Hardworking veggies for health

TO get the most enjoyment out of the festive season, one needs to stay healthy; and what better way to do this than to eat fresh scrumptious veggies grown in the Swakop River? Cathy Ellis of the Oranje Hoewe plot along the river has a vegetable stall in Swakopmund and will be doing business six days a week.

Her stall offers all the necessary greens (and reds) for a balanced diet. She is renowned for her green asparagus, tomatoes and cucumbers, although her spinach, herbs and eggs are not to be sneezed at either.According to Cathy, she waters her garden from a borehole, which has brackish water, and this is why her veggies taste sweeter than the mass-produced supermarket version.”The water is salty, and the vegetables have to work harder to expel the salt.They therefore have to produce more natural sugars to do this, resulting in a sweet fresh product,” she explains.”One can say they grow under stress, but the outcome is rewarding.”She uses organic farming techniques, keeping spraying to the minimum to eliminate any residual chemicals in the produce.She told The Namibian that all her produced are harvested the day before to ensure maximum freshness.”I sell out every day, so nothing becomes stale,” she said.”When people come here they are guaranteed the freshest.”She is renowned for her green asparagus, tomatoes and cucumbers, although her spinach, herbs and eggs are not to be sneezed at either.According to Cathy, she waters her garden from a borehole, which has brackish water, and this is why her veggies taste sweeter than the mass-produced supermarket version.”The water is salty, and the vegetables have to work harder to expel the salt.They therefore have to produce more natural sugars to do this, resulting in a sweet fresh product,” she explains.”One can say they grow under stress, but the outcome is rewarding.”She uses organic farming techniques, keeping spraying to the minimum to eliminate any residual chemicals in the produce.She told The Namibian that all her produced are harvested the day before to ensure maximum freshness.”I sell out every day, so nothing becomes stale,” she said.”When people come here they are guaranteed the freshest.”