30 March - Sunbirds and pomegranates

الرحمن الرحیم بسم الله

In the name of Allah, most gracious most merciful.

30 March.

Alhamdulillah, autumn is marching in with a bit of a chill and some rain but it’s still wonderful weather to be outside.  It’s delightful to be involved with organic gardens, with grooming youth as new leaders and training teachers with iLABS. Every day I see how this actually intertwines like facets of growth.

It was wonderful to meet with one of our students that was on our pilot IHYA course today, to see her development and confidence as she continues her studies in the Adult and Higher Education Department at the University of Cape Town. We work shopped a few teachers who wanted to continue studies in Education and she was the one who took the challenge and accepted the invitation from UCT. This year she will complete her Diploma and get her wings and continue inshaAllah with an Advanced Certificate in Adult Education. So proud!
 
Back on home ground, Sundays are lazy in the late afternoon after have-to-attend functions, marking scripts and picking up everyone. Then we can have a warm cup of tea under canopy. While packeting newly dried pomegranate seeds, Abubakr is busy with his new propagation tray: in ”youth speak” the new cloning device for plants. A rectangular plastic with a lid sommer bought at Osmans, holes the size of R5 coins have been drilled into it and a small fish tank pump with see-through pipe to encourage oxygen inserted inside. A weak solution of Seagrow in the water; some cuttings pushed through and in two weeks’ time it will sprout many roots, thank you Omer for your wonderful idea and assistance.

 In the distance a preacher is screaming and taxis that drive by have the beat on so loud my eardrums protest. One can only wonder what it feels like with that kind of sound vibrating through the seats. I breathe in deeply and stand to look on proudly at how the garden starts to actually look like a garden.  Stone benches standing solidly next to the bougainvillea, a small table close by made of odd bits of wood, a bit distressed but so charming: the handy work of Rameez, the man of many talents.

The trick of an organic farm is to be in action, being busy consistently every day: weeding, staking, tying, watering and mulching (a wonderful analogy for what we like to do and for life itself). The rush for last minute seeding before winter and making new planting beds. Trimming and deadheading summer flowers and of course finding the right spot to plant new strawberry plants. So the mounds are prepared, the potatoes are allowed to create living seed and finally yes, the lemon tree and orange tree will be planted in the barrels maybe tomorrow. I have to think of some protection for them though, because I believe it does not like too much wind but has to be planted in full sun and in rich soil. So I thought to hit in some stakes around them and tie some hessian around like a blanket. Seriously, if the horses (and there are many elegant ones strutting around in Schaapkraal) can walk around with jackets, who says citrus trees may not have blankets?

 The thing about the garden is that it is full of surprises every day. The quince has new growth and the pomegranate is about to open many blossoms. I also realise now that basil is called reygaan in Arabic, makes sense? All the Reygaanah’s that I know have their feet firmly in the ground.  Working in the beds, I get used to wild sparrows fly so low over one’s head. I wish that we had hummingbirds in South Africa to attract to our gardens. Apparently we don’t have hummingbirds but we do have sunbirds, small and beautiful but not as acrobatic. They hover but cannot do it backwards. Insha’Allah nothing happens without the permission of the Almighty, I must plant some red sunbird bush and other nectar producing flowers like firecrackers to lure sunbirds.



Sunbird

Hummingbird

 





Suddenly, the call of the Muathin resounds splendidly and reminds of Allah’s due, so I suspend writing and we decide to throw down mats right here in the fresh air, the sky an endless dome. There is no better refresher than running cold water over you’re the limbs. Later.
And I’m back and I am thinking of weeds. Firstly, I have always had a bad attitude towards them, pulling them out where ever I find them, getting frustrated at their competitiveness with our plants and their ability to disguise themselves so amazingly. Until one day, about 15 years, when we bought a smallholding not too far from here, a friend remarked that the stinging nettle growing in patches were a good indication of the fertility in the soil and that it would be good ground to plant in. We should just hoe them into the ground and they would enrich the soil with iron. What?

Then I started my research and till today I have a very healthy respect for them, the weeds I mean. Actually stinging nettle (the ones who stings our legs and itches for a long time) is dried and used in tea to inhibit cancer. Other weeds that accumulate nutrients and minerals are dandelion, yarrow, wild daisies, fat hen, thistles, sorrel and many many more. When you do pull them out throw them on the compost heap and it will in turn enrich the soil again. So it takes all kinds to make the world go round!

