The Bees Knees

Saturday promised to be a scorcher and I ventured into the garden around 6 o’clock in the morning to water the orchard. I thought I was up early but I walked into a hive of activity. The two beds filled with Gaura lindheimeri 'Whirling Butterflies’ was alive with the buzzing of bees. Standing next to the flowers watching the bees going about their task collecting pollen I could feel the vibration of all the tiny wings flapping up to 230 times a second.

Bee Heaven

I got caught up in watching the bees collecting pollen into their pollen baskets on their legs, the so called ”bees knees”. Bees will collect their weight in pollen and I could see that these little guys have been working since long before I walked into the garden.

Their pollen baskets were filled with yellow pollen making it look like they were wearing yellow gumboots.

After some investigating I discovered that they are actually the Cape honeybee, indigenous to the Western Cape and parts of the Eastern Cape. I was relieved to learn that they are currently not threatened.

I always plant flowers and herbs to attract the bees to the garden to ensure the pollination of fruit and vegetables.  We have a good agreement, I make sure that they have flowers the whole year and they pollinate the fruit and vegetables.

I try my best to keep the garden as organic as possible and a haven for bees, ladybirds and other beneficial insects. It makes gardening a bit more difficult and I constantly have to look at organic ways to fight pests and diseases but I prefer to be in harmony with nature and the garden.

I hope the bees and insects feel like me about the garden, believing that our garden is the bees knees.

The Mole Pole

I have had a mole in my vegetable garden for a long time. Apart from ruining my pathways with random heaps being pushed up between the broken apricot pips the mole started to eat my root vegetables.

My understanding was that moles eat grubs and earthworms so it was quite a shock to pull up a wilting carrot and find 80% of the vegetable eaten. After I harvested the last of the carrots I hoped that the mole would leave but then I saw my leeks starting to wilt just to find they have been eaten like the carrots.

I started to harbour murderous thoughts towards this unseen visitor. I started researching how to get rid of moles in your garden. A friend said her grandfather used to fill 2l plastic cooldrink bottles with water and putting them upside down in the holes and that seem to drive them away. A tempting idea but if I had to put a bottle in every hole my unseen visitor has made it will look as if a couple of cooldrink crates fell over in my vegetables.

Poison was out of the question because I have worked too hard to keep my soil healthy to poison it with poisonous fumes spreading through the tunnels into the roots of my vegetables.

A visit to my local garden centre introduced me to the Mole Pole a sonic mole repeller.  The Mole Pole gets pushed into the soil and sends out sonic waves every 20 seconds with four different frequencies. These sonic waves will annoy the mole and the mole will move to the neighbouring gardens.

I had my doubts about the effectiveness of this device but the humane and safe angle sold me on it. Needless to say I am now the proud owner of a Mole Pole and somewhere in my garden is a mole getting annoyed to the point of moving to other gardens.

The Mole Pole Planted and Hopefully Annoying the Mole

There is a lot of positive feedback from users but there is also some negative feedback, only time will tell in which category I will fall.

A Purple Platter for Lunch

The figs are ripening and my creativity to use them in meals is in overdrive. My day starts with the harvesting of the vegetables and fruit and then I plan my meals around that.

Living in Bonnievale is so convenient, if you love food the valley is like a big pantry. With butchers, cheese factories, delis, dried fruit factories, olive farms, home industry shops and wine estates in Montagu, Swellendam, Robertson, Ashton and Bonnievale the possibilities are endless. The other bonus of doing shopping in the valley is the scenic drives with the majestic mountains, rolling hills of natural vegetation, endless orchards and vineyards lined with roses and cannas.

To add to my basket of fruit and vegetables I took a drive to the cheese factory against the Langeberg Mountain to buy a selection of local cheeses. I love their Royal Ashton and decided to try a new product called Ashton Crème, a soft cream cheese. On my way back I stopped at the neighbouring farm to pick up some Serrano ham from the free range pork butcher.

Purple Inspired Lunch

Armed with the fresh farm produce I headed home to prepare a cold lunch to beat the scorching heat. The dark and cool house welcomes me with the fresh smell of the harvest in the basket standing at the hearth.

I made a farmhouse platter with smoked chicken made by the other local butcher, Serrano ham, figs, tomatoes and olives on a bed of radicchio and other purple lettuce. I decided to play with the colour purple on the plate just for fun.

Figs with Honey and Mint

For dessert I made pancakes filled with figs covered in mint and honey on Ashton Crème. For my non-alcoholic guest I made ice tea with mint and fresh pear and I enjoyed Weltevrede Tropico Sauvignon Blanc.

Fresh Fig Pancakes

I prefer food to be visual as well as flavoursome and with the valley as my pantry I can bring the flavours of the world into my kitchen. 

The Heat of Summer

The heat of Summer is ripening the fruit and vegetables faster and every weekend there is more to harvest. With the increased variety of produce available I have to harvest on Saturday and Sunday. Luckily the Wolff’s were at home and a highly pregnant Ilze was at the gate at 6:30 to help me harvest on Sunday.

Saturday Harvest

A Real Cornucopia

It was great to spend some quality time with her since their return from Zurich. She got stuck into bean harvesting and with a companion and conversation the harvesting was done in no time.

