you just feel so honoured! I now have obtained 11 swarms in this way and I still feel so special and lucky to be landlord to these little busy insects.

When I see the bees pollinating my flowers or collecting nectar from my orchard or veggie patch, I get such a warm feeling from thinking that while I am providing them with pollen and nectar with the plants I grow, they, in return, are ensuring our continued existence by making sure plants produce seed and continue their existence.

Of course, there is also the huge bonus of getting their honey which, along with beeswax, we use in the making of our 100% natural soaps and body bars.

I would like to share with you the events of a week not too long ago which led to me taking a day off.

It all started when I awoke one morning as the sun was rising. I looked out my bedroom window as I always do, to see the colours that the new day has brought., but what do I see lying on the ground below the jacaranda tree? A swarm of bees all huddled into a tight ball around a branch that had fallen out the tree! The swarm had obviously stopped on the branch overnight, but had been too heavy and with a bit of wind in the night, the branch had snapped and fallen to the ground. It was not a big swarm but I was excited!

First, I woke my wife and begged her to roll over and look out the window at our new tenants-to-be. Then I went to fetch my youngest daughter, Rain (who does not get grumpy at being woken up too early) so she could come and share the experience with me.

Out we went, myself still in my long-johns, and she in her pyjamas, to fetch an empty hive. As you may have gathered, we had no protection on. No bee-suits or gloves. You may think this is dangerous, but when bees are swarming they do not readily sting, as long as you are gentle and non-threatening towards them.

To hive them, you put the box in front of them, with a ramp leading up to the entrance, then they all start to move up the ramp into the box. To head in an upward direction is something they just naturally do. I then showed Rain that you can gently stick your hand in the swarm, or let them crawl over your hand as they head up the ramp and you won’t get stung. It is amazing to feel these little buzzy balls of energy, all with the potential to sting you, moving over your hand with the single purpose of getting the queen in safely and then getting busy with setting up house.

This is the morning when all the unfortunate events started happening. Because I never got stung when I first brushed my hand through them , I become more daring and with the carefree attitude of Jamie Oliver, I swooped my hand through the upward migrating swarm and zap, I got stung on the arm! Then and there, I learnt that when dealing with a swarm on the move, there are still boundaries to be kept at all times! Later that day, I went to go and check on my other hives and noticed that some of the bees were behaving rather oddly. In front of a few of the hives, some of the bees were very busy on the ground (my hives are only 30cm off the ground).

Upon closer inspection, I noticed some of the little guys were wrestling with ants and I realised that I needed to help them urgently. Not wanting to use any poison, and knowing that ants are acidic and do not like an alkali environment, I decided to try Bicarbonate of Soda. I cautiously approached the first hive from behind, (wearing no protection again) and sprinkled the powder around the entrance, very carefully, so as not to upset the bees. Later that afternoon, I went to do another check on the hives and although the situation was much better, the ants were still around. So, now highly irritated on my bees behalf, I fetched the bicarb and poured a nice fat stripe across the entrance to the hives, all caution thrown to the wind! This I had to do to four hives and on the fourth one, zap, I got stung on the back of the head.

The above-mentioned exercise got carried out while the bees were flying in and out of the hive, so naturally some of the powder landed on them! I decided then to stay away from the hives for the rest of the day. The next morning, I was out early inspecting the hives and I saw that the bees, obviously not impressed with the powder across their landing strip, had removed it and the ants were still a bit of a problem.

I then came up with the bright idea of dissolving the bicarb into water and wetting the ground in front of the hive with a watering can. This seemed to work very well. About an hour later I ventured out to go and water my vegetables and in a state of utter contentment, focusing on the water droplets leaving the nozzle, travelling thought the air full of love, beauty and life, soaking into the soil, down to the roots of my veggies when the whole blissful moment came to an abrupt halt with a buzz and a zap to the eyelid. Again, I ran for cover, waving my hands around my head. I guess not enough time had passed for them to have forgiven me!

Three stings in three days in a row, I was starting to think that maybe I should stay in bed and take the day off. By now the whole family are standing in the kitchen and laughing at me while Rae, my wife, removes the sting from my eyelid. That night it rained and the next morning was a glorious sunny day.

I went outside and halleluja! the ants were gone and the bees were busy as always. I felt safe again in natures playground. It was with this happy feeling, looking a sight with my swollen head, eyelid and forearm, my daughters and I decided to go and move our horses to new grazing.

We decided to ride 800m down the road, bareback. As I was still pretty new to horse riding and had learned that bareback riding at a trot is not suitable for the male of our species, I was not keen, but my daughter assured me that cantering was the answer, as it was a much smoother pace. So, off we went at a canter and she was right, it was easier but, to cut a long story short, I fell off!

Nothing broken, just scratched and feeling great — and grateful — for not being dead. So, day four and another injury. While my wife tended to my wounds, she suggested that I should just go and lie down for a while. I nearly took her advice, but there were things that needed to be done in town. So, after my wounds had been patched up I made my way to my bakkie when I felt something crawling inside and up the leg of my shorts. I absentmindedly swatted it?… zap!

Yes, it was another bee and I got yet another sting. I turned around right then and there, went inside and removed the sting, took one look at my wife’s flabbergasted face and promptly went to bed, where I remained until the next morning.

On a final note, the following day I went to the local co-op to buy some more bicarb (just in case). An old farmer stood next to me at the counter. After a while, feeling his eyes on me, I greeted him and raised my swollen forearm and told him that I’d been stung by a bee.

He then replied (in Afrikaans) that he’d noticed my arm and had thought I had very strong-looking arms, until he noticed that only one of my arms looked like that! With that, everyone in the queue burst out laughing.

Dom Marchand offers beekeeping courses, books, videos and equipment and can be contacted on 021 511 4567 or by email to honeybee@global.co.za

Often we are able to put a meal before our guests that is entirely off our own property. They marvel at the succulent full flavoured meat, the amazing veggies and fruit fresh from the garden. Very often they will assist in picking and preparing the veggies straight out of the garden. They often say that this is the life that they want to have, or dream of having. I can however, honestly say that not one of them has yet made the jump from perceived urban security to a rural, grow-your-own lifestyle.

Why not? I think most of them are just too scared. They see what we are doing, and how we are living, but don’t know how to get there. Also they are often in a rut, too used to life in the city and only dream of what they would like to achieve.

Self- sufficiency is a very broad concept and I don’t think that any one person can have a definitive answer as to what it comprises. Some will see it as being able to grow some or all of what you eat on your own ‘patch of heaven’, others will want to include power and maybe fuel requirements, still others will see it as all of the above plus income generation.

My family’s definition of self sufficiency has changed a number of times over the last few years, due to many internal and external factors, as well as our own personal belief system.

