Posts by Nyasha Denhere

Hey my friends! It has been long, first, my apologies, I could not connect with you for almost a week because of the tight schedule I had. Please forgive me.

I missed blogging but anyway, I am back, not only back but back with another source of nutritious food which is readily available and found in arable lands especially here in Africa.

What can this be, I know you are asking me questions and today I do not want guess work, so let me get straight into the topic.

JUTE.

We used to sustainably gather this from the forest. Whenever the first rains fall, I always think of this weed. In Zimbabwe it naturally grows in summer and does not need any special attention. As long as rains are pouring religiously you are assured of a continuous supply.

I know you now want to know which part of the jute plant is edible.

No Problem, let’s go!

The tender leaves, flowers and tender pods are all consumed. The leaves are best for me, I do not miss my summer, I have to visit the village only for this.

How do you cook the jute leaves, flowers and pods.

Those who stay in town who are a little bit informed do not cook these parts of the plant. They take the tender parts of the plant and toss in their salads. It’s good this way.

But others will stir fry and add it in their dishes. If you over stir fry, jute is slippery, I tell you, you will not like it especially if you are not Zimbabwean.

BuT Zimbabweans they like the slippery part of the jute leaves.

Today I would like to teach you how rural folks in Zimbabwe prepare their jute meal and how they use the cooked jute leaves as a relish.

The Zimbabwean traditional way if cooking jute leaves.

The most important thing needed is an agent that will break down the leaves into slippery component.

NB: jute is a substitute of okra in my country, so I am about to talk about is the same way that is used to prepare okra in a traditional way in Zimbabwe.

Ok, let me continue.

the agent that is needed is soda. But people are rarely using soda because they want to be healthful so they have resorted back to their traditional method of making an alkaline solution using residues from plants . People from my village use dried maize Cobbs to prepare their agent. Every region has its own way of preparing this liquid, I went to Nyanga, in Hwesa to be specific, in that area sorghum and millet is grown there therefore they use finger millet plant residues.

How To prepare the agent?

Gather your maize Cobbs that has been shelled and make sure they are dry.

Put them on a clean metal plate or sheet. Burn them until they are reduced to ashes.

Wait so that they become cold.

WheN They are cold place them in a cup filled half way with water, add some ashes up until only 2cm of water is on top of the ashes. Stir gently and leave to settle for about 30mins.

Strain the resulting liquid in a clean cup.

This brownish liquid is your agent that we are going to use to prepare our jute.

Lets cook our jute leaves now.

You need

• 2 cups of cold water
• 1 teaspoon of your prepared agent
• 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
• 2cups of freshly picked jute leaves chopped
• One large tomato
• Shallots or any other onion cut into pieces
• A pot
• Wooden spoon
• With this method you do not need a lid

Now empty all the contents in a pot and put on stove top.

Allow this to come to boil, make sure you stir occasionally and beating the content.

Please do not go away put all your attention on the pot. If you are too experimental, experiment by going away for three minutes when the pot is now boiling and you will witness with your eyes what will happen, so I am not going to tell you what will happen, it’s your home work to find out,

Continue beating and stirring occasionally for 15 minutes, you will realise that your contents will become a very slippery porridge that is very delicious. The amount of water will determine the thickness of your output. At this stage make sure you have reduced the heat, even if I do not tell you to reduce your heat, there is something that will happen that will force you to reduce your heat.

This is how jute leaves are cooked in a traditional way in Zimbabwe. This way is also used to prepare okra in Zimbabwe.

If you hear a true Zimbabwean saying he is craving for okra, cook it this way , you will become his best friend. Frying okra and jute is contemporary and it’s not very popular with senior Citizens.

If you do not have any appetite please try jute leaves

Jute leaves are consumed together with Sadza(Zimbabwe’s Staple food).

There are vitamins, iron, magnesium and other minerals in jute.

Please try jute leaves for your good health.

When you hear the word jute, you think of of ropes, bags and sandals but try jute for food.

Bye for now!

Mahewu is a household name that is popular in every corner in Southern Africa. Although it is given different names in different countries, the taste and the benefits are just the same.

Everyone who has a rural background will never like to miss this drink.

What is Mahewu?

This a fermented non alcoholic drink or pap made from maize porridge.

For it to ferment better, malt made from finger millet and rapoko is used. This will give this drink a good flavour

People used to associate this drink with poverty but of late it has replaced many soft drinks in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa. Many beverage companies are now producing and selling it at large scale in supermarkets and wholesales. Many people are making a living by commercially selling this. The demand for this drink has been propelled by economic crisis in Zimbabwe. A person will buy a 500ml that will keep him full for the whole day. Companies are now supplying this traditional drink in packages that are affordable to different income groups. The largest market is school going population, followed by the working class and nursing mothers.