Have a wonderful week those of you who are vacation and those who are at work. Where ever you are happy gardening.

Yasmine

 

 

 

25 March - Imagine

الرحمن الرحیم بسم الله

In the name of Allah most Gracious, most Merciful.

25 March - Imagine

Imagine a madrassah where the needs of learners are considered first; where parents and teachers collaborate and support learners. Imagine a madrassah where learners receive a holistic education: their relationship with Allah, their social learning and their relationship with the natural environment. Imagine a madrassah that offers a safe environment where the learner enjoys learning, exploring and whose curiosity is attended to. Imagine a madrassah where teachers are valued and paid salaries commensurate to the effort and hours they dedicate. Imagine a madrassah that does not have to rely on fees from parents nor donors with agendas, that is completely self-sustaining. Imagine a madrassah teacher who is constantly touching base with what’s new in teaching, in the community and in the world and feeds it into her classroom. Imagine a madrassah teacher who practices what she teaches, is humble and sensitive to the needs of all others around her and has a sense of humour. Imagine a madrassah where learners eat wholesome food and “spookies” snacks are banned. Imagine that.

The Initiative that I am a part of is called Learning Across Borders (iLABS). A group of people who have come together with a common vision of learning and teaching; parenting; a way of living; sharing resources and good conversation that translates into action. One of the initiatives was to nominate a school in Rondevlei and a school in Manenberg to Greenpop who plant trees at learning institutions. They planted 30 trees at Hydepark last week. Well done, Greenpop you’re doing wonderful work alhamdulilaah!

iLABS is involved in teacher training, matric support, initiating and supporting organic food gardens, strategic relationships with others; youth and leadership training and a host of other things. Why am I explaining all of this? So I can show gratitude for all of the open-hearted-handedness from the iLABS team for the sake of growth of this initiative.  So I would like to say Shukran Kathir, may you never want for provision in this world or the next inshaAllah.

That said, it is a perfect day for gardening once all the other work is out of the way. Marking essays, developing materials and other important but boring work. The rain has activated a refresh button and the soil is nourished with water. Fences have to be erected and grass cut. New planting beds have to be completed. In fact a little faux pax, I planted the runner beans on the wigwam without realising that the tomatoes will be denied the sun for ripening. So a scramble to knock fencing on wattle stakes and a transplant, silly Yasmine! What is gardening but also to learn from one’s mistakes?

 

A pot of soup is simmering for lunch time warming our senses, there is nothing like a pot of vegetable soup with carrots, turnips, leeks, celery and parsley (from the garden) a clove of garlic, split peas, barley and cuttings from the neck of lamb. Toss in a few allspice and cloves and voila!

 

 

 
The parsley seeds I planted last week are popping out and so are the black-eyed Susie. Lavender cuttings are taking well and red onions seedlings are almost ready to be planted, kwaai Abubakr! Alas, we are running out of planting beds. So we are practicing what we preach. The garden areas will also be utilised to plant potatoes in ditches, mounds with strawberries and onion companions. I know for a fact that strawberries grow well with onions and garlic. I am not so sure about the potato ditches so I guess we will leave a bit of a gap between them.

As I write this blog I refer to myself and this garden, but none of this is possible without others working in the trenches with me such as my Abubakr, Uncle Basil, Waseemah, Madeneya, Rameez, Nadia, Omer, Luqmaan, forgive me if I forgot someone. And Zaheer who patiently takes the photos and Azrah who gives us advice and is good for our morale but hates dirt under her nails. I cannot begin to mention all of the structural support of manure and beams and shade cloth and plants and cuttings and seeds and trees and containers. Shukran to those too who like this blog and send me emails of support. May Allah SWT afford me the creativity and words and energy to do this blog justice so that others can benefit from it too.

Don’t forget to eat organic and plant organic.
Fare thee well, till tomorrow.

Yasmine

 

https://www.facebook.com/ilearningacrossborders

 

Wigwams

 





 

 

 

 

 

24 Mar Suurings and Tameletjies

الرحمن الرحیم بسم الله

In the name of Allah, most gracious most merciful.

24 March.





Sorrel

 Today breakfast is enjoyed under the canopy. We are surrounded by plants and cuttings and the smell of buchu is quite heady. There is a soft patter of rain and the air smells like rich soil. Early sparrows are scratching in the grass. Now and then as the rain eases up a bit, I dash around the garden beds checking to see how the plants are doing, trying to guide peas up the wigwams. I really should get some galoshes and a dry mac. And to my amazement there are two blossoms on the quince tree!

