Omweg Farm

Omweg Farm We apply regenerative farming practises in the Hermitage valley of Swellendam, and raise pigs and chickens on pasture.

30/11/2025

How wonderful to hear the sound of the Kliprivier again. We only had 6.5mm of rain yesterday, but the mountain catchment (about 4km upstream) always gets a lot more. Accumulated with last Sunday’s rain (we had 14mm here) the river now started flowing again, which is a relief as last week we didn’t see any difference. That rain only created some mud baths for the pigs, which they thoroughly enjoyed. 🐷

It’s humbling to experience we’re not in control. Two years ago excessive rainfall was the challenge, we’ve had damaging winds, and to now experience a very dry period reconfirms the importance of taking care of the land and supporting it to be resilient. Building soil health to improve water pe*******on and retention, with a diverse pasture and trees that support life in and above ground. It takes time, but we trust it’ll be worth it. 💚

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28/11/2025

BLACK WATTLE FRIDAY 🌳🖤😉 and the goats are loving it

We were introduced to this simple but super-effective Tree Popper through the Swellendam Hackers, the group that uses them every week to eradicate alien trees from commonage in and around Swellendam. It’s work that can feel like a drop in the ocean, but it recently proved its value when a fire started in Masbiekers Valley, where extensive clearing has been done over the past five years. As a result, the fire didn’t get as hot as it would have if more alien trees were present, and it was brought under control relatively quickly.👏

Since the browsing of our young fodder trees is limited, we hang the “popped” Black Wattles as upside-down trees on the tree protection, and the goats enjoy the alternative browsing. Perhaps they understand the need to get rid of them: apart from making veldfires incredibly hot, they also guzzle water (each tree close to a full water truck annually; picture the number of Black Wattles in our area and how many trucks that adds up to!😳) - something that’s even more undesirable in this drought.💦

Tree Popper is running a special until 31 December, with a 15% discount on a Tree Popper: https://treepopper.co.za/size/

Keen to join the Swellendam Hackers? 🌳 Come down to the Masbiekers dam (drive in through Buirski street) at 5pm today for some hard or light work, taking down (or out!) 1 alien tree at a time. 💪

23/11/2025

And so it starts … 🐄 Unexpectedly, we got a calf on Thursday, neglected by his mom. It took about 30 hours to regain strength and we were relieved to see it starting to bounce around. Lenna is caring, she seems to sense that she can’t play rough with this one.❤️

Not exactly Wildlife Photographer of the Year material, but glad I could still capture this butterfly as it was flutteri...
20/11/2025

Not exactly Wildlife Photographer of the Year material, but glad I could still capture this butterfly as it was fluttering around the Lovage plant while we were planting seeds in the vegetable garden this morning. For a brief moment it sat still, and lay its egg – a tiny dot that we would otherwise never have noticed. Curious to see the caterpillar appear over time. 🐛 This plant has enough to give so we don’t mind sharing. In fact, we planted it for its roots.

We often use ground Lovage (root) to spice our cured meats. It gives a delicious flavour, but it’s not available here so we need to source it from The Netherlands. The leaves add a punch to soups and stews, and the scent apparently makes it attractive to this Citrus Swallowtale that normally chooses a citrus tree to lay eggs. A wonderful visit in the garden.🦋

We kept a few Black Wattles two years ago for shade in the pasture 🌳 and judging by how packed it gets on summer days, i...
17/11/2025

We kept a few Black Wattles two years ago for shade in the pasture 🌳 and judging by how packed it gets on summer days, it was one of the best decisions we’ve made! 😊Lovely to see them all hang out together 🐐 🐓 🐾

We can’t wait though, for the day when the trees we’ve planted can take over the job - giving shade ánd boosting the soil, adding nutrition, and bringing back more biodiversity. 🐦‍⬛

It started with a request from a Dutch customer 🇳🇱 He missed one of his favourite sausages - the 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵: a cooked Du...
06/11/2025

It started with a request from a Dutch customer 🇳🇱 He missed one of his favourite sausages - the 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵: a cooked Dutch sausage with a spice rub that creates a golden, flavourful crust when grilled. Popular since the Nineties, it’s often enjoyed warm, or sliced cold on a platter or sandwich.