Mahewu is a fermented drink which is packed with probiotics which are helpful in people’s healthy. Those who cannot afford yogurt can replace it with Mahewu as this can be made by anyone at home.

Iron, magnesium, calcium, carbohydrates and protein are some of the nutrients found in Mahewu.

Large companies are now fortifying the drink with vitamin B12 making it a good source of a plant based diet drink. This large companies are now adding different flavours allowing people to choose the best flavour for them. For me the traditional un flavoured is the best.

Mahewu is equally good as any fermented product that you can think of, nursing mothers also feed their toddlers with Mahewu. Mahewu will keep on fermting if not refrigerated therefore, to allow people who cannot afford refrigerators, Instant Mahewu is all over the market. This has allowed people to consume this drink at ease. In Zimbabwe you can find more than ten brands of well packaged mahewu on shelf in a supermarket. This show that it a great product to try.

For all those who are on plant based diets Mahewu is the best and it is also affordable and can be made by everyone at home whether a person is rich or poor.

I still remember when I was in grade one, Mahewu was part of our school meal programme. Every child would have a cup of it on break time.

Some companies use nutritional yeast but the one made from rapoko or finger millet malt is the best.

Good day everybody, I hope the heat wave is not going to scorch you to death. It might be very hot but understand that it is a signal of something special.

Can you guess what it could be?

I know, you will never get the answer correct, so let me tell you.

The special thing is heavy rains are by the corner. As long as the rain is good, I like it. Rain brings back life to many things starting from animals, vegetation even plants and animals.

There are wild edible weeds that will come out when it rains. These weeds I know, can not be resisted by 99% true Zimbabweans.I am not going to mention them all but today I will talk about “cleome gynandra or cat’s whiskers or spider swisp.

Guys I do not want to lie to you, this weed is delicious when cooked well but….

BuT, I repeat, do not allow someone who is a bad coock to prepare it, you will never like it because it will be very bitter

The first rains will always remind me of my village and our homestead. Barely 3 weeks after the first rains fell, nyevhe or runi, in our mother language becomes the relish of almost 60% of households in the village.

I remember my mother gathering the tender leaves from our field early in the morning. She used to tell us if Nyevhe is harvested under scorching heat it becomes very bitter.

My Mum would cook it and add peanut butter. I always think of those moments sitting in my mother’s round hut in the evening eating this delicious relish with Sadza.

The problem would come when mum start to cook this weed religiously, I would not like it. I wanted it once in a blue moon.

I know I have reminded you of your past and I know I have made you to think of your grandparents in village. Well Christmas is at the corner, prepare for a visit in the village.

The good thing is cat’s whiskers can be found even in town in the streets were vendors will be selling it. The problem of buying from the street is that the leaves won’t be tender, my advice is go back to your roots and enjoy it with your family and friends.

The weed is just a wonder! It is packed with health benefits. It is composed of antioxidants, amino acids, vitamin A and C, calcium, magnesium and has the highest content of iron as compared to spinach.

The good thing is the leaves, stems, pods and flowers are edible. Ensure that you choose the young and tender parts.

Cooking.

Our traditional method is to boil with water or milk, but we use milk to neutralise bitterness. Choose your own plant based milk e g coconut 🥥 or soya bean milk.

After boiling you can add other ingredients that can make it taste good.

This weed has been eaten for many years in Zimbabwe, The only problem is that is is very scarce in winter and spring.

Come to Zimbabwe in December, I will take you to my village and you can enjoy the great taste of Zimbabwean traditional plant based meals.

When we were at primary school, one of my classmates was seen cheating. He was copying from Peter’s exercise book. The teacher was very angry, he demanded to know why John was copying. We were all surprised when John said, “sir, I am not copying but I am comparing my answers and adjusting.

Everyone was puzzled by this amazing answer.

But today, we can also be like John who was comparing and adjusting.

I Know you can be asking me questions,

What do you mean?

I Mean , we all want to live a longer and healthier live, I believe it is better for us to compare and adjust our production and consumption patterns.

So whose book is our bench mark?

The answer is the BLUE ZONES.

My friends here is what most of the centenarians in Sardinia feed on.

