Monthly Archives: July 2015
The change in season comes with changes in every garden, and the recent odd showers have soaked into the soil showing me lines or contours of the land with which it is time to dance.
Shahn has been working on her catalog, and putting out plants at the market with my tisanes and teas. Here are some images… please feel free to contact us.
Kyla got together a few of the rugby guys to assist in bagging and moving mulch and soil – they are a hardworking bunch 
thank you guys and gal.
Some people came in with Doug Edgar and chopped down the hedge and ivy, he usually works on making roads with SA Grassing cc, and can be contacted on 083 300 3004 or doug.edgar@tiscali.co.za The team has done a wonderful job of creating mulch piles for me to use in the garden. Unfortunately the result has negatives and positives… removing so much of the hedge has exposed the garden a bit more to the smog from the road, and wind. That is the downside. On the upside, Pirates has a plan to upgrade that fence and this is part of rehabilitating that stretch of land. I am also creating a planting and harvesting cycle with all this material… I have started a small potting area in the meantime;-) Also, on the upside, the garden seems to flourish on its own, all I am adding is a few coffee grains at irregular intervals. And to top it off I was donated two wheelbarrows, loads of pots, loads of amber soil from Vuma , and mulch of wood chip and leaves from the hedge. I am in deep gratitude for these items and am making progress with them on hand this week again THANK YOU
This is actually the part where gardening becomes a dance for me, where I have an idea but its not structured it changes as I apply it step right and left hover forward and back on your haunches on your knees… turn around You see?
I am looking forward to planting up two bags of cuttings in the morning too, which I will use as a means to prevent soil from washing down and creating more of a slope. These have been donated by Ingrid of the Jozi Real Food Market at Pirates Sports Club. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
Mix the following ingredients together for an immune boost that should conquer any bronchial and respiratory disorder.
Echinacea Root, Catnip, Yarrow & Wilde-Als
1 tsp herbs per cup of water, boil in a pot
Let it stand 3 – 5 minutes
Add honey, turmeric & ginger-root, aniseed & a dash of cayenne pepper
Echinacea Root awakens and stimulates the immune system, and is used in the treatment of infections in the urinary tract. Catnip has sedative properties. Yarrow is an antiseptic, and Wilde- Als (also known as African Wormwood or Artemesia Afra) is used in treatment of bronchitis.
Honey is also an antiseptic, while Tumeric is an anti-inflammatory, Anise is used to tread colds and flu, as well as stomach ailments. Cayenne Pepper is richest in vitamin C.
This combination, with the added ingredients is a spicy, beautiful tea for bedtime in times when one needs restoration on any level.
I have been setting up a stall every Thursday at the Bryanston Organic Market for about 2 months, and am in month 4 of working the land traded for at the Pirates Sports Club in Greenside. The aim of the garden was to grow herbs and medicinal plants to use in the infusions I make and sell at the Jozi Food Market. I am grateful for the intervention and path that I have walked with Farmer John and his wife Yvette. Both have assisted me in getting into the Bryanston Organic Market, with transporting stock and me from time to time. As part of this market, actually I am not sure why, a committee of people came to see the Pirates Garden. The result was a PGS certification, my Pirates garden is approved as “in transition” because it has not been farmed organically for more than 36 months. So… HERE IT IS (I am not sure why I cannot make this LINK open in a new tab)
PGS Certificate Netanya Naude 2015 06 29
In Yvettes’ words… What does PGS certification mean?
PGS South Africa operates according to the guidelines for Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) as defined by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).
“Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) are locally focused quality assurance systems. They certify producers based on active participation of stakeholders and are built on a foundation of trust, social networks and knowledge exchange.” (IFOAM, 2008)
PGS represent a real alternative to third party certification, especially adapted to local markets. Thousands of small farmers who grow organic produce are unable to certify their products. Many established organic producers are certified by third party certifiers. It is the system most countries require for organic certification. Third party certification can be quite costly and requires onerous record-keeping and infrastructure beyond the means of most small farmers.
THE STANDARD: Growers are assessed according to a set of Basic Production Principles. These principles are based on the AFRISCO Organic Standard and in compliance with PGS requirements in the South African Draft Regulations. It must be noted that PGSSA has no relationship with AFRISCO and that AFRISCO neither supports nor endorses PGSSA. The choice to use the AFRISCO Standard as baseline is due to the fact that the standard is in general use across Southern Africa and is accredited by IFOAM.
This also means you will always get AWESOME TISANES AND TEA from me, no matter which market I am at
I have 47 different plants in the garden so far, there are more than one of some of them Somehow community involvement is beginning and I am being led to where this garden will lead along with it, it seems<3