Tabla de contenidos para Summer 2025/2026 en go! Platteland

A Delft-blue Christmas No matter how many times you’ve visited the picturesque Boland farm Babylonstoren, situated near Simondium in the Paarl-Stellen-bosch-Franschhoek triangle, there will always be something new to see, do or desire. Their luxurious festive-season collection of food, decorations and elegant home and tableware is inspired by the historic Delft shards excavated in the garden over the years. There really is something to suit every pocket and taste, but what made the crowd of influencers (and their cellphones) squeal with delight at its launch was the luxurious Advent calendar. Inspired by the farm’s manor house, it features 25 drawers containing miniature gifts from the Babylonstoren bath, body, fragrance, food, drink and homeware range. It also comes with a price tag of R4 500 but is designed to be used…

Handwoven cotton towel R520 Scatterlings from Africa scatterlingsfromafrica Ruah SPF 38 Sun Block (75 ml) R210 Ruah ruah.co.za Alcare Aloe SPF 50+ Sunscreen Spray, which also has a cooling effect (50ml) R106 Aloe Care aloe.co.za Greenhouse Hand & Body Wash R260 Kitchen Corner Home Fragrance R220 Kitchen Corner Soy Candle R420 Bathroom Spray R140 Amanda-Jayne amandajaynecandles.com Seasonings (clockwise from the top): Farm Dust All-Purpose Seasoning, Garlic & Herb Salt and Garlic & Onion Salt R140 each Nuts About Garlic nutsaboutgarlic.co.za Pink is for Buoys Plakkies – for every 10 pairs sold, the National Sea Rescue Institute can put up a pink buoy next to a dam or beach R295 Veldskoen veldskoen.com Tabletop cylinder planter with sardine motif (20,5 cm x 20,5 cm) R525 Prêt-à-Pot pret-a-pot.com Handmade shweshwe elephant (38 cm x…

In spring, the Western Free State can look very much like a desert. Farmlands, red and bare, stretch towards the horizon, while the last of winter lingers in the twilight and the vleis. Gusts of wind attempt to tug the summer thunderclouds closer, turning the wide, blue sky grey and full of dust. At sunset, the day finally burns itself out in blissful silence, and everything, and everyone, hopes the new season’s rainfall is imminent. This is planting country. Without maize and sunflowers, there would be almost nothing here. That’s why a farm with tunnels of vegetables and dams of trout sounds like the biblical Canaan. But this is exactly what you will find at Lagai-Roï Fontein, situated between Hoopstad and Bultfontein. Its name, taken directly from an Old Testament…

Harry Lewis Owner of Living Desert Plants For Harry, who worked in nature conservation in the Karoo and Overberg, the die was cast the day a friend gave him a pot containing his first succulent: horse’s teeth (Haworthia). To this day, it remains Harry’s favourite. Once he discovered how easy it was to grow succulents and cacti from seed, his hobby quickly became a passion, so much so, that he started his own succulent and cactus nursery, Living Desert Plants, in Onder Papegaaiberg in Stellenbosch in 2018. Today, he is a well-known face at markets like the Vetplantfees, the Tokara Rare Plant Fair that takes place in early November, and the Garden Route Rare Plant Fair, which will be held this year on 13 and 14 December at the Garden…

MENU STARTER Lemon, fennel and burrata salad MAIN COURSE Chicken-fat rice Roast rump with Tamil crust Seared broccoli, lemon and date salad with Tamil crunch – OR – Cauli Caesar salad with pangrattato DESSERT Hot milk sponge with nougat filling Lemon, fennel and burrata salad Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese with a solid mozzarella shell on the outside and a soft, creamy mixture of shredded mozzarella and cream on the inside. It’s only sold at Woolworths, Checkers (in their Forage and Feast range) and selected Italian delis, but can be replaced with fresh mozzarella or stracciatella. The sticky glaze is a sweet, transparent lemony wonder that you’ll want to linger with all summer! Serves 2 Preparation time 20 minutes Cooking time 25 minutes YOU NEED • ½ cup (125…

WELCOME TO 7 STEPS TO YOUR START-UP PLUS! You can now purchase individual modules for R250 per module WHO CAN JOIN? You don’t have to be an entrepreneur or have a business background! This course is for anyone who wants to start a business, grow a business SUZY BROKENSHA LESLEY WATERKEYN DAWN NATHAN-JONES WHAT DO I GET? 1. Access to all the course material online – you can do the course in your own time. 2. A proper understanding of every aspect you need to know to run your own business successfully, including how to turn a good idea into a marketable product. 3. Insight from successful entrepreneurs Lesley Waterkeyn and Dawn Nathan-Jones, and the opportunity to learn from local case studies. 4. An excellent online business course for a…

WESTERN CAPE Cherry Fest CERES SPORTSGROUNDS 6 December Enjoy a seasonal celebration of cherries and a lovely family day out featuring stalls, children’s entertainment, plenty to eat and a music concert under the stars to top it all off. Tickets R200 pp (R80 for under-18s; free for under-4s) at Quicket. Contact 023 316 1287 info@ceres.org.za Ceres Cherry Fest @ceres_cherry_festival Cocktail Week CAPE TOWN 10–16 December Take a cocktail tour through the Mother City! Visit more than 30 participating bars and restaurants with your festival armband and enjoy a special drink for R50. Tickets R380 pp at Quicket (special prices for early birds and groups). Contact capetowncocktail-week.com info@capetowncocktailweek.com Cape Town Cocktail Week @capetowncocktailweek Blouberg Beer & Gin Fest SUNNINGDALE CRICKET OVAL, BLOUBERG 13 December Craft breweries and distilleries will showcase their…