What a lot of people don’t realise is the sheer amount of physical effort and planning that goes into our daily life. Without trying to scare you off, there are a lot of things that need to happen to get to a point of self-sufficiency. Not least is the need to feed self and family. With our government’s stance on land redistribution, which often results in productive commercial farms being destroyed, food is going to become more and more expensive. For many years South Africa was a net exporter of food, but last year saw a dramatic reversal of that situation. What better way to get around the hike in food prices than growing your own? It’s not the State’s responsibility to provide for your family, it’s yours and yours alone.

Working smart

My family’s journey to self-sufficiency has taught me that it is extremely important to work smart if you would like to eat the fruits of your labour. Now, before we undertake any new venture, we first research the pros and cons of each decision and based on our needs make what we hope is the best, most informed decision. Normally our decisions are based on cost and labour versus the return we expect. If a venture has a high cost, requires a lot a labour and will likely have a low return, it gets shelved and something else is done in its place. However, on the flipside, there are instances where low cost, low labour and high returns can also be a problem.

One of our first bad decisions was to plant a massive vegetable garden. Living on a plot and not having a veggie garden is like having a yacht and not sailing, it just goes with the territory. We planted almost every type of vegetable seed that our local hardware stocked, and then some.

Three months later we quickly learnt that we needed to process or give away a lot of vegetables very quickly. That year a lot of it went to waste. To our dismay, after the growing season we didn’t have a lot left over for winter. We literally had a few jars of pickled onions, some beetroot and a few bags of carrots in the freezer. So much for self-sustainability!

We have now learnt to stagger our planting and thereby stagger our harvests. In addition we have learnt many new canning, freezing and drying techniques which allow us to capitalise on the time invested in summer for use in winter when we can’t grow many fruits and veggies. My wife in particular loves the idea of not having to dig vegetables out of the garden and then wash and prepare them for every meal, as they are already in the house waiting for her to pull them out of the freezer or drawer.

Start with a veggie garden

The best place to start your journey to self-sufficiency is with a veggie garden, for which you don’t need a large piece of land. I know of people that have ripped up their entire lawn to produce food for their family. My advice to new veggie gardeners is simple: start small with a few easy-to-grow crops and expand every year. Nobody will be able to become 100% self-sufficient in a year. It takes years of practice and lots of trial and error.

When we planted our first veggie garden (in suburbia), I can remember harvesting a few tomatoes, some carrots and radishes and TONS of cucumber. It was not a well-balanced veggie patch and everyone that came to visit was given a bag of cucumbers. People soon stopped visiting… however the point is this: you need to grow into your vegetable garden, trying to go the whole hog at once will only set you up for disappointment and disillusionment.

Now that we live out on a plot, things have changed slightly. After 6 years of plot life we have slowly increased our level of self-sufficiency every year, to a point where we are now able to go months at a time where a good 90% of our food come from our own property.

Plan first

When looking at starting your veggie garden, plan first. What do you enjoy eating? Are you able to freeze or can/bottle your produce? Do you have suitable storage space for root and pumpkin harvests? It’s of no use growing tons of a particular type of veggie if only one member of the family enjoys eating it. Can a vegetable be incorporated into another ‘product’? Freezing whole tomatoes is possible if you are going to cook with them, but more efficient space utilization is possible if you turn them into a chutney or sauce that can be used in a variety of meals. Rather use the space to grow a crop of storable veggies or one that is loved by all.

Our family eats a lot of pasta and tomato-based meals, so one way that we get around the problem of buying tomatoes in winter is to freeze a lot of basic tomato and onion base in summer. We have actually been doing this for the past few weeks and have amassed enough sauce to keep us going till early December!

In tangible terms, it means that we will not need to buy those insipid, flavourless, washed out pale pink things that are offered in place of tomatoes at ridiculous prices in winter. All my wife needs to do is open the freezer and pull out a bag of our own organic tomato sauce to use as the starter for a hearty stew or pasta dish.

With the exception of brinjals, our entire family eats every vegetable we grow in our gardens, with sweet corn and mielies a firm favourite. This year we have only managed 10kg of loose frozen sweet corn, and are still waiting to harvest a trial of traditional open pollinated Lesotho mielies. This will provide the seed stock for a two-acre planting next summer and a few this year for fresh consumption. The two-acre planting will mainly be used as animal feed as well as providing our family with organically grown mielie pap to go with our tomato sauce. We also grow a lot of pumpkin, six or seven different types, from the little Gems all the way through to Mammoth Golds that top about 30kg each. Some are good for storage and others for processing. Each has its own place in my family’s diet and each is treasured for its different flavour and texture.

One point to remember with growing pumpkins is that they need space. If grown too close to each other they will reduce their fruit set. If you want to keep seed for the following year, learn to hand pollinate pumpkins, and save seed from these hand-pollinated, pure varieties for the following year.

Three vegetable gardens

We have three vegetable gardens as well as permanent plantings of asparagus and berries. Why three gardens you might ask? Mainly it’s for labour reasons, as well as being able to ‘fine-tune’ the different gardens with manure and compost. We have one specifically for pumpkins and sweet corn, a second close to the house for common items like tomatoes, lettuce, salad greens and green beans, with a few herb plants in between and then we have a large garden further away that produces the larger harvests like dry beans, beans for freezing, processing tomatoes, corn, potatoes, millet, beetroot, carrots, peanuts, bambarra nuts, onions, peas, peppers, melons etc.

There is a fast-growing interest in heirloom and open pollinated vegetable varieties which taste great and have the unique characteristic of allowing the grower to save seed from year to year. The problem that we have in South Africa, is that we cannot easily and legally import heirloom vegetable seed into our country. (Unless you are prepared to jump through some regulatory hoops). It has taken me about five years to build up a modest collection of heirloom and open-pollinated vegetables, most of them from trading with older, more knowledgeable gardeners who have been saving their own seed from year to year.

We plant heirloom and open-pollinated varieties wherever possible, mainly because we enjoy the romance behind growing and eating a variety that has been lost to most of the world, as well as the ability to save our own seed for the following year. However, where we need fast and large production we will consider certain hybrid varieties to fill this need.

Typically, I used to spend hundreds of rands every year on seed, and very often I had to buy more than one packet of some seed just to satisfy our families requirements. Now we have learned to save seed, we eat what we sow and sow what we eat.

Self-sufficiency is an individual ideal, the worst thing that can happen is someone becoming prescriptive and telling you how you need to do it. Start small and if you enjoy the fruits of your labour then by all means expand, who knows where you will go and what you will do on your journey. Life is for living and living is for the love of it, so do it with all your heart.

Whatever it is, I am addicted!

I can’t seem to let a weekend go by without grabbing my trusty basket and stopping in at one market or another, picking up something fresh and seasonal, trying something new every time.

Slow food is where it’s at. Food that’s been created with care, using quality ingredients. Food that doesn’t contain unpronounceable additives and preservatives designed to give it a better shelf life. Food that’s healthy and tastes delectable, and makes you feel happy.

