Garden Day is an annual day of celebration by all South Africans in honor of our gardens and green spaces. It’s a day to celebrate our hard work and the joy gardens bring to our communities and lives with a fun garden party! This year, on October 20th, some of the country’s top food bloggers have cooked up a storm to inspire you to enjoy the fruits of your garden labor.
Garden Day is A Celebration of Nature, Wellness, and Beauty
Gardens of every shape, form, and size have the potential to bring us together. We call on all plant people to put on a flower crown and join the movement by hosting a Garden Day party in their gardens or green spaces on Sunday 20 October. Anything (and everything!) goes.
From a lavish lunch on the lawn, to platters on the patio with your pot plants or tea for two under your favourite tree. So draw up your guest list, invite your besties and channel your inner hostess for a celebration in the garden!
Food for the body and Soul
Eating produce that you’ve grown yourself is not only rewarding, but also incredibly beneficial for your health. Homegrown fruits and vegetables are often fresher and packed with nutrients. Plus, the joy of harvesting and preparing your own produce adds a satisfying dimension to every meal!
No one knows this better than our green-fingered, Friend of Garden Day, avid gardener and plantsman, Pietman Diener. ‘On Garden Day we will eat from the garden!’ he says. After a bumper quince crop, that includes syrupy homemade preserves as well as homegrown, fresh garden salad, asparagus, beans… and flowers.
‘Flowers from the garden are very important in our house – and to share with our family and friends,’ he says.
Friends of Garden Day 2024: From l-r (standing) Corli Leonard, aka Veldmeisie and Codi Marais (upliftment agent, urban farmer and founder of Groa (Grow a Garden); (seated) Dr Anesu Mbizvo and Pietman Diener (head gardener at Rustenberg Wine Estate). IMAGE: Adel Ferreira
Make your garden day special
To make your own Garden Day celebration just as special, we’ve curated a selection of recipes that incorporate homegrown ingredients. Treat your guests to a delicious cake perfect for a picnic, sip on a refreshing drink ideal for a garden sundowner or whip up a vibrant salad bursting with the flavors of your garden.
Garden Day Spritz
This mouthwatering recipe has been created by SA food blogger Ilse van der Merwe, also known as The Food Fox.
Garden Day Spritz IMAGE: Ilse van der Merwe
Ingredients
Pomegranate seeds, passion fruit pulp or freshly cut fruit of your choice
Ice cubes
Flavored soda or tonic of your choice
Soda water
Rose geranium or mint leaves
Method
Add some pomegranate seeds to your glass, along with the ice cubes. Fill the glass half full of soda/tonic, then top up with soda water. Garnish with rose geranium or mint leaves.
Tip: For the flavored soda, try bitter orange or sparkling grapefruit soda.
Rainbow pepper and couscous salad
This delicious and easy to prepare recipe is from talented third-generation farmer Mosa Seshoene. He is also known as the Farminist.
Garden Day Rainbow pepper and couscous salad (recipe by third generation farmer Mosa Seshoene, also known as the Farminist).
Ingredients
1 cup couscous
1 cup chopped red pepper
1 cup chopped yellow pepper
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped red onion
1 cup of herbs, we suggest parsley & thyme
For the salad dressing: 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ cup lemon juice
Directions
- Pour the couscous into a bowl and pour the hot water over, ensuring all the couscous is covered.
- Cover the bowl with cling wrap and allow to sit for about 10 minutes.
- Finely chop the herbs.
- Once the couscous is light and fluffy, add the peppers, onions, and herbs.
- Mix all the ingredients together and then add the dressing.
Poppy seed cake with beetroot icing
Local chef Mynhardt Joubert, from Mynhardt Cathedral Cellar Kitchen in Paarl in the Cape Winelands has prepared this awesome cake.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 30 – 40 minutes
Oven temperature: 180 °C
Ingredients:
Cake
6 extra large eggs
630 g castor sugar
250 ml canola oil (PS. Longevity recommends using a healthier option like macadamia oil)
500 g double cream plain yogurt
150 g poppy seeds
160 g desiccated coconut
350 g self-raising flour
Icing
100 g butter, softened
400 g crème fraîche
130 g icing sugar
10 ml vanilla paste or extract
15 ml beetroot powder or 5 ml pink food coloring
400 g good-quality white chocolate, melted
Method
Cake
Cream the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the oil and yogurt and mix through.
Add the poppy seeds, coconut, and flour and mix thoroughly.
Divide the batter between two 28 cm loose-bottom cake pans.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Spread the icing between each layer and stack the cakes, spreading the last frosting on top.
Garnish with fresh figs, pomegranate seeds and flowers.
Icing
Cream the butter and crème fraiche together with an electric beater.
Add the icing sugar, vanilla, beetroot powder (or food coloring) and mix through.
While whisking, pour in the melted chocolate and whip until thickened.
Keep at room temperature when you are not using the icing right away.
Top tip: Make sure to line your cake tins with well-greased baking paper, as the high sugar content can make the cake stick to the sides of the pan.
10 Ways To Celebrate On Garden Day
- Invite the neighbors for a garden picnic party.
- Have tea under a tree.
- Convert your garden into an open-air cinema – set up a projector and a screen against a blank wall or a white sheet.
- Have lunch in the veggie garden.
- Throw a tea party with your besties.
- Serve the cake at your closest community garden.
- Braai/barbecue on the lawn.
- Share platters on the patio.
- Party with your houseplants.
- Host the Garden Day Olympics. Turn your garden into a playful arena for a day of friendly competition and outdoor fun with the kids.
End note
Garden Day is a great opportunity to celebrate in nature. No matter where or how. For more recipe ideas and guidelines on how to make your own flower crown, visit www.gardenday.co.za.
Share your garden party pics with @GardenDaySA #GardenDaySA
