Harvest Happiness

This is part of a choose-your-own-adventure style game about the cannabis scene in South Africa. Click here to go to the start (#page1).

Time blurred; weeks passed in the blink of an eye, consumed by the whirlwind of busyness.

Your plants are bursting with fat, aromatic buds, their trichomes glistening like tiny diamonds under the golden South African sun.

You’ve also been growing a strain called Lesotho Gold, a high-altitude sativa from the nearby mountains of Lesotho, often smuggled across the border into South Africa for its resinous buds and earthy, piney scent.

South Africa’s sunny climate, with its long summer days and minimal rainfall in the Free State, has been your secret weapon, giving your plants the ideal conditions to thrive.

With a pair of pruning shears in hand, you snip the buds with pride, carefully trimming each cola to preserve its potency.

You’ve learned curing techniques from Cannabis Growers Network, a local group that hosts workshops on traditional and modern cultivation methods.

Following their advice, you dry the buds in a well-ventilated shed for two weeks, then cure them perfectly in glass jars, filling your stash with the rich, skunky aroma of Lesotho Gold.

The process is meditative, and you feel a deep connection to the land as you work, knowing you’re part of a long tradition of cannabis cultivation in the region.

Ending:

You host a smoke sesh with friends at a scenic spot near the Dam, a stunning reservoir just outside town, where the water reflects the orange hues of the sunset.

Everyone’s impressed by the smooth, uplifting high and the strain’s unique flavour profile, with hints of pine and a subtle sweetness.

They crown you a cannabis king or queen, toasting to your green thumb with homemade umqombothi (a traditional sorghum beer) to keep the vibe non-psychoactive for some guests.

Fun fact: Locals in places like the Eastern Cape have been growing for generations some even claim cannabis was brought to southern Africa by Arab traders as early as the 13th century, as noted in historical studies by the University of the Witwatersrand’s archaeology department.

In the Free State, farmers have long used cannabis for medicinal purposes, like treating livestock ailments, a practice documented by the South African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (SAIKS) initiative.

You’re carrying the torch of this ancient legacy with your harvest!

Ending or go sign up for a grow workshop at the club