Ask where your food comes from, at a supermarket, and you’re likely to get a blank stare. Ask the same question at a farmers’ market, and you’re in for all the fabulous detail. Passion, art, enthusiasm, care – these are the things you’ll find at market, in abundance. So, if you love your food, take a Saturday morning off, and head for your local farmers’ market. It’s an experience you won’t forget, and my guess is you’ll soon be back for more.

Stellenbosch Fresh Goods Market

(Stellenbosch, Western Cape)

This is a market that has it all – live entertainment, tantalising tastings, friendly vendors, the works. There’s all the ‘glam’ of the Neighbour Goods Market (see Issue 1), but without its frenetic pace. Here, you can kick back, relax, and eat until you’re sated… and then still be tempted to take something home with you.

What you’ll find there: All products made and sold at this market must be “grown, raised, caught, preserved or transformed” by the producers themselves. So, this is a space filled with artisans, passionate local and regional farmers and specialty producers, all of whom endeavour to use natural and sustainable materials, methods and principles. And it shows… the quality is outstanding, and the dedication to responsible and sustainable practices unswerving.

You’ll see cool green swathes of perky organic seedlings, gather up gleaming organic vegetables picked only hours before, gawk curiously at heirloom tomatoes of shapes, sizes and colours you wouldn’t have imagined possible.

There’ll be olives, and pestos and pastes and pickles. And crunchy fresh-baked artisan breads of all shapes and sizes. Be tempted by old-fashioned rose-water Turkish Delights, tantalised by tarts (the edible kind) and mesmerised by melt-in-the-mouth chocolate creations.

You’ll want to try: Ellen von Maltitz’s splendiferous chocolate truffles (aptly named ‘Theobroma – food of the gods) in a dazzling array of sometimes unusual flavours. A refreshing and alarmingly healthy organic smoothie from the Ethical Co-op. Samples from Chrisna’s overflowing tubs of olives (particularly the gargantuan green kind). Fabulous snoek pate and smoked angel fish from the family-run Fish Deli.

Look out for the market’s themed events, usually based on seasonal specialties like strawberries, mushrooms, asparagus and so on – they can be especially fun.

Possible downsides: Hard to find any, but one thing you may have difficulty getting is available seating. So, if you go in a group, and are planning to stay for some time, make sure to claim a spot early, and take turns in wandering through the stalls.

Where: Bosman’s Crossing, Stellenbosch.

When: Every Saturday, 9am to 2pm – rain or shine – with the exception of a brief timeout between Christmas and the first week of the new year.

Contact: Paula Kennedy 072 512 5608; email slowfood@slowmarket.co.za

Website: www.slowmarket.co.za

Parking: This is a very popular market. Don’t be surprised to find yourself parking up on grassy embankments and walking the rest of the way.

But, it isn’t too long a walk, and is most definitely worth it.

Porter Estate Produce Market

(Cape Town, Western Cape)

This market is perfect for anyone looking for a kid-friendly laid-back outdoor environment in which to spend a long lazy food-filled Saturday morning.

Set amongst the trees on the fringes of Tokai forest, the market’s rustic setup is perfect for slow browsing, wandering up one pine-needled lane and down the other, then stopping off for some hearty farmstyle breakfast, washed down with a revitalising cup of potent ‘moerkoffie’.

There’s plenty of seating dotted about, and pulling up a tree-trunk stool at a tree-trunk table can be quite a novelty.

What you’ll find there: Fresh organic produce, free range Karoo lamb and organic sprouts of all shapes, flavours and sizes (plus some handy sprouting kits for anyone wanting to grow some at home). Fabulous hand-made cheeses, gourmet pies and beautifully decorated cakes and tarts.

If food’s not all that’s on your mind, there are also colourful bunches of fresh-cut flowers, a variety of indigenous seedlings and potted plants, a selection of hand-woven baskets, beautiful rough-wood picture frames and inexpensive worm farm kits.

You’ll want to try: One of the many hunger-busting varieties of Knead Bakery’s slow-baked loaves. These artisan bread-makers have made this seemingly basic item into a treat to be savoured. Ciabattas, olive and plain, sour-dough ryes… they even have delicious wheat-free varieties like corn rolls and 100% rye.

Sink your teeth into one of Marinella’s delicious home-baked pies, and take home one of her addictive preserves – her eggplant in olive oil is out of this world! (Marinella’s Pies and Preserves)

Possible downsides: Being very much an outdoor venue, this market is at the mercy of the elements – whether manifested in the downpours of winter, or the melting heat of summer. But, on the whole, the market is more often on, than off.

Where: Chrysalis Academy Grounds, Tokai.

When: Saturday mornings 9am-1pm. Weather permitting.

Contact: Email office@pepmarket.co.za or call 082 823 4121

Website: www.pepmarket.co.za

Parking: There’s usually plenty, but it can get very busy, especially in summer, so it’s best to go early if you want a spot near the market. Entrance fee of R5 per car (donated to the students of Chrysalis Academy, who assist with parking).

Karkloof Farmers’ Market

(Midlands, Kwa-Zulu Natal)

This family-orientated farmers’ market lies in the heart of the Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands and is firmly focused around the best, freshest produce the area has to offer.

What you’ll find there: Given its focus, this is the kind of market that’s all about food, with around thirty-five stalls offering a wonderful variety of organic vegetables, artisan breads, Fairtrade and organic coffees and more.

The market’s cosy, friendly atmosphere makes it perfect for families, and there are several ways of keeping the little ’uns entertained. So, whilst the more hyperactive members of your troop hurtle off to the jungle gym or giant sandpit to let off some steam, the rest of you can take a well-earned break and grab a hearty breakfast of fresh bagels and decadent toppings, fortifying yourself for the day ahead.

You’ll want to try: The Old Mill Coffee Shop, a favourite stop of coffee-loving market-goers. Whilst you’re at it, why not buy some organic coffee beans from Bean There. Not only will you be supporting small coffee growers in Africa, but the caffeine boost you’ll get should keep you going all day!

And, be sure to pick up a loaf of fresh-baked Wild Yeast Bread, from the Wild Bread Company… to be devoured with relish when you eventually make your way back home.

Possible downsides: The market ends pretty early, so if you’re someone who likes to sleep in on Saturdays, you might only catch the tail end of it.

Where: Along Karkloof Rd, near Howick. KZN Midlands.

When: Every Saturday, rain or shine, from 7am to 11am.

Contact: Andrea 082 820 8986

Website: karklooffarmersmarket.co.za

Parking: Plenty. The market building is located on the grounds of an old saw mill, so there’s lots of space and parking shouldn’t be an issue.

Greyton Morning Market

(Greyton, Western Cape)

The Greyton Morning Market is an institution in this small, tidy Overberg town. On Saturday mornings, day-trippers, weekenders and residents alike all meander down to the Market Square to see what’s on offer for the week.

