A solitary poppy stands in the storm

In the name of Allah most gracious most merciful

Kashif Wicomb's pic

17 July 2014

 

First poppy bud

 One solitary poppy head has made her winter’s day appearance, unwavering in the storm. Not the winds or the rain or the hail can stop this winter blossom.

Over 30 000 people have stomped out their outrage in the streets of Cape Town for Palestine for Syria as one fist. Masaajid gather collective duah, salah for dead brothers and sisters for the bereaved, the injured, and the sullied and qunut to beseech Allah’s assistance. Subhaanallah. Today, the rain comes down in torrents. An angry wind blows.

The holidays are almost over, so it’s back to school, to campus, to work, to the soil. It is almost Laylatul Qadr and I find myself making less time for food to make more time for my obligations, the blessed month Ramadan goes too quickly and then it’s Eidul Fitr.

drying straw

We have to focus on preparing lesson plans and schedules for lectures with the youth and make space for current events discussion. Learners are excited for the new Islamic Teacher Education Programme as they start their National Professional Diploma. The gardens have to be attended to as well, so we rush to finish cuttings and have soil ready just to place in seedlings and inshaAllah the rain will come on time and the warm sun will polish the leaves and warm the new seedlings.  Abubakr spends lots of time grinding straw in the shredding machine for layering the compost with Basil’s help, at least one batch is ready to sit until the rain is done. Today they make a fire to dry straw because the composting must continue to feed the soil.

In the meantime I draw up a menu so there is no rush to prepare for Eid celebrations and consult, while my heart wonders what Eid would be like in Biladi Shaam and the girls who have been abducted right here on our continent. Many years ago in Palestine the people gathered to have Black Christmas and Eid to let the world know of their oppression and subjugation. So what can we do?

Join solidarity efforts (there is a Palestine Solidarity Protest; Tomorrow at 2:30pm; c/o Spine and Strandfontein Roads, Strandfontein); be mindful of countries in a state of war and make duah constantly, also be attentive closer to home at the orphaned, the destitute and homeless in Delft and Mfuleni and Manenberg; In Lansdowne and Oceanview and everywhere where assistance is needed. Having faith means doing something concrete in the face of an injustice and if you cannot do then speak out and if you are muted then feel the disgust and indignation. Here in Cape Town, there are a core group of Muslims that make effort to attend to those in need and we should all support initiatives such as those.

I have started to put coins in a jar for children at the door; thought about what to cook and bake (in moderation for Eid of course). So what to cook? I know that Abubakr will invite a wayfarer to share either breakfast or lunch with us so I have to prepare for more than 6 people. We like to make something unusual as a main course and something warm as a dessert as well. This year methinks baklava would be good, it can be made in advance, the longer it sits in the syrup the better. And of course I can make the pastry and freeze until I need to use it. My niece once served vanilla yoghurt with surrounding grilled nectarines (the peach type) and drizzled it with pistachio nuts, it was yummy and I thought a good companion to baklava, but its out of season so maybe pears?

One year Abubakr suggested we do something completely different - not crayfish or prawns or tongue or roasted leg, no butter chicken, or rhus bukhari but one delectable main dish. Hmmm, love a challenge, thought I. This dish started as purely a figment of my imagination and then I jumped into action. We went to the butcher and I pointed to a very large leg of lamb in the window. I asked them to take out the gland, debone and to butterfly it. At that stage I was still not sure what I was going to cook. Every time my family asked: “so what are we cooking?” I‘d say this year something Moroccan. This is what I did.

Immediately coming from the butcher I rinsed the leg of lamb slightly patted it dry and ground some whole coriander seeds. I rubbed the inner leg with rough sea salt and the ground coriander. I grated the ginger and garlic, finely chopped spearmint and coriander and smeared it on the inside and outside. Then liberally poured some yoghurt all over it, stuffed it into a bag and put in the fridge to marinade.

At the time my cholesterol was a bit high than normal and I was adjusting and experimenting with different kinds of oil to cook such as grape seed and corn oils. The grape seed oil was a bit too light so I heated a huge sauce pan added olive oil just enough to wet the base. I allowed the oil to heat up, quite hot in fact and scorched the leg on both sides to seal in the juices. Then I cut two large onions into thick rings and tossed it into the oil lifting the leg to allow it to scorch.

I turned the heat down to low and allowed the meat to simmer for ½ hr. Then I scooped out everything into a huge deep baking pan, tucked some baking paper over it and popped it into a low oven about 150 degrees Fahrenheit and went to mosque. When we came back from mosque the lamb was delicately soft but a tad dry. So I took some more onions rings tossed it into the saucepan cut three tomatoes in half added that to the base of the pot. I added some more yoghurt and I put the leg gently back into the yoghurt sauce and allowed it to simmer a bit.

