A very, very long time ago, say some African legends, the first baobab sprouted beside a small lake. As it grew taller and looked about it spied other trees, noting their colorful flowers, straight and handsome trunks, and large leaves. Then one day the wind died away leaving the water smooth as a mirror, and the tree finally got to […] Continue Reading
In Africa the Baobab tree comes close to being regarded as sacred – or as the shelter under which the elders talk and consult until they reach consensus. Here is a picture of a traditional meeting place beneath a Baobab tree close to a Venda Village. It is almost as if the tree bears witness to what is discussed beneath […] Continue Reading
Heike Pander, a German artist who paints baobabs, visited me over the weekend. She is passionate about baobabs and will be exhibiting some of her baobab art along with her other paintings later on in the year in Germany. She says “my enthusiasm for the marvelous and enthralling nature of Africa has grown steadily. I am not only a fan of the […] Continue Reading
Wow! It’s been tough choosing winners, people! So many great comments – so first of all a big THANK YOU to all of you for participating. It’s been wonderful to hear from each and every one of you and we’re grateful for your input. It gives us a very good idea of the kind of skin problems people are experiencing. We […] Continue Reading
I thought you might like to see this video interview I did with Johrne van Huyssteen. This video was made for De Kat TV. Have a look at it here. http://buff.ly/1b3mrqS
This week I did my annual trip to Skelmwater. This is a baobab research plot situated near Musina long the N1. Skelmwater was established in 1930 by the late Professor de Villiers of Stellenbosch University. The aim was to measure the rate of growth of baobabs in their natural environment. Despite the small number of baobabs in the plot, the […] Continue Reading
For all you cycling fans out there, if you’re in Louis Trichardt this weekend, do stop by and check out the Kremetart Cycle Tour – so named because the route goes past a significant number of Baobab Trees on the way. It’s fun for the whole family (there are kiddies races, stage races and mountain bike cross country) and is […] Continue Reading
After our community workshop on Monday, my manager Colly started visiting the villages to buy our first fruit for the season. The fruit are packed into bags then loaded onto our pick-up and trailer. Each women is paid on delivery, so that she does not have to wait for payment. The bags of fruit are transported back to our factory in […] Continue Reading
I'm really pleased to announce that my article on my scientific research findings regarding the sustainability of the Baobab Tree population has been recently published in the science journal Forest Ecology and Management. This journal has a very rigorous selection process and acceptance is based on relevance, whether your article can demonstrate a genuine contribution to scientific knowledge, originality and […] Continue Reading
How could we not like this beautiful gold hand crafted pendant of a baobab tree? We also really like the concept of Precious Earth Jewelers who only use recycled previous metals to reduce the impact of mining on the earth's surface. Their eco-conscious jewelry feature's Precous Earth's trade mark is a single "little green gemstone" of imperial chrome diopside, a conflict-free and […] Continue Reading