The market is well laid out, under a number of shade-providing trees, with permanent thatched wooden stalls that afford traders added protection from the elements.

What you’ll find there: Almost everything that’s for sale will have been made, grown or sourced from the area. A few regular traders come from as far as Napier but, for the most part, it’s likely what you’re buying originated in a garden or kitchen just down the road.

Pick up a few local cheeses and olives and pickles and sauces. Sample some of the town’s famous home made lemon syrups and juices and satisfy hunger pangs with a few hot pancakes, whipped up as you watch and covered with delicious toppings (look out for the lemon curd in winter!).

Scoop up a few organic seedlings and small potted plants for your garden back home. Spoil yourself with some juicy jams and pretty preserves and stock up on fresh free range eggs, laid that very morning, a few hundred metres away.

There’s not always a huge selection of fresh organic vegetables at this market, but you will find a modest assortment of seasonal produce grown at the homes of Greyton residents. Fresh basil, zesty lemons, just-plucked herbs – whatever’s growing that week, is what you’re likely to find.

You’ll want to try: Make straight for the stall piled high with jars of bright white feta, olives, sauerkraut, raw honeys and the best plain yoghurt on the planet. It’s easy to spot, and there’s a reason he sells out so fast.Then, look out for the lady selling rounds of brightly clad cheddars, in a fabulous range of hues and flavours. You can taste before you buy. Try the cumin and stinging nettle varieties, and take some home with you.

Possible downsides: Only that you might miss out on some of the best stuff by not getting there as early as you possibly can! Stocks are limited, so things do sell out quickly. That, and the fact that you probably can’t get there every weekend if you don’t live nearby.

Where: Market Square, Greyton.

When: Every Saturday morning from 10am until midday (or until sold out). Being an outdoor market it is weather-dependent, but there is some shelter, so unless the rain is coming down in buckets, chances are it’ll be on.

Contact: Email: greytoninfo@mweb.co.za

Website: www.greyton.net

Parking: Plenty – you’ve got the whole of the main street to park in. In fact, if you’re in Greyton, you’re probably staying there, which takes care of the parking problem altogether!

Some authorities say that heirloom vegetables are those introduced before 1951, when modern plant breeders introduced the first hybrids developed from inbred lines. Some heirlooms are old European crops, some of which have been in cultivation for almost four hundred years. Still other heirlooms trace their ancestries to Africa and Asia.

Just as different gardeners have different ideas about how old heirlooms are, they also have different ideas about which old varieties are heirlooms. To some, nearly all the old-time varieties are heirlooms. To others, varieties can be old without being heirlooms. They exclude, for example, commercial varieties and those that appeared in the seed trade, limiting heirlooms to those local or regional varieties that were passed down from generation to generation of gardeners.

While I can appreciate the reasoning of those that view heirlooms as a narrow subset of all old varieties, I side with those who include nearly all the old-time varieties with the heirlooms. For starters, many of the old varieties that went on to fame and fortune as commercial successes started small. Take the ‘Hubbard’ squash, for example. There really was a Mrs. Hubbard who found this variety, which was later popularized by seedsman James J. H. Gregory.

I also consider old varieties to be heirlooms because so many of them are threatened with extinction. Should we neglect to save such varieties just because, at one time or another, they were popular enough to be commercial successes?

Trait 2: Open-Pollinated (OP)

When heirloom gardeners refer to open-pollination, they mean that a particular cultivar can be grown from seed and will come back “true to type.” In other words, the next generation will look just like its parent.

Now, however, there are more and more vegetables that will not come back “true to type.” For example, plant nearly any F-1 hybrid tomato, and save some seeds from the crop. Next spring, plant them, and see what happens. The seed may not even germinate, since it may be sterile. If it does sprout, the young plants will probably not have many of the characteristics that made its parent noteworthy. While hybrids have many outstanding qualities, the ability to reproduce themselves is clearly not one of them.

Heirloom gardeners are, of course, aware that the term “open- pollination” is a bit of a misnomer, because there is nothing at all open about the pollination of many heirloom vegetables. Take squash and pumpkins, for example. They cannot be left to pollinate each other willy-nilly, or the resulting offspring will be mongrels. While some may be interesting, the original type will be lost. Like the squash family, the brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and their kin) also cross readily, as do several other vegetables. Gardeners who hope to save seed of such vegetables have to isolate either the plants or their flowers to prevent such unwanted crossings.

Another problem with the term “open-pollination” is that some of these crops are not even grown from seed, and no pollination, open or otherwise, is required to keep these varieties going. Finally, that open-pollinated varieties can come back true to type does not guarantee that they always will. Gardeners in the past knew that open-pollinated seed would occasionally produce an off-type seedling. To maintain a seed line, they looked for and removed off-type seedlings.

Trait 3: Quality

What draws many gardeners to heirlooms is flavor. They want a tomato that tastes like a real tomato, not a plastic one. After trying varieties that look good on the pages of seed catalogs but just don’t taste like much, they turn to heirlooms.

What they find may well be something of a mixed bag. The best of the heirlooms really are wonderful. They have it all. They taste wonderful, look beautiful, and are easy to grow. There are, however, varieties that take a more experienced hand to grow well. Some are local or regional varieties that may or may not be suited to conditions in your own garden. Others are susceptible to problems unknown to earlier gardeners. Today new, resistant cultivars may be the only ones suited to areas where certain diseases and pests are entrenched.

Finally, heirlooms can be quirky. Seeds may germinate slower than their modern counterparts. As they grow, some heirlooms have traits that are downright strange. For example, I once grew an heirloom cabbage variety that seemed to tip its crown upside down until it had six or so true leaves. Then it turned right-side up and grew just fine.

All gardeners can do is wait to see what happens, perhaps reflecting on all the things our gardening forebears knew and the wonders of biodiversity.

How often have you heard these statements? What happened to all those old vegetables? Those massive, blood-red tomatoes? Real beans with full meaty flavours? Firm carrots that tasted oh-so-sweet? Sweetcorn that had a sugarcane aftertaste? Spanspek whose scent made your mouth water as you cut it open?

Is your mouth watering yet? Most of us remember what real veggies tasted like. But you don’t get them anymore… do you?

Enter the heirloom vegetable. Heirloom vegetables often have hundreds of years of romance and history behind them, and without a doubt taste infinitely better than what’s on offer from the local supermarket or greengrocer. What the heirloom represents is a direct link, back into history. It gives us the ability to eat a vegetable that our forefathers ate hundreds, even thousands of years ago.

Why is it so hard to get heirloom vegetables? Well, it’s simply a case of economics. Heirlooms are not protected by PBR (Plant Breeders Rights) as many modern open pollinated, and almost all hybrid, varieties are. One cannot use a hybrid in a seed-saving exercise and every year you need to purchase fresh seed from the grower. Hence, the commercial viability of hybrids.

