‘The best place on earth’
I don’t think you’ll find anyone who lives in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands who doesn’t think it’s just the best place on earth. That was our experience anyway, and we talked to a lot of people while we were there. They have a point. The green rolling hills make for a very hospitable landscape where just about any food you can imagine seems to grow vibrantly. We visited organic vegetable gardens and farms, a number of small scale farms producing eggs, dairy, duck, chicken, trout, cheese, a brewery, and a couple of ‘conscious eating’ cafes.
Cultivating community
But there’s more to the midlands than an abundance of food – the sense of community we witnessed was remarkable, and the people passionate about cultivating this even more. From Paul and Shereen at Dovehouse Organics who have taken it upon themselves to bring permaculture practices into the community and provide a hub for people to learn about health and sustainability, to Nikki Brighton from Dargle who founded the Dargle Market, and hosts thought-provoking film evenings. Nikki takes the idea of locavore to the next level, believing it is critical to create a resilient community that can look after itself. Dargle is a little place, but their market showcases only Dargle produce. “People from neighbouring areas keep asking if they can join the market but we want to keep it local, so I ask them “do you think you live in Dargle?” because if they do, then they can come, but if not, then we won’t be true to ourselves,” says Nikki.
Making organics accessible
We also saw people working earnestly to bring organic food into the mainstream. Rob Symms and his partner Nora run Broadleaze Organic farm and are passionate about providing high quality organic produce to the public at the same price as conventionally grown goods. They’re being so successful at this that they now supply most of the Food Lovers Markets in KZN, and can’t keep up with the demand. Similarly, Gregg Oosthuizen owner/chef at Green Valley Restaurant is on a mission to provide good, clean, real food to his customers at no extra cost. He sources most of his produce within a couple kilometres of the restaurant (much from the same property which is shared with Dovehouse Organics), and caters the Harvest Table on Sundays which is a buffet style lunch showcasing a wide range of dishes (including raw cuisine) made with high quality organics and catering to sensitive dietary requirements.
Living consciously
There seems to be a certain kind of magic in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands that allows for such an abundance of creativity and sensitivity to the world to thrive. Go there. You’ll discover a lot more than great food.
