It’s pumpkin time! 

Each year when our gardening team unveils the collection of pumpkins they’ve been tending to all summer, we know that autumn is just around the corner. Pumpkins, prickly pears, persimmons, quinces and carnaroli rice are harvested alongside herbs from the Healing Garden to brew invigorating infusions. And, of course, there’s the scent of sweetly spiced hot cross loaves wafting over from our farm bakery – just one of the tempting treats we create in anticipation of Easter weekend.  

Pumpkins galore! 

We’re thrilled to host our inaugural Pumpkin Fun weekend from 1–3 March 2024, and it’s bound to be a smashing occasion. The pumpkin celebrations will kick off with an exciting pumpkin treasure hunt for the little ones on Friday, 1 March, where they’ll discover the bountiful pumpkin varieties grown in the garden. The festivities will culminate on Sunday, 3 March, with pumpkin carving, pumpkin throwing, and pit-spitting competitions. We’ll also be serving a host of pumpkin-flavoured treats. You can look out for a giant cucurbit exhibition and pumpkin scarecrow photo nook set up in the Puff Adder.  

From vineyard to bottle  

In the cellar, the pace of the harvest is also shifting a gear. All of the white wine grapes have been harvested, from sémillon to our In Die Wolke Chardonnay. The year’s first white vintage, the 2024 Chenin Blanc, is already being bottled and will be ready to sip on before the end of the month. Now, the red wine cellar is buzzing as our winemakers begin pump-overs and pump-downs. 

Autumn harvest 

We’ve had a feverishly warm summer on the farm, speeding up the ripening of other autumnal delights like our persimmons and quinces. We adore these golden-orbed treasures as harbingers of the season. See if you can spot them studded in the hedges around the vegetable garden beds. 

Fizzing fantastic 

Another new sip to savour is our just-launched Vonkeltee sparkling ice tea. The cold-brewed tea is inspired by the indigenous rooibos and honeybush shrubs that thrive on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain. Our latest brew is available in these two flavours – rooibos and honeybush – and is naturally caffeine free and low in sugar. Deliciously refreshing for warm autumn days. 

Easter is hatching  

Visit the farm this Easter to celebrate the season and start gathering your favourite things. We won’t even hide the treats! The Farm Shop is filled with Easter favourites such as pastel chocolate eggs, praline-filled chocolate hens, egg-shaped iced biscuits and hot cross loaves, baked fresh every morning. 

Planning a weekend away? Lucky you! You can have your farm-style feast delivered in time for your trip. Dish up a Dutch Baby pancake filled with trout for breakfast, fire-grilled stuffed fish and go all out with a baked spiced pumpkin pavlova. This is the time to gather all your loved ones around the table and create golden memories together. 

Bliss & Blooms 

Book before the end of April for a hotel stay (minimum three nights) between March and August 2024 and we’ll include two hospitality tickets to attend the 2024 RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London on 25 May. Use the code CFS2024 when booking to claim your tickets. T’s and C’s apply. https://babylonstoren.com/hotel 

March Farm Workshops    

1 March – Pampoenpret (presented in Afrikaans) 

2 March – Join in on a pumpkin fun day!  (presented in English) 

6 March – Basic propagation: Grow your own plants from scratch  

7 March – Pasta from scratch with heirloom tomatoes  

13 March – Cure your curiosity for charcuterie  

14 March – Boland classic: Learn to make traditional moskonfyt 

20 March – Master meat alongside our head butcher  

26 March – Young artists: Drawing inspiration from the garden  

27 March – Explore a bug’s life (workshop for kids; 4–7 years)  

27 March – Explore a bug’s life (workshop for kids; 8–12 years) 

Book now https://babylonstoren.com/workshops