Sunday Harvest

A Promise of a Delicious Meal

With harvesting done we had time to share a nice pot of Assam tea, toast, homemade Marmalade and more conversation.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen

The Firecat I met in the garden seems to have moved in. I found him lying all over the garden in the coolest spots like a prop that somebody left there. Sometimes he talks to me and is becoming friendlier. He seems to be under nourished and I have no idea who his humans are.

I have to fight the urge to feed him because I am afraid that he will become dependent on me and I am not always home. I think he is responsible for the reduction of birds in the garden and I am not too happy about that.

Our garden prides itself to be bird and bee friendly but with a hungry Firecat around the birds are giving the garden a wide berth.

The heat is no problem for the Firecat because he knows all the coolest spots in the garden. We know what they say about mad dogs and Englishmen but the Firecat and I stay in the cool parts of the property in the midday sun.

One Cool Firecat

Hot Roses

With average temperatures in the mid-thirties the past week I was concerned about the garden because the next season of vegetables have just been sown and even if they are well watered the young leaves cannot handle the scorching sun. The roses had a lot of new growth last weekend and they also would have suffered in the heat.

Arriving on the property I had a quick walk through the garden and could relax, everything survived and the garden was a green oasis.

I took some photographs in the morning that showed how beautiful they are even in the heat of Summer.

A morning walk in the Rosarium

Hot Roses

Summer Display

 
 
 
 

Futuristic Fruit

When I planned the fruit garden I tried to get old varieties of fruit and vines. I was lucky to get most of the older varieties and could steer clear of the new hybrids. The old varieties gives the garden a historical authenticity.

I might not want the new varieties of fruit in our garden but it does not stop me from being curious about their taste. I have to admit I cannot get myself to buy the yellow and orange watermelons it just seems wrong.

I love markets to see what people do with food and what is new on the fresh produce stand. I normally buy vegetables and fruit that I do not grow in the garden. I feel sorry for my Ginger and cannot get myself to harvest them but I do enjoy the sweet smell of their flowers in the herb garden at dusk. I always buy ginger, asparagus and mushrooms and colourful fruit and vegetables that appeals to me visually

Fruit and Vegetables from the Market

When I walked through the Earth Fair Market in Cape Town today I came across Nectarcots at the fruit stall. They look like big apricots and I deduced from the name that it must be a cross between a nectarine and an apricot. Curious to taste what it tastes like I bought some. I expected more of an apricot taste according to the look but I have to say it tastes to me like a hairless yellow cling peach.

Nectarcots

The pip is that of a peach as well. I enjoyed them and they are sweet and I like yellow cling peaches but I doubt if I will buy them again,they do not beat a proper yellow cling peach.

Looks and tastes like a Yellow Cling Peach

Curious about their origin I researched them and discovered a farm in Washington, USA that devotes a large part of their orchards to growing these new fruits by grafting one onto the other. They have a white Apricot, an Aprium (Apricot and Plum), a Nectar-Plum (Nectarine and Plum) and many other types of futuristic fruit.

A Bouquet of Fruit and Vegetables

I enjoy old fashioned fruit with names that reminds me of places I have been and people I have known.

Summer Walked into the Garden

Summer walked  into our garden and painted it with visual music. I am awestruck by the colours and textures of the flowers and vegetables that are currently in the garden.

Vegetable Harvest

Colourful Harvest

I cannot use pictures or words to describe the experience of walking through a space that one planned with a basic idea of how it must look and after you planted and sowed nature comes along and add  the final surprising touches.

Hollyhocks

Zinias

That is the pleasure of gardening one can be surprised by it on a daily basis be it a tomato coming up in the flower garden from the homemade compost or a wormwood  seed coming up in the vegetable garden.

Tomatoes

Variety of Tomatoes

I like things to be neat and  orderly but I have learned to give nature space to be creative and to enjoy the surprise of a country garden. 

Kumquat Flowers

Bougainvillea Flowers

When I close my eyes at night I can still see the beauty of our garden and I understand what William Wordsworth meant when he described the experience of seeing the beauty of the daffodils.

“For oft, when on my couch I lie

 In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.”

Where I want to stay for a long time......

"Every time I imagine a garden in an architectural setting, it turns into a magical place. I think of gardens I have seen, that I believe I have seen, that I long to see, surrounded by simple walls, columns, arcades or the facades of buildings - sheltered places of great intimacy where I want to stay for a long time." - Peter Zumthor

Marriage on a Plate

A “opslag” vine tomato came up near the compost bin and is competing with the granadilla  to see who can grow the tallest. This unexpected pleasure  is prolific and I love my garden for these surprises.

Vine Tomatoes

I love to roast them on the vine and decided to roast some to have with my chicken pie for lunch. 

Roasted Vine Tomatoes and Pesto

I made some fresh basil pesto to serve with the tomatoes. The  flavours of the roasted tomatoes, basil, pine kernels, garlic, Parmesan cheese and olive oil is the perfect marriage on a plate.

Home-made Pesto

I understand why one needs to serve bread with every meal, it is the best to soak up the juices that is left on your plate capturing that  perfect  combination of flavours in one delicious bite.

A Feast of  Flavours