I made some danya and mushroom rice and served the leg on a huge clay baked tray nestled snuggly on the danya rice with wedges of lemon on the sides. I have made this dish at least twice after that, the last time instead of danya rice I cooked some coucous, made a light stir fry of mushroom, peppers, small broccoli florets, garlic and thyme, a dash of soya sauce and tossed it into the couscous. Some butternut slices baked in olive oil and rosemary on the side and fresh garden salad with beetroot tucked in.

Ingredients:

·         1 large leg of lamb over a kg, deboned and butterflied
·         1 ½ cups of Bulgarian yoghurt
·         Sea salt and ground pepper
·         Roughly ground coriander
·         A spring of danya (coriander/cilantro)  and a sprig of mint
·         3 huge onions sliced thickly in rings
·         3 tomatoes
·         Olive oil

The preparation method is in the madness above.

Couscous

Ingredients:

·         2 cups of couscous

·         3 ½ cups of water

·         ¾ teaspoon of alt

·         Tablespoon of olive oil or butter

Preparation of coucous

Bring water to boil and stir in salt couscous and oil or butter.

Take off heat and cover
Allow to sit for ten minutes or a bit more.
Fluff with fork.
Make a quick stir of onion, garlic, mushrooms and peppers and fork into couscous just before serving.

Maybe I will make this Moroccan simmering leg of lamb for Eid or maybe I will surprise myself and my family and make something completely different, and just maybe I love surprises. My brother in law shared some of his favourite dishes on his travels - Oum Ali, an Egyptian dessert - bread pudding meets baklava (see http://chefindisguise.com/tag/the-story-behind-um-ali-dessert-name/) and the Lebanese aubergine dish, baba ganoush (http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/03/baba-ganoush.html). Apparently Baba Ganoush means spoilt Dad, ha ha. Most certainly going to give it a shot to accompany the maybe simmering leg of lamb. 

Plant food and be open-handed and open-hearted.

Yasmine

seedlings under cover

 

 

From the ground up.

In the name of Allah, Most gracious, Most merciful without Him, none is possible.



First food garden in our backyard

15 July 17 night of Ramadhan 1435.
I love receiving gifts and presents, don't know about you. Its that lekker feeling that the recipient experiences that makes it such a sacred act. Had a great session at campus on the hill and when I came home only the most delicious koeksisters (light, spicy, melt in the mouth type) waited for us; a package containing home-made spring rolls which we fought over (I only fry ten so it can last longer) and a little box. In the box, a brown paper bag and in the bag my favourite, a cashew Florentine smothered in chocolate. Had few more laps to do this morning.

So I am busy doing reading up on Islamic teacher education and Abu is busy finishing a paperless newsletter late after Taraweeg-we start to capture the beginnings of the iLABS-From the ground up Project.

When we started planting in Cape Town, we lived in a flat in Lansdowne with a fairly sized backyard, as flats go. There was a grassy area where we hung our washing, a braai area and a small stoep. One day, in spring, I was hanging out the washing when from the corner of my eye I saw something red, slithering zigzag towards the grass by the wall. I freaked out completely and called Abubakr who was busy designing some childrens’  textbooks. Gesturing, “there outside, a snake in the grass slithering past me, its little forked tongue, catch it, kanala!” hart klop in die keel.

He looked up matter of factly and said, “Yasmina ( Yasmina when he is really serious), either you catch it and kill it or you leave it, it’s a grass snake.” En die man kyk net terug na sy screen. When my heartbeat had calmed down, I spotted the snake in the grass with its mate a brownish orangey colour. I enlisted some help in the complex but Gareth professed that it may be poisonous and walked away. So I took the broom to hit them both but they were too tough and just curled up, (I felt really guilty), this was Allah’s creation too. I took the handle and heaved them up one at a time and chucked them over the wall.

A few more snakes were sighted after that in the most beautiful colours, a beige one even came into the house for tea, but by that time realized I was just over reacting, a snake is actually a beautiful thing (I know Gerda will agree). So I decided no more grass, I am digging it all out to plant vegetables and flowers, the snakes can play on the field over the wall but not in our backyard. An iniative on FB called “Grow food not lawn” spurred me on. 

