5 wonderful ways to use spekboom Posted on 24 January 2020 Tags:spekboom There seems to be a growing pride in South African’s about our endemic shrub, spekboom. This Vitamin-C rich plant is a mean, carbon dioxide sequestering machine, proving to suck more of it out of the atmosphere per hectare than Earth’s lungs: the Amazon. Each hectare planted can remove over 4 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere per year. Spekboom can, however, be used for more than it’s carbon emission talents. Here are 5 ways to use spekboom (also known as porkbush) in everyday life. 1. Eat the spekboom Spekboom is high in Vitamin-C and has a zesty taste, making it a perfect addition to salads or juices. All you need to do is pick some leaves and use as garnish. Alternatively, if you enjoy making your own juices at home, pop some in the extractor and voila! For those who are more adventurous, here are three spekboom recipes for the soul. View this post on Instagram A post shared by edna (@ednavisserx) on Jan 22, 2020 at 3:30am PST 2. Drink the spekboom Another thing South African’s are proud of is the array of craft gins that have landed us on international radars as a top gin destination. Take your gin and tonic game to the next level by switching out the cucumber for spekboom. Using a cutting for garnish that can doubled-up as a swizzle stick. If you want to infuse the spekboom taste into the mix, pick some leaves and cut them in half before dropping into your glass. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ginstagram (@everyday_is_ginsday) on Jan 12, 2020 at 5:12am PST 3. Gift the spekboom Plants make a great gift but especially plants that are easy to care for. Spekboom cuttings can literally be stuck in the ground, where they happily grow into a bountiful bush. Snipping a piece of your plant and sticking it in a small pot to give to a friend is one way to spread the spekboom love. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jeannie (@jeannie__lin) on Jan 11, 2020 at 11:36pm PST 4. Sooth with the spekboom According to Shamwari Private Game Reserve, you can use it too help sooth your blistered feet – great if you’re hiking in the Eastern Cape – and ‘juiced leaves are used as an antiseptic and to soothe skin ailments such as pimples, rashes, insect stings and sunburn.’ View this post on Instagram A post shared by Spekboom Project (@spekboomproject) on Jan 14, 2020 at 11:58pm PST 5. Join the Spekboom challenge South Africans are taking up the challenge of planting spekboom and sharing photos to social media along with the hashtag #spekboomchallenge. Planting anywhere between 10 and an infinite number of spekboom secures your position in the challenge. The aim of the challenge is to spread awareness about the benefits of this miracle plant. Also read: Spekboom challenge takes root in SA View this post on Instagram A post shared by Prashanthan Naidoo (@urban.bush.man) on Jan 22, 2020 at 8:34am PST Image: Instagram Related Posts Buildings, roads and homes flood as severe weather hits KZN 18 May 2023 Good news from the brink of extinction in Volcanoes National Park 11 May 2023 Photojournalist Graeme Green went to Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park to document the recently opened campus... read more Curiosity skilled the cat 5 May 2023 A member of The Explorer’s Club and founder of Curiosity Company, Francois Malherbe uses tracking... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
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