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Monthly Market: Sunday 4 May
We’re having our monthly market on 4 May 2014. Stock up on some freshly baked bread, organic dairy and veggies from our garden. Browse the stalls with their wide variety of goods including clothing, jewellery, toys, books and much more. There will be art classes on offer to keep the little ones busy and a colouring-in competition with prizes. Enjoy the country air and scenery with a leisurely tractor ride around the farm. We’ll be serving lunch and baked treats at the Bayleaf Café. Please come join us for a relaxed, fun day in the countryside.
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50th Birthday Celebration
Feedback on our 50th Birthday Celebration preparation.
Last week, our marketing team met with a group of parents to brainstorm some ideas around celebrating our 50th birthday, which will be held on the 25th of October (please diarise the date).Our idea is to have a show, dinner and Barn Dance to celebrate our birthday, at our Community Hall. As a build up to this event, we want to have two other events in September: The one is to expand our September market (Sunday 7 September), and turn it into a fair – with many fun stalls and entertainment for all. On the 24th of September (Heritage Day) we plan to hold a music festival and talent show. It will be Spring, to we plan to have picnic blankets, hampers and bands entertaining. As part of the line-up, we would have our talent show “Camphill has Talent”. Alongside these events, we want to hold a large raffle with prizes drawn at our 50th birthday celebration. We are grateful to the parents who attended the meeting, and who have stepped forward to assist in co-ordinating these events. To make these events successful and fun, we are looking for an enthusiastic group of people to assist with ideas, contacts and hands. Anyone wishing to assist with these events, please contact James at james@camphill.org.za. Minutes of the meeting held are available, and we plan to hold another brief meeting at our next monthly market.
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Round & Round the Garden ...
Is where you’re most likely to find Ronel Botes, current Camphill Village Garden Manager. Her connection to Camphill came via her brother Michael, who is a day-care resident here. As a young person she enjoyed playing hockey, and netball on an international level. Ronel has a doctorate in Horticulture, which she studied at the University of Stellenbosch, Cape Tech and UCT.
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She spent nine years overseas, working and learning and honing her skills. The “Road lipstick” love-palm and the Coco’s Plimosa (wild coconut tree), indigenous to Malaysia, are amongst her favourite trees. Having already planted 4000 seedlings, Ronel plans to make the Camphill Garden a “blooming” success, concentrating on self-sufficiency and growing vegetables for own consumption. Besides all things Horticultural, Ronel’s ultimate high comes from off-road scrambler biking. We eagerly await to see “how her garden grows...”
by Lee Adams
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Camphill and Biodynamic Farming
by Peter Henochsberg
Around the world, agriculture has depleted and destroyed the soils. It is a scientifically measureable fact that our soils are no good, are damaged. Despite this, agriculture – or should one say agri-business – continues to employ the “scientific method” of farming which comprises applying vast quantities of petrochemicals to the land.
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This provides plant life with its gross mineral needs, but our food, fruit and vegetables are otherwise bereft of what can only be described as “life force”.
Rudolf Steiner, shortly before his death, gave a serious of lectures that provided a broad conceptual framework as to how agriculture can be different. This Anthroposophical biodynamic approach is what Camphill uses to produce its food. Biodynamic goes beyond organic, it contains something more. It works with rhythms and cycles of the earth and planets. It works with 9 biodynamic preparations that have the specific objective of restoring balance and harmony to the earth and the lands.
Biodynamics sees the farm as a living organism. Like any organism, it can be out of balance and unhealthy. Under these conditions disease or dis-ease prevails. The preparations, in a process very similar to homeopathy, provide the lands with a model or template of balance and harmony which, eventually, restores balance and fertility to the earth. This is not some outlandish woo-woo hocus pocus. Fundamental to the concept of biodynamics is good agricultural practices must be adopted – that that these must be geared towards developing the soils, in particular the humus in the soil, and then helping the earth and plant life to mobilise itself to provide and find all the nutrients necessary to bring forth healthy food that is bristling with vitality and life force.
Camphill adopts these agricultural practices and is an organic and biodynamic farm. Yes, we have strayed a little from our path, but we are getting back on track. Towards this end, three delegates recently attend a three day workshop at Bloublommetijieskloof farm, a Demeter certified biodynamic farm. The course was presented by Vincent Masson a French farmer who, together with his father, are at the forefront of the biodynamic movement which is taking the French wine and Champagne producing areas by storm. Vincent was brought to SA under the auspices of the Biodynamic Agricultural Association of South Africa (BDAASA), of which Camphill is a member. Biodynamics works. Vincent presented loads of empirical evidence to support this. Camphill is reinvigorated to once again start using the BD preparations which will lead to balanced, fertile lands fecund with healthy, vital, foods.
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The Supper Club
by Anne Marinus
The Supper Club - what a joyous occasion. This event is taking place every third Wednesday of every month and we absolutely love it. The Bakery Team treats the whole village – residents, co-workers, young co-workers and our neighbours from the surrounding farms – to a delicious and healthy cooked meal. Everybody is welcome to come and enjoy having supper together at the Bay Leaf Café. The main idea is to get the people together to mingle and make them feel very special. There is a nice vibe about the whole affair. The mood is fantastic and you can actually feel the atmosphere coming alive with excitement. This is also where the neighbours meet and have an evening of enjoyment, just being together – talking, laughing and having fun. Our next Supper Club evening will be on Wednesday 21st of May at 6:30pm.
Please feel free to join us for a sit-down or take-away meal for only R30.
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