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Lotus Permaculture Homestead

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Grabouw
Lotus Permaculture Homestead

Sharing new OFFGRID beginnings working mostly with what we have available, would love to inspire too!

01/01/2025

Happy New Year!

We did some clearing outside along the fenceline, it's our high fire season in Summer when we have the lowest rainfall. There's a stream that overflows along the railway line in Winter & dry this time. We just want to be more prepared, 11mths ago we had a wild fire & it was frightening.

I made some delicious smoked chicken fillets from Noorsveld Chickens today for the first time, I bought the smoker during lockdown on Marketplace. I've been wanting to try this for years as it's not easily available & not always free range when it is.

Some more pics taken today of what's growing. It's been exactly 5yrs since we started with fencing on this abandoned section of a farm that was sold to my family. We've come a long way.

30/12/2024

Picked some berries for brunch, with Sweet Potato bread toast & Plum jam both homemade. The new gas oven is amazing there is no need to buy bread again, artisanal bread costs so does the jams.

I'm trying my luck with Mango seeds, the 2 trees I bought from Tulbagh Nursery didn't make it through Winter a few years ago.

Start where you are with what you have available!

29/12/2024

We love fermented foods. I harvested the last Cabbage(1kg) plus a few Beetroot today, the Garlic & Coriander seeds a few weeks ago. All the ingredients for this Beet & Cabbage Sauerkraut comes from the garden except Himalayan salt.

Posting the recipe with the pic, it will be ready in 7days.

28/12/2024

It's stone fruit season, the Peaches & Plums grow in this region. I bought a 10kg mixed box for R80(4USD). I baked a Peach Cobbler & Sweet potato bread at sunset, testing the gas oven. Max my 2nd grandson turned 13yo yesterday, making something he loves was a good motivation.

This morning I made some Plum jam, it's tart & delicious.

26/12/2024

Early morning tunes from the birds & bees...🐦🐝 ☮️

24/12/2024

Hand dipped Beeswax candles: Making these is a labour of love, it takes time & patience but so worth it.

Cooking 2 x whole ducks in a gas oven for the first time. I bought the stove 2nd hand on Marketplace when lockdown started & very impressed with the oven. I cannot believe that I've waited so long to use it, next is homemade bread.

Life is good at Lotus Homestead, happy holidays! ☮️

22/12/2024

Elderberries & the Greenhouse extension, an extra 3 x 2m makes a big difference.

We planted Elderberries as a windbreak along this swale 3yrs ago & started making Elderflower cordial this season, the birds get to the berries first. They are fast growing & low maintenance, offering shade to young fruit trees/plants.

Made a mix of Bay leaves & Cloves, it actually works for flies they say for mosquitoes too. Our Peaches are stung, we need to improve our pest control ASAP as we are busy planting lots more.

21/12/2024

Early morning Berry harvest before the tiny worms start feasting, will make a Neem spray later. Home made Chai & a Koesista that's usually enjoyed on Sunday mornings in some communities. I ordered an ice cream container full to meet my 3 grandsons who arrived from Delhi yesterday.

The flowers are Yarrow, Butterfly bush(Gaura) & Carrot flowers.

16/12/2024

I used 7 key ingredients from the garden to make Chicken Pilau for lunch today. Potatoes, onions, garlic, tumeric, mint, dhanya & curry leaves. Chosa said it looked like a Xmas meal. It's been interesting introducing new food/cuisines to him & others who come to assist, our cultures & diets are so different. Workers often don't have food to take to work, fortunately Chosa enjoys cooking too so food will always be offered.

The chicken is from Noorsveld Chickens I bought at the local Spar & very impressed, it was fresh not frozen. I only buy free range/pasture raised so happy we have another option.

14/12/2024

Seeds & homesteading products: I started collecting seeds after my PDC( Permaculture Design Certificate)11yrs ago & finally admit that I'm a seed hoarder. I planted more than 100 different seed varieties the last few days, most for the first time. African Marmalade sent me some seeds a few years ago, I've included a pic & waiting patiently to grow Calabash. We are growing Mullein from Mariam Edwards & Echinacae both in a swop recently, I failed to germinate these seeds a few times.

I enjoy making what we need & love working with pure Beeswax, I make a variety of candles. We have no light fittings living offgrid, this motivated me. I'm excited to be making Beeswax wraps next, I finally found the 3rd ingredient not easily available. I only sell at the monthly market & a nearby farmstall, this is enough for a side hustle I never really planned.

I love supporting home industries, my friend Jo-Dee Veldsman makes the most delicious chilli pickles I've been enjoying for years. She also started fabric painting & I was gifted a bag with our logo. Merle Voges Adams made a jersey for my 5yr old grandson Ben, they are both passionate about what they do.

