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A visit to the Philippi Horticultural Area

Saturday, 2 September 2017 at 10h00
Corner Schaapkraal and Vlei Roads, Philippi, Cape Town

Slow Food International, while maintaining its principles of good, clean and fair has shifted its focus from what might be regarded as eating from the top table to including the promotion of food gardens and the preservation of traditional foods. Our outings are usually supported by about 20 out of a total of 100 members and we wondered whether we are providing what our membership really wants from participation in Slow Food. It would be appreciated if you could let us know what you think.

Our planned visit to the PHA (Philippi Horticultural Area) on Saturday 2 September is to see for ourselves the extent of the proposed development. The issues are complicated. Would the mining and development erode the historical vegetable basket Cape Town has on its doorstep? Is the wetland important and will it too be lost in the process with repercussions to the aquifer? Should what the CT City Council claim is the ‘More economic use of the property’ be the way to go?

The vegetables grown in this area are not heritage tomatoes, sugar snap peas or tender asparagus but the carrots and cabbages of this world. These farmers pick and pack lugs of iceberg lettuce, Swiss chard, turnips, beetroot, bunches of soup celery, leeks and curly leaf parsley, much of which is sold directly to the poor of the neighbourhood. Farming in the PHA has always been a battle against wind and sand. It also faces an added struggle with tools and equipment that steal away in the night, crippling production in the same way theft of infrastructure cripples our local train service.

The Slow Food members will meet at the Campaign Centre at 10h00 for coffee and a 20 minute talk on the workings of the group by Nazeer Sonday of the Food and Farming Campaign. We’ll then organize ourselves into the minimum number of cars for a tour through the farmlands to see the mining site and the proposed development sites. At 12h30 we’ll return to the Campaign Centre for a vegetarian lunch. This will be a stir fry sourced from the farm produce.

The cost of the tour and meal will be R210 per person for members and R230 per person for guests.

Please let Lorna know the number of members and guests attending the tour and lunch, with the names of your guests, by Sunday 27 August 2017. If you are unfamiliar with the area, and would like to travel in convoy, or would like a lift, please let Lorna know, and she’ll put you in touch with people in your area.

To book your places, please transfer payment to Cape Town Slow Food at FNB, Grassy Park, code 203109, account number 62023929378. When doing this please put your name as a reference on the transfer. Payment will confirm your booking.

PLEASE DO NOT DEPOSIT CASH OR CHEQUES.

Address:

Take M5/Prince George Drive to 5th Avenue Grassy Park intersection.
Travel East along 5th Avenue and cross Strandfontein Rd at Lotus River Pick n Pay.
Here 5th Avenue becomes Schaapkraal Rd and you will be entering the Philippi Horticultural Area.
Travel 500m to find PHA Campaign Centre on your left.

Click HERE for an online map.

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Slow Wine

Our 2015 harvest has been bottled after spending a year maturing in oak, and is now available to order at R480 per six bottle case. To reserve your wine please transfer multiples of R480 to our account with your name as a reference. Please let Stephen know (), and he will arrange collection or delivery.

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