Last Saturday was a
rare one for us; we had the day off and were in town. And it was one of Cape
Town’s perfect mid-winter Champagne days, bright, clear, sunny and warm. So it
was our first chance to visit the Oranjezicht City Farm and Market which is at the top of Upper Orange Street and open every Saturday from 09h00 to 14h00. To
quote them: "The Oranjezicht City Farm (OZCF) is a non-profit project
celebrating local food, culture and community through urban farming in Cape
Town. The farm is financed primarily through the funds made at the Market Day.”
Check out their web site
This fantastic organic
market garden was started and run by the local community on an old unused
bowling green and historic site. On Wednesday afternoons you can go and pick
your own vegetable from the garden, as a guided self-harvest is held between 4-6
pm, weather permitting. Parking is a bit of a challenge but we got there about
11 am and found some on one of the side streets.
A view from on high of the well laid out market garden with a view of
the city centre and Table Bay in the distance.
All the stalls are covered, so if it rains, their goods are protected
Good advice
Musicians playing some good music all morning, with a visitor enjoying
the music and the winter sunshine
There is food available to eat and places to sit down. We so hope this
area doesn't expand too much and drive out the market traders who are selling a
wonderful selection of fresh organic and other foods for you to sample and take
home to cook and eat. This is still a true ‘Market’ and there is no alcohol on sale
Lots of fruit and vegetables for sale from the garden and some potted
plants, seedlings and herbs to take home
Under the dome. Lots more seasonal fruit and vegetables and products to
see and buy
Two happy customers with Cheryl Ozinsky, a mover and shaker who, with others, motivated the community to start this superb venture.. You may remember Cheryl from when she was the successful head of Cape Tourism. John has known her since the
inception of the Waterfront in the early 1990s, when they were both involved in
its set up
Buying fruit and veg for the week
The garlic is small, but very potent. We went home with a bag of it
Dried herbs, fruit and even vegetables
Cheryl packing fresh mushrooms for a customer
Yes, you do need some olive oil
Organic nuts and fruit from another old friend, Peter Owen of By Nature, who still sells
at the Biscuit Mill
Some wicked delights and hey! A raw pizza on the Banting seed biscuit
base. Clever
Some beautiful loaves and some popular botterkoek to take home
And even some gluten and carb free bread. We were able to taste it. Hmmmm, not
sure that flax flour works that well
An old friend from the Long Beach Market, Don Yeowell, with their range of
jams and preserves
Fresh pumpkins piled high, at reasonable prices...
... displayed on the Woodstock Bakery's 1964 Chevrolet C10
There is a huge children’s playground below the market, lovely on a
sunny day
and lawns to picnic on
Friends and families exploring the vegetable garden
Cabbages, kale, broccoli and cauliflower protected from butterflies and
their caterpillars
Companion planting of pansies, which are edible, and kale
Borage and herbs like thyme are companion planted amongst the lettuces
to prevent insect predation
Early peas, heading up their wigwams, and more companion marigolds in
another veggie patch. Healthy broad bean plants in the background
A solar powered water pump keeps the leiwater flowing
Lavender and morning glory
Rows of brassicas and onions
Nice to meet old friends; organic wine farmers Tanya and Willie de Waal
of Scali wines in the Voor Paardeberg, were there enjoying the day with their children
Turning the formidable and enviable compost heap, which was steaming nicely
Lynne getting BIG ideas for our small veggie patch
These are going to be magnificent cauliflowers
A very clever method of planting, if you don’t have much space
How the eye is deceived. We saw this kale as dark maroon but the camera
sees it as green
There are, of course, beautiful views of our Table Mountain, which the
city surrounds - how many other cities have a mountain in their middle?
A sentiment we are happy to agree with, even though we do sell you
imported luxuries
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014
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