​“After years of wanting to thoroughly clean my house but lacking the time, I found out during this pandemic that wasn’t the reason.”

I laughed out loud when I read that Facebook meme. Then it got me thinking about time and how we choose to use it. While lockdown and social distancing have had some devastating effects, there was one real positive. Suddenly, unexpectedly most of us had the rare commodity of extra time.

The problem of course is the time/money equation. Now that we have time, many of us are scrambling to pay the bills.  While this is a real concern, I’m trying not to put my focus there.  My mantra these days is “Money is a renewable resource. Time is not.” All the worry in the world won’t improve my finances, so I’ve chosen to embrace the gift of time. I’m also embracing the gift of free online learning.

So far I’ve completed a course on the science of well-being from Yale, and Buddhism and Modern Psychology from Princeton. For the first time since kindergarten, I was fully immersed in enjoying the learning experience rather than focusing on getting a passing grade. I hadn’t even planned to submit the assignments. Because I was absorbed in the learning process and the subject matter, it was easier to learn.  In the end I decided to submit the papers and passed both courses.  That may have been the biggest lesson of all!

So instead of cleaning the house from top to bottom, and sorting through the thousands of wildlife photographs that are clogging up my hard drive. (For years my husband has been asking me “how  many photographs of leopards do you need?” ) I’m learning about rewiring the brain for happiness so I can be even happier in my own life, and share that knowledge with my future Soul Safari guests.  I’m using this gift of time to enrich myself and plan for a post COVID future that I feel confident will see my small group Safari business grow.
How are you spending your time windfall?  Are you filling it with a long list of “shoulds”?  If you are I hope you feel a sense of satisfaction as you check each chore off your list.
​
 I also hope that you give yourself permission to spend at least some time each day doing something that engages you or truly gives you pleasure.  That’s time affluence well spent.

PERMACULTURE ARTICLE

1. What is permaculture?

Permaculture is derived from the word permanent agriculture and is defined as working with natural forces. It is the development of agricultural ecosystems aspired to be sustainable and self-sufficient. It is system of cultivation which seeks to integrate human activity with natural surroundings so as to create high efficient self-sustaining ecosystems.
 
Why are we doing permaculture in Nourish?

• There are numerous benefits  which includes:
  • Less waste – everything within the permaculture systems is utilized, using garden waste, & food waste as fertilizer.  Using leaves as mulch. The use of waste is one of the reasons why permaculture is sustainable.
  • Saves water - We harvest rainwater and wastewater (greywater) and making it more efficient and cost effective, this also helps us during dry periods. Mulching also saves water by preventing water loss through evaporation.
  • Economically feasible - permaculture is cost efficient, since we aren’t using pesticides, and our systems require less maintenance. All we do is to water our crops and do mulching from time to time. It is a system that works with nature to do the work!

 

• Resilient to Climate Change Permaculture helps our property to withstand the effect of climate change and continue to be productive. It is also an agricultural practice that is healthier to the environment, allowing for sustainable production for longer periods of time.  It allows us to produce more crop with fewer resources and less maintenance. Because we catch resources such as rain when they are abundant, we are able to have resources ( or energy)  in times of need.
•  Environmentally friendly – since our food gardens does not depend on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides it means our carbon footprint is less! Growing trees and gardens also promotes oxygen into a cleaner environment.

 

• Provides Food Food from the permaculture garden is used in the feeding scheme to bring health to the children eating daily. 

Some lessons we can learn from permaculture.
 
 

1. Design from patterns to details: Whether designing a new vegetable garden or new sustainable way of life, we have to look at the bigger picture before we become stuck in little things.

 

1. Integrate rather than segregate: Plants work well in diverse systems, same is true of people too. In your garden, home and life in general, it is a good idea to promote and value diversity in all its forms

 

1. Use small and slow solutions : Every journey begins with small step. Making small, incremental changes is the best way to move towards sustainable change,

 
 

1. Creatively use and respond to change : Change is the inevitable part of life. The changing seasons, the changing attitudes, our changing climate, how we respond to these changes will shape sustainable progress in years to come.

