Autumn’s bold colours and flavours
As summer's flush softens, the rush of quick ripening gives way to a slower, more deliberate transformation. Skins thicken, flesh densifies, and sugars concentrate, yielding garden gems of amber, gold, and deep berry – treasures that reward patience with unparalleled flavour.
And when the sun dips beneath the horizon, the most gorgeous sunsets in radiant shades of pink, orange and violet tint the skies around the Babylonstoren hill. As if Mother Nature herself has thrown restraint to the wind, in a defiant display of pure, joyous kitsch. Many rightfully regard this as the most breathtaking time of year in the Boland.
Pumpkin fun weekend at Babylonstoren
March is all about pumpkins, culminating with Babylonstoren’s annual Pumpkin Day festivities on Sunday 2 March. The day offers pumpkin-themed fun, from pumpkin pit spitting to pumpkin carving, pumpkin throwing and even pumpkin catapulting. It’s a wonderful outing for the whole family, with pumpkin-inspired treats – including cinnamon-sweet pampoenkoekies – to nibble on in the garden. Kids can have their Pumpkin Passport stamped to earn a free gelato! A special treat is the limited-edition pumpkin and caramel swirl available from the Gelato Room.
Babylonstoren pumpkin princess Tenecia Stevens and her team are eager to unveil the collection of pumpkins they’ve been tending to all summer. “We have to ensure our pumpkin ladies maintain their glowing cheeks. They even have their own skincare routine,” she quips. “In the beginning, we must distract fruit flies from pricking the young pumpkins’ vulnerable skins to avoid warts and bad spots. Once they’re fully grown, the high summer heat can cause sun damage, so we cover them with straw to protect them until they’re ripe for the picking.”
Babylonstoren grows 40 pumpkin varieties that will be exhibited in the Puff Adder walkway in March.
The pumpkin drawing the most excitement is Mafuta, a Dill’s Atlantic Giant grown from seed on the farm. At its peak, Mafuta gained 7 kgs per day. Will it be enough to beat 2024’s champ that weighed a whopping 380 kg? How do you even carve a 380 kg pumpkin? Farmer Terry uses a chainsaw, of course!
He will be back to host Babylonstoren’s annual Pumpkin Fun workshops.
Families can join these workshops on Friday 28 February or Saturday 1 March. Young explorers and their folks will be led on a treasure hunt through the garden and squash-covered Snail, dangling with climbing calabashes and gourds. With the help of their parents, children will be able to cut, scoop and hammer their own pumpkins into quirky carvings.
Bookings for Pampoenpret on 28 February (presented in Afrikaans) and Pumpkin Fun on 1 March (presented in English) is essential. Book at babylonstoren.com
Easter hatching...
From March onwards, creating a wonderland filled with delicious Easter treats is but a few clicks away. Visit Babylonstoren’s online shop to choose from a selection of Easter hampers or curate your own Easter collection. Have it delivered to your doorstep, or the Easter Bunny’s… Nobody will tell.
Visit shop.babylonstoren.com, with free delivery nationwide.
Weird and oh-so-wonderful
The Babylonstoren autumn harvest delivers some absolute stunners that are served fresh or turned into pickles, jams, and chutneys. Pomegranates in their sturdy red jackets, fuzzy gold-cheeked quinces, pears, kei apples, feijoa (also known as pineapple guava due to the combined flavour of strawberry, pineapple and guava) spikey dragon fruit and shiny-skinned persimmons, almost plasticky in their perfection, until the gentle imprint of a thumb signals its readiness.
The tunnels continue to produce beautiful heirloom tomatoes throughout March, in addition to fresh aubergine, sweet potato, pumpkins, gem squash, Swiss chard, celery, kale, mizuna, beetroot, radishes, mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, fennel and baby ginger from the tunnels and garden.
Proudly Soetmelksvlei
The animals of Soetmelksvlei are growing in number, with new life arriving at regular intervals. Blommetjie, one of two Ayrshire cows on the farm, is expecting her calf in March. Do visit the doting mom and our other soon-to-be mothers in the kraal.
The Old Stables Restaurant at Soetmelksvlei has added a proud produce table to the harvest spread, where we honour the absolute best from the orchards, kraal and garden. Currently showcasing ripe figs, crisp apples and prickly pears in all their glory.
Click HERE to book your Soetmelksvlei experience.
Rice harvest
The Babylonstoren rice harvest will start soon. If you’ve ever strayed from Babylonstoren’s garden paths, you may have happened upon a rice paddy – not to be confused with a shallow waterblommetjie dam. Rice plants grow in water until they reach hip height, when the dam is drained and left to dry. Once the paddy turns a golden straw colour, the rice is ready to harvest.
Babylonstoren cultivates the carnaroli cultivar from Italy – the “caviar” of rice – which makes the creamiest, most delicious risotto. This autumn, guests at Babel Restaurant can look forward to a seasonal risotto dish combining carnaroli rice and farm-fresh pumpkin.
Innovation stations
Babel Restaurant’s innovation chef, Ailene de Villiers, is hard at work fermenting, pickling and preserving the warmer months' bounty to stock Babylonstoren’s larders. Her botanical vinegars are delighting guests at Babel, as does her fig butter. The farm-grown almonds and pumpkins are receiving a lot of love during March, with Babel’s pumpkin dessert a must-have according to executive chef, Schalk Vlok.
The kitchens at Babel and the Greenhouse Restaurant are championing vegetables and adding to the vegetarian and vegan offering on their menus. At the same time, old favourites like The Greenhouse burger remain incredibly popular – in no small part due to the aged Chianina beef used for the patty.
To book your Babel visit, click HERE. No reservation is required for the Greenhouse – tables are allocated as they become available.
Winning in the winelands
Babylonstoren’s Farm Hotel just won a Luxe Diamond Star Award in the 2025 Luxe Hotel Awards – celebrating the best of South Africa’s luxury hospitality.
Embark on an early-morning water buffalo tour or sleep in and enjoy a lazy, grazy lunch at Babel Restaurant. When the day winds down, draw a long bath and slip into crisp white sheets as you drift into an autumn dream...
Babylonstoren workshops in March
Babylonstoren
- 28 Feb – Pampoenpret (presented in Afrikaans)
- 1 March – Pumpkin fun (presented in English)
- 5 March – Unlock the diversity of indigenous succulents
- 12 March – Capture the season’s scents with fragrant herbs
- 19 March – Craft your own homemade soaps
Soetmelksvlei
- 6 March – Master meat: make your own salami
- 7 March – Magic with milk: make your own butter, soft cheese and yoghurt
- 12 March – Pickle and preserve summer’s abundance
- 14 March – Heirloom tomatoes: bake your own galette with traditional butter pastry
- 20 March – Cape food: traditional bobotie with quince chutney
- 27 March – Master meat: make boerewors and droëwors
- 28 March – Hands-on kids: bake and ice your own farm animal biscuits (kids aged 6-12)
To book a workshop, click HERE.