Thanks to indigenous edibles

When it comes to indigenous edibles, a few spring to mind, especially the fruit of the marula tree that was so memorable in Jamie Uys’s iconic film Beautiful People (1974).

- Wendy Moulton

In it, wild animals like elephants, baboons, ostriches and warthogs gorge themselves on fermented marula fruit and then find themselves quite drunk. For those who are not as old as me, you can still see clips from the movie on YouTube for a good laugh. Amongst the more than 22 000 indigenous plant species found in our country, there are a host of edible ones including grains, roots, leaves, berries and fruits. However, there are also about twice as many that are poisonous, so it’s good to be sure before eating any plant. Here are some of the most common edible plants we can call our own and for which we can be truly thankful. With the growing challenges of climate change and the real dangers on our food security, these local crops just might be our saviours. It’s time to learn more about them: 

Amaranth

One of the most nutrient-dense veggies around is amaranth. It is a source of many vitamins and minerals as well as protein, and comes with a host of medicinal properties. Amaranth flour is also gluten-free while the leaves are used as a green vegetable and the seeds as a grain. Amaranth prefers the warmer, summer-rainfall, sub-tropical areas and needs space to grow to its full height of around 1.8m. It likes lots of water but will cope with drought if necessary. The drooping blooms make exceptional cut flowers.

Sorghum

The grain Sorghum bicolor