GOING GREEN AT BABYLONSTOREN IN SEPTEMBER

Posted by Wilandre Johnson on 28 August 2019 7:05 AM CAT

Experience home-grown goodness at the gorgeous Babylonstoren.  Join in soapmaking workshops using only natural ingredients, learn all about asparagus from garden to plate, enjoy guided tours by clivia experts and discover spring secrets about seasonal herbs and vegetables.  For more tasty tips, read our blog.

SOAPMAKING

04 & 05 September 2019 l 10:00 – 15:00

Presented by Bev Missing & Maranda Engelbrecht

We are joined by Bev Missing, brand founder of Rain and author of The Rain Book of Natural Soapmaking. She shares with us the artisanal art of soapmaking using natural ingredients that are readily available in the home kitchen.

We will work with essential oils that are extracted on our farm – rosemary, lavender and rose geranium. As is the case with most of our workshops, we’ll take a leisurely walk through our formal garden. This time, we’ll take a look at where and how these three herbs grow in our garden. Then we’ll make our way to the distillery and watch how one of them is being distilled.

You will be making your own individual soaps to take home, so please bring along an old hand towel.

ALL ABOUT ASPARAGUS

11 September 2019 l 10:00 – 15:00

Presented by Liesl van der Walt & Babel chefs

Celebrate spring with fresh young asparagus spears – from the garden to the table. We start with the essential basics of growing asparagus in the vegetable garden – from preparing the soil to planting and nurturing the crowns through the seasons. Young plants take up to three years before they are ready for harvest, but once established, they can be cut again and again for many years.

Once you have mastered the art of cutting the delicate green tips, we’ll take the harvest to the kitchen where the chefs will demonstrate their skill and create a memorable lunch.

Our lunch menu is inspired by the versatile asparagus and will be served in the Bakery – included in the price.

CLIVIA ENCOUNTERS

18 September 2019 l 10:00 – 15:00

Presented by Garden Team

We have thousands of clivias growing in the shade of our wild olive trees, as well as the very special Mick Dower collection displayed in the Puff Adder.

Enjoy a guided walk through the flowering clivias and learn more about the different species and their selected hybrids. Experienced clivia growers will share their wealth of knowledge on the subject of growing and maintaining clivias – they’ll give you tips on sowing, dividing old plants, potting mixes and fertilisers for clivias as well as on how to treat common clivia diseases.

In the House of Shadows, we take a look at some of the best known clivia hybrids and the art of cross-pollination. Then it will be your turn to stick your hands in the soil and plant your very own clivia, a living souvenir to take home with you.

Lunch will be served in the Greenhouse Restaurant and is included in the price.

SEASONAL VEGETABLES

25 September 2019 l 10:00 – 15:00

Presented by Garden Team

Want to grow your own fresh, organic vegetables? Join us for a walk through the vegetable garden to harvest a variety of seasonal leaves and edible flowers. We will share growing tips and tell you more about crop rotation, soil preparation, compost, mulches, propagation and planting. You will have the opportunity to sow salads and get some inspiration to plant sweet potatoes, carrots, beetroot, beans, eggplants and fennel in your patch this summer.

Lunch will be served at the Greenhouse Restaurant and is included in the price.

Workshop bookings to be made online at https://babylonstoren.com/workshops.

Workshops costs R700 per person.