29 Nov March 2023 Newsletter

Paardekraal Produce March 2023

When I last wrote we were in the full swing of summer, but autumn has started to make its appearance.  The days are warm to very hot with the evenings and early mornings cool.  The days have also gotten shorter as the chickens wake up later (so I get a lie in) and they come in earlier.  We continue to have the most marvellous rains.  And in fact, February which should be excruciatingly hot and dry was cooler with lots of rain.  So far, we have had 300mm of rain just for this year.  In the drought years that would be the rainfall for the entire year.

For the last few months, we prepared for the cattle auction where I sell breeding stock and that took place early March.  Collecting the cattle was severely compromised by the rain.  When its wet we can’t go into the mountains as the roads get damaged.  Also the mist is so thick you cant see the cattle at all, together with thunderstorms makes it dangerous.  So we have to wait and try again either a few days later or the following week.  When the auction eventually came, I was so disappointed by the prices which is thanks to load shedding. This has made it difficult for people to buy and store meat due to no electricity so now there is an excess of livestock and with a difficult economy no one is buying.  Anyway the buyers got a bargain as the girls were the best they have ever looked.  With all the rain we have been having the cattle are battling with ticks.  We have never seen such bad infestations in all the years despite consistent treatment regularly.

The sheep are doing well, but a Lynx caught an old Persian ewe on the lands at Onbedacht during the day (they normal catch at night which is why the sheep are kraaled).  We will need to move the sheep at some stage back to Paardekraal.

The milk goat ram did his thing the end of January. We are hoping that the end of June we will have little milk goats.  This also means that the girls will need to dry up from mid-April reducing the window for milking and making cheese.

It was reported to me that the sow is very unhappy when her feed container does not include a slosh of whey.  I told the staff to tell her that soon she will have to get used to dry feed when the goats dry up.  We had the remaining 3 big pigs slaughtered.  Two of them went to Richard Bosman (that was a mission in itself), and the last one was turned into sausage, bacon and chops.  We tried the sausage to see if it was as good as the last lot and I can safely say its better!

Both the chickens and ducks are laying.  Apart from the dwarf mongoose the monkeys are also creating a problem and have made a whole wide enough to get into the chicken coop to steal eggs. When I got back from Cape Town, I found an, hen as old as the hills, in the chicken coop on her side, unable to walk.  I brought her into the house gave here food and water, which she ate with gusto.  I thought this old bird has a fighting spirit and gee she does.  Since her rescue she has started to walk, started to talk, and has laid about 5 eggs.  Old girls don’t lay eggs.  Her name is Old Feathers as she has very little feathers and now, I am hoping that she will start a moult soon before winter otherwise she is going to get very cold being semi naked.

The vegetable garden is the garden that keeps on giving.  We pick about 4 times a week, and I cant keep up with harvest.  What doesn’t make it goes to the pigs who are only too grateful. Its no use putting it in the compost heap as we only end up feeding the monkeys (the rotten thieves).  I have made: tomato chutney, sun dried tomatoes and preserved them in olive oil, pesto with pecorino, parmesan cheese and pinenuts, preserved green beans Italian style in olive oil, roasted courgettes for soup, made a courgette and chevre soup, roasted tomatoes for soup.

We are struggling with fruit fly which is stinging the courgettes and tomatoes which just shows that its all organic and no pesticides are used, hence the pigs getting the spoilt harvest. A Rhombic Skaapsteeker (snake – non venomous) was spotted in the vegetable garden several times, so there is a thriving ecosystem there.

For this month I have the following on offer:

• Free ranging farm Chicken eggs.
• Free ranging Duck eggs
• Karoo Star – chevre styled goats milk cheese.
• Karoo Gold – marinated chevre in olive oil, vinegar, and herbs
• Karoo Night – Ash crottin
• Karoo Sun – goats milk camembert
• Karoo Day – feta
• Roast tomato soup (vegan)
• Roast Courgette soup (vegetarian)
• Courgette and chevre Soup (non-vegetarian)
• Cape Curry using farm mutton.
• Fresh courgettes and long green beans
• Pork chops
• Pork bangers
• Italian style preserved green beans in olive oil
• Sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
• Pesto

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.