Bushbeans for the pot

I started to dig out the grass, a bit hopelessly and then Abu and my sons came to rescue me and did all of the digging properly. For our anniversary I bought bags of compost and garden soil (15 of each) about 100 seedlings for R1 each at Harts, a few herb shrubs and few packets of flower seeds and said “slamat Abu!” We really enjoyed working in the garden, it was lush and green and yielded many vegetables and herbs.  Sometimes in summer I would deck out the table with white table cloth and silverware and flowers in the backyard and serve dinner by candlelight with the neighbours leaning out of their window giving us a thumbs up





Growing lettuce in crates

Some friends would bring us little gifts of lavender and chives and the garden took shape. I posted the progress on Facebook and a few of us inspired one another. Rameez brought us some old railway sleepers to raise the beds. On a summers day we would take a drive through to Wellington where Abubakr’s family gave us gifts such as the groen amaara,  the curryleaf tree an avocado and mango tree. A friend brought me some clean seed that he takes around the world and the rest is history.
 When we moved to Schaapkraal the project was ready to take off. So the idea of a seed took root and we started cleaning up rubble and digging out tar and overgrown grass, bought garden soil and compost and made a start. We also involved two schools but as winter approached we had to put it on hold until the weather is a bit warmer. Now we are organizing our resources and preparing the ground for the spring to allow the learners to enjoy the planting and taking care with us.

 

After four months we have not only started planting more than 47 kinds of vegetables but we managed to trade favours for manure and sawdust;  make our own compost; fence off the garden with shade cloth from Die Korperasie; created over 800 new plants from cuttings; started a flower and shrub garden; planted out 1000 strawberry plants in the grounds and gave away many for sadaqah; seeded our own seedlings; planted over 119 fruit trees in the ground as well as in barrels and milk containers and started a pilot of urban food gardening in crates. We have extended the food garden to double its size and we are now working on a more efficient water system: the tank for run off rainwater needs a pump and inshaAllah we would like to have a bore hole placed in the ground. Designs for the beehives are in progress and it will go off to Zygner Designs where the Master wood carver and his apprentice will build the hives for us.

Alhamdulilaah! None of this would have been possible without the support and help of the following people:

Rameez and Nadia Adams (from their garden many trees, plants and pots and tables and benches and moral support); Ridwaan Bawa and his brothers (stable manure, flower pots and generosity); Rukayah Pedro and family (7 Beautiful fruit trees); Waseemah and Umar Mdoka ( cuttings, seeds, plants and labours of love); Ml Ebrahim Yahya for his generosity and support and beautiful teas; Ruwayda and Abdurahman Fields (orange tree);Madeneya Gallie(digging); Ali Saqaf (money to buy seeds); Ismail Shubadien (the pink wheelbarrow); Sabira and Husain Rakiep (50 metres of fire hose for watering); Sayed Mohamed (use of his machinery, seedlings and camaraderie); Umar Ghaniem (plants, cloning machine and labour); Sheikh Saalim Peck (hard labour - shoveling manure, sawdust and inspiration); our children Rifqa, Zaheer, Luqmaan and Azrah (lemon pips, seeding, camera training for me and labour); Uncle Basil (heavy digging and general assistance on the smallholding); The Rabbit King good prices for supplies; 2OEF for 2 cubes of compost; Zain and Soraya Jacobs (seeds, cuttings, wood, fencing, grasses, plants, trees and advice); the late Gareth (who helped me clean up my garden); Mumtaz Harun (love, support and seeds from Azaadville); Aunty Alice (groen amaara and encouragement); Boeta Yusuf Kamadien (curryleaf, mango and avocado); Rushaan Philander (a black fig tree); Karana (many many seeds of love); Safiyah Cox and Kamal (artichoke seeds and advice and labour; Fuad Jacobs for the use of his bakkie and Husain Shabudien for the use of his car. Should we forget to mention a dear helper, please consider us grateful.

And so on to new heights, the entire project of iLABS with smaller programmes (organic garden; composting; seeding; propogation; urban food gardens, how to booklets etc) is now called From the Ground Up. InshaAllah may Allah SWT guide us in our attempts to test, learn and pass on this knowledge to all who are interested in working from the ground up and towards a way of life that has barakah and is wholesome for us and the entire environment as well as leave a sound legacy for our progeny, Ameen. May this benefit us all in the here and now as well as in the Aagirah

Talking about collaborative efforts, a friend sent us a copy of an Islamic farming toolkit for conservation agriculture that was presented at an environmental conference in Japan by Dr Husna Ahmad. She is also the author of the Green Guide for Hajj and I really love this book, Islam and water: The Hajjar (r.a.) Story and Guide.

The farming toolkit is excellently illustrated and put together, opening with Surah `Abasa: 24-32

Then let mankind look at his food

How We poured down water in torrents,

Then We broke open the Earth, splitting [it with sprouts],

And caused to grow within it grain,

And grapes and herbage,

And olives and palm trees,

And gardens of dense shrubbery,

And fruit and grass—

[As] enjoyment for you and your grazing livestock.