A little 'taste' ( excuse the pun) of Africa as we share with you how to cook an African staple food of 'pap'. This is one of the main foods eaten by the Tsonga communities around Nourish Eco Village, and if you come on a Shik Shack tour, or come spend a week or 2 volunteering you will almost certainly have pap for one of the meals.  Enjoy! 

 Two years ago I had never heard of Plogging - the new environmental craze founded in Sweden and now literally sweeping the planet.  Now the activity involving running whilst picking up rubbish has literally changed my life.

The unimaginable scale of plastic production, coupled with an equally mind-boggling littering culture across the globe, has put immense pressure on our beautiful planet. It has never been easier to access disposable items, with convenience taking the lead over environmental responsibility and, unfortunately, it’s Mother Earth that suffers the most. With over 8 million tonnes of rubbish entering our seas and oceans every single year, our waterways and the wildlife that inhabit them are literally choking at the hands of human carelessness and ignorance. However it’s not just marine life in far off locations that are suffering. In my hometown of London, England, wildlife is dying simply because a small but significant part of the population are simply too lazy or just don’t care enough to put their rubbish in the bin. Foxes, Badgers and even the famous Deer of Richmond Park, all mistaking our single use plastic for food which then clogs up their digestive systems. How crazy that something like a bottle of water which takes 5 minutes to drink can sit in the environment for literally hundreds of years!
Something needed to be done to break that cycle, so when co-founder Michelle sent me an article about the latest eco fitness craze we had to give it a try. Our first plog was held in a small corner of London and with both a running and a walking group, in which 16 of us collected over 30 bags of rubbish from the local community. The event was a huge success and with that Plogolution was born. What better way to bring people together to make a difference?
​
Since our first plog we have held over 50 events across the UK and even as far as The United States , bringing people together of all different ages and backgrounds, and giving them a platform to give back to our planet. We soon realised it was also an amazing platform for people to make new friends - meeting people that they potentially wouldn’t otherwise interact with in everyday life - as well a chance to get active and a different gateway into what can sometimes be an intimidating fitness world. This really was the perfect opportunity for people to improve their minds, bodies and their planet.

The first community plogs brought our attention to one group in particular. The children. At every plog we had such incredibly passionate young children attending with their families. Clearly aggrieved at what old generations were doing to the environment, they were keen to fight back. We soon set up our first Primary school plogging club, with most schools heading out on a weekly basis for just a 20 minute run or walk around their local community in a bid to make it that little bit cleaner. Our aim was to both educate and empower our young people so that they had not only the passion to change the world, but also the platform to do it. In just over a year our now 34 plogging schools have collected a staggering 4,019 plastic bottles, 4,321 cans, 1,495 glass bottles and 41,938 cigarette butts!! Those figures are huge already but just imagine the stats if thousands of schools across the world were plogging just once a week, it’s enough to blow the mind!

​All organisms in nature can handle short term stress- we’re built for it. The brain sends out the distress signal, and the body responds:  adrenalin is pumped into the blood stream and all the energy is summoned to deal with the perceived threat. It’s a brilliant adaptation that served us well for thousands of years, but in this time of great uncertainty it’s working against us.

If weeks of lockdown have you feeling anxious and afraid your body is releasing a steady stream of stress hormones that are suppressing your immune system.

Luckily, there’s a way to turn it around. You have to take it to heart.


​Neuroscience tells us that the mind can’t distinguish emotion from reality; if you’re feeling it, it becomes real, and it creates a response in your body.  If you can start to feel better, your body will respond. Your thymus gland, located next to your heart will kick in and send signals to the T-cells.  By choosing heart emotions like love, appreciation and gratitude you can actually activate your immune system!

