Slakke, aarbeie en bier
One of the students helping out in our garden has written in Afrikaans about her tussle with slugs in the Babylonstoren strawberry patch. Take it away, Lara!
In ons aarbei oorlog met die slakke het ons gevind dat die bierlokvalle by die aarbeie het positiewe uitkomste gelewer. Bierblikkies is gesny, met bier gevul en verskeie plekke in die bedding in die grond gesit met die doel om slakke daarheen te lok, weg van die aarbeie af. Dit is bekend dat slakke, soos baie ander van Suid-Afrikanerboepensmannetjies, se gunsteling drankie bier is.
Ons het Vrydag 2 slakke in die bier gekry, en dan (ag, tog!) ook twee piepklein muisies wat hulself ook verlustig het, beslis belowend!
Daar is ook ander tegnieke wat ook gebruik word, bv: hand uitdunning, beheer met natuurlike predatore, koperbeligting… die opsies hou nie op nie, en daar is nog hoop vir ons aarbei oes.
Summer Menu 2011
Did someone mention a tart of artichoke, tamarillo, caramalised onion & chevin, with fresh bloody sorrel & basil? Well that must mean the Babel Summer Menu is out. Click here to see it for yourself, but beware: the effects may make your mouth water! Also, please remember that bookings at Babel are essential.
A farmer’s work is never done
One of the joys of being a farmer is the fruit of the harvest, but this only comes with hard work! Right now is a very busy time for us on the farm, so we thought we’d share some images of what we’ve been up to lately.
Some of the grape cultivars berries have now finished flowering, and now have small, hard green fruits – a stage they call ertjiekorrel (green pea).
It is also prune picking time and the beautiful purple fruits we’re harvesting taste absolutely delicious!
Back to work for us now – a farmer’s work is never done!
Come and pick yourself a prune!
Groetnis
Hannes, MC en Stefan
Pruim Mampoer
Our distillery is almost ready to start work, so we’ve begun preparing prunes harvested from our trees before firing up our kettle for the first time. It’s the first step on the way to our very first batch of pruim mampoer!
We started by removing the pips, and then Wian and I crushed the prunes to make a pulp. This pulp has started a fermentation process now (see below), just as happens with grapes, and once it has fermented (and the distillery is finished), we will put it into the kettle to be distilled.
Ons kan nie wag om ons eerste glasie te maak nie!
Groete,
Charl
Not to Bore you, but…
Like many of our garden guests point out, growing figs is quite a challenge, especially when dealing with that notorious pest, the Fig Tree Borer. In summertime, the larvae of this beetle bore through the bark at the base of the trunk, and they can eventually ring-bark the tree, killing it.
Our solution is to loosely cover the tree trunks with biddem and metal mesh, creating a barrier from underneath the soil, extending up at least 60cm. This covering is fastened with tree ties at the top, as well as at the base. It’s a lot of work, but worth it to keep this nasty beetle from crawling in and killing our fig trees.
Fodor’s Hotel awards
Global travel and food publishers, Fodors, has just announced their selection for the Fodor’s 100 Hotel Awards 2011, as selected by Fodor’s editors and writers worldwide. There are eight categories in the awards, and we’re delighted that Babylonstoren has been included as a winner in the New & Noteworthy category. Read the full story online here.
First two, now seven!
Our turkey family is growing! Last week five eggs hatched and now we have five tiny little baby turkeys walking around with a proud Ma and Pa Turkey.
Strawberry vinegar
From our kitchen: An easy recipe for Strawberry Vinegar
Ingredients:
250g rinsed strawberries- very ripe (optional)
500g frozen strawberries
50g sugar
750ml white wine vinegar (can use champagne or white balsamic if needed)
75ml brandy (optional)
Start preparing a day ahead by combining the strawberries, sugar and brandy, and leave them covered in fridge until the next day. This will enhance the flavour whilst they macerate (optional)
The following day, pour the macerating mixture into a stainless bowl and cover with 500ml vinegar, cover with cling wrap and place on a double boiler until it is hot.
Once hot, remove from heat, and leave to slowly infuse until lukewarm. Impurities will rise to the serface and should be skimmed.
Once the mixture has cooled and properly infused, strain through a moist piece of muslin. This step will remove the fleshy pieces of fruit that you do not want in your vinegar.
Bottle your cooled, strained mixture.
Tips:
If you are making the vinegar a gift, remember garnishing the bottle with fresh berries is not recommended, as they will discolour. For visual effect, rather add a vanilla pod.
I have allowed for 250ml additional vinegar – some people prefer a milder strawberry taste, so you can add more vinegar. Take care as this will dilute the taste.
The strawberries can be substituted with any berry in season – the riper the better! Rather stick to a single flavour as the colour will be better as well as the flavour on your end product.