Dr  Husna also draws upon the rich farming history of Islam; the Holy Qur’an- the promises of Allah SWT and the success story of Nabi Yusuf and then an offering of their farming methods and good planning. Finally, the benefits of beekeeping. I am sure that the toolkit can be downloaded from the internet but if you have trouble with it contact me. Her other two booklets are available for downloading too. Do yourself a favour and take a peak!

Plant food and collaborate with others.

Yasmine
ps. a huge shukran too to Umer Peters who just came to load off some manure with his tipper truck, much appreciated, now enough compost and start cooking!

Spice is in our blood!

In the name of Allah the most gracious, the most merciful.

15 Ramadhan 2014

 

Love in the mist pic Dr Dan’s garden tips



Last night we stood in qunut asking Allah to guide us and pardon us and be our ally, to bless us and save us and we to turn to Him in repentance, it is such a beautiful duah, Subhanallah. Last night the qunut was also performed as is the norm on the 15^th night of Ramadhan but also in the face of calamity calling on His assistance. The power of duah is not to be taken lightly.

When we fasted as children and the midway point arrives, the 15^th of Ramadhan, we would ask each other, “Is jy op die berg?” (Are you on the mountain). When my older children were little my eldest ones about 8 and 10, my eldest  son would be the last one standing as the monthlies arrived and I can still picture the pride on his face as we all sat at the table enviously watching him close his eyes to take that first sip of water.

So today it is special for all those “op die berg”, baie slamat! No special soups such as cream of mushroom or butternut or harira or corn, ITS BOEBER NIGHT!!! It’s pulling out the stops, so a nutritious bump up with a fruit salad and evaporated milk. It’s a toss-up for lasagne or cannelloni at our house.

This week I decided to start planting things that has special reverence such as black seed (Kalonji, black cumin, Greek coriander) nigella satvia. I am completely taken with the pictures of its flowers (some call it love in the mist). I love this blog have a look at the site where I borrowed the picture from: http://drdanslandscaping.blogspot.com/2012/03/sensitivity.html. Scrimmaged through the cupboards, alas no black seed. Then I remembered I made some surprise rolls and sprinkled them on top. In a Turkish restaurant in Sudan we had some magnificent bread sprinkled with black cumin as a starter. It was all puffed up and light inside and so yummy we tore off pieces and finished it in no time.

Anyway so I knew that I would not find any around what with not having wheels, I sent out pigeons with messages everywhere (just kidding). A friend and co-worker Ziyaad on his way home had his sister buy some when he was picked up (huge shukran Ziyaad and sister). How chaffed was I? The weather seemed warm enough to seed and I scattered some in little nooks and crannies, in pots and punnets and inshaAllah with duah it will sprout. The packet only cost R5.00 and I still have two thirds left. I used to eat some and add to the food because of all of its excellent nutritious properties and to stimulate my energy levels after the flu. A friend takes the oil in the morning and swears by it. So I thought let’s plant some more medicinal plants.

Pic from Shugliblogspot.com

This morning I had such a lekker comment from one of our students about the blog and it spurred me on to look at other exotic fruits too. She wanted to know more about the dragon fruit and I am hoping we find some soon so I can get a taste, I discover it is also called pitaya. Other exotic fruits I love are star fruits and custard apples – InshaAllah I hope to get a tree soon as well as litchis. Check out this site: http://www.butterfingers.co.za/exotic-fruits-of-the-east  It was a special treat that my Dad used to bring home (the custard apple I mean) and last I found it at Wembleys.

flax in our garden

So I am quite chaffed with flaxseed or linseed that I scattered with its beautiful little purple flowers and when they drop off little round seed pods, shukran Soraya and shukran Allah. The fenugreek is ready to be picked and the dill stands elegantly. The aniseed must still make an appearance and I am not sure what in heavens name those little grassy plants are where I threw the cumin seeds. The ginger is happier in warmer surroundings and I am going completely bos as soon as spring appears with other spice seeds. How cool would it be to have a tamarind tree or a clove tree, what about some cinnamon and mace trees. For now I am content with curryleaf and bayleaf – for sure spice is in our blood.

Plant food and spices and exotic fruits too.

Yasmine

As the darkness overruns Biladi Shaam.

In the name of Allah most gracious, most merciful.

15th night Ramadhan 1435.

I woke up having overslept for the first time for Suhur, with the alarm on my chest at 6.50 Subhanallah.  Last night to a full mosque in Surry Estate the Kiyamul Layl (Night prayers) were conducted and Salatul Ghaib (Salah for the dead in absentia) for the Palestinians and the Syrians. The mosque was filled with outrage and hurt. Young and old stood in saf with heavy heart, trying to make sense. “We cannot talk about Palestine and not talk about what is going on in Syria”, said the speaker. A fact finding group had returned to investigate what was happening in there.