As a child of District Six we grew up more in tune with the seasons. When the daisies popped up in the veld, we knew that winter was over and spring had arrived with daisy chains, and suurings (sorrel blossoms) and blossoms on peach trees. We’d rummage around the veld under pine trees to pick up pine kernels. After gathering them in the hem our dresses, we would sit on a huge slate rock and chop them open. If we had enough we’d keep the rest for tameletjies.

Tamelêtjies

·         250g g pine kernels

·         2 cups of sugar

·         1 cup of water

·         Diced glazed ginger

Combine everything in saucepan and bring to boil, immediately bring heat down to medium whilst constantly stirring. As it starts becoming really sticky and changes colour to a light brown stir in kernels and finely diced glazed ginger. Immediately spoon into cookie cups and allow hardening before eating.

Agapanthus and cannas

On the slopes of Devils Peak, in the Dry Dock area, everyone had gardens. Fig trees, guava and loquat trees graced the backyards of many. Our neighbours would throw ripe figs over the wall for us, when we looked over longingly. Flowers were in abundance –malva, cannas, agapanthus, hydrangeas of all colours, Cape May bushes and the eternal intertwining of the honeysuckles, morning glories and rambling roses. Aah, a magical childhood interrupted… by the Forced Removals.

When we moved to the Cape Flats, I used to help my Mom plant gladioli bulbs and put it carnation cuttings. She really enjoyed the garden and of course her indoor plants such as fancy leaf, mother in laws tongue, hen and chicken and ferns. I must confess I am not the indoor plant kind of person. But once I saw hen and chicken plants grown all along a wall as a ground cover the full potential of the plant really took my breath away.

My uncle also nurtured a love for the environment. He had a small holding in Kuils River, with horses, sheep, chickens and pigeons. In the holidays, we would have the time of our lives helping with planting alfalfa, watching the calving and trying to help with the stables. Later, he established a nursery and came to visit with fruit trees of all kinds. Just before he passed on, he told his wife to come a bit closer he had a few things that he wanted to say to her.

Firstly, he said, “my plants always do better than yours because you never water well right down to the roots. Secondly, let me inform you where I planted the water melon seeds so you know where they will come up. And thirdly, please do not neglect your recital of the Qur’an, for it is only with His permission that everything we do has so much barakah.” When he passed they had forgotten the mesang and instead just pushed a long piece of branch to mark his grave. So apt I say.

The garden is also a very calming space. Some would say it is the giving of water, nutrition, and attention while others may say it is actually the feel of the soil through ones fingers and the colour of green that surrounds you. I say it’s all of the above and more. For me it is also a deeply spiritual space. In nature Allah’s presence is stark.

I deeply respect the life of farmers. Their dependence on Allah for a crop to be successful, their prayers for rain, their prayers for good weather. I mean what does a farmer really want,  but a good crop that gives her a hard - worked - for income, some vehicles and machinery, clean seed, a place to pray and give thanks and a stoep to watch the sun rise. When one looks at all of the texts, the prophets were all either herders or farmers at one stage of their lives or another. I watched the Umar series and his assessment of a camel herder is thought provoking. He turns to his brother and says something to this effect,” the herder knows every camel very well because they are all unique. It is the uniqueness of them all that makes them an outstanding herd.”

 I heard an interesting khutbah once and the lecture was about spaces where humanity has over cropped, over stripped the forests and turned it into barren land. The solution according to the lecture was to keep out human beings and send in the animals. The hooves of the wildebeest till the soil and their droppings enrich the earth. The rain waters the soil and in a few years the land is arable once more. Subghaanallah.

So today Alhamdulilaah, Allah sent Rahmah -the rain and mercy. No watering for me. While Abubakr is busy replanting papyrus, I could trim the celery plants and prepare to make a pot of soup for tomorrow. Just a pity the turnips are a bit too small.

Plant clean seed and be careful on the wet roads.

Yasmine

 

 

 

23 Mar -Morning glory and ladybugs

الرحمن الرحیم بسم الله

In the name of Allah most Gracious, most Merciful.

 

 

23 March 2014 (3 in the morning.)

I am over tired and unable to fall asleep. Half the night I have spent chasing a mosquito all around the room. There is no sense of victory as I squish it against the wall leaving a “bloedkol”. So much for co existing. I decide to start writing.

