As my week pleasantly begins with my weekly gift from the township, through Abalimi Bezekhaya ‘Harvest of Hope’. Gives me butterflies in my tummy as I open it to see what’s in it this week. It’s a surprise everytime. All seasonal veg and herbs, completely organic and super fresh, it gets picked in the morning and I have it on my table in the afternoon. Delivered so close to my door step, at such low prices.
The idea is, the charity organisation empowers poor, unemployed people from the township with farming skills and farming opportunities within their own backyards and spaces around the township. When they’ve farmed and they have produce, the organisation than helps sell the produce to people like me. People who want fresh produce. So I pay R87 per week( way less than I used to pay at a supermarket), my veggies get harvested on Tuesday morning, and then I pick up on a Tuesday afternoon on my way home from work, a few km from my house. My packet of veg is always a surprise, different veggies every week, depending on what’s in season and what’s ripe. And every other week, I get half a dozen eggs too.
So I get fresh veg, from the soil to my table within hours. I get this fresh veg for next to nothing, while I contribute toward someone’s wellbeing. With all my fresh veg, it’s been my challenge to try do as many varieties of veg dishes. While trying to hide some veg from my son, so he can eat them.
Tonight is one of those nights. He doesn’t like egg plant, so I’m hiding egg plant, kohlrabi and radish tonight. And in my veg packet this week I have: egg plant, kohlrabi, lettuce, carrots, spring onion, dried peppers and tomatoes, mint leaves, and radish. 
Dinner: veg and bacon tart with lamb cutlets.
What do you need? Serves 4
4 lamb cutlets
1 Kohlrabi
Egg plant
4 radishes
1 big tomato
Onion
Bacon streaks
Dried sweet basil
Cayenne pepper
Cheddar cheese- grated
Star fruit (adventurous find from local market)
What to do?
Start by chopping your veg. Remove the core of the tomato and chop it, thinly. Remember the different cooking times with the veg, so when chopping make the sizes with this in mind. In a hot pan with 1 tsp of olive oil add in the 6 chopped bacon streaks, half an onion, 1 spring onion, 1 tbs garlic and season with pepper. When browned take off the stove. 
Add the chopped veg and bacon into little oven dishes, season with salt & pepper, pinch of cayenne pepper, dried sweet basil.
Beat 6 eggs into a bowl, season with salt & pepper and pour the eggs into the oven dishes with veg/bacon mixture, top the dishes with grated cheese. Pop this into the oven at 230 degrees for 20 minutes.
While the tarts are cooking, sauté your lamb cutlets. The lamb has been brining in the 3rd salt/2rds sugar solution over night. Take off the brine and wash off the salt as much as possible. Season with pepper, and saute in a hot pan with olive oil for 5 minutes. Remember we want it to be pink not cremated!😉.
After 20 minutes take off the oven and rest for 5 minutes. Then out of the dishes and serve with the radicchio salad, star fruit and lamb cutlet, garnish with sprinkles of dried veg.
Veggies, properly hidden! yet still delicious and somehow fancy for the adults.😜 Bon Appetit!
