Out in Olive Country – Part 2

Dining in the Cape Winelands is often a sensory marriage of country cooking and fine cuisine.  The lunch Rio Largo arranged for us at De Kaap restaurant was no exception.

The 50 or so kilometre trip from Rio Largo to the picturesque village of McGregor was a hot and dusty affair leaving our convoy a little parched.  We were rewarded with a selection of wines from local estates and a smorgasboard that showcased local produce and seasonal ingredients at the same time.  Picture Cumin spiced Carrot Soup, Olive Tapenade, Olive Ciabatta Bread, Free range Chicken Liver Pate and Pissaladiere tart with caramelised onions, tomato, anchovy and olives.  It mattered little that I couldn’t even pronounce the latter, it was that good.  The free range roast pork for mains was so delicious I broke one of my golden rules and gorged myself on crackling, discounting the calories just this once.  Almond and Preserved Apricot Suurkjie pudding to end the meal was a gentle reminder that the Western Cape fruit region is also just a peach pip’s throw away.

Brenda from Rio Largo and Slow Food Mother City’s Dax Villanueva enjoying dessert

De Kaap is housed in a beautifully restored old farmhouse overlooking their vineyards and a small herb and vegetable garden.

Owners Carrick and Aimee Campbell’s decor is charming and chickens roam freely in the gardens unfazed by the resident Ridgeback.  I didn’t want to ask if they might be the next free range chicken dish on the menu

And the ever present roses synonymous with the Winelands. 

      

Our final stop was at Voor Den Berg - Nick and Brenda’s Table Olive farm on the outskirts of McGregor run by effervescent Sam Ellis - for a tour of the processing plant and hands-on bottling experience.  My jar made the journey home but whispered at me every time I opened the fridge until I gave in and polished every single salty fruit.  What a memorable day in the country

Out in Olive Country – Part 1

The Breede River Winelands area, only 90 minutes out of Cape Town, is renowned not only for its rich tapestry of top class vineyards and fine eateries, but also a growing number of quality olive producers.  Among these, and set against a backdrop of sweeping, dark mountains in the Scherpenheuwel valley between Worcester and Robertson on the southern side of the river, is multi-award winning Rio Largo, where a group from Slow Food Mother City escaped for a day to learn about the benefits of sourcing local, fresh oils over the (less than fresh) imports that flood supermarket shelves in South Africa.

The approach to the farm is along a pretty avenue of bougainvillea in hues of magenta and fuscia.

Our tour starts in the processing plant.  It’s not only state-of-the-art, but so spotless you could eat off the floors if you wanted to.  A freshly-picked harvest is destalked and goes in the Italian processing system something like this …..

and emerges a while later as liquid gold …..

Rio Largo is home to Nick and Brenda Wilkinson and their passion and warm hospitality compliments the beauty of the surrounding farmlands.  The couple have 20 years experience overseeing farming enterprises in central Africa, including Zambia and Malawi.  Brenda’s personal touch is evident all over the farm.

A short walk up a dusty track leads to the olive groves, now 18 000 strong, made up of three Italian cultivars - Frantoio, Leccino and Coratina, known to compliment each other in making up a well balanced product.

The farm’s Pieter Mollie beamed as he demonstrated how the fruit is hand picked before the oil is extracted mechanically to produce 100% pure extra virgin cold pressed oil.

The weather was uncharacteristically glorious for this time of year and capturing a sunburst in the groves was as irresistible as the crunchy biscuits Brenda served with coffee on our arrival.

Back on the farm it’s easy to see how the surrounding hills and vineyards can pull city folk in.

The layers of colour were striking – from the autumn russets and golds in the vineyards to the blue hills beyond.

One of my favourite spots though was the irrigation canal which is fed from the Brandvlei Dam nearby.  The quaint bridge reminded me of my childhood in rural England and crossing rickity bridges over bubbling brooks.

Like many of the towns in the Cape Winelands, flowers grow in abundance adding to the charm of these hamlets.

Meet Brenda, our hostess.  She’s that passionate about Rio Largo oil she swears you can taste the love that has gone into making it!

Proper storage of olive oil is key to keeping it fresh and protected from destroying heat, oxygen and light and for maintaining the health benefits.  In addition to standard tinted glass bottles, Rio Largo’s latest innovation is ‘oil in a box’ – a portable, almost indestructible tube outer that provides convenience and versatility with a foil inner and tap dispenser.  The quirky and unique product label is designed by Frans Groenewald, whose witty artwork is legendary in the Western Cape.

So next time you feel a bit inclined to wince at the price of a good bottle of local olive oil, spare a thought for the labour and love that goes into producing a top quality product containing all the antioxidants and polyphenols you need.  Besides “Local is Lekker”.  Make sure you are getting the real deal when you’re overpowered by variety on the supermarket shelves by looking for the SA Olive Association sticker of compliance and the SA Olive Association sticker of quality.