I like to think that beyond patience and perseverance organic gardening teaches us respect for the environment. Unless we think of our garden as a micro ecological system where everything can co-exist harmoniously and has a role to play, we miss the point completely. To get right that balance is the challenge. From co existing with garden pests and predators to understanding the crucial role that bees and other pollinators play.

To have a good organic garden is for us to act as sentinel to the soil and to enhance it and to feed the soil and the plants will flourish. When we add organic material such as manures and compost we encourage life in the soil such as various tiers of insects, animals and micro life necessary for success. So if we want to invite birds to our garden, we need to have worms and a birdbath. The trick is to get the balance right and to plant a variety of plants that create ecosystems and sub systems and then we may prevent diseases because each plant has a unique role to play. To remember that butterflies were once those caterpillars eating the cabbage and broccoli but in its adult form helps to pollinate our blossoms. A chicken run under fruit trees helps improve the soil with their droppings and reduce pest issues.

So inshaAllah, let’s stop chopping down trees for lavish paved areas and destroying natural habitats; stop using chemical fertilisers and insecticides and stop filling in our wetlands with clay and rubble in order to build complexes. The flocks of birds that long ago filled the sky at Magrib time are sadly reduced.

That said, our first mounds of sand appeared amongst the butternut plants this morning. My first reaction as I watered the area was to push the hosepipe into the holes it made and flood the holes and tunnels of the mole. Then I remembered that last year I pulled out my hair as a gopher ran rampage and made tunnels through my perfect beds. But I think it’s my pride and vanity and being territorial. So I took a deep breath, reciting Subhaanallah under my breath and acceded that they too have a role to play. I will appreciate that they too control some pests, create ventilation in the beds and the fine soils that they push up, I will calmly rake it to level the soil.

InshaAllah, we are definitely planning on getting some chickens and ducks, I believe that the favourite diet of ducks are slugs and snails. And the household would love a cat, slinking around, rubbing up against our legs and providing us with much affection. Besides cats keep the rodents around under control and shoos the birds from the strawberries (must not forget to plant catnip). Maybe a cat will also keep the mole at bay.

Alhamdulilaah, this week I turned my attention to flowers in the gardens. Mainly because they are so beautiful and also because they attract pollinators to the fruit trees and veg patch with the nectar they create. I have my own personal favourites. I love a rambling rose, called the seven sisters - memories of my childhood. I seeded poppies of many colours, forget me not’s, nasturtiums, black eyed Susie, gyps and daisies. Already there are many varieties of bougainvillea In the garden, a dippladena is starting to grow towards the pole. The gardenias have taken to transplant well. I also created a corner for cacti or crassulas. They grow so easily many have medicinal qualities such as the aloes. I received a rather thick skinned bunch looking like roses and as it got used to the sun it turned a bright red. And today, I planted twelve small lavender plants at the edge of the fruit trees.

ABubakr bought some used dust bins the ones that are used in hotels for about R20 each. It is made of wood and has a metal bin lining it in blue. I have decided that I would plant some bulbs for winter. It would look swell with daffodils and freesias. But even better with tulips.

I bought a metre and a half high lemon tree today and am so chuffed that a close friend of mine has offered to buy an orange tree for the other barrel, shukran so much. I visited my brother today and found a small fig tree growing in the wall in his garden. At the back of his house/lush garden are endless trails of morning glory. As he lifted the creepers I was enchanted with the golden ladybugs crawling around, I believe that is where they are always found. So I brought some morning glory root cuttings home to meander in the garden and some golden ladybugs too but they took off and nestled under the basil bushes.
I am so thankful for all the cutting and extra plants and goodies that he and his dear wife packed in and particular overjoyed at all the lemon grass as he thinned his patch. Thanks Zain and Soraya and thank you Allah!!

Have a fabulous Sunday evening and don’t forget to plants herbs too.

Yasmine

https://www.facebook.com/ilearningacrossborders

 Old friends and great companions

21 Mar - The cherry on top

 

الرحمن الرحیم بسم الله

In the name of Allah most Gracious, most Merciful.