With Heirlooms on the other hand, one only needs to purchase the seed once. After that you are able to save your own seed year after year, and never need to buy seed again. A truly self-sustainable idea!

The simplest way of defining heirlooms are as seeds (any seeds) that are handed down from generation to generation. Some companies and gardeners use a cut-off date like 1951, or a minimum age, like 50 or 100 years to define an heirloom.

However, being prescriptive is not my style, so I prefer the simpler definition. But I must admit that the older the variety is, the more romantic and desirable it is. They are like living antiques. To give you an example, I have seeds that were handed down to me from my Ouma that form part of my heirloom collection. Is it an heirloom? Yes, to me it is. Does it have a story behind it? Yes it does, and that’s one of the traits of an heirloom variety.

Most heirloom vegetables have a rich and diverse histories behind them which often tell a stories of success and triumph, and sometimes pain and suffering. Take for example the Mortgage Lifter tomato bred by Charlie Byles. “Radiator Charlie” as he was known, had a thriving radiator business at the foot of a steep hill. However during the Great Depression, his business fell on hard times. Radiator Charlie used his four top-producing tomato strains to create the Mortgage Lifter, he subsequently sold the plants at the ridiculous price of $1 per seedling. In the early 1940s that was a fortune for a single plant. However, within a few years he had paid off the mortgage on his property. The story goes that some familieswould drive hundreds of kilometres to collect seedlings from him every year, such was the renown of his tomato. It is now thanks to people that call themselves seed-savers that we still have this unique heirloom variety available today, otherwise it would have been lost to mankind forever.

There is a variety of black tomato that going by the name of Carbon which has a unique, dark green-purple sheen. Its looks are not much to write home about, however its flavour is outstanding. It is one of a host of ‘black’ tomatoes that are making a fashionable comeback. This specific tomato has won a taste test for the best tasting tomato in the world. I have offered slices of strange-looking black tomatoes to people that cannot get their heads around eating the unusually coloured fruit. However, once they take that first bite, they are immediate converts to the Heirloom cause!

In the Americas, where corn originates, there are some outstanding and unusual varieties of corn. One of my favourites is the Indian Rainbow Corn. It has a multi-coloured cob in a rainbow of white, yellow, red, purple, brown and black kernels. It can be used as a sweetcorn in the milk stage or ground down to a very high quality meal for mieliepap when dry. South Africa also has its own varieties of heirloom corn, all descended from the original American varieties, but adapted to our conditions. I have been fortunate to obtain some of these local varieties and we are busy running trials and expanding seed stock of these varieties, with the intention that these varieties will not be lost to the people of South Africa.

One of the staple foods around the world is beans. There are beans that will satisfy every gardener, whether green, dry or dual purpose. There are thousands of varieties of North American beans that were grown in a special combination with corn and pumpkins, the corn providing support for the beans, the pumpkins providing shade which elped with water conservation, and the beans giving a nitrogen fix to the other two. A true example of companion planting which was practised hundreds and even thousands of years ago.

One variety of bean that I grow is the Borlotto Fire Tongue, which are good both green and dry. The mature pods have a unique ‘flamed’ look which is really eye-catching. When dried, the beans have the lovely nutty flavour typical of Italian soups and stews. The bean was originally found on Tierra del Fuego on the tip of South America and was subsequently sent to Italy where it established itself in traditional Italian cookery. It came to South Africa by way of Italian immigrants.

Here is some interesting history: did you know that carrots were not originally orange? They were available in many colours, from pitch black, purple and red to yellow and pure white, and all the shades in-between, but not orange! The orange carrot that we know today was specifically developed in the 1500s for the Dutch Royal Family, the House of Orange.

Very soon the other colours lost favour and as they were no longer planted, nobody kept seed and very quickly most were lost to the world. Luckily, a few of these unique colours have been kept alive, but only a small sample of the range which was once available.

Where does one get Heirloom vegetable seed in South Africa? Until now, there has never been a legal source of heirloom and open pollinated seed in this country. But, in a few months’ time, Living Seeds, my new South African seed house, will be opening for business, catering specifically to the gardener who wants to plant heirloom and open pollinated vegetables. In addition our objective is also to become a publicly available repository that allows for the easy exchange and distribution of Heirloom and open pollinated seed, and also to help preserve the genetic diversity of traditional South African vegetable and crop types.

Currently we have a limited variety available to the public, however we are busy ramping up seed quantities of the well over 200 heirloom and open pollinated varieties that we have in our collection.

Over the last year, there has been a revival, both locally and overseas, in vegetable gardening. Encouraged by the food and energy crises, and a growing awareness of the environmental impact of industrial agriculture and the globalisation of food production, home gardeners are returning to the traditions of their ancestors and growing their own food.

Nonetheless, certain things have changed. Modern food gardeners will tell you the true pleasure of growing your own food lies in enjoying it straight off the plant and fresh out of the soil. However, in the not-so-distant past, the focus of food gardening was to produce enough food in the fertile summer months to last the family the whole year round. This was especially true in cold climates, when winter weather often made it impossible to grow anything.

As a result, older cultivars of vegetables (now known as heirloom or heritage varieties) were selected and grown for their keeping qualities – hard-skinned, gnarly squash and dense root vegetables which could be stored for months, and beans which were dried on the vine and would keep indefinitely. Other vegetables which were more perishable were preserved in a variety of methods, such as drying, fermenting, salting and canning. Today, we can add another food storage solution to the list – freezing.

Take advantage of the summer produce in your garden or at your local market. It makes sense, both in terms of seasonality, availability and affordability, to stock up for the winter months ahead right now, in the middle of summer, even if winter seems impossibly far away.

Come June and July, you’ll be glad you made the effort, when weeknight meals are as effortless as opening a jar of your own home made tomato sauce. Summer distilled in a jar, and convenience food – sustainable, self-sufficient style.

If you have a pressure cooker, it’s worth investing in a book about pressure canning, which is quick and can be used to preserve low acid foods, like fish and green beans.

This article deals with water-bath canning, which anyone can do with basic kitchen equipment. It takes a bit of time and work, and requires a basic understanding of food hygiene, and which foods are suitable for this type of preservation.

In water-bath canning, jars are cleaned, boiled in water to sterilize them, and then filled with a hot, high acid food, sealed with a lid and then re-boiled to kill any remaining pathogens. Only high acid foods (with a pH of 4.5 or lower) are suitable for water-bath canning. Yeast, mould and bacteria cannot reproduce in an acidic environment, so high acid foods which are correctly canned are less likely to go off.

As a result, food hygiene experts recommend that home canners stick to recipes intended for canning, and resist adding uncontrolled quantities of low acid foods (such as mushrooms, peppers and carrots) to tomato sauces they plan to can.

