At the Sustainability Institute we actively support experiential learning in children and adults to enable their connection to nature to be deepened. When this happens we witness personal and professional transformation and the activation of imagination.
Our living example of this experiential process is the internal learning workshop series: Exploring SI’s Edibles. Designed and facilitated by Loubie Rusch and Storm Meintjes this series aims to increase knowledge about edible and aromatic plants growing at the SI and explore first hand how they can be used.
This exploratory learning activates shared knowledge about what we have growing on campus and has given our garden and kitchen staff a whole new outlook on what indigenous edibles offer to those curious enough to taste them and create recipes from them.
Over four workshops we explored 21 different local edible and aromatic plants picked straight from the SI’s food garden. Involving all our senses we pulled some leaves from each plant that was displayed on a long library table. Then we put them in separate containers and added hot water to soften them and let the flavour loose from the plant. Grateful to be indoors during a very wet and cold day this experiment in flavour and discovery was most welcomed.
When these mini brews were ready we all tasted them and then had a ranking exercise, a simple research tool where we each ‘voted’ for our favourite taste using small pebbles placed at the base of each brew. The favourites of the experiment were lemon buchu, wood sorrel/suring, confetti bush, and lemon geranium.
By contrast, the garlic buchu brew triggered dramatic disapproval, and received not a single vote even though some of the bitter herbs got some votes! What came out in our discussions was the difference between store bought teas and their properties versus those that can be made from a garden. This triggered deeper discussions about what is a ‘tea’ and its place in consumer culture. What everyone agreed upon is the amazing diversity we have on our grounds that can be brewed for culinary or medicinal use.
The workshop series explored the amazing properties and flavours of the plants that were endemic to South Africa and are now being actively cultivated in the food gardens of the SI to preserve their biodiversity and encourage wider appreciation of their flavours and healing benefits. These include: the amazing Ice Plant, Portulaca, Wild Mustard, Soetdoring/Elderflower, Kei Apple, Portulaca, Slangbos, crowberry, buchu, lemon buchu, wood sorrel/suring, confetti bush, and lemon geranium.
Loubie Rusch is an indigenous foods expert and is deeply passionate and enthusiastic about this topic. The recipes being imagined out of the SI’s garden are delightful and unique and you can enjoy some of these creations at the SI’s Green Cafe where the team serve a marvellous menu of salads and wraps that include indigenous edibles. You can also try the sodas, vinegars and hand created salts that feature medicinal herbs.
The indigenous edible food workshops was a resounding success, not just for the delicious flavours discovered, but for the way it ignited our imaginations. This hands-on, experiential learning approach awakened a renewed appreciation for nature’s bounty and the rich cultural heritage it represents. By engaging all of our senses and actively participating in the discovery and learning process, we tapped into a powerful pedagogy.
Imagination, it turns out, is not just for children’s playtime; it’s a fundamental tool for fostering connection, understanding, and ultimately, action. As we strive to create a more sustainable and equitable food system in South Africa, embracing imaginative pedagogies like this could be the key to inspiring lasting change.
Loubie has written two amazing cook books to encourage us to explore edible plants. You can order them here: https://www.sustainabilityinstitute.net/support-our-work/book-orders/