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Garden, forage & feast

It’s national gardening day on 11 October and we went in search of a North Coaster who is passionate about plants and growing their own food. We didn’t have to look far. Salt Rock’s Kerry Ebb has gardening in her blood and she’s sharing this love with as many people as she can.

Kerry literally oozes enthusiasm and excitement as she walks around the newly converted vegetable gardens at the Litchi Orchard in Salt Rock. “Gardening is just so good for the soul. My grandmother lived until the age of 95 and she spent every day in her garden. She never grew bored and there was always something to look forward to.”
Owned by the Ebb family, the Litchi Orchard, like so many other businesses, has undergone some changes during lockdown and what was a nursery has now been converted into a food garden – a project Kerry says she has always wanted to undertake.
Following closely in the footprints of her grandmother, Kerry, who is well known in the area for her incredible baking skills, is also a mom to two young daughters and an ardent grower.

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FARMING FAMILY
Happiest with her hands in the dirt, either growing or foraging for goodies to bake and cook with, Kerry and her family live on her husband Jeremy’s family farm in Glendale. “We moved to the farm four years ago when we had our first daughter, Scout. I gave up my bakery, as I wanted to be a present mom and spend time fixing up the gardens and the farmhouse. Jeremy’s grandmother actually used to run the farm, which is a citrus and macadamia nut tree farm. We also have a section of sugar cane, which we lease out. Her vision was to preserve pockets of forested areas and grasslands, so we farm amongst that. It’s incredibly beautiful.”

Kerry grew up on the North Coast as a real ‘beach girl’ and says her family all love nature and gardening as well. “We grew up spending our lives outdoors. We had very few toys … outside was our playground.” Kerry knew this was the type of life she wanted to give her children. Their second daughter, Lanner, is now two years old.
Driven by her passion for and knowledge of gardening, and with her daughters now a little older, Kerry is turning her focus to the Litchi Orchard as it slowly continues to evolve.
She takes care of the family’s small farm shop, which stocks vegetables from the family farm and from the new gardens at the Litchi Orchard, as well as goods made by members of the family (like her mom’s yummy homemade rusks and father-in-law’s famous chilli sauce). “We don’t want to be a fully-stocked ‘deli’, but rather just a little farm store that has whatever is in season. I always dreamt of having a food garden here,” she says.

GARDENING NATURE’S WAY
Kerry is very excited about a new technique she’s using for the food gardens at the Litchi Orchard and wants to help others use it too. “It’s called ‘farming God’s way’ or ‘farming nature’s way’ and it’s incredibly simple and something that can be taught to people in rural communities as you don’t need anything other than what you have.” The process involves lining the beds with wood ash (from a wood fire), adding a layer of compost (you can make your own) and then adding a heavy layer of straw. It’s that simple. And it works. Kerry is currently growing a range of vegetables and herbs on the property using this system. “I just want to bring people here and show them how to do it. Many people tell me they want to grow veggies, but don’t know how, or can’t because of monkeys. There are so many vegetables that monkeys don’t eat, you shouldn’t let that stop you. They don’t go near the spinach, herbs, spring onions, celery, lettuce, chillis, leeks or sweet potatoes – and if you want to plant things like tomatoes and beans, just net off a small area for them.

GROWING UP OUTSIDE
One of the things that makes her happiest, Kerry says, is seeing children learn about food by growing and picking their own. “I think it’s important that children learn about vegetables and where they come from. They love digging up things like sweet potatoes and carrots … it’s like a treasure hunt! I get so excited when I see new developments going up that are encouraging people to have large plots with vegetable gardens and chickens. There is nothing more special than your kids going out and getting their own warm, fresh eggs for breakfast. My girls are with me all the time and I make sure I point out things to them wherever I can. We don’t run and scream if we see a spider. We stop and watch it for a while and learn.”

THINGS TO COME
As things start to change an evolve at The Litchi Orchard, Kerry says she has a number of ideas and goals in mind. There will be a wild flower garden where you can pick a bunch of country flowers and then, of course, vegetables, fresh flowers and other goodies available at the farm store (or you can pick your own from the gardens!). There will be plants for sale again as well, she says, but on a much smaller scale. Kerry recently started a whatsapp group where she notifies people of what is in store and also offers some recipes and ideas for what to do with different ingredients. She also plans to offer gardening, cooking and baking courses at her home on the farm one day soon.

Details: The Litchi Orchard, Seaforth Avenue, Umhlali, or contact Kerry (via Whatsapp) to be added to the group: 083 293 2396

Text: Leah Shone | Photographs: Light + Lark Photography, light_and_lark_photography_; www.lightandlarkphotography.shootproof.com

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