I am so glad I finally got it – my Chukkit Bukkitt. Recycling now – doing my bit for the planet.
It happened immediately, when I went with Billy to the Farmers Co-operative Store. I was told to get up early, so that we could catch the glow of the early morning as we drove the 40 odd kilometers to Umhlali. There is something special about early morning, you get to see all the “early birds” – I’m not one of them. There was a stream of cyclists riding back from their trip into the rural area. Runners, probably training for the famous Comrades Marathon from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. Three or four early morning fishermen who had cast their lines on the Ballito Bay beach – we could see them as the road takes a bend and the beach comes into view. I also noticed two huge vegetable growing enterprises, one on the slopes of a small hill, and one near Umhlali where row upon row of veggies stretched across the bow of the hill. What a sight to excite my heart so early in the morning. Then the little bushes of “curry cosmos” as I call them, brightening up the roadside. The sky was blue, and the green rolling hills of the Natal sugar cane fields stretched for miles. It was indeed a beautiful morning, in a beautiful place. When we finally arrived at the Farmers Co-op my eye immediately spotted the Chukkit Bukkitt – and I made it mine. !
The Chukkit Bukkit is a new novelty from the Store. It is a compost maker, using all the kitchen waste to turn into a fertilizing liquid for my vegetable patch. Our household is still old school, where we buy vegetables, peel them, cook them and then eat them. Maybe old-fashioned by today’s trends, but there you have it. However, it means I now get to make good compost for my Care Garden – which forms part of my Care Africa Movement project. Speaking of vegetables, if you have the time please visit this website www.goandproclaim.co.za and view the wonderful vegetables growing through the God’s Greenhouse initiative in the Eastern Cape. This initiative wants to empower Churches and individuals to grow food for themselves and the Poor and Needy folk in their communities.
May there be many more such initiatives following this example in South Africa, indeed in Africa too. I believe food sufficiency is the pivotal place of social development. May the Church lead the way. The Church is in a sense God’s Greenhouse for the soul, why not for food provision too.?
The secret to growing good healthy vegetables is in the soil. So composting is essential !
Yay then for my Chukkit Bukkitt ! God has provided all we need through the rich mineral deposits of the soil. However sometimes the soil needs to be replenished by organic compost. Our bodies are composed of minerals and vitamins that we get from the food we eat, so our food needs to be grown in rich organic soil. Makes sense.
Growing vegetables is not always an instant success story. It is only the beginning of getting to know the science of the soil, plants, water, sunshine and then there are the pests… that are beginning to chow on my newly planted tomatoes ! Thank goodness for Google ! But it is amazingly good to be in the garden, beside my growing spinach, Chinese cabbage, tomatoes and basil. To make it a little easier to get to my herbs I put a few small pots of parsley and green peppers on a pretty stand outside my kitchen door. Care gardens don’t have to be big with acres and acres of vegetables – nice if you can do that, and for community gardens, but a Care Garden can be growing vegetables in a container.
Why not join me in my Care Africa Movement project, by growing some vegetables for yourself – and to share with your neighbours. Take a photo of yourself in your garden and email it to me, with your name and the region and country you live in. Also add your favourite Bible verse. Perhaps we can create a photo blog for Care Africa. Plant some seeds in your soil, Plant some seeds in your soul by reading God’s Word everyday, – and watch how your gardens grow ! Do your bit for the planet recycle where and when you can, and grow your very own special Care Gardens. Happy gardening !
For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth
before all the nations. Isaiah 61:11
CareSA 