Jul 28, 2020 - Gourmet Guide magazine is a seasonal online feast filled with captivating information, restaurants, chefs and plenty of ravishing recipes. Life Green Group joins the #SpekboomChallenge . Anton Roux A Life Less Ordinary. It is also a source of water in the bush and can be used to soothe sunburn. Popular restaurants have even added the leaves to dishes like stews, salads, preserves or as a garnish. Spekboom, also called elephant bush, is an incredible succulent plant found in South Africa. The leaves are fully edible, slightly tart tasting, and packed with Vitamin C. Our Babel restaurant chefs love to use it in salads, stews, preserves and as garnish. It is edible to humans too, packed with Vitamin C and with a relatively tart flavour. Also known as pork or elephant bush, spekboom is a nutritious eco-warrior packed with vitamin C and basic nutrients such as magnesium and manganese and was traditionally used to treat exhaustion and dehydration. Contact Us. I have been hunting for something like this. Indigenous to the Eastern Cape, it can grow anywhere where it gets sun. Did you know that certain wild animals absolutely LOVE spekboom? As the scale of the climate change crisis has hit home, the world has been looking for solutions. The plant can grow up to between 2 and 5 metres tall, is edible and high in Vitamin C. The Spekboom is very resilient and can survive frost, drought, and fire. This hardy succulent is easy to grow, waterwise and requires little maintenance. It’s edible and high in Vitamin C. This drought-resistant plant can survive on just 250-350mm of water a year. Credit: Stork.co.za. Packed with vitamin C and other nutrients, spekboom leaves are juicy and full of moisture. Spekboom is high in nutritional value, with a subtle lemony taste and a notable Vitamin C content. 1. Why the hype? • The leaves of the Spekboom are high in Vitamin C and can be eaten. Spekboom also helps to fight dehydration, making this magical plant perfect for hot summer weddings. This carbon sponge can sequester more than 4 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year per hectare planted, making it … December 13th, 2019 . Another great benefit is that you don’t need a green finger to grow the Spekboom tree. Grow Your Own. This bush is also known as porkbush and its high in vitamin C. Here are ways in which you can use this miracle plant for your own benefits: ... Each hectare planted can remove over 4 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere per year. Comments. Well first things first, it has edible leaves, jam-packed with Vitamin C. Some high-end restaurants in the Mother City (Cape Town) has even included this unique delicatessen to their menus. Besides being edible (and high in Vitamin C), the medium-sized shrub found predominantly in the Eastern Cape, is resilient and an important ‘weapon’ in the fight against climate change. It grows best in a sunny, sandy area but can grow in shady areas as well. "According to C.A. It’s packed with Vitamin C. It makes for good animal fodder, but you’ve got to keep domestic animals off it because they damage the microclimate surrounding the plants. 1. Besides being edible (and high in Vitamin C), the medium-sized shrub found predominantly in the Eastern Cape is resilient and an important ‘weapon’ in the fight against climate change. The leaves of the Spekboom tree is edible and very high in Vitamin C, which adds to the well-balanced lemon-citrus heart of this perfect pouring Gin. Smith (1966) there are two strains of the plant, the sour spekboom and the sweet spekboom, the latter practically eaten out of existence by all stock and wild antelope." Spekboom is ten times more effective than the Amazon rainforest at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. PREVIOUS STORY. It is quite fabulous! One hectare of Spekboom can remove 4.2 tonnes of CO2 per year. Spekboom can be used in salads, preserves and chutneys and as an ingredient in traditional South African tomato bredie. One hectare of Spekboom can remove 4.2 tonnes of CO2 per year. Sep 21, 2019 - Spekboom is South Africa's endemic wonder plant. ... SPEKBOOM: Step 1: Find a healthy plant to take a cutting from. Besides being edible (and high in Vitamin C), the medium-sized shrub found predominantly in … Great for: Adding to pâtés and spreads. The leaves are actually and packed with vitamin C. The acidy taste is makes them a fun addition to a summer salad or in a winter stew. This hardy succulent is easy to … Some humans also eat the leaves which are soft and slightly tart – and full of vitamin C! Spekboom Spekboom also goes by the names Pork Bush or Elephant’s Food and is great at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. To be specific, our oxygen garden consists of cuttings from the very humble and way under-rated Spekboom. Research has shown that spekboom, as part of its indigenous ecosystems and in the … The leaves of the Spekboom tree is edible and very high in Vitamin C, which adds to the well-balanced lemon-citrus heart of this perfect pouring Gin. The leaves are edible with a pleasant, acidy taste that can be used in salads and