So- how do you get out of your head and into your heart?  Here are a few strategies:

Get some exercise: Literally get the heart pumping, and put your awareness there. Feel it. Listen for the sound of your heartbeat.  Sense into your pulse.  Inhabit your body fully in the moment and appreciate its magnificence.

Get some sleep: When our lives are busy, sleep falls down the list of priorities but it’s critically important for physical, mental and emotional health. Well rested people are more optimistic and experience more happiness. Now that we have the time, put rest and sleep at the top of the list. If you’re having trouble sleeping, don’t make that another cause of stress. Remind yourself that rest and relaxation are good too.

Get still and meditate:  Sit comfortably and close your eyes, sensing into your heartbeat. Visualize the heart itself, or if you prefer you can bring to mind the colour of the heart centre; the most beautiful green you find in nature. On the inhalation, picture the heart centre growing bigger, and on the exhalation see it getting brighter.  After a few minutes the heart energy will envelope your entire body.  While you are in this space, you can choose to do a loving kindness meditation. Send love to someone you wish you could see in person, and wish them joy. Or send love to the whole world.

Get some evidence:  We do this unconsciously all the time; we ascribe to a belief and then look for the evidence that supports it while ignoring evidence to the contrary.  You can purposely choose to believe in love, and then look for the evidence. Focus on the stories about the helpers and the heroes. Feel appreciation for all the good things that are happening in the world.
​
Whenever you are experiencing uncomfortable emotions, bring your attention straight to the heart. What you focus on expands in your experience, so focus on love and more will into your life!

Cleaning out the fridge this morning I came across some forgotten apples. a Clear message for me to bake an apple tart. 

The first apple tart recipe was written in England in 1381.

Apples contains compounds that can help fight asthma , they are a good source of fiber and vitamin C.

You will need: 
Tart: 
1 cup sugar 
1 cup flour 
1/4 cup milk 
3 eggs
3 tablespoons butter
1 tin of apples or about 3 cooked apples 
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt 

Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk 
1 cup sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla ( did you know vanilla is family of the orchid )

Cream the(3 table spoons) butter and (1 cup) sugar till nice and fluffy.
Mix the 3 eggs in with the butter mixture. 
Add all the dry ingredients  and mix well.
Now add the milk till its a smooth batter.
Pour into a greased baking dish and layer the apples on top.  

Add all the sauce ingredients into a pot.
1/2 cup butter 
1 cup milk 
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla 
Bring to a boil. Stir constantly so the sauce doesn't burn.
Pour the sauce over while still hot. 

This can be enjoyed with ice-cream or whipped cream. 

Enjoy!!!
​

​NOURISH COMPOST ARTICLE
 
INTRODUCTION:
Compost is an essential decomposed material that are used in combination which includes crop residues, leaves, grass clippings, animal manure and what is regarded as kitchen waste. It has proven time and time again that it provides soil with many essential nutrients to support proper plant growth and as a result it’s considered as an organic fertilizer.

Furthermore compost has the ability to improve soil structure in a way that the soil can have high moisture holding capacity, it also improves the texture of both sand and clay soils. Making either type rich, moisture retentive to proper growth of plants
In our organic gardens, compost is regarded as the best natural mulches and fertilizers for improving for improving soil fertility that creates a viable environment for plant growth. Composting has a both agricultural and social b benefit which serves as an important process to us and members of the society.

• Reduction in waste volumes which results less garbage in our spaces and surrounding community areas.
• It helps to prohibit the growth of weeds.
• It is a natural fertilizer and reduces overall costs of purchasing synthetic fertilizers.
• Reduces the costs of irrigation rates, it saves water.
• It improves soil fertility.

Essential materials we use for effective compost

• Carbon - rich ( dried plants , weeds, dried grasses and sawdust( untreated)
• Water – assist in allowing decomposing process to take place as it attracts microbes.
• Nitrogen –rich ( green leaves, fruit and vegetables scraps)
• Animals manure (cow dung and chicken manure)

Caution (unwanted materials in the compost.)

