Treasure!
The potato plants started dying, which is an indication that they are about ready to harvest. Yet it is strange to plan a harvest when you don’t see any produce. Curiosity got the better of us and we decided to check.
Now, putting a hand into the soil is nothing new to me as a soil scientist, but pulling it out again with a hand full of potatoes almost gave me goosebumps! The potatoes are snugly packed together and easily give up any remaining attachment to the roots, loosely falling into your palm. It must be the the closest I have come to finding hidden treasure!
After leaving them for another two weeks in hope of bigger tubers, we stomped the above ground part of the plants this week in preparation of the big day. As if to celebrate with us, this morning the sun came out after the rain, and the harvest started in all earnest!
Constance and Wendoline will probably sleep very well tonight, after carrying those heavy loads of potatoes all day!
Growing tomatoes
This was written by Constance-Marie Hugo, an inhouse gardening student doing a practical at Babylonstoren for 6 months. Contance-Marie’s particular interest is gardening with edible plants, and lately she’s been working with our tomatoes:
This season, we are excited about trying out tomatoes of all colours, shapes and sizes in our garden. In one little section of the garden, we decided to only plant non-heirloom tomatoes, and found several varieties that are locally available. We built high structures for the indeterminate varieties to climb, and lower structures for the determinate, more bush-like varieties.
On closer look one can see the young tomato plants and their companions which I transplanted two days ago, after enriching the soil with our own garden compost. The little cherry tomato, Sweetie, is taking off on its summer journey.
In our nursery, we have several heirloom varieties from France and Germany, just starting to germinate, and we’re especially thrilled that the Swarte Piet seeds that we saved from last season have emerged. Can’t wait to see them flourish once we’ve transplanted them to the garden.
Last year our vining tomatoes did well against the white wall which encamp our mulberry trees. To anchor ropes for these vining tomato plants, river stones hang down on the other side of the wall, adding to the calm scene of the hideaway. I added some of the comfrey undergrowth to the tea we made of tomato plant rests. The idea is to boost our new plants with the familiar environment that tomatoes like, helping them to provide us with rich and ample harvest.
And best of all, we’re looking forward to sharing our harvest with you soon!
In three years’ time…
This winemaking business is not for anyone with an impatient temperament, that’s for sure. We spent yesterday in our cellars, working on the second stage of a project, the results of which will only be evident in another 3 years!
It all started earlier this year, in February, when we started the process of making our sparkling wine by making the base wine, consisting of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It’s this that we bottled yesterday, eight months later (see process pics below).
Now the base wine will undergo a secondary fermentation process inside the bottle, after which it will age on its fermentation lees for another three years. The reason we wait so long is because to make a genuine sparkling wine according to the methode Cap Classique, the wine has to age for at least three years.
So while we love working on each stage, we also know we must bottle up our excitement, in anticipation of the long-term results.
Lekker dag!
Charl
In Architectural Digest, Spain
We may need a few extra lessons in Spanish to read it, but that doesn’t stop us loving this article about Babylonstoren in Architectural Digest, Spain. Click here to read the full article and enjoy the glorious photos.
Air France, Madame, October – November 2011
Ferme Tendance, Babylonstoren accueille, dans un corps de ferme de style Cape Dutch……
The Potjiekos champs!
Over the weekend Team Babylonstoren – represented by our farm manager Hannes, and Suzanne, the wife of our winemaker, Charl – took part in a Potjiekos Competition at Windmeul Kelder. The theme of the competition was Waterblommetjies, for which we seem to be able to find many a use (see here). Our team clearly know what to do with a potjie and fresh Cape Pondweed, because we won the competition!
Now, both Waterblommetjies and Potjiekos are both longstanding Afrikaans traditions, and we’re sure many of our readers are dying to know the secret of our Waterblommetjie Potjie recipe, so here it is (in Afrikaans!):
Have a nice day! / Lekker dag!
Waterblommetjie pot met potbrood
Bestanddele: Uie; lieslap; skaapribbetjie; spek;klein artappels; waterblomme; wyn; water; suurlemoen; pepper en suurlemoenpeper.
- Braai uie , spek en vleis saam met wyn en bietjie water tot vleis sag en lymerig is.
- Voeg geduurende gaarmaakproses van vleis sap van 2 suurlemoene by asook sout en peper.
- Sodra vleis sag is voeg dan artappels en waterblomme by.
- Voeg nog wyn , klein bietjie water, suurlemoenpepper en sap van 2 suurlemoene by.
- Kook tot waterblomme sag is , maar nie pap nie.
- Bedien op rys saam met goeie wyn.
Potbrood in ‘n regte pot
Bestanddele: 1.5kg brooddeeg (koop dit sommer by die naaste kruidenierswinkel); 200g knoffelbotter
- Neem ‘n platboom swartpot en smeer dit met botter uit of spuit met kleefwerende middel.
- Hou die knoffelbotter by kamertemperatuur sodat dit lekker smeerbaar is.
- Breek stukkies brooddeeg af, en rol in eiergrootte balle. Smeer elke bal met knoffelotter en plaas al die balle in die boom van diie pot. Dit is belangsrik dat daar net een lag balle is.
- Sit die deksel op en laat rys die deeg in die pot naby die vuur (of ‘n warm plek) vir omtrent ‘n uur.
- Bak dan die brood in die pot op kole (op ‘n driebeenstaander) vir ‘n uur. Dit is belangrik om 2 of 3 kole op die pot se deksel ook te sit, sodat die deeg bruin word van bo af ook.
-Dop die brood uit die pot en bedien. Breek stukke brood af en bedien saam met plaasbotter, tuisgemaakte konfyt en gerasperde kaas!
- Belangrikste bestandeel - potmaker! Sorg dat hy nie droogly nie anders brand die pot aan!!!