are high in Vitamin C. Small star-shaped pink flowers are borne en masse from late winter to spring although flowering in cultivation is often erratic. Spekboom, also known as Pork Bush or Elephant’s food, is South Africa’s own indigenous wonder plant. Book Your Shamwari Stay. Per a comment in McCarthy's article, in Tucson, Arizona "[the collared peccary (aka javelina or musk hog, Pecari tajacu )] love, love, love to munch on [widely used landscaping] elephant food. NEXT STORY > Related Stories. This plant is a super plant as it is edible, of course that is why I put it in the stew, healthy – it contains vitamin C – the taste is a bit sour and goes well with tomatoes, and it very good for the environment and the atmosphere. Spekboom forests can serve as grazing and browsing areas of last resort for wildlife and livestock, even when all else has withered in a drought. It also contains high amounts of Vitamin C – making it a great flu-fighter. Also known as Pork or Elephant bush, spekboom is a nutritious eco-warrior packed with Vitamin C and basic nutrients such as magnesium and manganese and was traditionally used to treat exhaustion and dehydration. The leaves are fully edible, slightly tart tasting, and packed with Vitamin C. Our Babel restaurant chefs love to use it in salads, stews, preserves and as garnish. Spekboom can, however, be used for more than it’s carbon emission talents. Step 2: Take a stem cutting approximately 10 - 50 cm in length with a clean sharp knife or secateurs. It is packed full of vitamin C, as well as, manganese, magnesium and cobalt. This shrub is packed with Vitamin C and the succulent leaves are pro photosynthesisers. Spekboom. Spekboom, also known as pork bush or elephant’s food, is our own indigenous wonder plant. berries It’s mulberry season. Spekboom – Portulacaria afra; Spekboom – Portulacaria afraPortulacaria afra One of the most iconic trees in South Africa is the Baobab tree. The elephants love spekboom on Shamwari Private Game Reserve – book your visit to see them delve in. Let’s go back to that marvellous spekboom, with its tiny plump fleshy leaves. They have a delicious sour or tart flavour. Black rhinos, elephant and kudu to name a few. This hardy succulent is easy to grow, waterwise and requires little maintenance. Also known as pork or elephant bush, spekboom is a nutritious eco-warrior packed with vitamin C and basic nutrients such as magnesium and manganese and was traditionally used to treat exhaustion and dehydration. This changes slightly though when it’s cooked. They are also used in traditional medicine to treat dehydration and heat stroke. Spekboom is ten times more effective than the Amazon rainforest at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Spekboom is native to the Eastern Cape and in the past they were known for their rich vitamin C content which made them quite nutritious. Spekboom, also known as pork bush or elephant’s food, is our own indigenous wonder plant. 2. Baobab (Aka Bottle Tree, Upside-down Tree) Adansonia. The sap from the leaves can also be used to treat skin ailments and provide relief for blisters and sunburn. Step 3: Remove any leaves from the bottom third of the cutting. Spekboom can, however, be used for more than it’s carbon emission talents. Besides being edible (and high in Vitamin C), the medium-sized shrub found predominantly in the Eastern Cape is resilient and an important ‘weapon’ in the fight against climate change. Though spekboom may sound like something Ant and Dec would have rapped about in the 90s, it’s actually an African tree, which Nic describes as a “wonder plant” because “it can remove 4.2 tonnes of CO2 per year, is edible and very high in Vitamin C.” Tidbit: The leaves are chewed by Mozambique women during nursing when they want to encourage milk production. Spekboom, also known as pork bush or elephant’s food, is our own indigenous wonder plant. They leave an acidic taste of lemon on the tongue, making spekboom an excellent addition to fresh salads or even in the wedding cake itself. The leaves are plump and juicy with a rather tangy, lemony tart taste. It is edible, with high levels of vitamin C; It can live for up to 200 years; Adaptable and therefore easy to grow; Can be grown into hedges; Like most succulents, it is really good at cleaning carbon dioxide out the air, which is why this humble little plant has suddenly got so much attention ; Spekboom flowers are beautiful; Photo credit of flowering spekboom to My Boozy Kitchen. If you’re looking for a versatile plant that can be turned into a hedge, a bonsai, used as ground cover or perhaps a large bush, spekboom is the plant for you. Add some to your salads! The spekboom is extremely high in vitamin-C and can be consumed by humans, (a sprig of lemony-tasting spekboom in a gin and tonic is rather delightful). It is High in Basic Nutrients This plant is edible and high in nutrients, especially Vitamin C, and a perfect addition to a … And, it contains micro-elements, iodine and selenium, which act … Janet says: August 1, 2017 at 9:41 am Thank you so much for this. 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