 

21 March 2014.

One would be surprised at how productive a full day could be or should I say how fruitful a day could be. Gardening surely teaches us patience – to wait and see whether a bush is thriving after a transplant. Perseverance – doing all that bending down, sowing, weeding and nogal doing it despite complaints from one’s back. Sometimes one can be foolhardy sowing seeds and hoping it would make it through the winter. But the joy of those hours spent and seeing the fruits of one’s labour – is priceless, Allah hu Akbar. And feeding someone from the garden or oneself - the cherry on top. Everything tastes so much better, fresh from the farm.



mulberry cuttings

We took some cuttings from the top of a mulberry tree and stuck them into plastic bags of soil and after two weeks small buds were obvious. Subhaanallah, then something strange happened to the 7 cm cuttings – it produced mulberries too. Talk about children having babies. We nipped that in the bud literally because we knew that the berries would cause strain on the cuttings growth and development. Talk about cuttings today I realised I am so old school when a friend of my son started talking about how he clones plants. “What? Oh taking small cuttings" OK, he is not talking about a few drops of sap in a petri dish.

I am sure if Kahlil Gibran wrote about friendship and gardening it would something like this:

Your true friends are your garden’s needs answered.

Their offerings make possible for you to sow with love and reap with thanksgiving

Thus, they are your garden’s sustenance and hearth.

For you come to them with your need of assistance and seek them for peace.

 Ja, I really feel poetic, had help with the planting yesterday and another friend who brought flower seeds all the way from Azaadville. Just before the sun went down I scattered some of the poppy seeds lightly in the flowerbed and sprinkled handfuls of sand over them, because the seeds are miniscule. Aah it this not happiness?  Some curry leaves and butter nut seeds in exchange and for the manual labour, a carrier bag full of basil and chillies (cayenne and jalapeno) to make a tasty pesto.

Recipe:

·         About 3 handfuls of basil leaves, with stalks removed and rinsed.
·         A handful of rocket
·         A heaped tablespoon of either pine nuts or almond nuts roasted in a bit of olive oil until caramel coloured.
·         1 large clove of garlic.
·         Half a teaspoon of salt
·         3 tablespoons of olive oil
·         A good dash of freshly squeezed lemon
·         Finely grated parmesan cheese

Place altogether (except cheese) into processor and sqizz until it’s smooth and pulpy. And finally stir in the finely grated parmesan. For the more adventurist, add some chilli. Voila daar is jou pesto.

InshaAllah I hope that this vegetable patch will soon feed us completely as well as others so that we do not have to run to Pick n Pay when we run out of cucumbers or lettuce. For now we toss our own different varieties of lettuce and rocket, red onion and cucumber in a bowl and smother them with mustard, mustard seeds and olive oil. Crumble some feta over the salad and try to eat from the organic garden every day. Be it salads, a handful of curry leaves, some parsley for the fish frikkadel, basil pesto or whatever treasures it yields.

The garden also teaches us about plants. I planted some local variety of cucumber. You know the one we grew up with. That you top and tail and peel off the skin, then you rake some deep treads down the sides and rub with a fistful of salt and rinse. Well the cucumber was doing famously until the runner wound itself to the fence where it was over exposed to sunlight and the cucumber started turning yellow and bitter. The lesson? Cucumbers do its best growing mostly in shade.

It especially warms the heart to see the cuttings coming to life: the Wandering Jew groundcover, the honeysuckle, ivy, fig tree, yarrow etc. We try to avoid looking into the seed containers awaiting the sprouting of black eyed susie, forget me not’s, nasturtiums, parsley, a mix of cacti and borage. Lately we sow in recycled savoury containers, the ones with the plastic domes. In fact they work rather well if one punches some holes in the bottom, fill with soil, seed and spray with water. The dome goes over at night and in the morning one lifts the domes and places a stick in the soil to hold them up to allow the gentle rays of the sun to warm them.

I started to look for baby photos of the three strawberry mother plants and runners to compare them with the lush bed of strawberries, it’s been incredible to have been a small part of this growth. For this blog I try to take pictures but the more professional ones that capture the imagination were taken by Zaheer Carr. Later after Asr I contemplate starting to plant potatoes in tyres, my attempts last year with planting in black bags had some success but also an encounter with blight, so I play it safe with tyres. I realise that just being consistent with watering and weeding, seeding and propagation translates itself into garden progress. Even if it’s just 15 minutes at a time.

Jumuah Mubarak and I hope you all enjoy Human Rights Day – It is your It’s a Human Right to eat nutritious food, waarde uit die aarde.J

Later, wasalaam.

Yasmine
https://www.facebook.com/ilearningacrossborders

New peppers bushes

 

 

 

 

19 Mar- Every flower needs a gardener

 الرحمن الرحیم بسم الله

In the name of Allah most Gracious, most Merciful. 

  19 March 2014.

 I don’t know where I remember this from. It may be a movie or a book. But the gist of it is that in every relationship there is a flower and there is a gardener.

