Welcome to our new blog series, The Starke Effect: Homegrown Good Food. In this series of blogs, proudly brought to you by Starke Ayres, we´ll be showing you how to setup your very own, low-maintenance veggie garden so that you can enjoy the fruits of your labour right in your very own kitchen and share with you some green gardening secrets. Thereby reducing the amount of food you buy and doing your bit for the environment. The best part about The Starke Effect, is the that we´ll be giving you tips on how to do everything on a budget and will also give suggestions on how to grow your own produce should you not have a big garden or balcony.
I have just moved into a new place, with a garden, which got me all excited about starting my very first veggie garden and garden in general! To show you the readers, how easy and low-maintenance it really is to grow your own food, I decided to take on the challenge of growing my very own herb and vegetable garden. Now let me just set the record straight I am in no way the next Keith Kirsten so if I can do it, you all can definitely do it to! To be honest the last thing I ever grew was those beans you used to have to grow in junior school and a few failed attempts at growing an avocado tree to my grandmother´s dismay.
So on a rainy Saturday morning I set off to Starke Ayres to do some shopping under the watchful eye of Starke Ayres staff members who are a mine of information when it comes to all things green. I started off learning all about the best composter I have ever come across, Bokashi (if you, like me, are not a fan of worm farms this is a must-try but more about that later). Afterwhich I was accompanied to pick out the correct compost, food for my veggies, fertiliers and rock dust, crushed volcanic rock rich in minerals and trace elements. Next up was picking out my new herbs and vegetables remembering that it is now winter time in Cape Town and I need produce that will flourish in the current cold, wet weather we´ve been experiencing. I chose to take only a few seeds and majority already growing veg and herbs so that I can start using them in the kitchen straight away to keep my inspiration for “farming” up. It was also recommended I pick out some pansies and marigolds to add some colour to the vegetable patch.
All the while being tempted by the delectable aromas coming out of the in house cafe and restaurant, Fraiche Ayres. When you next head down to Starke Ayres, I suggest you make a morning of it and stop in for a delicious hearty traditional, cooked breakfast or even just a quick coffee and slice of cake. The cafe is a favourite among the ladies who lunch (aka my mother and her cronies) as well as the perfect spot for a quick catch up cuppa with the girls.
Well that´s enough for now, in the next installment I will be telling you about my latest and truly greatest discovery Bokashi.
Nics
xx
