Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2018 i go! Platteland

To us, Bloemfontein is “honorary platteland”. Why? Because it’s a relatively small city, the people are as friendly as in any platteland town, and it also happens to be centrally located–within easy reach from towns in the northern and southern provinces. Besides, what someone from Bloemfontein would call “traffic” is sure to make anybody from Cape Town, Jo’burg or Pretoria roll their eyes. And Marcelle Botha? She needs no introduction to Platteland’s readers–she has presented two bread-baking workshops with Platteland, and attendees who drove all the way from Pretoria, Herolds Bay, Cradock and numerous towns in North West and the Northern Cape were not sorry… Marcelle has been running Demo-Den Cookery School in the City of Roses for years. Not only does she know her stuff and have the ability…

The tale of this hamlet, situated northeast of Ermelo in Mpumalanga, starts with a Scotsman who had a plan, Alexander McCorkindale. He journeyed by ship to the former Natal in 1856 along with his wife, Mary, and several other family members. Alexander’s idea was to establish a Scottish settlement that other Scots could immigrate to, but his proposal was turned down in both Natal and the Free State. In 1863, he travelled to the region southwest of Swaziland with one of his in-laws, David Forbes, who was a big-game hunter, trader and land surveyor. Here, Alexander reportedly felt that “the Scottish Highlands had been transported to the African wilds”. So it was with fresh zeal that he approached the president of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR), MW Pretorius, to discuss his…

Do, wander and shop McCloud’s A pure-wool duvet will keep you warm in winter and cool in summer, and it’s non-allergenic. Every duvet and pillow at McCloud’s is made by hand using wool that comes from local Corriedale sheep. You can also buy clothes made by Alexia Hechter, or take a seat in the coffee shop to enjoy freshly made quiche and great coffee. Contact 079 886 9923 mcclouds.co.za Kaleidoscope This is a coffee shop where you can tuck into a slice of cake or something light, but while you’re about it you can also admire Peter Borradaile’s beautiful handmade guitars. Make an appointment and order your own masterpiece–made with your choice of wood and designed to rest in your arms in the perfect position. Arts and crafts by local…

How do I get there? Verkykerskop is on the R722 between Harrismith and Memel, roughly three hours by car from Johannesburg (280km), Durban (330km) and Bloemfontein (380km). Because Matt Hoffman and Frank Oberholzer from Franca Gourmet Briquettes had warned Platteland to travel with two or three spare tyres for the gravel section of the R722 (from the direction of Memel), we chose instead to drive the N3 to just outside Harrismith, and then turned off onto the sedan-friendly section of the R722. Verkykerskop General Trading Store and Smiley’s Slow Foods Restaurant If you have an armour-plated mouth and enjoy perspiring, you should definitely buy the evil chilli sauce Beth makes with chillies from her garden and sells here, along with basic groceries and treats. Smiley’s has an extensive menu and…

Staunch scientists are probably rightly dubious about Oom Johannes and Antoinette’s herbal potions, home remedies and healing techniques. Some medical professionals denounce it as quackery, although countless traditional and herbal remedies have stood the test of time and are still used to good effect today. (Antoinette shares some of these remedies on her website.) Over the years some of the active compounds in indigenous veld remedies have also been isolated and used in conventional medicine. Antoinette and Oom Johannes don’t spend much time worrying about their critics because, they say, they have never claimed that “ordinary” doctors are bad, nor do they regard wild herbs as an alternative to Western medicine. Antoinette does admit that the last time she visited a medical doctor was when she had cerebral malaria. What…

Imagine for one moment you could have it all. Imagine your ideal life. What does your town or neighbourhood look like? Imagine houses that are all energy-efficient, comfortable and beautifully designed. Imagine knowing every person in your town as family, friends and friends of friends. Teachers, scientists, gardeners, artists, grannies and aunties and uncles. Imagine clean streets and well-designed systems to harvest, store and recycle water during times of drought. Perhaps there’s a village square where kids can play and old folks can sit and chat or read. Maybe there’s a library, a small theatre, an artists’ studio and a place to worship or meditate. Organic fresh produce comes from the community gardens and food forests encircle the town. There’s a butcher, a baker, a dairy and a beer brewery.…

Spreetshoogte, Namibia I was born in sand. Although I live in mud now, the desert still does something to me. The Namib is my heart’s home. When I’m there, I feel the presence of my ancestors and of something else for which I don’t have a name. I feel totally alone but also part of humankind. During my most recent visit to Namibia, I drove from Nauchas down to Solitaire, because I’d heard Spreetshoogte was a sight to behold. The road twists and turns, you go around a bend and suddenly the earth drops away. Before you lies the Namib, and you just have to stop. The sky and the vast solitude take your breath away. It’s an awe-inspiring view: dry grasses and rocks at your feet, and in the…