My husband and I joke about who the flower is and who the gardener is, depending on what we are busy with. So for instance if I serve breakfast for the two of us I will remark that the gardener is busy in the kitchen making pancakes with honey and cinnamon. If my husband is busy preparing a tray of tea and snacks he would say his job is to tend to the flower.  I think in life we all do our fair share of gardening and flowering and this accounts for other relationships as well.

We are essentially gardeners when our children are smaller but as they grow they too need to get the soil under their nails. Sometimes it takes a lot of gardening to make a friendship bloom. Subhanallah, nature really has the best examples for living. The seasons of crops demarcate the seasons in life. One’s autumn years or winter years are when one reach maturity. Thus the cyclic nature of seasons could mean that we get one more opportunity sometimes even when older to experience a summer. And nature has some of the best idioms and analogies for us, here’s some that immediately came to mind, now you think of some:

·         What you reap you will sow.
·         Bend the bush when it is still young.
·         Separate the wheat from the chaff
·         You may till the soil and enrich it and even plant the seed, but the fruits may not be for you.

 Today was filled with meetings and I could not wait to come back home and check on the seedlings and find spaces in beds that were good for them. I personally do not like rows and rows of the same crop in one bed. So I check whether plants would be good companions and benefit from one another or detrimental to other plants. Besides unless one intercrops or interplants according to the gurus, the same plants will compete for the same nutrients. Throw in a couple of beans or peas and the competition is less because different kinds of plants need different nutrients to thrive on. Therefore, good companions are basil in the tomato bed, onions or garlic as borders to strawberries, rosebushes and chives below it and of course lavender under olive trees.

The ultimate in companion planting was practiced by the first peoples of the Americas. They would plant corn with bean stalks trailing up and a carpet of squash on the ground. This they called the Three Sisters method.

Sacrificial plants are included in the veggie beds to lure pests away from prized lettuce and cabbages. I have found Chinese cabbage to be one such plant. The worms can chomp it away to the loss of nearly all the leaves and in a no time it will replenish itself and grow new leaves. We rotate the vegetable beds when all the vegetables are used up or the season is over. The general rule of thumb is if one planted a root vegetable in a particular patch, then next a leafy vegetable there. Next one could plant runners. Also if one intersperses the vegetables with certain flowers such as marigolds and lavender and herbs like creeping oregano or borage under the tomato bushes - it will deter pests and also encourage insects necessary for pollination. Lady bugs are a gardener’s best friends; they clean aphids off the leaves of plants, and often one finds them in droves on rose bushes (snacking on aphids no doubt).

All of this impacts on cooking so well. Handfuls of curry leaves enhance the curry and wafts through the air tantalizingly. Fresh red and spring onion are by far more enjoyable to pull out of the soil and into the pan. Brinjals are definitely firmer and have a longer shelve life. In the next few days we intend Insha'Allah to plant a huge crop of garlic. I always use fresh garlic because the moment garlic is crushed, cut or grated it starts to lose its active allisin and thus its wonderful properties. 

So Alhamdulillah; no pesticides or chemical enrichment. The plan for the rest of the week is to drill holes in the barrels and place medium size stones at the bottom before filling it with good composted soil. I am off to find two lemon trees to plant in them or even two orange trees that may still crop in the winter, to trim off their tops a bit in order to stunt them so they can be more sturdy and wind resistant. I am not sure what to plant in the baths yet. And having started a patch in the flower garden we are extending the garden area so that we reach the gate by the end of the month Insha'Allah. We try to create spaces where students can sit and revise their lessons or grab a snack. Imagine the most beautifully recited Qur’an in spaces filled with blooms and fruit hanging and veggies cropping. Butterflies and dragonflies abound. Allah hu akbar.

Till next time, Plant food and flowers.
Yasmine

https://www.facebook.com/ilearningacrossborders

 From lemon pips

1st cucumber

 

 

 

17 March Strawberry fields forever

الرحمن الرحیم بسم الله

In the name of Allah most Gracious, most Merciful.

 

17 March 2014.

Every time friends visit wanting to bring a gift I’d say: “bring a fruit tree”. This is a place of learning and so for the benefit of all the students; the people who eat or seek shade; the many insects and birds who feast upon it, will be a benefit for the one who gifts a tree. Not just now but as long as it lives, Allah SWT will reward you even posthumously. And what do you know? We received trees from friends all around and places far. The apricot and two almond trees, the white fig and pomegranate, the reed thin quince stand proudly and firmly against the winds. A member of my family brought me a lemon from a tree in their yard in Johannesburg and I have 14 new lemon treelets. Through the grace of the Almighty Allah, soon the lattices will be up and black berries and blue berry canes will be planted against it.

