Legume

It was difficult coming up with our top 10 as we think all vegetables are worth growing even if you only get a handful of peas or one sweetcorn cob. They will still be delicious and rewarding, but we think some veg really do give you more ‘bang for y

Broad beans can be found on just about every allotment site and in plenty of veg patches up and down the country. The easy-to-grow legume not only produces masses of beans, most also have fragrant flowers, and you’ll know that they give off a delight

Tsakani Mhlongo, owner of SwaTsakani Farming in Tzaneen, Limpopo, began farming vegetables part-time in 2018. She juggles farming with the demands of her job in the mining industry, where she is currently involved in project coordination. She started

1 Legumes (such as chickpeas, beans and lentils). Legumes are an excellent source of soluble fibre, as well as being high in protein, which is particularly important if you’re a vegetarian or vegan. 2 Oat bran is also high in soluble fibre and is ex

Depending on who you talk to, soy is either a superfood or one to swerve. But this high-fibre legume deserves a clean slate. Research has debunked the whole “soy causes breast cancer” thing ‒ and that’s from the American Institute for Cancer Research

Who do you credit with giving you your enthusiasm for veg growing? My desire for gardening was matured at the tender age of four by my father and he encouraged me to take my first allotment at 11 years old. My gardening guru was Geoff Hamilton and hi

Nutrient-dense meals are a must for the performance-driven triathlete. Enter pulses, which provide a natural protein and carbohydrate combination that can boost performance as well as aid recovery after a hard session. Bursting with vitamins and mine

Serves 4 Time to make 45 mins Cost per serve $3.23 ✔diabetes friendly ✔dairy free ✔gluten free ✔vegetarian 1 x 750g head cauliflower, cut into florets2 red onions, cut into thin wedges1 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon ground coriander1 x 400g can bo

Because no-till beds are not ploughed, a cover crop is used to supply nitrogen and organic matter. This feeds the soil organisms, which make minerals available to the plants, create growth stimulants, and importantly, increase the humus content. Appr

A little planning can go a long way when it comes to making healthy meals. And while meal planning may sound daunting, it's actually quite simple with a little know-how. By definition, meal planning is just deciding in advance what you'll be eating t

✓ Sweet peas can be sown at the end of the month. Prepare a trench for them alongside a fence or trellis, and add a lot of well-rotted kraal manure, compost, bonemeal and an organic fertiliser (Atlantic Bio Ocean) to the soil. The reason why a trench

33 YEARS AGO Eastern Cape farmer Dick Isted successfully used ‘old-fashioned’ sheep’s burnet (Sanguisorba minor) to supplement his winter-cereal green-feed such as rye, wheat and oats. “Sheep’s burnet is a deep-rooted, wintergreen, perennial herb, r

Cut back the last flower stems on clumps of perennials that have been left for winter display. Use secateurs to cut them down to the base. This year’s shoots could be appearing at ground level on some of the earlier-flowering plants, so be careful no

While lentils and chickpeas are a fixture on supermarket shelves, the lupin is a less familiar sight. This yellow bean, the seed of the lupin flowering plant, has been part of the traditional Mediterranean diet for centuries. Particularly popular in

Pretty much every allotment grower or gardener has had a go at growing some sort of bean during their gardening life, even if they didn’t like them. From runners to French to broad beans, there are lots of varieties to choose from to keep the most av

Although it was nearly 60 years ago now, the memory is still bright. I was visiting a family that lived in a tiny cottage in the village I grew up in. Money was tight, and I was the middle-class boy from a big house, but their doors were always open

Smoothies are ideal for people on-the-go - but while they're super-convenient and delicious, they can also be more like a sugar bomb than a healthy snack, depending on the ingredients you choose. Even worse, a smoothie that's heavy on fruit and sweet

It’s hard to imagine that the world-famous peanut lives in a constant state of identity crisis. While it has the flavor characteristics of a nut, boasts the nutritional content of a seed, and develops underground like a tuber, the peanut actually bel

When I first started my journey to health, I thought I would have to map a program to make sure I got all the appropriate nutrients my body needed. Then I realized I was getting everything I wanted without even thinking about it. Almost all fruits an

A plant-based diet—fruits, vegetables, legumes such as peas and beans, nuts and seeds—reduces your blood pressure naturally, even if you’re also eating meat and dairy. One of the heart-specific diets, called DASH, had the biggest impact on blood pres

Healthy Nordic diet. Higher content of plant foods, fish, eggs and vegetable fat, and lower content of meat products, dairy products, sweets, desserts and alcoholic beverages. High-fruit and vegetable diet. Increased consumption of fruit and vegetab

Legumes aren’t just for vegetarians. These nutrition powerhouses are the best sources of plantbased protein going around and are bursting with health benefits, making them the perfect addition to your weekly diet. Despite their nutritional benefits a

Certified Permaculture Design Consultant If you have followed our Get to Know Your Pastures series, by now you will be familiar with some of the grass and legume species that you might find on your property. It’s now time to get up close and understa

Beans are a plot essential and dwarf French beans are one crop I try to make several sowings of during the season. When the lockdown came in March this year however, I found myself running out of seeds. Luckily my local garden centre was quick to set

Top Tip Before removing bean plants, leave a few pods in place to ripen. Harvest the beans inside and store somewhere cool and dry to sow in spring. IT has been a tremendous year for fruit and veg. Our trees have been groaning under the weight of plu

Vicia fava – vicia was the name for vetch in Latin and fava for the bean itself. Broad beans have been cultivated since prehistoric times in Europe. They were unearthed in the ancient city of Troy, found in Egyptian tombs as well as with Bronze Age a

A SUMMER garden without sweet peas would be, as Blackadder so memorably said, ‘like a broken pencil’ – pointless. Beautiful to look at and with that heady scent, they are an essential part of British horticulture. They regularly top the UK’s ‘favouri

A plant-based way of eating, flexitarianism focuses on getting most of your nutrients from whole plant foods, leaving room for meat and other animal products if you chose to eat them. Since there are no specific rules, it’s more flexible than fully v

Including leguminous leaf meal in a pig’s diet can reduce the proportion of soya bean normally used. Acacia leaves, for example, have a relatively high crude protein (CP) and favourable mineral concentration. A South African study evaluated the nutri

Decreasing meat consumption is one of the most talked-about topics of the past few years. Whether you’re interested for environmental, animal welfare or cultural reasons, eating less meat also has a positive impact on our health. Nutritionist Rick Ha