Hang on, I know that building in Koringberg! In 1991, while studying at Stellenbosch University, I befriended another student who'd grown up in Stellenbosch and whose father, Alec de Kock, had a weekend place in Koringberg. Oom Alec worked at the Eikestad Municipality, but as a sideline made beehives in Koringberg–he used to say he couldn’t keep up with demand. Every Friday afternoon he would load his green Peugot 404 bakkie with all sorts of beehive components and set out for Koringberg. I had the pleasure of visiting Oom Alec’s Koringberg kingdom a few times. It was a large double-storey barn that looked exactly like the one photographed by Oswald Kurten on page 50 of the Winter 2018 issue of Platteland. The ground level housed carpentry machinery and had a…

Wear a garland on Garden Day Spend National Garden Day on Sunday, 21 October, doing something fun–anything but working. We have three suggestions, but you’ll find more at gardenday.co.za. 1 Make a garland Make each of your guests a pretty garland for your Garden Day celebration–all you need is pruning shears, florist wire, thick rope and flowers of your choice. 1 First tie small bunches of flowers together with florist wire. 2 Now fasten the bunches to the rope, making sure the stems point in the same direction and the bunches overlap. 3 Leave the ends of the rope untied so the person wearing the garland can tie it to fit their head. 2 Make and enjoy nasturtium pesto YOU NEED 2 tablespoons (30ml) pumpkin seeds or pine nuts, toasted…

We all know there’s no dictating to a braai master about the how–or the who, what, when, where and why–of his braai fire or technique. Even those folks who complain every year because so many South Africans call 24 September National Braai Day instead of Heritage Day have to concede: long before rugby, soccer or cricket was first played here, braaiing was our national sport. And while the finer techniques do differ, every cultural group in this melting pot at the southern tip of Africa enjoys cooking meat and other goodies over the fire. But every man to his taste, and woe betide the know-it-all who wants to argue about the best braai wood, when the meat should be salted, braai drum versus kettle braai versus braai room versus gas…

Time to load the Ark Every winter, we move all our sheep from Bushmanland to our other farms in the winter-rainfall region of Loeriesfontein. It is quite a procession. Some years, when we’ve had good rain, the sheep are herded. It’s just more than 100km and we simply overnight along the way. The past few years, however, have been very dry and all the sheep are then transported in trucks. Last but not least, we move… plus our cat and dogs. And pigeons, rabbits, horse and cow. Once we’ve exhausted ourselves running after the geese and the very last one is caged, someone will discover another bantam scratching in the dust. My dad once said Noah had nothing on us, because he has seen no mention of fish on the…

The yellowwood has come a long way The true yellowwood (Podocarpus latifolius) is South Africa’s national tree, but we’re lucky enough also to have the Breede River yellowwood (Podocarpus elongatus), Outeniqua yellowwood (Podocarpus falcatus) and Henkel’s yellowwood (Podocarpus henkelii). Yellowwood trees are widely distributed, from Table Mountain in the Western Cape to the Southern and Eastern Cape coastlines, in the ravines of the Drakensberg, and on the Soutpansberg and Blouberg ranges in Limpopo. Yellowwoods were highly sought-after for their hard wood–used for beams, floors and furniture in Cape Dutch homes, as well as for railway sleepers and ship masts–but they now enjoy protected status and may not be felled without a licence. Spend time with the giants These centuries-old “giants of the forest”–most of them Outeniqua yellowwoods–can be viewed on…

With summer fast approaching, it’s time to say goodbye to the comforting stews and aromatic curries of winter. After all, spring heralds the official start of salad season and, if you get the combination right, a salad can indeed be an interesting, tasty and highly nutritious meal. Freshness, however, is vital, and obviously it doesn’t come fresher than out of your own garden. Buying prewashed packaged greens from a supermarket is better than having no greens at all, but that is where the good news stops–for you and the environment. Much of the nutritional benefit of greens is lost on their way through the supply chain (and if they aren’t fresh they aren’t tasty). Although store-bought greens may not be sprayed with pesticide, chemical residues from crops grown nearby can…

The early bird catches the worm, they say. If you live in or near Pietermaritzburg and you’re an early riser, you’ll find all sorts of goodies instead of that worm at the weekly farmers’ market: eggs laid by hens that truly have the run of the veld, no fewer than six stalls with fresh vegetables and fruit (mostly straight from the farm), meat and dairy products aplenty, bread and any other baked goods you can think of, honey, jams and preserves, plants, bonsai, flowers, compost, pet food, and even furniture and home decor. Mike Paulton, the current market coordinator, and his wife, Marian, have been coming here for 22 years, bringing fresh farm eggs from Balgowan, as well as jam, marmalade, lemon curd and frightfully good fruit pies that Marian…

