the a-m aze-ing' spekboom - ornico media monitoring
TRANSCRIPT
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Publication
YOU
Page
16-17
Date
Wed 01 Jan 2020
AVE (ZAR)
105474.69
YOU NEWS
HEYwantedtomakeama-jor statement, one climatechange denialists wouldfind impossibleto ignore.And that'sexactlywhat
they'redoing.TheirGreatLabyrinthofAfrica -
with dimensionsroughlythe sameasthe largestoftheAncientEgyptianpyramids- is taking shapeamongtherollinghillsofStellenboschintheWesternCape.And it will even-tuallybe sovastthat astronautswillbe ableto seeit from space,saysPeterShrimpton,founderoftheGreatLaby-rinth ofAfricaproject.But itwon't bebuilt frombrick orstone.
Insteadit'll bemadealmostentirely outofspekboomplants - 90000ofthem tobeprecise.The purpose: to serve as a living re-
minder that it'severyperson'sdutytobemindfuloftheir carbonfootprint.Astheywalkthe13circuitsoftheleafylabyrinth,visitors aremeant to meditate onwhatthey can do to cut their wasteful con-sumptionhabits.Thelabyrinthwillbethelargestin Africawhen it opensthis yearand has the samedesign asthat of theChartresCathedral labyrinth in France.Using spekboomplants to shapethe
new global landmark wasn't a randomdecision.The distinctive succulentis alltheragerightnow- andforgoodreason.Researchshowsonemature spekboomcanabsorbup to 8,5kgofcarbondioxide(CO;) ayear,whichmakestheplants 10timesmore effectiveat reducing carbonin the atmospherethan tropical rain-foresttrees.With globalwarmingnowsuchanur-
gent issue, many South Africans arechoosingtoplant thehumblesucculentin theirgardensin thehopeit'll helpslowthepaceofclimatechange.Addingto theplant'sappealisthat it's
hardy,waterwiseand low-maintenance- soeven if you don't have greenfingersthis is oneplant you shouldbe able tokeepalive.
MIRACLE PLANTThe spekboomis indigenous to SouthAfrica and doesn't occur naturally any-where elsein the world, saysProfessorStefanSiebertofthebotanydepartmentatNorth-West University.It's also one of the fewplants in the
16 | 30JANUARY 2020you.co.za
THEA-MAZE-ING'SPEKBOOMA labyrinthmadeofthe indigenoussucculentwill raiseawarenessofour carbonfootprintBY CHARLEASIEBERHAGEN-GREY
world thatreleasesoxygendayandnight.As aresult,onehectareofspekboomcanabsorbbetweenfour and 10tons ofcar-bon ayear, Siebert says."Due to their efficientphotosynthesis,
spekboom are ideal as a resource tocounterclimatechange;"he says.In addition, the evergreen succulent
hasseveralotheruses.Tortoisesandele-phants go crazy for its juicy leaves,Sie-
y"
bert says.But peoplecanalsotuck in."Its leaveshave a slight lemony taste
andthey're popular in saladswith toma-toesandchickpeas,"he says.The leaves are rich in vitamin C and
you cansuckthemto quenchyour thirstor chewthem to relieve a sorethroat, headds.Or you can crush them to treat arangeofnigglessuchasblisters, insectbitesand sunburn.
GREATLABYRINTHOFAFRICA:THENUMBERS
Itsdimensioninsquaremetres.
i Thenumberof_ |i lanesofhedging |+ makingupitsi 13circuits.
The numberofplantsin
| everymetre.
i_ Howmanytonsofi COztheplantsinthei- labyrinthwillabsorb|_ everyyear.
Thenumber |ofyearsaspekboomcanlive.
Howmanytonsof CO2SouthAfrica releasesintothe atmospher eeveryyear.
Howmanyspekboomtrees+= wouldhaveto beplantedto
neutralise SA'stotal carbonfootprint.
wM
a - + R
Pe " ® &»
+ * #
aei \.
Sjokolade,espressoenklapperpannacottaBestanddele40g Lindt 70% donkersjokolade, fyngesny500mklapperroom60 ml xylitol5ml espresso-poeier60m! warm water .
2.5ml agar-agar
Metode
Smeer 4 ramekins (115g-grootte)liggies met klapperolie.In 'n mediumgrootte pot oormedium/lae hitte, smelt diedonkersjokolade, klapperroom, xylitolsen espresso-poeier tot opgelos englad. Roer nou en dan om te verhoeddat sjokolademengsel brand.Hou op stoof tot mengsel begin prut.Verwyder van stoof.
Meng die agar-agar in die warmwater in 'n aparte houer tot volledigopgelos.Klop die opgeloste agar-agar-mengsel by die sjokolademengsel.Verhoog die hitte tot die mengsel
' stadig begin kook. Kook vir 3 minuteen roer tot dik. ke
Gooi die mengsel in dievoorafge'smeerde ramekins enverkoel tot volledig gestol. Versienmst vars bessies, klappé'r, ens. Jy
/Maak 4 panna cottas