Amanda Louw stands on the verandah of her farm-house, gazing out over the Free State grassland as dark clouds approach from the northwest. She wears the expression of a true farmer: her eyes, distant and hazy, are cast slightly upwards, showing just a hint of moisture… and her smile expresses both relief and joy. But she is quick to steer you away from any misconceptions: “Our guests have always been the biggest part of what we do here. My husband, Andries, farmed on a small scale – a few cattle, several sheep. He also planted crops at the beginning. But we only have 198 hectares, which is too small to run a sustainable farm in the area, especially nowadays. Remember, the people around us have farms that are mostly 2000…

FRAGRANCE ENTREPRENEUR Bottled landscapes The Karoo landscape of Liana Jansen’s Montagu farm inspired her to develop the award-winning botantical skincare range, Fijn Botanicals, over the past few years. It’s now a favourite in homes around the world and in use at luxury spas. She told us more about her latest passion, a natural perfume range called Loam Pure Parfum. How did your love for body products grow into developing this perfume? I’ve loved perfume and fragrances long before I started making body products – as children, my sister and I would create brews using flowers and leaves from the garden. Smell is the strongest of my senses; I first understand the world around me through smell, then visually. Tell us more about your perfumes The Loam Pure Parfum range will…

When you’ve grown up in an arid region like the Karoo or Namaqualand, succulents aren’t merely “décor”; they are an integral part of the landscape, as ubiquitous and straightforward as the stones where you’ll find them growing. They flourish on neglect, survive in nature on morning dew and a few drops of rain, and ask for little or nothing in return. Long before city slickers started planting succulents in designer pots to show off on Instagram or Pinterest, these plants were inspiring desert dwellers to carry on, no matter how tough life became. I’ve often wondered why some people – my mother included! – don’t like succulents. Apparently, they remind her of drought and dust and hardship. And, she adds, compared to her lovely lush green ferns, they’re quite dull…

WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! Write to us and tell us about your move to the platteland or your dreams of doing so, the characters in your town, the things you love… or the things that bug you. Go to platteland.net and click on“Contact” to write your letter, or send an email to helloplatteland@gmail.com. Platteland reserves the right to edit and shorten letters at our discretion. winning letter I’m the “Zibi Tannie” I was part of the group that started the organisation Keep South Africa Clean in the early ’80s. It was difficult in the beginning because, just as is the case today, there was no financial support from the state. We had to manage on our own. In particular, we wanted schools and children to pay attention to…

THAT’S 40% DISCOUNT* TO SUBSCRIBE ON THE PRINTED MAGAZINE FOR NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS • 087 353 1300 (for local calls) or +27 21 065 0000 (for international calls) • subs@media24.com • WhatsApp 087 353 1287 • SMS “service” to 31069 and we’ll contact you (SMSs cost R1,50 each; free minutes do not apply) FOR RENEWALS • 087 353 1300 (for local calls) or +27 21 065 0000 (for international calls) • subs@media24.com OR GO DIGITAL SUBSCRIBE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD AND HAVE EASY ACCESS! No postage, no hassles Visit zinio.com or magzter.com R336 FOR 4 ISSUES * Subscribe to Platteland and get four issues per year. This offer is valid until 19 February 2026. Terms and conditions Only South African residents qualify for this offer. We may amend the fees payable in…

Macadamias, once considered an exotic indulgence, have become one of South Africa’s most profitable agricultural exports. The buttery, nutrient-rich nut thrives in sub-tropical climates, and today we are the world’s largest producer, meeting nearly a third of global demand. But macadamias are more than a high-value commodity. For visionary farmers, the trees are symbols of permanence and promise. Unlike annual crops, a macadamia orchard can bear fruit for generations. And that long-term benefit makes them uniquely suited to communal land, where private title deeds are often absent, but the desire to create something lasting for families and neighbours is ever present. Across KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga, a group of entrepreneurs is planting orchards, not only to build wealth, but also to anchor rural communities with jobs, infrastructure and pride. Two…

If you’ve never considered yourself a “festival person”, then the Vetplantfees at the old train station in Calitzdorp might just be the one that converts you. The festival, organised by the Calitzdorp Succulent Society, has grown exponentially each year, says its lively 83-year-old chairperson, Buck Hemenway. Yet it still feels small and manageable, with plenty of safe parking, too. Entrance is free, and there are no long queues or crowds of people. None of the events on the programme overlapped, which meant we could attend all the practical workshops and talks by succulent experts such as Steven Molteno, Ernst van Jaarsveld and Sue Milton-Dean, as well as the other events. These included the plant auction, where rare and sought-after plants were sold; the botanical art and prize-plant exhibition (this year’s…

MENU STARTER Tomato gazpacho Creamy anchovy-and-garlic dip with bread MAIN COURSE Lemon-and-truffle-roasted chicken Roasted pumpkin with lemon crème fraîche Parmesan potatoes DESSERT Summer fig-leaf ice cream Tomato gazpacho When in season, tomatoes demand to be centre stage. Serve this soup with good-quality olive oil, and plenty of fresh bread to soak up whatever is left in your bowl. Serves 4 Preparation time 30 minutes Cooking time 30 minutes YOU NEED • 6 ripe whole tomatoes or 1 kg ripe cherry tomatoes• 1 whole sweet red pepper• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed• ¼ large onion, roughly chopped• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve• 100 g stale bread, cubed• ¼ cup (60 ml) water• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) balsamic vinegar• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped…