Page 16 - LandscapeSA_119

FEaTURE

haVE yOU CONSIDERED

EaTING yOUR wEEDS?

By wS JaNSEN VaN RENSBURG, aS GERRaNO, LN KhOza, Mw BaIRU, M TRUTER, SL VENTER

In the modern garden, plants such as amaranth, Spider Plant, Lamb’s Quarters,
Blackjack, Nightshade and Jute are regarded as weeds. however, for many South
africans, these plants form part of their daily diets and are nutritious, leafy

vegetables.

he oldest inhabitants of South africa, the San people, who poverty food in the past, however, this view has changed drastically
were the first hunter-gatherers, have for years harvested and it is now regarded by many as a super food that can contribute
Tleaves from wild plants to supplement meat from hunted significantly to food and nutritional security. hence, promoting the
animals. Over 100 different species of plants are cooked as a pot development of a strong indigenous vegetable and seed sector in
herb/relish with maize meal, or used as relishes or side dishes. These South africa is important for sustainable food systems.
include indigenous as well as indigenised, mostly weedy species.
Blackjack for instance, was brought to South africa with horse The popularity of specific species is a function of many factors
fodder for the British army horses. These different leafy vegetable including availability, ease of preparation, taste, consistency and
species became part of the african culture and heritage and are appearance. amaranth is used extensively because of its wide
collectively known as Morogo or imifino (from here on collectively distribution and adaptability. The soft, fast-cooking leaves are
referred to as Morogo). preferred to the coarse ones, which require long cooking times.

In South africa, Morogo is mostly wild harvested and several of the Other important factors include regional and gender diversity,
most popular species, such as amaranth and Spider Flower, are age and the influence of taste. The bitter tastes of Nightshade and
pioneer plants which emerge naturally when soils are disturbed as Spider Plant are highly appreciated, particularly by males in the
a result of cultivation. They are regarded as weeds in commercial northern parts of South africa, whereas people in the southern
farming systems, but not in african smallholder crop systems. part of the country prefer the “sweet” taste of amaranth leaves.
women, who do most of the weeding, often distinguish between Similarly, many people in the north enjoy the mucilaginous texture
undesirable weed species which are hoed or pulled out, and of Jute, whereas those in the south find the sliminess offensive.
Morogo, which is harvested or left undisturbed for subsequent use.
Morogo mostly grows in summer, with exceptions such as local
Brassica species and Lamb’s Quarters, which grow during winter.
Morogo is mostly marketed informally as a fresh or dried product.
Some women will harvest it in farmers’ fields and travel to the
townships where they sell it to commuters at taxi ranks and train
stations. Some traders in Mamelodi source Spider Plant from as far
as Giyani, where it is harvested. Recently, several supermarkets in
rural towns have started to stock Morogo occasionally.
The young growing points and tender leaves are used in the
preparation of vegetable dishes. Morogo is prepared as a pot herb
and may be prepared from a single species or from a combination
of different ones such as amaranth and Spider Plant mixed
together. The amaranth will add bulk and the Spider Plant will add
taste. Other ingredients such as tomatoes, onions, peanut butter
and spices are added to the leafy vegetables to enhance their taste.
Morogo is normally boiled or steamed. The first cooking water of
very bitter species like Nightshade and Blackjack may be replaced Figure 1: amaranth (Amaranthus graecizans) has spoon-shaped leaves with
by fresh water, before addition of the other leafy vegetables. dark markings in certain areas
however, this practice reduces the nutrient value. These bitter
species are often prepared with sour milk to reduce the bitterness. Amaranth (thepe or imbuya)
amaranth belongs to the family Amaranthaceae and is an extremely
The consumption of Morogo is highly variable and depends on variable, erect to spreading herbaceous herb (Figure 1). It grows as
factors such as poverty status, degree of urbanisation, distance to a weed almost worldwide and is used in many countries as either a
fresh produce markets and time of year. The use of wild food is part leafy vegetable or for grain. The young leaves, growing points and
of a very important safety net that rural people use to cope with whole seedlings of amaranth are harvested and cooked for use
food security, poverty, disaster or livelihood stress. In poor rural as a vegetable. The leaves and stems of A. spinosis are dried and
communities, consumption of Morogo is particularly important ground for use as snuff. amaranth can also be used to make a salt
to supplement the nutrition of women and children. In contrast, substitute, where whole dried plants of different amaranth species
urban households use less Morogo than rural ones, because they are burnt to ash and dissolved in water. The mixture is then filtered
have easier access to fresh markets and are distantly removed and the precipitate used as a salt substitute. There are also several
from areas where these vegetables grow. Morogo was labelled as a ornamental amaranths.

14 Landscape Sa • Issue 119 2022