Pomegranates
THE PATH OF THE POMEGRANATE Hilary Biller visited Ganico, the first certified organic pomegranate farm in SA, and spoke to the owners
Why pomegranates? It was a combination of things: It’s a small farm, so we looked for a crop we could grow that has a high value; it’s a crop that would grow well in our area (Muldersdrift in Gauteng), and pomegranates are known as a superfruit for all their health benefits and that really appealed to us. Pomegranates are high in vitamin C and loaded with antioxidants. We wish everybody could have access to healthy, organic fruit. It makes a difference.
We started farming to change our lifestyles and get out of the corporate world. We wanted the opportunity to spend more time as a family.
SA does have some accredited organic companies, unfortunately they are not recognised overseas. So we decided to go with the European standard and are certified organic by Ecocert. We are the first registered organic pomegranate farm in SA. Registering an organic farm is expensive and not easy. The farm is audited by the organic company, who test our leaf, soil and fruit samples every year to make sure we are not using any pesticide and are sticking to organic principles. We farm the way nature has been doing it for thousands of years.
Every day on a farm is different, which makes farming so fun and so
stressful at the same time. We walk the farm early in the morning and see how it is doing. Observation is key. What are the trees trying to tell us
(by their leaves, fruit or growth), how is the soil doing? Are the predator bugs eating the pests? How can we improve the soil? How can we attract more beneficial insects? Then after a farm walk, we head to the packhouse to check on size of fruit and colour for sorting. After that we hit the computer, catching up on e-mails, chasing money (cashflow is super important on a farm), marketing our farm and fruit, educating SA on what it means to be organic, and then educating ourselves. Learning never stops. All of this happens in between school runs, playing on the farm, and trying to be good, attentive parents. Some days we get it right, other days can be a little crazy!
The fruit that can’t be marketed whole is deseeded by hand and packed into cups, which we call antioxidant cups on the go.
At Ganico we produce about 20t of fruit per season, which is a far cry from where we should be, but slow and steady is our motto!
Pomegranates are enjoyed in many ways in our home. For breakfast we might enjoy them in our smoothies or as a delicious topping on yoghurt. For lunch, pomegranate gems make an excellent addition to salads. For dinner, we sprinkle the gems on our meat dishes and even some pastas. Let’s not forget that pomegranate gems go fantastically well with a good G&T or sparkling wine.
At first we thought working as a family would not be a good idea but it has
brought us much closer together. We have seen the best and worst of each other. Families are meant to be together, through good and bad. There is no greater fulfilment than being surrounded by the miracle of nature and then working together as a family. As a family, farming has taught us patience — it takes seven years for a pomegranate to reach maturity; love, because it takes love to keep going during the bad times; and joy, because we get to spend time every day as a family, even during the chaos, and that is something special.
If you are thinking about growing your own produce, start now! You will fail often and fast so learn from your mistakes. Farming is tough as you compete with nature. Don’t spray chemicals or pesticides. But in the end it is very fulfilling and creative.