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In many of the National Parks in South Africa April/May are months that some of the fruit and other edible food that grow in the wild are ready for harvest mainly by wild animals I think. The fruits of the wild may not be widely used by humans as a source of food these days. Modern people might not want to go and collect fruits in the bush for the home anymore . The only wild fruit that I have recently ate was in January this year when I collected some of the Marula’s that dropped from the tree at Lower-Sabie camp and they tasted very good .

Do you sometimes eat wild fruit or herbs or use them in dishes that you cook?

I have collected a few dropped marula's at Croc Bridge

Other than that I have never picked fruits and herbs in the wild... due to lack of knowledge about them, I am too afraid to eat them

I am also a bit hesitant to eat some of the fruits Jeanni as I also do not know them. In Crocodile Bridge there was another tree in January with big yellow fruit on the ground but it tasted from to . I asked the lady in the shop what tree it is but she said they do not know.

The Karoo has many plants that are not toxic for humans. They use for example the Christmas berry or the Aambeibossie, not for eating or cooking, but for medicinal use. The flowers of the Guarri tree are loved by the bees and they produce good Guarri honey it is said which is especially good on hot buttered toast. Leaves from the Buchu plant are used to make brandy and it is said that the leaves from the Pajama bush or Agtdaegeneeesbos cures all illnesses within 8 days.

They were not very tasty when we ate them either GM

I remember a bush in KNP that you can brush your teeth with but I cannot remember its name

In Paternoster, West Coast we once enjoyed a dish that is made using food from the wild in that area - Potato Dumplings served with Veldkos (some kind of field cabbage). The Soetuintjies that grow in the West Coast National Park was apparently harvested as a food item long time ago.