In fact, we invited a neighbour for lunch one Sunday. “What can I bring?” By now my entire family are onto my fruit tree initiative. A chorus of “bring a fruit tree!” followed. The next day there stood our guest. He had cut out a frame in the shape of a tree, painted it with blackboard paint, stuck a piece of bark to the bottom and painted Fruit for thoughts in white paint, “Will this do?”. I am still deciding where to place it with short insightful fruits for thought.

We started a strawberry patch with three mother plants at the end of 2012. When we arrived in Schaapkraal in December we transplanted 35 new plants. Every day until February we harvested the juiciest, sweetest, sun kissed strawberries twice a day. And when the fruiting had run its course the plants started running. We prepared big plastic trays that bread are delivered in with thick black builders plastic, punched some holes in the bottoms and filled it with good soil. We allowed the runners in the patch to jump into the soil and gently pinned them down. We also extended the patch and Alhamdulilaah it now boasts more than 2oo plants.

 I learnt this neat breakfast snack from my sister: French toast topped with fresh strawberries

·         Whip some eggs, a dash of milk, a pinch of salt in a bowl
·         Dip some slices of bread white or brown or Panini or ciabatta in the egg mixture
·         In the meantime heat up a non-stick skillet or roti pan
·         Bake for few minutes on one side and toss onto the other side until golden brown
·         When the French toast has cooled down, sprinkle lavishly with icing sugar.
·         While you are busy with the French toast have your spouse, friend or family member chop up strawberries, rinse and add some castor sugar and a dash of lemon.
·         Pile strawbs on top of toast and serve.

 A few weeks ago we cleared out the final rubble on the smallholding. We dug out the bushes of thorns and the heaps of tar. My husband sketched a plan for the vegetable and flower gardens. So far we are totally on track with the drawing, ha, ha.

We seeded a number of vegetables as we cleared out the section of land and placed them in a wendy house to germinate and protect from the wind. We dug up the grasses and weeds and found the topsoil not too deficit, if there are dandelions at least soil is receiving some nutrients. But a large section had to be cleaned from heaps of tar. We dug in loads of compost, manures and bone meal and watered the patches profusely. The weeds immediately made a re- appearance indicating that the soil was ready for planting.

Then we started to plant poles for the shade cloth. Everyone warns that the winds will damage everything unless we create protection, that the winter is vicious. So we created shaded areas. We made the first beds – long beds that are a metre wide so we would work in them effortlessly and planted tomatoes, beet root, peppers, brinjals, peas and beans, soups greens such as turnips and leeks and celery and parsley in good companion relations. In between we planted Chinese cabbage as our sacrificial plants that bugs could chew on and made wigwams for peas and beans to trail on. Butternut seedlings are now ready to be planted.

To create green manure in the open spaces we planted beans and mustard seeds. The braai area is canopied so ideal space to pack all the cuttings and seedlings that need to be hardened off. Already handfuls of cherry tomatoes finds its way into the pan with herbs and olive oil. The basil and rocket crop has been ground finely with toasted almond nuts, olive oil and garlic into pesto and stored in containers. Mint leaves are generously chopped up and added to sugar then sprinkled over slices of pineapple the ultimate sensation to clean the pallet after a spicy meal.

As the price of everything reaches crazy proportions we opt for ice teas such as rooibos, treacle sugar, lemon and mint. Maybe some tea with mashed ripe peaches and lemon grass. To keep away the sniffles we add honey and slices of green ginger.

As things are coming together, the weather is playing its part all we have to do is allocate a space to establish some bee hives. With the vegetable garden we have put in seeds of marigolds and lavender to lure the bees to pollinate the blossoms. InshaAllah, it is only through Allah SWT’s blessings that we make progress with the gardens and live a healthy sustainable life where all of creation can benefit. A huge shukran to all who are supportive with plants, trees, manure, benches, wooden beams and seeds or just coming to walk around and share a cup of tea. May Allah be pleased with us all. Remember there is no such thing as not having “green fingers”. Successful planting is about getting the soil right, good drainage, planting at the right time and watering well the rest is tawakkul. So make a solid niyyah, start today with a few plants and a few seeds and the rest Allah will make easy for you.