In Syria, the land of knowledge, the junction point between the east and the west, over 8 mil people are displaced, 200 000 have been killed. On the borders of Turkey in a small town of 80 000 people, 100 000 refugees have been accommodated and attended to. The speaker spoke directly to a man in Syria, who gave an account of what was happening to him and to those around him, bombed, maimed and killed and raped, women young and old, debased. Anesthetic for amputations are recitals of the Fatiha and the Quls by the doctor and the injured seeking refuge in Allah from the mischief of created things and the darkness as it overruns the earth. Subhanallah!

This woman cringes and sobs low in her throat, like when Rwandan women were dishonoured and when 20 000 Bosnian women were repeatedly degraded all in the name of ethnic cleansing. Going back in history the rapes of Vietnamese and Korean women by US soldiers; German women raped by Soviet soldiers ranged up to 2 million; thousands of women were raped during Bangladesh's war of independence; the rape of the women in Cyprus; the 1937 rape of Nanking and we can go on and on. Whether in Lavender Hill, Mitchells Plain, Haiti, Liberia, Somalia and Uganda – whether in a cell or en masse, rape is rape. An abominable act, whether orthodox Christian,  Chinese or Tutsi or Korean or German or Jew.

The Malaaikah weep and the world stands and watches.

Abu and I could not sleep at all until we dozed off at about 4. I could look at the pictures posted on the web no more. I turn to the garden to seek tranquility for my Ruh because only in nature is that possible for me. In nature the female species are not despoiled and raped so to call this behavior “like animals” is an insult to the animal kingdom. I feel ashamed for the actions of other human beings, a spectator, helpless and I seek refuge in my Rabb.

My morning is filled with the high pitched tweeting of birds, but in the Middle East the sounds of an onslaught of bombs are not dissimilar. As the day continues, the men have gone to fetch manure to make compost; and I will myself to start off the day.

Plant food and honour all women and love thine neighbour!

Yasmine

 

A blast from the past - Flashbacks from way back.

In the name of Allah most gracious, most merciful.

11 Ramadhan 2014. 9 July 2014.

Dad, Uncle Achmat and Oupa Abdul Aziz

My lift to a school food garden check-up was running late this morning. The weather is so fabulous that I put the washing on the line, hung out the towels and tidied up. Abu is busy planting poles to knock on shade cloth. So before the day gets ahead of me, I plonked myself in front of the computer and started emptying out my thoughts, here goes.

It’s so weird hey, the older we become, and the more we contemplate on the practices of our parents and elders. Our diets were actually very balanced. We had everything in moderation, Mondays were good for fish because of the full course meal on Sundays, roast chicken only on Sundays, as a second dish, bredies during the week which included green vegetables and pulses and curry or biryani or steak and kidney pie on Fridays. Saturdays were fried kidneys and eggs or smoored sausage, maybe a raisin loaf popped in the oven for late snacks. Desserts would be fruit salads or jelly, canned fruit and Ideal milk or my favourite honeycomb sponge. On colder days, vermicelli, klapper tert, bread and butter pudding, tapioca or sago, but potato puddings were strictly for merangs. And don’t forget the stewed fruit.

Eid was special – Cornish Hen or freshly slaughtered chicken curry with fluffy rotis, Corned beef, roasted tongue, leg of lamb or silverside. Crayfish when in season, maybe some duck that we slaughtered. Sambals and salads and an array of different biscuits, loaves, coconut or jam tarts, hertzoggies or twee gevriet koekies and trifle. There was an air about Eid the week before to clean and beautify the house before Laylatul Qadr - The Night of Power. Sometimes those oil paints were a bit much ne? But my Mom would cut onions and place them in saucers to absorb the smell. Onions are amazing vegetables for cleansing and purifying the body, you know. In the Sudan we were advised to place a slice of onion in the water to be ensured that it would cleanse either the water or our colons from bacteria.

Our parents really knew their way around not only the herbs but also how to use and why to use spices and managed to work out a good diet plan. We were also encouraged to consider others at the table and who had no table. Today a Mom insists “eet nog my kid, jy het mos heel dag gepwasa, maak sommer die hele pizza klaar ons wil mos nie mors nie.”  

Someone gives a plant some scientific name and starts with: “research shows, that turmeric is known to help with Alzheimer’s disease”, and we are all off to buy turmeric because research shows so we sommer want to throw in a tablespoon and gulp in down. It was included in your diet regularly, but we forget. We don’t make yellow rice anymore, we buy that precooked little bakkies at Woolies, because it is so convenient and have become the instant gratification generation. Also we have changed our pallets to prefer the tastes of sodium and tartarizine and MSG smothering our food and marring our taste buds, I don’t even want to go into the fallout of eczema, allergies, and asthma, diabetes and weight issues.