Equipment

Aside from basic kitchen equipment (knives, pots and a stove), you will also need:

Glass Jars: Glass jars are eco-friendly and financially friendly, because they can be used again and again. Save empty condiments jars, and ask friends for theirs. Only reuse jars with no chips or cracks. Otherwise canning jars can be bought from supermarkets, home and hardware stores or directly from manufacturers like Consol.

Unfortunately, lids should not be reused for home canning, as they warp and rust with time. You can buy new lids wherever jars are sold, and they are pretty interchangeable from brand to brand. You can either buy one-piece lids (commonly found on condiment jars in the supermarket) or special home canning lids, which come in two parts: a flat lid and a screw-band, which fits over the lid and twists onto the jar. With canning lids, you must replace the flat lid every time you can, but can re-use the screw-band.

Glass may crack in response to extreme changes in temperature, so always fill hot jars with hot sauce, and don’t put hot jars onto a cold stone or tiled counter.

You can work out a jar’s capacity by filling it with water, and then pouring that water into a measuring jug. When selecting jars, consider what food will be stored in it. For example, a 200ml jar may be fine for jam, but 200ml of pasta sauce won’t get you very far!

Tongs are indispensable when removing jars from boiling water. I like to use old-fashioned kitchen or braai tongs, made out of rounded, thick stainless steel wire, with red rubber- or plastic-coated handles and triangular tips. However, you can give basic metal kitchen tongs better grip by tightly wrapping wide elastic bands around each paddle. Practice lifting and lowering a closed, full jar over a towel-covered kitchen counter to check you’re happy with your grip before plunging them into boiling water!

Jam Funnel: This is a shallow, wide-mouthed funnel which fits the mouth of the average glass jar, and is very useful when filling many jars. They are available in plastic, stainless steel and even pottery, but are difficult (and expensive) to find locally.

You can make a substitute with a piece of bendable plastic, formed into a cone, secured on the outside with tape. Cut off the tip, leaving a hole slightly smaller than the mouth of your jars. Remember to wash it well before using!

This recipe was inspired by “Roasted Tomato Passata” in Pam Corbin’s River Cottage Handbook 2: Preserves.
Every kilo of tomatoes yields 500ml sauce.

Traditionally, paste tomatoes (also known locally as jam tomatoes) are used for sauces and cooking. These varieties can taste a bit mealy when eaten raw, but cooking transforms them into thick, rich sauces. So if you’re growing your own tomatoes, try to grow some paste tomatoes just for the kitchen. If you buy tomatoes, Roma (oval or egg-shaped, rather than round) tomatoes are quite widely available and are good for cooking.

But, whatever tomatoes you use, make sure they are completely red without any green, and very ripe. Leaving slightly under-ripe tomatoes in a well-ventilated spot at room temperature for a day or two will help them along, although the best flavour comes from tomatoes fully ripened on the vine. Avoid using diseased or damaged tomatoes.

If you do not want to can your tomato sauce, and have space in your freezer, by all means ladle it into plastic containers and store the sauce in your freezer. It should keep for up to eight months.

Preheat your oven to 190°C. Wrap the cloves of garlic together in a small piece of foil. Halve the tomatoes lengthways and arrange skinside down in a shallow roasting dish. Sprinkle over the sugar, salt and olive oil. Tuck the herb sprig in the middle, and place the roasting dish and the garlic in the oven for an hour.

Ten minutes before the tomatoes are done, wash all your glass jars and lids in hot soapy water. Select a large pot (or more likely, pots!) which fit your jars comfortably, and place a clean, folded dish towel (or use a flat-bottomed steamer or pasta insert, if you have one) in the bottom of the pot. Place your glass jars on top, and fill the pot with warm water, covering the jars by at least 2cm. Bring to the boil, and boil for 10 minutes to sterilize the jars. Add the lids for the last minute. Leave them in the hot water while you prepare your sauce.

Remove the roasting dish from the oven and, as soon as they are cool enough to handle, peel off and discard the tomato skins, and remove the herb sprig. In a saucepan, heat a little olive oil and sauté the onions until soft. Add the tomatoes and any juices in the roasting dish to the pan.

Squeeze the garlic out of its papery husks into the pan. Simmer, stirring regularly to prevent sticking, for ten minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor, and puree (or if using a stick blender, puree the sauce in the pan). Transfer the sauce back to the saucepan. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Bring to the boil, and remove from the heat.

Remove and drain your jars with tongs, and place on a wooden or cloth-covered counter. Dip a clean ladle or large stainless steel spoon into your pot of boiling water, and use this to fill the jars with your sauce, leaving 1cm headspace. Dip the handle of a stainless steel fork or spoon in the hot water, and then run the handle around the inside of each jar, between the glass and the sauce, to remove any air pockets or bubbles (the less air in the jar, the less likely the sauce will go off).

With a clean, damp paper towel or dish cloth, wipe the rims of the glass jars to clean off any errant sauce. Remove the lids from the pot of hot water, touching them as little as possible, and close the jars, tightening the lids (or screw band) just until you feel resistance, about a quarter turn before the jar would be totally sealed (this allows steam to escape, creating a tight seal).

Place the jars back in the pot of hot water (still lined with a cloth or insert to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot). Add more hot water if necessary to cover the jars by at least 2cm. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 25 minutes (500ml jars) or 35 minutes (1 litre jars).
Remove the jars from the pot, and place on a cloth-covered counter to cool completely (this will take several hours).

Once they are cool, check the seal by pressing on the middle of the lid with a finger. It should be totally taut. If there is some bounce to the metal lid (after you press down, the lid bounces back up), the jar hasn’t sealed properly for room temperature storage and should be stored in the fridge and used within a couple weeks.

Label the jars, indicating the contents and date. All properly sealed jars are best stored in a dark cupboard or pantry, and should be eaten within a year – if they last that long!

Today, it’s an easy way to preserve garden goodness.

Dried food is both convenient and nutritious. In fact, dehydrated foods are more nutritious than their canned counterparts. While the canning process can destroy up to 65 percent of vitamins and minerals, drying food retains most of the vitamins A and C, as well as thiamine and riboflavin. Best of all, there are no chemicals or preservatives necessary for either the drying process or storage.

Another plus, especially if storage space is at a premium, is that dehydrated foods are only one-half to one-twelfth the weight and bulk of the original.

Stored in a cool, dark spot, they should keep anywhere from several months to two years, depending on the food stored.

Draping food over branches or spreading it on wide shallow baskets on the roof is an old widespread tradition still in use around the world. Many other arrangements have been used to support a thin spread of food pieces. Some options that have been used are to thread the pieces on a cord or a stick and hang it over a fire, wood stove or from the rafters. Or one can bundle herbs or strawflowers and suspend them from bushes or a door knob or nails in rooms with good ventilation. Screen doors placed across chairs or sheets hung between clothes lines or possibly on a quilting frame have also been used.