In Part 2 I’ll share a glimpse into Nick and Brenda’s other Olive venture as well as one of the Cape’s best kept eatery secrets – a bucolic establishment called De Kaap on the fringes of McGregor.

For more on the Cape’s Olive Route visit http://www.capeoliveroute.com.

Sunbirds

It seems really appropriate that my 100th post (yes, I have been scribbling about the tip of Africa for that long) should be something that features in my daily life – besides the pets, the garden and my travels.  Several pairs of sunbirds have been in and out of the garden for the last two days.  At times it’s like Heathrow with all the take off and landings.  They make their presence known by loud, animated twittering throughout the day, but they are damn difficult to photograph because they never stay still for long.  This gorgeous male literally flew in as I was coincidentally standing around with my camera.  It’s the closest I have been to one for any amount of time and I froze, too scared to move much – so the last photo is nowhere near crystal clear and totally in focus, but he’s too magnificent not to share.

Eating from my back garden

I’m halfway through Barbara Kingsolver’s book “Animal Vegetable Miracle” and besides being a revelation about many aspects of the food we eat, it’s confirmation that I really am on the right track with my little vegetable garden on the sunny side of my house and my preference for organic foodstuffs where possible.

I won’t spoil it for those who want to read the book, but Kingsolver is a skilled novelist who uses her talent to document the year she and her family spent living off her farm garden and locally produced foods, focussing on seasonal eating.  In the process, she highlights how disconnected we have become from natural processes and the joys of working the land to provide sustenance for one’s self, along with the obvious benefits of eating pasture-raised animals.  Kingsolver also makes a passionate case for putting the kitchen back at the center of family life and I can’t wait to get my hands on her next book  “The Pleasures of Slow Food”.

I know I’m never going to supply all the food I need from this little patch of mine, but I’ve read enough about genetically modified crops and pesticides of late to scare me.  These topics could take up several posts, particularly with the ‘seed wars’ going on in protest of large corporations like Monsanto, and I’m no expert on either subject, but the first thing I did was give thanks for what’s already growing in my garden:

…..  the herbs like this pinapple sage (the sunbirds also love it)

…..  the tomato plants despite the battle I have with blight

…..  the Cape gooseberries that will ripen soon

…..  hot Bell Peppers (above) – sold in the supermarkets as Pepperdews – which were so prolific I gave many away and an assortment of other colourful peppers (below) that will grace my salad bowls soon.

Then I sourced heirloom seeds and ordered several packets to plant in the spring.  The Echinacea is for my friend Blou for her potions – the flower essences she lovingly concocts for my animals and I and anyone else who is willing to try them

One blogger in the WordPress family who has written quite a bit about seeds, self sufficiency and sustainable living is Bridget at fromacountrycottage .  Stop by her blog to read up on her perspective.

South Africans can order heirloom seeds from here.

A Sliver of Moon

A small sliver of moon, barely visible in the night sky, will grow gradually over the next 13 days to become the next full moon and a lunar eclipse. A group of us are planning a hike for that evening.  I’m hoping to take some really great photos.

Fire in the Sky

St Norbert’s Priory

St Norbert’s Catholic Church on Slangkop Hill overlooking Kommetjie village offers a  magnificent view of Long Beach and Hout Bay.  Note the interesting tiled entrance to the church grounds, including a mosaic inlay.

Dating back to long before the Norbertine Fathers came to Kommetjie to establish a Priory for their Order in 1967, the Church began as a small chapel – the Chapel of St. Joseph - built in 1948 in memory of a wealthy Italian immigrant, Joseph Rubbi who settled in the Cape in the late 19th century.

Seeds of Light Award

A lovely start to my week was being selected for the “Seed of Light” award, brainchild of the insanely talented Blou Leask, a soul sister who shares my love of nature and all things written and whose blogs 360*tree and scar*let nguni both delight and inspire me.

In the next few days, I will pass the award on to other bloggers in my global WordPress community who also inspire creativity, nature, connection, communication and beauty.

Today’s Gems

Today was another of those gorgeous sunny days where it’s hard to believe we are actually in winter.  After the hectic rains last week, it was a welcome respite and the balmy weather brought with it several of nature’s treasures from butterflies to double collared sunbirds.

 

The Kom

Kommetjie is an unspoilt fishing village on the Atlantic side of the Cape Peninsula about 35km from Cape Town.  The Kom, within easy walking distance of the village, consists of a sheltered bay which is virtually fully enclosed by a ridge of boulders that were once part of a Stone Age fish trap.  In good weather conditions, the Kom is one of the best sites on land to view seabirds from, including several migratory species.  A caution – the pungent aroma of rotting kelp can take your breath away at times!

   

I was really surprised to see a couple of Sacred Ibis among the variety of gulls.

Kommetjie Lighthouse towers in the background.

Sadly some Capetonians need a lot of reminding!!

Wild grasses adorn the road along the coast to Scarborough. The drive provides a stunning elevated vantage point of the coastline and the lighthouse.