Don’t forget to plant food and fruit trees.

Yasmine.

https://www.facebook.com/ilearningacrossborders
 

 

Mother plants and new runners end 2012

 Runners planted out

  35 plants fruiting in December 2013

 2014 over 200 plants as  this blog is published!

 

16 March 2014 New beginnings

الرحمن الرحیم بسم الله

In the name of Allah most Gracious, most Merciful.

16 March 2014

iLABS has moved to Schaapkraal. I lament. I should have started writing earlier; I could have started this blog sooner and shared our doings or started a conversation, maa mushkilah.
Our efforts at gardening organically are starting to pay off and the recycling component is great fun, planting in old baths and knocking holes in the bottoms of baked bean tins and milk cartons. We feed the earthworm box with vegetable peels and the rest of the kitchen waste in the compost heap. The weeds that we dig up are mixed into it as well.

So here we are on a 4000 sq m erf, trying our best to create an environment that makes use of all the barakah that abounds in this area and that we will learn more as the land teaches us humility and patience. Eating the fruit of one’s efforts is certainly tastier and more nutritious. In Schaapkraal there are so many schools: Qur’anic Sciences, Tahfith and Qiraat, rehabilitation centres, stables, wedding venues, martial arts school, Tibb centre etc. Schaapkraal is abuzz!

As the azure blue of the sky streaks with dusty pink, the chill in the air heralds the initiation of autumn days. The evening is still, a horse neighing in the background, children are being packed into cars and the last Sunday afternoon visitors are homebound to check revision and homework and sign journals for school tomorrow.

There is no greater feeling than working the land; place cuttings into small black bags and seeds into trays. The heads of new growth popping out is a feeling of satisfaction to know that in a small way one has been a part of something profound. What I love most of this area is the open heartedness, the bits of advice; a cutting of an unusual plant; the bartering and exchange of supplies. A few sheets of corrugated iron may bring you an endless supply of horse manure. Some space in the garden for storing plants and bushes may fetch you some benches and a bunch of strelitzias and some buchu. An old wooden vegetable crate that would land in the rubbish heap; a gate with a few slats missing; a drive down to Nyanga Junction to buy second hand cobbled stones and my day is made.

 A visit to the Rabbit King’s hole where there is an endless supply of charming window frames and architraves, used garden paving, a charming farm table and old oak wine barrels to plant in, all at very, very reasonable prices. The Rabbit King is always open to bargain. “Ai, mon ami, this sandstone bath looks quite battered, what would it cost me to take it off your hands?” My haggling skills have improved thus.

Curry leaf settling in

When we moved in our first concern was where to transplant the strawberries, a wind free space for the curry leave tree and where to start the vegetable patch. I appropriated two flower beds in front of the house the rest of the property had too much work, a digger loader had to be called in. The weeds and grasses as destitute and dry as they stood, gave me hope that some herbs and salads could live there. So spade in hand we removed the weeds. Alas no earthworms came to the surface.

Off we went on a reconnaissance mission: where to find compost and manure to enrich the somewhat deficit soil. With bags of compost and potting soil loaded on the bakkie we made our move. Patiently, we placed some seedlings of salads, herbs, tomatoes, brinjals, peppers and chillis. We scratched amongst our “seeds of love” packets ( a gift from a noble traveller, taking clean seed all over the world, from the Chiapas to Bangladesh to Schaapkraal), beseeching Allah SWT to send His Rahmah and make the seeds come to life.

Some transplants from our old home: chives, basil, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme and we had a bit of a garden going. I rummaged through my husband’s art things for paints and brushes to give our old pots a makeover. A few of the old herbs in pots hosted fat earthworms and so they had a new home – a long flowerbed. We planted the seedlings and sowed seed late Asr, breaking for Magrib and back to the garden. The following week we found another patch under a window where some remnants of flowers had lived once upon a blue moon.

I still had a few plant pots up my sleeve, some lemon grass, some basil mint, French lavenders and we created some structure. In between we planted white and red petunias and mulched it with a neighbour’s straw. Two weeks of love and care and lots of watering morning and evening and that bed too was lush and colourful. In January we planted some hanging fuchsias and the shades of cerise gave the flower bed its full majesty, Thank you my Rabb.

Don’t forget to plant food and not just lawn.
Yasmine Jacobs

https://www.facebook.com/ilearningacrossborders

                                                  The flowerbox in January                                                                            

 

 

 The flowerbox right now