• Fish, meat: This food material usually attracts detrimental and undesired pests to both the compost and the soil which the compost will be applied.
• Plastics and plastic bottles : These materials takes a very long time to decompose (10-1000 years)

Come visit me at the Nourish Eco Village and I will show you our compost heap, and the processes we use to mulch, water and make compost, and the beautiful vegetables we grow in our garden that we use in the Granny's kitchen to provide food for the children everyday. 

Rusks - Beskuit in Afrikaans is a traditional Afrikaner breakfast meal or snack.  
In France they called biscotte. 
Whatever they called they are perfect for dunking anyone that tells you otherwise does not deserve to eat them. (also for babies that's teething)

Rusks are essentially double-baked bread dough.

I would like to share my family recipe with you.
 
                                                                          Pre-heat oven to 180"C
​
                                                                          Ingredients:
                                                                          8 cups flour 
                                                                          8 teaspoons baking powder
                                                                          2 teaspoons salt
                                                                          1,5 cups sugar
                                                                          1 cup butter
                                                                           2 eggs 
                                                                            2 cups buttermilk 

Mix all the dry ingredients together .

8 cups flour 
8 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
​1,5 cup sugar

Add 1 cup butter

Time to get your hands dirty.

​Rub the butter into the mixture till it resembles fine bread crumbs

Mix buttermilk and eggs together

Work into a dough 

Divide the dough into two oven pans. 

I like to pre-cut the dough into rusk size this makes it easier once its baked to cut without breaking.

Best will be to let them cool a little before you start to 
cut into rusks and arrange on baking trays 

Dry rusks in a cool oven of 100'C for about 4 hours.

Enjoy with a nice cup of coffee. 

Rusks are great to share with family and friends.

​Store in airtight containers 

In nature, compost is being made all the time. 

Organic matter in the form of leaves, bark, grass and animal droppings are being broken down and decomposed.  You might see some of the bigger creatures (decomposers) responsible, like termites or millipedes however you won’t see the microscopic life involved in the process.  Beneficial microbes in the form of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes and micro arthropods are functioning in a soil food web. 


​Much like when you drive through the Kruger National Park, you see complex habitats with predators, omnivores, herbivores and scavengers all filling a niche while benefitting the system – the soil is no different, it’s just happening at a microscopic level.  In a healthy ecosystem you could potentially find billions of beneficial microbes in just one teaspoon of soil.  Many microbes work symbiotically with plants, the plants provide food in the form of root exudates (sugars generated through photosynthesis) and the microbes (depending on their type) might provide protection from harmful microbes, extract trace minerals from the surrounding soil or convert nutrients into a plant available form.

So I found some over ripe bananas in the fridge and though that this is the perfect opportunity to bake a banana bread. (Delicious and so good for you: Bananas are a good source of several vitamins and minerals, especially potassium, Vitamin B6 , and vitamin C) So totally guilt-free nourishment! 

Pre-heat oven to 180 'Ç
​
You will need :
​1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
Mix these two ingredient till nice and creamy. 
                                                     Add 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
                                                     4 -6 bananas
                                                     2 eggs
                                                     2 cups flour
                                                      2 teaspoons baking powder
​                                                      1/2 teaspoon salt
​

Add 2 eggs (one by one) 
Mix in well
​

Mash the bananas.
I got my 3 year old son to do this as he loves helping in the kitchen. 

Add bananas to flour mixture.

​You can also add nuts and cinnamon if you like.

Grease a loaf  tin and pour the mixture in. 
I shared the mixture in two tins. The mixture is more that enough for two lovely breads.
​
Bake between 45 min and 1 hour. 

Now this is a yummy banana bread.
I was lucky to get a picture of this one as the first loaf that come out the oven was eaten within minutes. (I didn't stand a chance of take a photo before the family devoured it haha). 

Happy baking and enjoy!!!

​Stay safe and stay healthy.