Don’t even make me go to those Maggi blocks or Oxo blocks. We use it because the recipe states to use stock. Hello, what is stock? The water that you boiled the vegetables in and throw down the sink or the water from the corned tongue or beef. Or make your own and store it. Onions, garlic, spring onions and leeks and herbs are the backbone of bredies and roasts. Waar het Maggi geleer om kos te maak?

 My Mom used to say “gooi borrie op daai sny in haar hand om die bloed te stop en die sny toe tetrek”. Fetch a piece of aloe from a neighbour; some castor oil leaves for migraines and packed on the back for lungs; malfa pressed into a ball to releasing sap for earache; parsley water for bladder infections; ginger for nausea; lemon water to get the blood pressure regulated; a groen amara  infusion for colon problems, turnips for kidney and bladder aliments; Epsom salts for tired feet and muscles; bi-carb to clean teeth; chew on a clove for toothache; the milky sap of figs for (vratjies) warts,  and the best remedy for flu simmer some water with a lemon squeezed, a piece of green ginger, spoon of honey. When it was cooled off my Mom would pop in two dispirins and you drank it, Med lemon take a hike. It’s all in the spice cupboard!

Their knowledge of nutritious foods were not learnt on Google. How about  spinach to get your haemoglobin count up; some nutmeg generously grated over steamed veggies for boils; cinnamon water to help slow down prenatal bleeding; periwinkles for good iodine content;  salmon, snoek and tuna for all kinds of health issues; garlic for infections and bacteria.

I think the generation of our parents were kwaai and we do not honour that, we call it outyds. They had so much knowledge of how to live a quality life that was infused with celebration and warmth and happiness and Shukr and Sadaqah. Our rooms were constantly filled with either family who did not have a home or parcels and hampers of food. They worked hard either at a job, home industry, in the home, for the Mosque or maddressah, a social consciousness that we can only dream of and theories practice in the everyday.

Generosity was the very fabric of their being. Sundays a “diepbord” would be dished for the neighbour and the cakes for boeka would go to neighbours Muslim or Christian alike. An orphan or widow ranked high on their agenda, not to mention a wayfarer or student. Sharing was their mainstay: A snoek is always shared with someone as is a bag of potatoes or onions or oranges or box of tomatoes or tray of eggs. Their earnings were so much less but had so much Barakah.

Cleanliness practiced was by far more superior to the spray cans of Mr Muscle that we brandish around, Mr Muscle was working at Murray and Steward. On Thursdays, the house would be turned out, all bedding changed, every floor scrubbed, polished and buffed, every window washed including the window sill, every pot scoured till it shined (my Mom gave me her Classic pots purchased in the 70s and although its handles are a bit verwoes they are still perfect), every cupboard repacked, every toilet bleached; every piece of furniture washed with vinegar, all cutery first with lemon then with Brasso or Silvo;  every carpet or mat washed and I could go on and on.

But enough, let me show my son my Mom’s triple S remedy to get rid of stains on the white tablecloths. Wet it and rub on some sunlight soap, lavish with either salt or suurlemoen and throw it out on the grass into the sunlight! Did I say grass? There is a bit of lawn here, OK just a small patch!

Plant food and involve every member in a house turnout! And please add your family remedies and recipes.

 

Yasmine

Winter harvest, waiting for spring

In the name of Allah most gracious most merciful.

7 July 2014.
Alhamduliaah, the day greets us resplendid. The rains were leashed to day and inshaAllah maybe a few more days of sun. There is a chill to the bone though as the temperature plummets; alas many people have been affected with sore throats and heavy chests. It is so cold here we even make salaah on blankets and with blankets on.

new veggie beds

I refused to be deterred by the cold this morning and rebelliously booted up and buttoned up and set out to see how the plants were doing. The sun was out and welcoming - ‘n bietjie Vitamin D goes a long way. Abubakr had made some new beds to plant in, and I could not wait to get my hands in it.  But first throwing open every window; a load of washing on the line and a brisk walk around. I peep into the shed and to my surprise the lavender cuttings are green and lavish. All the rambling rose cuttings and Virginia creepers are not just rooting but also develop new leaves, way to go Abubakr.

The strawberry bushes are filled with blossoms that we pick off to have a better crop in spring. The irises stand elegant and proud against the cold; the poppies are filled with dew but do not waver. The foxglove blossoms are about to open and the ranunculi plants are growing thicker. The daisy bushes are dense preparing for a good flush of blooms and the groundcovers creep along all over the stepping stones. The new mints enjoy the damp ground and flourish and the wild garlic are recovering the planting out. The vitex red bushes stand their ground against the grey wall while the variegated ones love their place behind the shade cloth. All of the fruit trees are heavy with bud and the pomegranate trees sprout beautiful new red little leaves.