Modern variations are to build special enclosed drying racks or cabinets to expose the food to a flow of dry air heated by electricity, a small gas flame or solar radiation. These are refinements not essential to the basic process but are very helpful, particularly in the humid areas or when the rainy season coincides with the harvest.

If necessary, the drying capacity of the air can be increased by heating it, which lowers the relative humidity. While any source of heat may be used, solar energy is free and usually plentiful. A solar heating panel screened on both ends with air intake on one end and opening to the food at the other is universally used to solar heat air. Hot dry air may be moved over the food by use of natural convection or a solar chimney or a fan run on solar electricity.

Trays need not be bulky and in fact lightweight ones with open screening block less airflow and so are preferable.

Screening may be woven out of local materials or may be commercial screen of non-toxic materials such as nylon and some plastics. Fiberglass screening is not recommended as fibers may become imbedded in sticky food and be eaten. Open weave lightweight nylon material works fairly well. The usual commercial bridal veil is too fragile to last as screening on the trays but may be spread over top to control insects. There should be no toxic dye or insect repellent on material in contact with the food. Coloured cloth should be avoided. Galvanized hardware cloth or aluminium or copper screens are not recommended as potentially toxic salts can migrate into the food.

Drying fruit

Wash and dry fruit. Peel if desired and slice thinly. Apples, peaches, and other fruits may darken when exposed to air. This is caused by oxidation which can damage flavor and vitamin content. To prevent oxidation you can dip the fruit slices in a preserving solution.
One solution is a salt water dip which is made by adding six tablespoons of pickling salt to one gallon of water. Soak for two to three minutes, then drain. Pat dry. Another solution is two tablespoons of ascorbic acid powder to one quart of lukewarm water. Soak, drain, and dry as above. Commercial fruit preservatives can also be purchased for this purpose.

Fruits are dry when somewhere between leathery and brittle. Drying times are affected by a number of factors, so experience and common sense are the best guides.

After sun drying fruit it needs to be “equalized.” Remove from trays and place in a bowl inside the house. Several times per day, for one week, stir the fruit pieces. This will allow any moisture from pieces that are not totally dry to be transferred to those which are overly dry.
Another way to equalize dried fruit is to place it in a paper bag after removing from drying trays. Fold over the top of the bag and hang from the clothesline. Shake gently several times a day for two days.

To test if the fruit is sufficiently dried, remove a piece and let it cool. Fruits because of their sugar content may never get beyond a firm bend or leather quality. If they do become brittle, it is OK. They just need a little more soaking or chewing time for full flavor to develop.

Making fruit rolls

Overripe fruit can be used to make fruit rolls and is actually better for this purpose than using fruit which is at its peak.

To prepare fruit for making fruit rolls, rinse then turn the fruit into puree by grinding, putting through a food mill, or mashing with a potato masher. Remove peels, pits, and seeds. Add fruit juice if necessary until it is of a consistency that will pour.

If the fruit is too runny, thicken by cooking over low heat to evaporate water or add a thickener, such as wheat or oat bran.

Sweetening (honey or sugar) or spices can be added if you choose. Begin by adding only one to two spoons of sweetener since many totally ripe fruits need nothing more. If you are making fruit rolls from light colored fruits such as apples or peaches, heat to almost boiling before beginning to dry. This will help prevent browning.

Line a cookie sheet or tray with plastic (don’t use wax paper or aluminium foil) or coat with a non-stick vegetable spray or cooking oil.

Pour the puree in and spread evenly by tilting the tray or sheet back and forth to spread it out. The thinner and more consistent the thickness, the better and quicker it will dry. Around 2 to 3mm thick works well. If it is too thick it may spoil before drying, and if not consistent it will not dry evenly.

When the top side is dry, remove from backing and turn over. Let the other side dry. Cut into squares or strips and roll up. Fruit rolls which are slightly sticky to the touch will keep for about four to six weeks. Rolls which are completely dried will keep longer but may be too brittle to roll.
Store fruit rolls in airtight containers with plastic wrap or paper between them to prevent sticking. Fruit rolls can be eaten as nutritious snacks or dissolved in water and used in any recipe calling for fruit.

Drying vegetables

Vegetables, like fruits, should be harvested at their peak of flavour. Wash to remove dirt, then prepare for drying by peeling, slicing, etc., as desired.

Controversy abounds over blanching vegetables before drying. Some insist on it, while others feel it is not necessary and successfully preserve without it. To blanch vegetables, steam them over boiling water until they are heated throughout and look translucent when cut with a knife. Remove from steamer and cool immediately with cold running water or plunging into a pan of ice water. Drain, then pat dry with cloth or towel. Spread on drying trays, as with fruits, and dry in the sun.

Most vegetables are dry when they are brittle and will shatter when struck. Slices will snap when bent.

Storing dried food

Often fruit, even when dry, will stick together when stored. A tasty way to help prevent this is by “dusting” before storing. Powdered sugar, spices, or powdered oats can be used as “dust.” Place it in a bag then add fruit and shake to coat the pieces. Dusting fruit leather or placing pieces of paper between the rolls will prevent them from sticking.

Almost anything can be used as a storage container, as long as it has a tight fitting lid. If using a metal lid, place a piece of paper between the food and lid.

Light causes oxidation, so store the dried food in a dark place or put the containers inside paper bags or a cardboard box to block light. Keep in a cool place.

Storing in small batches is wise. In the event one piece is not dry, it will not ruin the entire batch. Label the food before storing and check weekly for signs of mold and weevils for the first several weeks.Dried foods will keep a minimum of six months in storage under the proper conditions.

Using dried foods

Add dried vegetables to soups or stews. The liquid will “re-hydrate” them while cooking. They can also be used in casseroles, sauces, and in nearly any recipe requiring vegetables.

Dried fruit can be eaten as they are or they can be “re-hydrated” by soaking or cooking in juice. The warmer the liquid, the quicker the fruit will soak it up.

Use dried fruits to stew, in baking, jams, sauces, or for syrups.

For an independent household, it can be incredibly satisfying and delicious to make your own bread. But, while I love the slow rhythms of kneading, rising, shaping, rising and baking, I rarely have time for it during the week – which is when I find my family eats it in the most. So here is a quicker option, adapted for baking in the evening before or after the supper rush, ready for breakfast, lunchboxes and take-to-work meals.

And if you bake the loaf in the oven straight after making supper, you will save energy that would otherwise be required to preheat the oven for baking bread.

Wholewheat Sandwich Loaf
Adapted from Myrtle Allen’s Brown Bread recipe, in James Beard’s Beard on Bread.

Yield: 1 loaf
Time: two hours and five minutes, plus one hour to cool the loaf
Measuring by weight is much more accurate than volume, so use a scale if you have one.

