14 Oct October 2022 Newsletter

Posted at 14:46h in Newsletter by

Paardekraal Produce October 2022

Spring in the mountains is a lot later and only starts in October.  And now as we are heading towards the end of October the garden is in full flower and looking beautiful.  The weather is a lot warmer, and we have been having the most glorious Spring rain, something we have not had in 8 years.  The veld is green and just looks so health that when I see it, I just can’t believe what I am seeing by comparison to previous years.  We have also had our first puff adder in the garden which the ducks alerted us to, as they congregate around the snake and look at it with their heads tilted to one side.

As a result, the cattle and the sheep are flourishing.  We had our annual inspection of the new stud calves by the Angus Society.  Its always an interesting experience as you continue to learn.

The sheep continue to lamb at a pace and in a weeks’ time we will scan them for pregnancy.

The chickens are breeding like crazy.  Currently there are 8 hens sitting on eggs in the farmhouse and there are already 5 hens that have hatched chicks.  Even Ginger (the little orange bantam) who is an old lady at the age of 5 years, has decided to become broody.  Inside the chicken coop there are multitudes sitting on eggs, so the egg production has dropped somewhat.

The same can be said for the ducks who suddenly started laying furiously and now there are hosts sitting on eggs.  This month I have limited duck pie as I caught a duck deliberately breaking eggs and so she is now in the pie as a result.

Olive the goose is also sitting on her clutch under the donkey with Saint the gander patrolling up and down during the day.  It will be interesting when the goslings hatch as the parents are terribly protective and bit badly.

The goats continue to produce beautiful milk, which still gets shared between the hansies and myself.  I get milk 3 times a week and have been making beautiful ash crottins and some camembert (limited stock available and they have been maturing for 4 weeks so are now ripe). Last week I also experimented with feta so we will see what happens to that in 6 weeks’ time.

The pigs are doing well and when they see me, they come charging to the fence as they have realised that I give them something extra which they enjoy. So, any cheese that doesn’t work are given to them which they devour with relish.  They also consume the whey which gets mixed in with the pig feed.

Apart from farm life I also took part in the Spring market selling my produce which was a great event, well attended and was lovely to catch up with people and make new contacts.

The conservancy also hosted the annual Camdeboo Cycle Challenge earlier this month.  This is a 3-day cycling event starting off from the same place every day but following different routes.  This is the 3rd in a row that we hosted, and it was well attended with 70 cyclists partaking.  Apart from the cycling we also showcase Karoo food and hospitality, so all the food is made using farm / local ingredients eg free range veld mince with homemade pasta using farm eggs, chicken pies, lamb on the spit etc.  Geoff and I along with a few extra bodies made the homemade pasta which I am now calling the Pasta Challenge, as its no mean feat to feed 110 people with homemade pasta.  I too provided the chicken pies for lunch, and I ran a market stall selling products made locally such as coffee, rusks, hand cream, room & linen spray, walnuts, biltong & droewors and lamb, leather handbags, cushions, mohair beanies and of course my cheese and eggs.  The stall was very well supported and a huge success.

For this month I have the following on offer:

  • Free ranging farm Chicken eggs.
  • Free ranging Duck eggs
  • Chevre styled goats milk cheese.
  • Ash crottin
  • Goats milk camembert (limited stock and they are ripe)
  • Marinated goats milk cheese
  • Vegetable soup using kale, onion, tomato & green beans from the vegetable garden.
  • Mushroom and 3 cheese lasagna made with homemade pasta using farm eggs.
  • Farm chicken pies made with homemade sour cream and butter pastry
  • Farm duck pies made with homemade sour cream and butter pastry
  • Tomato farm mutton bredie, with the tomatoes from the vegetable garden.
  • Farm mutton green bean bredie with the beans from the vegetable garden.
  • Cape Curry using farm mutton.

 

All produce is made from free ranging animals.  We do not administer growth hormones or antibiotics on a routine basis.

Whilst every effort has been made to remove bones from the dishes, care should still be taken when consuming.

Dishes do not contain pork

Many thanks for your continued support.

October 2022 Paardekraal Produce price list:

  • 12 x chicken eggs R40
  • 6 x duck eggs R30
  • Karoo Star – Chevre style goats milk cheese (200g) R65
  • Karoo Night – ash crottin R80
  • Karoo Sun – camembert style R80
  • Chicken pie large (600g) R150
  • Duck pie large (600g) R150
  • Vegetable soup (600g) R40
  • Mushroom and 3 cheese lasagna R120
  • Mutton Tomato Bredie Large (600g) R150
  • Mutton Green Bean Bredie Large (600g) R150
  • Mutton Cape Curry Large (600g) R150

 

Please note:

  • The bredie & pies are frozen.
  • Portion sizes are minimum:  large 600gram of meat.
  • Whilst every effort has been made to remove bones from the pies and dishes, care should still be taken when consuming.
  • Should you be interested please message me separately.
  • Delivery can be arranged.
  • Thank you for your support!