 The thing about a food garden is the thought that goes into the planning. Remember, unlike a farm when the crops are sowed and harvested and taken to market, the food garden has to offer vegetables all year round. So when we plant lettuce, we can start picking the outer leaves (though not too many) and have lettuce provision for a month, until we lift it completely, pop it in into a container in the fridge to use all week. We always leave one or two to sprout seed in order to store.  Therefore if one staggered the planting maybe every two or three weeks, planting maybe 10 new seedlings, it will be sufficient for the table and to share. If you seed them yourself it works out even cheaper than buying at the local nursery for R1 a seedling. But of course it takes a bit of effort and resources and some space and time. I am still trying to put together some good costing figures because we did not have a budget and I am completely whimsical in my choices of buying and planting and how do I factor in the gifts of seeds and plants and cuttings?

 

 

 

the spoils

We decided to lift out all of pea bushes and do a thorough harvest and give the carrots, turnips and kale a chance to get some sunlight. We seeded the peas on the 5^th of March and staked them to wigwams by the beginning of April. By June the bushes were voluptuous and blossoms formed. So essentially we started to pick handfuls of peas to use as side dishes, grilled on the roti pan or straight from the bushes into our mouths. I cooked meals at least thrice with this crop and when we harvested yesterday and sorted today there were at least 5 kg of podded peas and 2 kg of baby peas to use as mange tout, it was shared between four of us Alhamdulillah.

The rain was really harsh and some of the peas, right at the base of the bushes kind of ripened completely and turned brown, but when I opened the pods the peas were already sprouting. I immediate staked my claim on the new bed against the wall and planted them, marked them with stones so as to know where to put some stakes in.

So far what have we enjoyed from the food garden and are still enjoying? Tomatoes - both cherry and money spender, green peppers, brinjals, celery, spring onions and chives, leeks, red and brown onions, lettuce (butterhead, iceberg, cos, oakleaf, frilly green and red), rocket, red cabbages, chinese and green cabbages, beetroot, carrots, green beans and peas, broccoli, danya,  paprika and jalapeno chillis, turnips, dill, spinach, radish, fenugreek, basil, thyme, parsley,  three mints, origanum rosemary, yarrow, flax, lemon grass, gooseberries, black berries, blue berries and 200 strawberry plants.  All of this in about 6 metres by 15 metres and in 115 days, nogal!

What failed dismally? The butternut seedlings from the long twirly butternut I bought on the road. But on the bright side, we dug the plants in as green manure. Nothing actually goes to waste even the peas we lifted, when one looks between the roots there are some bulblets filled with nutrients and it goes into the compost heaps, having already enriched the soil where we will now plant leafy vegetables. Also the idea of creating a chamomile patch, too late the cold whacked them! And an almost flop was planting the ginger, it flourished well then just looked dead. So I took it inside to a warm dry spot. Phew, amper daar.

We had some visitors today two beautiful children stealing our hearts. Umm Kulthum with her husky voice from the cold and charmed Uncle Bakar to take out the paints and brushes after she was duk of the garden. "I need to paint!"

 Other beautiful visitors that charm us no end were small red and green chested sunbirds, darting from flower to flower chirping crazily at their stash of nectar. Flocks of birds pass over so low over our heads in vee formation and I am in awe, Subhaanallah!

Nature teaches us so much. With care, it is so giving and yields abundantly to sustain us. This giving that we are encouraged to do by our Rabb. To make sadaqah and zakaah, in order to purify our Ruh. It reminds us to first put aside our Fitrahs and Fidyahs for the end of Ramadhan. We just start fasting and we are already thinking about Labarang clothes, ha ha. Not that we should not. I encourage my daughter and son to think about what they would like to wear for Eid and to remember that it is winter - so think thick.  Their Dad shouts: “for goodness sake no black, it is morbid and depressing - choose colourful clothes”, says the man who loves his colourful African garb. And we want them to know that we honour their steadfastness of fasting and recitals of the Qur’an and helping with chores and just generally being so lekker. Maar ons sit maar eerste die Fitrahs weg – to give to those prescribed with enough time to spend and then roadtrip!

Plant food and be giving and enjoy the birds.

Yasmine

Mariam - 4th Ramadhan 1435.

In the name of Allah, Most gracious, Most merciful.

 

 Indonesian women (borrowed from News24)

Alhamdulillah. The swoosh of tyres on wet asphalt lets me know that Allah has sent barakah to us and our fields and crops and the dams are filling up and I am grateful. The rain washes away the impurities and it is asif the sky hits the refresh button. This Ramadhan has had its fair share of all-weather types – to inspire us. And here’s the thing - as much as I love to cook and bake and brew, one should not be spending so much time busy with food, Ramadhan has far too many niyamahs. So, as much as my legs ache there is nothing I would rather do than burn the midnight oil-I can always sleep in a bit in the morning.