Herbs, plant based milk especially soy milk, beans and chickpeas, leaf vegetables like spinach and kale, whole grains, fruits e.g papayas, seeds and nuts, olive oil, red wine. Guys ! The list is endless. The important thing is to choose and exploit wild edible weeds in our areas, In Zimbabwe we can eat amaranth and blackjack.

Its not copying but we are just comparing and adjusting. It’s nice to imitate good things that are done by others.

We all wish to live longer so we have to follow our models who inspire us.

Start with the little that you have, we have confidence in you, you will definitely get there.

Sustainably exploit plant based food that is around you.

Many people do not have time to manage their diets but if something’s goes wrong in their immune system, they start blaming God, themselves or their partners.

Noone has the responsibility to take good care of your healthy, you can only do it by yourself.

What does that mean?

Choose your food wisely, do not wait for someone to choose food for you. Have the courage to explain to your loved ones why you are changing from your traditional unsustainable eating habits to new sustainable eating habits.

How many times do you eat what you do not want because you want to please someone?

Please do not give up on your healthy just because it is going to be difficult to restore it to the right condition.

Many people who have lived long chose plant based diets, they were bold enough to explain to their friends and family why they do not eat un healthy foods.

It took us ages to understand our father when he deliberately chose vegan food and less sugar. We thought he was crazy, he always eat our traditional Zimbabwean meals but we used to think that he is back ward. We only came to réalise that exercise and plant based diets can make people live longer than expected.

So what am I saying my friends, choose your food wisely, choose plant based food if you want to live a longer healthier life.

Always remember this, Eating is a necessity, but choosing the right food is an art.

Hello my friends, I hope you are doing well and you are enjoying your summer.

Yes, it’s summer time but what is so special about summer and cooking?

What comes in your mind if you think of summer? For me summer reminds of cucumbers, 🍉,pumpkins and zucchini.

At times we can be having plenty of pumpkins and pumpkin seeds, but can we just throw the seeds away?

I shout a loud, big NO, because these seeds are helpful. Do you know that pumpkin seeds are good iron and protein sources, so if you thinking of fighting against anemia, choose pumpkin seeds.

One day I tried to explain this to someone who was suffering from anemia but he could not understand me, he could not imagine himself eating the seeds, so I tried to roast and he said he did not like them.

I became confused and very disappointed, he said the outer layer is rough, so I said Ok, I will remove the outer Cote, using a hand mixer, I was very successful and I proceeded to roast the seeds and again he said they were not tasting good for him.

I was just speechless but I wanted to restore his healthy through food.

Guess what I did.

I Reached for a ripe pumpkin from our garden, I removed the seed from the pumpkin and I washed them thoroughly. I blended them and they became pulp.

NeXt,

I cooked my soup and added four teaspoon of the seed pulp into the soup. I simmered for a while then I had to serve him. He said, ‘this soup is unusual, I do not know How you did it?’ I was very happy that I had tricked him, so I religiously did this for some time up until I told him , how I was preparing my soup.

He liked the idea and now we do it as long as we have some seeds available .

Plant based diets are supper for our healthy so we need some art to entice consumers to embrace them.

So tomorrow, I will teach you how we use mature zucchini for food.

Until tomorrow

Hello our friends, we know that the summer heat is doing no good to your body, we are quite aware that you need something refreshing today,

But what could that be?

The market is flooded with varieties of un-healthy drinks that are not sustainably produced, they are preserved with artificial chemicals but we are quite aware that you need something which is natural, healthier and tasting good.

ToDay I have a wonderful recipe that I want you to try at home, this recipe is mainly for plant based diets fans,

In your journey of becoming a vegan, I know you will really choose my recipe.

Ok, let’s go now, what do we need?

• A Cup full of peeled and cubed papaya
• A cup full of strawberries
• 2 medium sized bananas peeled and cubed
• Quarter cup of ice flakes(optional) you only need this if your fruits are not frozen, as for me I enjoy using cold water only, so choose what works best for you.

Instructions

Put all the fruits in a blender, and blend until smooth.

Add ice or water to manipulate the smoothiness. You just need to determine the thickness you want yourself. So you keep on adding water up until a level of thickness you desire is reached.

Voila, you now have a summer drink to enjoy,

TaKe your transparent smoothies cup and pour the contents in, use your beautiful earth friendly straw and start sucking from the cup,

There you go, you have a beautiful day with the most healthy plant based 🥤

Guys I did not add any milk deliberately because I want you to réalisé that choosing the right food is an art, you just need to be innovative, with the resources that you have you can be healthier, be a disruptor, discover your own recipe, do not follow the rules in the recipe books.

Please change starts with you and me so change yourself through food.