Maria (80) shares her produce with family and friends
Maria's harvest can be as big as 60 pumpkins in one season. She does not sell her produce, instead she gives them to family and friends and keeps some to make her meals.
Northmead resident Maria Teresa de Ascencao will love her pumpkins until the end of the vine, which is why she has been harvesting pumpkins for over 15 years.
The 80-year-old, who celebrated her birthday on May 31, not only grows beautiful big pumpkins, she also has a mini-farm in her garden where she grows lettuce, spinach, cabbage, tomatoes, beans and more.
Maria is known for her smile and need to enjoy life, make delicious home-cooked meals and multi-talented skills.
“Despite not learning how to read, write or speak English very well, she overcame this challenge and managed to get her driver’s licence at the age of 56 through sheer determination and willingness to learn new things,”said her granddaughter, Karina Santana.
https://www.citizen.co.za/benoni-city-times/393229/benoni-high-matrics-return-to-school/
“My grandmother gives all glory to God, for He has continually provided for her and has kept her strong and healthy.
“She shares her skills and produce, such as needlework, cooking and gardening, with her neighbours and friends.
“She is such a blessing to her entire family with her positive outlook towards life and her unwavering love for her family and friends.”
Maria gave her secret to the City Times about her luscious-looking and -tasting plants:
• A few seeds are planted in September when there is a full moon.
• She then ensures there is sufficient compost and waters regularly.
• The plants then grow wildly and shoot, becoming big plants and act as creepers covering a lot of ground and walls.
• Pumpkins are produced; she then picks some when they are young and tender.
• She allows some to continue growing until they become hard-skinned and orange/yellow-fleshed inside.
https://www.citizen.co.za/benoni-city-times/393183/celebrities-show-their-support-for-benoni-charities/
“She loves gardening and has always had green fingers,” Karina said.
“She gets great satisfaction from seeing her garden produce vegetables she can use in her cooking.”
Karina added that Maria grew up in a subsistence farming environment.
“Her parents were poor and with her being one of the older children out of seven, she had to work the fields from a very young age.
“She never got the opportunity to go to school and never learnt how to read or write.”
Maria was born on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
She got married at the young age of 17 and had five children.
She emigrated to South Africa and settled in Benoni, where she has resided for the past 45 years.
She now has 14 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
