What's happening at Babylonstoren in July?

Monday, 1 July, 2024

Babylonstoren

Visitors at Babylonstoren are in for a treat this July.

In the midst of the Big Boland Soak, relish the season’s slower pace with puffs of frosty vapour, cozy knits and steaming mugs of tea (and rusks and biscuits, of course). Incontrast, the citrus orchards are laden with bright orbs in sunshine hues of yellow and orange...

What's happening in the garden?

Vitamin C(itrus)

Babylonstoren’s abundant citrus will see you through winter on a wave of zesty goodness. Picked tree ripe and harvested for flavour and purpose, their generous Abundance Boxes from shop.babylonstoren.com are made for sharing. This year they are rolling out a bonanza of citrus Abundance Boxes until August, which will include nartjies, lemons, limes, navel oranges and our beloved blood oranges. These boxes are meant to be shared, enjoyed fresh or juiced, and used in marmalades, preserves and cordials.

Avos all the way

They’re also harvesting Hass and Fuerte avocados from their Heuwellande blocks this month. Look out for these in the Farm Shop and online at shop.babylonstoren.com.

Escape the rain – cellar and revamped olive oil tours await

Duck for cover on rainy days. Book an underground cellar tour and wine tasting when the weather is gloomy and sip on a glass of award-winning Babylonstoren Shiraz 2021 one of only twenty-six wines to win a coveted gold medal at the prestigious Syrah du Monde international wine competition in France’s Northern Rhone Valley recently.

For a superb tasting of a different kind, join the newly re-opened olive oil tour and tasting from 1 July. Apart from visiting the olive oil press and blending your own olive oil, guests will end the tour on a delicious note in the farm’s olive tasting room, where their olives, olive oils and tapenades are tasted with an array of Babylonstoren products, to highlight and inspire flavourful olive pairings.

Winter warmth at the Garden Spa

Treat yourself to winter regeneration at the Babylonstoren Garden Spa. Nourish your body and soul while indulging in various therapies performed in beautiful spaces within a forest of bamboo. Scrub away your winter woes in the traditional Rasul chamber, or enjoy a deeply restorative private Hammam ritual – a rare find in South Africa – complete with a traditional scrub, dynamic stretching, and massage.

Relax at the spa’s indoor-outdoor pool area with two vitality pools and even a cozy fireplace. Enjoy the sauna, steam room, and unwind in a room crafted entirely from pink Himalayan salt blocks. Soak it all in and book your treatment here.

Welcome glorious winter

Embrace the season’s quiet pace with slow food, intimate gatherings, healthy recipes made with seasonal ingredients and plentiful moments of self-care from Babylonstoren. Visit the Farm Shop or shop online at shop.babylonstoren.com, with free delivery nationwide.

Rock gallery in die puff Adder

The beloved Babylonstoren Puff Adder walkway now boasts a rock gallery. Meander through to admire the various formations, their interesting characteristics, and especially their quirky common names.

Prune like a pro

During the chilly season, the garden’s bare bones stand tall against the clouded Winelands sky – there’s never a better time to admire the handiwork of

Babylonstoren’s pruning and espalier expert, Oom Anton. In the run-up to his 85 th birthday, Anton published first book, Prune Like A Pro – The Babylonstoren Guide to Pruning Fruit Trees. In this illustrated guide he shares his extensive knowledge by means of clear, hands-on instructions on pruning, bearing habits and arbour art. Prune Like a Pro is the quintessential companion for any grower of fruit trees. Alternatively, join him and his fellow pruning pros for a workshop this winter to learn the craft and apply it in your own garden.

Prune Like a Pro is available in the Lifestyle Shop at Babylonstoren, or online at shop.babylonstoren.com with free delivery nationwide.

NEW Bloedlemoen fragrance

Invite the scent of the season into your home with the new limited-edition Bloedlemoen fragrance. Inspired by the Babylonstoren blood orange orchards, this zesty scent celebrates these brightly coloured orbs with an invigorating blend of blood orange rind, grounded by woody notes of thyme and vetiver. Available as a travel candle, room spray and hand cream at shop.babylonstoren.com or in the Scented Room.

Discover water buffalo delights

If you drive to Babylonstoren on the small dirt track connecting the farm to the R45, you’ll drive past their prized herd of water buffalo grazing on green pastures. Babylonstoren is one of a handful of farms producing water buffalo milk, under the watchful eye of our water buffalo keeper Kobus Lambrechts.

The ultra-nutritious milk makes for the most delicious mozzarella – or what the Italians refer to as “the pearl of the table” or “white gold.” In addition to full-cream mozzarella, their Italian-trained cheesemaker Alta Eybers uses the brilliant white milk to make their range of dairy delights, including bocconcini, halloumi, amasi, gelato and yoghurt.

In winter, their chefs love the decadence of their real mozzarella in a robust lasagne or to add a finishing flourish to pizza. Nothing beats the real deal!

Sleep in with the sun

Take your cue from the slow-rising winter sun and snuggle up under the duvet a bit longer on chilly mornings. There’s no better place to do so than Babylonstoren’s luxurious Farm Hotel, complete with fireplace nooks and dreamy bubble baths. If you book a three-night stay during the winter season until the end of August, you’ll get an extra night, free of charge.

While you’re there ...

Get a taste of winter in the cosy Old Bakery at Babylonstoren’s Italian Nights on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays
Explore the crevices of the Simonsberg Mountain on a sunset drive – with sundowners and the best views of the valley
Grab a bike and pedal up the pathways and through the fruit orchards (and pick a naartjie on the go!)

Click HERE to book a stay.