![From food scraps to compost in a jiffy: We test the iCompost](https://cdn.magzter.com/1376649439/1685010220/articles/fmcxr5WA61685019212210/FROM-FOOD-SCRAPS-TO-COMPOST-IN-A-JIFFY-WE-TEST-THE-ICOMPOST.jpg)
At Platteland we are active proponents of composting, and over the years we have featured stories on everything from worm composting to bokashi. If you’re concerned about sustainability, making your own compost is the responsible thing to do. It doesn’t require magic or genius; you simply have to imitate the natural process by which Mother Nature turns decaying plant material and other organic waste into humus over time.
In our yard we have an ambitious number of “composting projects” on the go: a large, neglected compost pile with many thick branches in the olive grove; two composting bins by the vegetable beds; a plastic composting tower near the kitchen door; two worm farms in the garage; a bokashi bin in the pantry; and a stainless steel bucket in the kitchen into which peels, coffee grounds and teabags go (and which, despite our best efforts, always has a halo of midges).
For the vast majority of people who have a garden and/or potted plants, compost is something they buy at a nursery, a garden centre or a co-op. And the most common reasons they cite for not making their own compost is a lack of time, space, enthusiasm or muscle power required to build and manage a proper hot compost pile – not to mention having to wait for the compost to be ready.
Denne historien er fra Winter 2023-utgaven av go! Platteland.
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Denne historien er fra Winter 2023-utgaven av go! Platteland.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![There are few secrets in Verlorenvallei](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4232/1708872/otsWkwqAW1721376584861/THERE-ARE-FEW-SECRETS-IN-VERLORENVALLEI.jpg)
There are few secrets in Verlorenvallei
All platteland towns have that one famous (or infamous) character who knows everyone's business. Meet Livia Hoogenboezem, the keeper of every piece of gossip in Verlorenvallei...
![Make magic with winter's abundance](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4232/1708872/TuTQ8sw7d1721376173729/MAKE-MAGIC-WITH-WINTERS-ABUNDANCE.jpg)
Make magic with winter's abundance
This winter menu is our invitation to look beyond the bewildered herb garden, move out of your comfort zone and bake a loaf of bread, appreciate the beauty of a head of cabbage, and invite the rain gods to the table to feast with you on venison pie, pudding and cake.
![It takes a family](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4232/1708872/MDJGJVi8m1721375488795/IT-TAKES-A-FAMILY.jpg)
It takes a family
Christian Fry and his fiancé, Pippa de Lange, arrived at Dombeya with just a day to spare before the Covid-19 hard lockdown commenced in 2020. Their purpose was to save the Fry family farm from being sold. They've settled into life in their Elands River Valley haven now but continue to dream big and work hard.
![For the love of birds...](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4232/1708872/JnYKSV8gy1721374962855/FOR-THE-LOVE-OF-BIRDS.jpg)
For the love of birds...
They may be called birdwatchers but they are in fact using their ears. As Johan van Zyl discovered on his maiden outing as an \"avian tourist\" with BirdLife South Africa to find the 450 bird species that live in the Garden Route and Little Karoo.
![To the babbling brooks of Sabie](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4232/1708872/fjWR-T0ny1721373963450/TO-THE-BABBLING-BROOKS-OF-SABIE.jpg)
To the babbling brooks of Sabie
Roughly every five years, Jaco and Jens Reverchon get itchy feet. They hopped around Cape Town, moved up north to the Greater Kruger and then, recently, put down roots next to the Sabie River where they live a peaceful life with their animals.
![Creativity & community in Dinokeng](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4232/1708872/gRTHBdppP1721373648923/CREATIVITY-COMMUNITY-IN-DINOKENG.jpg)
Creativity & community in Dinokeng
The driving force behind the successful Makers Village in Irene has now implemented the same concept in Cullinan, creating an incubator and exhibition space for entrepreneurs and artists. Platteland dropped in at this budding creative hub to find out what it's all about and came away impressed.
![Willie Strauss Never an idle moment](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4232/1708872/n-QMy2Y7V1721373220647/WILLIE-STRAUSS-NEVER-AN-IDLE-MOMENT.jpg)
Willie Strauss Never an idle moment
A variety concert... that is how to approach your life and career when you want to survive as an artist living in the platteland. So says singer, lyricist and radio food expert Willie Strauss, who entices visitors to Die Sinkstoor in Cullinan with traditional offal and his mother's Bushmanland boerekos.
![To die for](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4232/1708872/gyJgZwkVx1721372669467/TO-DIE-FOR.jpg)
To die for
How do you avoid the tourist avalanche if you live in an Afromontane forest where holidaymakers descend in December? You drive to lonely outposts in the mountains of the Cape, says photographer Obie Oberholzer, and you make pictures rather than take them.
![1 Fiat 500 2ha 4 boys...19000 miles!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4232/1708872/6w4YXIGRH1721372198368/1-FIAT-500-2HA-4-BOYS19000-MILES.jpg)
1 Fiat 500 2ha 4 boys...19000 miles!
When the go-cart that an engineer father had built for his four sons couldn't handle the tufty terrain on their 2-hectare plot in Montana, Pretoria, they hunted down a Fiat 500 in a salvage yard. They only wanted its suspension system, but Mom intervened, the car was saved, and those little daredevils clocked up an impressive 19000 miles - all without leaving the plot.
![SUTHERLAND Cold town, warm hearts](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4232/1708872/LAq6G4Mkl1721371756286/SUTHERLAND-COLD-TOWN-WARM-HEARTS.jpg)
SUTHERLAND Cold town, warm hearts
Life in Sutherland in the Northern Cape isn't always easy, but even those who leave tend to return. Come with us to find out why.