One Ramadhan, my youngest was still a baby, I asked the permission from my family to stay in Iktikaaf for one night. That year Kareema Quick and her daughters, a few women from Manenberg and myself made ourselves comfortable, kept busy with our personal recitations and duahs and when the masjid was completely quiet, we sat in a circle and spoke about Sietienah Mariam Alayhi salaam the mother of Nabi 'Isa  Alayhi salaam, from the family of Imran as a grace to all womankind.

Her life as a little girl and as a virgin young woman and as a mother should serve as an example to us all, her endless devotion and absolute faith, having been chosen over all other women by Allah. Allah SWT holds her in such high esteem that she is mentioned as one of the women of Jannah, Subhanallah. That evening was really a wonderful experience, not unlike other Kiyaamu Layl I had spent in the 80s and 90s, just better and more focused on ibaadah. When Fajr arrived one of my daughters stood tight against my shoulder and afterwards we all went home.

As women we should encourage ourselves and our daughters to frequent the masjid, this sacred place of ibaadah to contemplate, to recite Allah SWT’s Holy Book, to read other kitaab, to find solace and most importantly to stand shoulder to shoulder in saf. To to be present in mosque with all of our problems and dilemmas, to seek Allah’s help there, to beseech for His mercy there, no better a confidant to find. Also to celebrate with Allah your joys and give thanks, for a new baby or car or job or crop or marriage or good health. This stillness is perfect to study. Of course all one has to do is to throw open your prayer mat at home and do such. But nothing compares to the serenity and sanctity of sacred ground, why else did Mariam Alayhi salaam stay but to be the closest to her Rabb.

There is something to be said about standing in saf with one’s sisters, shoulder to shoulder or foot to foot as we did in Sudan - they even curl their small toes into yours. There is something to be said about the sanctity of the saf, the feeling of a continuous line of communication, strong in niyyah. uniform in ibaadah and firm in Ameen. There is something to be said of the feeling of safety in worship, though you may feel tired shoulders hold you up and a smile lets you know that you stand as one. There is so much to be said about being a part of a jama’ah of the world in Cape Town or in Joburg, in Peru or in Beijing, in Los Angeles or in Marakesh, in Gangam or in Reem all of us facing the Holy Ka’aba in different time lines but all the time.

Women in saf in Toledo

When I was a working mom, I would rush off to masjid for Jumuah, sometimes arriving out of breath because I had to take a taxi. Smiles all around and silent “you made it.” I’d go to mosque until my contractions started and be back with baby after Nifaas. I went during pregnancies particularly that Allah and the sounds and smells and feelings of masjid would permeate the consciousness of my children while they were in the womb. So that they knew that wherever they were in the world, at whatever time, Allah’s house would welcome them and they would surely find their way to it.

When we were in Makkah, Abu and I would go down to the Haram and conspire to meet after salah at Bab Fatag. I would wait for 15 minutes and if he was not there would make my way up to the beit. He would do the same. One jumuah I stood beside a woman working in Madinah and accompanying her husband to Makkah for an Umrah and a Jumuah and back to Madinah. As we completed salah, she was still sajdah. I sat waiting, not rushing to get out and the woman was still in sajdah. At first I thought that she needed to ask Allah something really badly. But the area was really becoming sparse so put my arm around her to ensure that she was alright. She signaled to me that she was grateful for the rescue and needed to complete her raka’ah with a sigh. So I helped her sit in Tahyaa and when she completed tasleem she asked me to help lie her down she had a slipped disk. She asked me to see whether her husband was waiting and to let him know to fetch her. As I looked past the golden screens there stood Abu and the husband making chit chat, waiting because we wanted to go to Sakeefah’s for excellent prawns.

It matters not that I forgot her name I still see her beautiful, pained face. “You from Kashmir too?”she asked. “I wish, but no, this nose fools many people”. Kashmir is just one of the places that I have travelled through books, Its snow caps mountains, fresh pine forest and beautiful rivers with quaint boatmen, ja I know Kashmir. So if we ever wonder why standing in saf in Jama’ah is something that we miss if we have not been to mosque in a while,  know that our souls knew one another at the Arawaag, long before we were born and probably we stood in saf.

Today’s blog would not be complete without mentioning a beloved cousin Mariam or Mayam as we called her. She was there and helped take care of us and spoilt us rotten. How else? we stood in saf in Makkah and in Madinah and probably long before we were born. May we all have success when we stand in saf Youmil Kiyamah.

Keep planting food even if it rains.

Yasmine