Fill the hungry gap

The “hungry gap” is the term used to describe the time of year where one set of crops are ending, and the next set is yet to grow. That tension- of waiting, and holding on- is surely a universal experience of scarcity. It might even be a universal experience that connects us to ancestors who came long before us. For us, that gap is often February- March.

That feeling of waiting and longing seems valuable. The thing is, because we can usually buy food at the shop, it’s a hard feeling to sit with, and if there’s nothing growing in the garden it tends to become a matter of compensating with grocery-store options.

So instead of sitting with what is, I tend to look away.

Yet, in most parts of South Africa, we can fill the hungry gap partially, and continue to eat from our gardens year round. When there are gaps, they are not so profound that we have nothing. So we still feel the gap, but we’re able to resist the draw of imported or long-stored food.

So this year, we have spring onion, beetroot, cabbage, granadillas, kale, carrots, peppers, hot peppers and brinjals still available. We keep planting out gaps and keep planting even when it gets hot or cold, and even when it’s not super efficient. We learn through the inefficiency, and there are always surprises.

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