#BeTheChange: Plant Your Love This Valentine’s Day

Plant Your Love

Sandton City and Nelson Mandela Square, in partnership with The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), are sowing the seeds of love and spreading awareness for our earth this Valentine’s weekend. Come to The City and spend R350 or more between 13 – 15 February to redeem your free Spekboom – a climate change and air pollution fighting plant. Find the Plant Your Love stand in the Apple Court near the iStore, where WWF volunteers will also be spreading awareness about the miracle Spekboom plant. While stocks last. Ts & Cs apply.

Interesting Facts About Spekboom

The Spekboom might be seen as just an ordinary plant, but don’t be fooled, it’s actually rather special. Other than adding a little greenery to a room and making a hardy hedge in a garden, it’s quite diverse and has many benefits you might never have thought of. Here’s a few interesting facts about this wonder plant and why you should have a couple of these around your home and in your garden.

It’s a proudly South African plant

Spekboom can predominantly be found in the Eastern Cape, especially in the semi-arid Karoo region, where it thrives in the harshest of conditions.

It helps fight climate change and air pollution

This wonder plant improves the quality of the air we breathe and helps fight climate change and air pollution. Spekboom can absorb between four to ten ton of carbon per hectare.

Spekboom is easy to grow

Simply break a piece off of a Spekboom plant and place it in the ground in an area that gets plenty of sunlight. And during late winter and spring, it blooms beautiful pink flowers rich in nectar, which will attract both birds and bees to your garden.

It needs minimal water and is resilient

This low-maintenance plant can survive on as little as 250 – 350ml of water per year. It adapts to all weather conditions and can endure extreme conditions – from drought to frost. It also prevents soil erosion.

It has medicinal qualities

Did you know that consuming a Spekboom leaf can quench thirst, treat exhaustion, dehydration and even heatstroke? It can also be used to provide relief for blisters, a sore throat and sunburn. The humble Spekboom can be used to treat a variety of ailments.

It can live to be 200 years old

Due to its resilient and hardy nature and the fact that it grows so easily with minimal maintenance, the Spekboom plant can live to be up to 200 years old.

Spekboom is high in nutrients

This plant is edible and makes a perfect addition to any salad. You can also use the Spekboom leaves to garnish a refreshing G&T. It’s high in basic nutrients, especially Vitamin C. Give it a try with this Spekboom, Chickpea & Tomato Salad recipe from Woolworths TASTE magazine.

Ingredients:

• 2 x 400 g cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 250 g baby tomatoes, halved
• 2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced and blanched
• two handfuls Spekboom leaves, rinsed
• Maldon salt, to taste

For the dressing, mix together:

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 T white-wine vinegar
• 1 T honey
• 1 T smooth mustard
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method:

• Remove the chickpea shells and place in a salad bowl with the halved baby tomatoes, sliced avocado and onion and Spekboom leaves.
• Pour over the dressing.
• Lightly mix and allow to rest for 2 to 3 minutes before serving, sprinkle with salt to taste.

For more information about our #BeTheChange movement, click here.

Category: Blog