Ingredients:
645g (4 ½ cups) wholewheat flour
510ml water, skin temperature (test a couple drops on your inner arm)
18g fresh yeast or 6g (1 ½ t) instant dry yeast
12g (1 ½ t) fine sea salt
33g (1 ½ T) molasses, treacle or honey
1 T butter, softened

Method:
Grease the inside of a loaf tin (1.5 litre capacity) generously with the butter.

Combine the flour, salt and instant yeast (if using) in a large bowl.

In another bowl or measuring jug, combine the water with the fresh yeast (if using), stirring with a spoon or your (clean!) fingers until it dissolves. Add the molasses, treacle or honey to the water, and stir to mix. Add the liquids to the dry ingredients, stirring until well combined.

If you are adding grains or seeds (see Add-ins below), add them now.
Transfer the dough to the greased loaf tin. To prevent the dough drying out, cover the entire tin with an upturned large tupperware or bowl with a couple centimetre’s clearance, and leave in a warm place to rise. Set a timer for forty minutes.

After setting the timer, position an oven rack in the bottom half of the oven, and place your baking stone or terracotta tile on it, if you have one. Remove all other racks. Turn on your oven to 200 degrees Celsius to preheat.

When the timer goes off, place a metal or cast iron oven-proof dish on the floor of the oven to heat up. Ten minutes later, boil one cup of water. Remove the cover from your bread. Sprinkle with untoasted seeds or oats, if desired. Gently place in the oven, on the baking stone or directly on the rack. Pour about half a cup of the boiling water into the dish on the oven floor (watch out for steam!), and quickly shut the oven door. Turn the temperature down to 180 degrees Celsius. Set your timer for ten minutes.

When the timer goes, rotate the loaf tin and quickly shut the door. Set the timer for 25 minutes.

The loaf of bread should be pulling away slightly from the sides of the tin. Remove from the oven, and shut the oven door to retain heat. Gently slide a blunt-ended knife around the bread loaf to loosen it, and gently shake it out of the tin.

Using a towel or oven gloves, place the loaf directly on the rack in the oven, and bake for another twenty minutes. Carefully lift the loaf and flick a finger against its base. It should feel crisp, and make a hollow sound.
Bake for a further five minutes and check again if not.

When done, return the bread to the oven, close the door and turn the oven off. Leave for ten minutes to finish crisping, then remove and cool on a rack for an hour before eating. It slices more easily the cooler it is.

To store, wrap the loaf in a clean dish towel when completely cool, and place in a close-fitting, sealed container. It should stay fresh for 24 to 48 hours.

Otherwise freeze it, already sliced. It can go straight into the toaster frozen, for particularly delicious toast.

Add-ins

Customise your loaf with grains and seeds, by adding them directly to the dough. The more you add, the denser the finished loaf, so start off with ¼ cup of the larger grains, or 2 TBS of the seeds per loaf, and experiment from there.

Add the following directly to the dough, or lightly toast first: Poppy seed, sesame seed, wheatgerm, flaxseed, millet.

Soak the following in cold water for several hours, then drain before adding: sunflower seeds, oat flakes, quinoa.
Boil until tender, drain and cool the following before adding to the dough: kamut, oat kernels, barley, wheat kernels, bulgur.

Further reading
Bread by Jeffrey Hamelman explains the science, techniques and gives recipes for almost 100 sourdough, rye, pre-fermented, enriched and decorative breads. English Bread and Yeast Cookery and James Beard’s Beard on Bread are both classics, and make for lovely reading. Be ready to adjust Beard’s recipes though – he’s a bit generous with both the salt and sugar for modern palates!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

There’s something very accusing about a stale end of bread, sitting forlornly on your kitchen counter. Homemade and artisan breads lack the preservatives of their commercial equivalents, and are typically best eaten within twenty-four hours of baking.

Remove crusts, and process in a blender or food processor to make bread crumbs. Keep in a container in the freezer. Use in chicken stuffing or toss crumbs with olive oil and use to coat chicken or fish pieces before frying or baking, and top baked vegetable and pasta dishes.

Remove tough crusts, tear into bite-sized pieces, toss with a splash of olive oil, and place on a tray under the grill in your oven for a couple minutes. Keep a careful eye out for burning!

When the bread is brown at the tips and the centre is golden and still a little squidgy, remove from the oven, sprinkle with a little of your salad dressing and toss through your dressed salad just before serving for the best croutons ever. This is especially good with ciabatta.

If the bread is firm, slice as thinly as possible with a bread knife, and dry out on a rack in a low oven until totally crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container, and use as you would melba toast or crackers. French toast and bread pudding are even better made with old bread, especially white farm loaves. The Mediterraneans are experts at using up stale bread; look up recipes for panzanella (Tuscan bread salad), ajo blanco (chilled almond and garlic soup) and romesco (almond and tomato sauce).

Grist for the Mill

I believe that the staggering rise in gluten intolerance has more to do with how we treat our bread than gluten’s biological properties. If wheat kernels are treated with respect and care during processing, they will retain their nutrients and lovely flavour.

Organic, unbleached and stone ground flours will certainly cost more than their commercial counterparts, but that’s because you’re getting more – more nutrients, more flavour, and a flour that’s the product of more time, skilled handling and conscientious agriculture.

Don’t be afraid to email or call up flour companies to ask where their wheat comes from, if it is chemically treated, and whether their farmers practice sustainable agriculture (such as crop rotation, biological or organic pesticides and fertilizers, and conservation tillage).

In the accompanying recipe, the bread derives its sweet, nutty flavour from wholewheat (also known as wholemeal) flour, so it’s worth getting the good stuff. I recommend you look for stone-ground, unbleached flour. Most commercial flours are processed with steel rollers, which create a lot of friction and heat (often more than bread experiences in an oven!) which damages the nutritional content of flour.

Commercial flours are also bleached with chemicals such as peroxide and chlorine, turning it unnaturally snowy-white, a colour we now erroneously associate with quality. Even the ‘vitamin enriched’ label some flours boast cannot replace all the minerals, vitamins and nutrients wheat contains.

Unfortunately, the bad news doesn’t end there, especially for those who depend on the supermarket for their daily bread. Flour destined for industrial bakeries is made into loaves which are a far cry from the flour, yeast, salt and water recipes of the past.

Factory loaves now contain humectants so the bread holds more water (to increase weight and thus perceived value for money), and flour improvers to make the loaves artificially fluffy and soft, and circumvent the traditional practice of maturing flour before use. Then the finished loaf is treated with calcium propionate, to delay the development of mould.

So if possible, avoid the factory-made pre-sliced loaves. If you cannot make your own, patronize artisan bakers, or even stores with in-house bakeries. While the flour may still be the victim of commercialisation, bakeries are less likely to treat their loaves with chemicals. There’s one way to know: exercise your consumer rights and ask.

If we just acknowledged that bread is a perishable product which cannot naturally remain fresh and edible kept at room temperature for a week, then perhaps we could return to a way of living where bread is indeed the staff of life – life-giving, life-improving and life-sustaining.