We loved the idea, so we took up the challenge. Using our pasture-raised pork and local Gouda from the The Cheese Shop, Swellendam, we crafted our first Omweg Spiced Deli Sausage - made in the traditional Dutch way, with that same irresistible, flavourful crust.🧡

Our Dutch tasters and customers are unanimous:𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳.🤩

Now we’re wondering… will other Swellendammers fall in love with it too? Get it online - we deliver in Swellendam.🚚
Pop it in the air fryer or on the braai to develop that tasty crust, and discover a juicy, flavour-packed sausage born from Dutch nostalgia and our love for good food.

Illustration credits:

02/11/2025

A new little jumper arrived this week! 🥰Curious, calm, and easy to love – everyone seems like her (except for the hen perhaps, fiercely protecting her chicks against this curious bouncy creature). For now she’s on the bottle, but soon she’ll be grazing and running around with the others. 🐐🐐

30/10/2025

🌸 We used to think pests meant poison. Then we learned there’s another way.

Our Wild Peach trees (Kiggelaria africana) attract ladybirds - tiny predators that naturally control aphids. To our surprise, the Green Milkweed Locust was also drawn to the same tree, adding another layer to the life it supports.

Even the vegetables we left too long turned into ladybird nurseries - showing that balance starts when you stop trying to control everything.⏱️

🐞 Skip the sprays.
🌿 Plant for diversity.
✨ Let nature do the work.

Because some insecticides - like Koinor, often recommended to treat aphids - come with a 212-day wait before you can even eat from your own lemon tree. 😳 Nature’s way is slower, but it’s safer, and it lasts.

14/10/2025

Rain, clay, and one blissfully happy pig. 🌧️🐷 6 mm on Saturday and 5 mm yesterday - just enough to make magic.🛁

First Friday’s Beer Route edition gave us the perfect excuse to try something we’d been dreaming up for a while: our Roo...
07/10/2025

First Friday’s Beer Route edition gave us the perfect excuse to try something we’d been dreaming up for a while: our Rookworst served on a tasty pretzel roll with homemade sauerkraut, pickles, mustard, and ketchup - everyone to build it just how they liked. 💛

Our stopover in Frankfurt last month inspired us to bring home the real deal: giant mustard and ketchup bottles you “milk” for your serving of sauce. Swellendam got the South African premiere of those bottles, and they were a hit! 🌭

Friday night wasn’t really about Oktoberfest or beer - it was about people coming together, chatting over food, and enjoying something made with care. Our Rookworst pretzel rolls were gone before we knew it (thank you, everyone🤗), but what stayed with us were the moments in between: friends bumping into each other, catching up, meeting new faces, enjoying being out together, and appreciating some local talent. 🎶

A big thank you to First Friday Swellendam for creating such a festive, friendly, and vibrant evening that brought Swellendam to life. We loved being part of it, and we’ll definitely be back. And to everyone who stopped by - thank you! We're so glad you loved it as much as we did! 🥨🍻

02/10/2025

Our Anatolian is steady as a rock among the chickens 🐓… until the goats show up with their nonstop party invites 🐐😂 Even a guardian needs to let loose sometimes!😎

🍺🥨 It’s Oktoberfest time in Swellendam! This First Friday, join us at grace+merci for sourdough pretzel buns, juicy roo...
30/09/2025

🍺🥨 It’s Oktoberfest time in Swellendam! This First Friday, join us at grace+merci for sourdough pretzel buns, juicy rookworst, tangy sauerkraut, pickles, and all the mustard you need. Or snack on a platter of Schinken (cured ham) with your beer under the oaks.🌭

And to keep the German theme rolling, grace+merci will be serving their famous Hamburger too (yes, the smash burger you love - but did you know it hails from Hamburg?).

🎶 Come hungry, leave happy - good food, good beer, good company!

PS: While you’re there, pop by the Arterie to see why their latest exhibition will make you feel Drunk on Spring 🌸 a vibrant, joy-filled collection not to be missed (and… a welcome glass of bubbly on arrival 🥂)

Address

Hermitage South Avenue
Swellendam
6740

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00
Thursday 08:00 - 17:00
Friday 08:00 - 20:00

Telephone

+27834441020

Website

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