A taste of the sweet life

Is there anything better than a fresh strawberry?

Plucking the delicious, juicy fruit right off the stem! Now that is how you want to get your strawberries.

Ahead of the upcoming Ballito Strawberry Festival the Umhlali Garden Club visited Cappeny Estates, Compensation, on Wednesday, September 2 to learnt more about growing and picking strawberries.

Cappeny Estate owners Xolani and Yoliswa Gumede taught the women all about the different cultivars and how some strawberry cultivars prefer different growing conditions.

Before anyone could start loading up their punnets with strawberries, everyone’s shoes were sprayed with an eco-friendly anti-bacterial spray to prevent any diseases from being carried in to the tunnels and contaminating the strawberries. Then after a good hand washing, the ladies made their way through the beautiful strawberry plants. You have to use both hands to pluck the fruit off the stem to prevent any damage to the plant.

Umhlali Garden Club president Elma Slabbert said it was a fantastic experience.

“We were so fortunate to go to Cappeny Estates and not only get delicious strawberries but also learn so much about the farming behind the scenes,” said Slabbert.

“We are all keen gardeners so we loved every second.”

Do not miss your opportunity to pluck some of the fun when the Ballito Strawberry Festival takes place on Saturday, September 26 at Cappeny Estates.

Tickets for the festival are R80 and and additional R50 for strawberry picking. Buy your tickets here.

If you want to join the Umhlali Garden Club, call Elma on 084 406 5917.