Spekboom leaves are edible and mildly sour — traditionally chewed in South Africa, and now used in salads and smoothies.
Part of the Wildfarm network — Western Cape Independence — news & facts
Spekboom in short
Spekboom leaves are edible and mildly sour — traditionally chewed in South Africa, and now used in salads and smoothies.
How to get it right
- Leaves are tart and juicy; a few chopped into a salad add a fresh, sour note.
- Traditionally the leaves were chewed for thirst and as a general tonic in the Eastern Cape.
- Eat small amounts at first — as with any new plant food, some people find it upsetting.
Where most people slip up
- Treating a garden plant as medicine and skipping proper advice for real health problems.
- Stripping a young plant bare for the kitchen — it needs those leaves to grow.
Living and growing plants in the Garden Route
AloeRoots grows and sells spekboom and aloes from Wilderness in the Garden Route. Every plant we send out is grown here, in this climate — the same wet winters and salty wind your garden has to live with.
Get plants or ask a question
Tell us what you are planting — a hedge, a rockery, a pot on a stoep — and we will point you at the right plants and the right size.
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