08/12/2024

Chosa harvested these Potatoes while I was at the market yesterday, our first for the season & a lovely surprise to arrive home to. This week we also harvested Garlic & the Tumeric is from a few months ago. We only planted seeded Potatoes once in January along the last swale, this is our 2nd season harvesting & there is lots more.

We're getting there slowly slowly...

07/12/2024

Loved the Sunset at 7.45pm this evening while hand watering new transplants, unwinding after attending the last market for the year. It's not a good idea usually as there are lots more mosquitoes then. I burn a beeswax candle & add Citronella essential oil, this helps with flies too.

Lots of Pinks & Purple growing, pics taken this evening ☮️

06/12/2024

Our first Garlic harvest ever: We planted these in the Mandala garden very late in May before Winter crops. I bought 60 cloves of 2 varieties from Madeleine Bothma & she gifted me the 3rd, also delicious Garlic salt.

They were really no fuss to grow. The Garlic grown in clay soil in the berm is smaller than the same grown in the no dig beds, they prefer soft loose soil & mulching helped. It was planted in full sun & rain fed mostly, some growing between the small Citrus trees along the Swale.

04/12/2024

Planting seeds & some of what's growing in the Greenhouse: We make our own germination mix with Cocopeat, Perlite/Vermiculite & very little sifted compost. We use the same mix for cuttings. Some seeds need soaking before, some need to go into the freezer(stratification) & some need scarification that is disturbing the outer hard layer to assist with germination. The Marula needed this when I planted the seeds 2yrs ago. I did the same to the Lotus seeds, we learn as we grow along.

We have a Mediterranean climate so not all plants will grow here, we can create micro ecosystems. The Marula, Curry Leaf & Moringa needs to be planted out or in bigger pots to make them stronger for Winter.

I'm planting a variety of seeds I collected over the years mostly perennials, so it's not too late. It's also good to know when to plant what, there is a season for everything🐞🐝🐛

02/12/2024

Keyhole beds & an update on the Tomatoes we transplanted on the 3/11 in the Mandala garden: Keyhole beds give you access to reach when the beds are too wide, it can also help with catching rain water when included in a design. The first contour beds will be made wider next season by adding keyholes. We continue planting companions between the Tomatoes, like Green peppers, Brinjals, Leafy greens, Chillies, herbs & flowers.

I planted Sorghum for the first time, seeds sent to me from African Marmalade a few years ago. It has become my favourite flour to make pancakes, it's naturally sweet. I will plant these out & grow to save the seed for a bigger harvest eventually. Growing up I enjoyed Maltabela porridge, it's not easily available & only recently discovered that it's made from Sorghum.

The Lotus seeds all germinated plus alot more. We buy plugs from Hart Nursery, we plant them in seedlings trays to grow bigger before transplanting out giving them a better chance.

25/11/2024

Our first Bananas...Hopefully they will be ready when my 3grandsons visit from Delhi next month, they love Banana bread too 🍌 🍌 🍌

I planted a variety of seeds & love the surprise in the mornings, it helps to have a Greenhouse.

23/11/2024

Greenhouse & Cuttings: I make cuttings usually when pruning & the Greenhouse will need a renovation soon to accommodate all the new plants, it's so addictive.

These I'm rooting to giveaway to some growers in an awesome whatsapp group, I don't know most of them & they will collect at my monthly market on the 7/12 TCOE - Trust for Community Outreach and Education

We're hoping to host our first seedswop soon, this is a good way of getting free plants especially those not affordable or not easily available.

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Lotus Homestead
Grabouw
7160

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Videos

Early morning tunes from the birds & bees...🐦🐝 ☮️ #nofilter #workingwithnature #earthcare

It's Heritage Day in SA, enjoy the braai! 🇿🇦 ☮ #publicholiday #BraaiDay #bbq #rainbownation

Greenhouse Upgrade...

It's nearly 3yrs since we installed our first Greenhouse attached to the house, we used 2nd hand cottage pane windows. We've made some changes to include more opening windows on the top & to accommodate a wood burning stove. This is the full video made by Chosa Aka Chombe Wixy he also assisted Reagan the builder, the guys did a good job😍 #diy #greenhouse #offgridliving #homenursery

The only tools I usually need when planting, I love filling in gaps...

We are happy to harvest cleaner rain water...We found both the liquid & pressure cleaner at Builders, will post a pic in the comments. #catchingtherain #rainwaterharvesting

There was a wild fire in Grabouw yesterday, the farming community came out to help🙏 Here Chosa is carrying Roy in the evacuation assisted by Grabouw Animal Welfare Society I collected him this morning after all was clear. I'll post some pics in a post soon. We are all fine🙏

The swale is now complete 36m in total & has connected seamlessly. Chosa did a good job of filming it too. Now to plant cover crops & fruit trees. #earthcare #peoplecare #foodforest

Biochar for the compost & compost toilet mix #offgridliving #permaculturelife #biochar #reelsviralシ