14 Aug August 2022 Newsletter
Paardekraal Produce August 2022
It could be the September Newsletter as the month is nearly done, but as usual since my last broadcast much has happened.
Firstly, the weather has not been as cold as it could have been. Beautiful warm days with cold nights but nothing like June. The wind has thankfully not been as bad as the past few years and, August (which is the windy month in the Karoo) has been windfree.
The biggest event on the farm was the collection (sourced in the Western Cape) and arrival of pigs. Yes, we have a breeding pair of black pigs and their 6 piglets. As luck would have it all 6 piglets are males. This is rather strange as generally in nature the rule is 50:50. Anyway so now we have 6 salamis running around. That is the idea, charcuterie, one day. I have always wanted a pig to utilise the whey (a by-product from cheese making), which they do with gusto. It’s also been a wonderful journey learning about pigs which I know absolutely nothing of.
The other event was a trip I did to Williston to attend an auction of milk goats. It was a very long drive through the Karoo which I absolutely loved, and Williston ended up being a lovely town which is well kept. I purchased 2 goats with their kids, so we look forward to the milk production being bolstered. Although all the goats have kidded, I have only 4 goats giving me milk. 2 Goats are first time milkers, so their production is limited but they are showing great potential. And Georgina who aborted earlier has no milk so hence the trip to Williston.
The chickens and duck continue to lay eggs and there has been a slight increase in their production. There continues to be a huge demand for duck eggs which I can’t keep up with, however if anyone wants in the future, please let me know and I will keep aside for you. The geese haven’t shown any signs of activity, but I am hoping the goose will start to lay eggs soon. Again another learning experience as I know nothing about geese.
Lambing continues at a sporadic pace. We have a new Hansie called Mariska who is one of a twin. The mother didn’t want to really know about her and luckily her mom lambed in the yard so I noticed this lamb wasn’t getting the milk and the attention she should. Anyway, she is now under our care and doing well.
The cattle have managed to hold their condition through winter which is not always possible. When its cold they burn a lot of energy to keep warm and the sustenance they get is dry and doesn’t provide enough energy, hence the weight loss. But this year they seemed to have maintained which I am relieved about so that they go into the spring and the new breeding season not on the back foot so to speak.
The vegetable is continuing to provide a lot of Italian kale. The cabbages are looking good, with the bok choi now at its end. A couple of the piglets broke through the fencing and got into the vegetable patch. Luckily the damage was minimal, but Geoff was not amused!
For this month I have the following on offer:
- Free ranging farm Chicken eggs.
- Chevre styled goats milk cheese.
- Tomato farm mutton bredie, with the tomatoes 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.