WESTERN CAPE Pure Porterville Weekend, Porterville 5-7 October The talented people of this Swartland town open their doors to the public at no charge. There will be arts and crafts, a farmers’ market and a church bazaar, a parade of vintage cars and drum majorettes, ceramic and painting workshops, and mountain-bike races, a fun run and a golf day for sports lovers. CONTACT portervilletourism.co.za (click on “Events”) 022 931 3732 KWAZULU-NATAL Midlands Literary Festival, Howick 1 & 2 September Listen to talks by published authors and be inspired. WHERE? Fern Hill Hotel HOURS 09:00-17:00 COSTS R60 per morning or afternoon session, or R200 for the weekend CONTACT Midlands Literary Festival midlitfest@gmail.com GAUTENG Genealogy & Family Heritage Expo Pretoria 8 September Visit the 11th gathering of family bonds and genealogical societies…

Drive into Verkykerskop shortly after three o’clock on a weekday and you’ll agree that this “country village and farm retreat”–situated among the table-topped sandstone hills of the Klein Drakensberg escarpment–is definitely more farm than village. Apart from a police station, a co-operative (where you can find petrol and diesel) and a general dealership offering credit-card facilities–there’s no sign of humans, animals, traffic or an ATM. True bliss indeed. At the general dealer, which also houses the hamlet’s postal agency and only restaurant and bar, you’re welcomed warmly by Proficient Dhlamini. “This is indeed what Verkykerskop is like every day: quiet and peaceful. Crime free. Very friendly,” he says. It’s considerably busier over weekends and holidays, specially when there’s a wedding or a performance by a well-known band–but even then, it…

From a hill next to the R365–the road that winds from Lambert’s Bay through the Sandveld to Eendekuil and then Porterville–Leipoldtville does not look like a town. The only indication that a handful of people are going about their daily business here is the weathervane on the church steeple that reaches out of the greenery and pecks at the heavy clouds. Indeed, Rina Theron, who has lived in the area for yonks, writes in her self-published book Sandveldkos that this hamlet does not have official town status. On a grey winter’s morning, the view from the hill is breathtaking. The scrub and blue gums that shroud Leipoldtville glisten in the sunlight bursting through the clouds. On the other side of the hamlet, the sandy plains stretch into the distance, and…

Help bees and butterflies flutter and flourish Bees are the most productive pollinators in your garden, closely followed by butterflies. It’s estimated that up to a third of all the food we eat is dependent on pollination by these insects. But their numbers have fallen dramatically in recent years because of climate change, loss of habitat and the use of insecticides and pesticides. Do your bit to help them do their job. BEE FOOD IN A BOX Reel Gardening offers a special collection of seeds that can be sown in spring to provide nectar for bees and butterflies when they’re at their most active. The Spring Mix Bee Food Box contains basil, beans and nasturtiums. Basil flowers are a magnet for bees and butterflies, and the leaves are, of course,…

This environmentally friendly nursery at the foot of the mountains above Franskraal with its impressive views of the Atlantic Ocean is known for its abundance of plants and ideas for coastal gardens. Mathilda Roos and her husband, Lonnie, bought the 23ha farm four years ago. “We wanted to reinvent the farm, but the existing nursery was our first challenge,” says Mathilda. “We’re passionate about the interaction between conservation and humans, and the nursery offered an exceptional opportunity to put it into practice.” Plan before you start “The Overberg is known for its proteas, pincushions and a wide variety of other fynbos species that impress everyone,” Mathilda says. “But inkommers who dream of a colourful, tree-filled coastal garden have to face the ‘oily’ and lifeless sea sand, as well as the…

Bapsfontein is a peculiar place. In the era before highways, the route we’d take to Pretoria from Springs, where I grew up, was always via Bapsfontein. There are two main reasons this small town rooted itself in my consciousness. First, it–and specifically Bapsfontein Hotel–was the dance capital of the East Rand and, second, on its outskirts, instead of plots and mine dumps, you drove past the first real farms: waving green maize fields in summer; yellow-brown maize stubble and cobs in autumn; everything dull and dusty in winter; and later, burnt pitch black. As for springtime, oh, when the soil had been ploughed after the first rains and the rich red sods smiled from among the cosmos flowers… I’m not suggesting there is anything wrong with mine dumps or plots.…