Four South Africans food producers are doing things the natural, old-fashioned way, from cheese making to meat curing to flour milling...
Nico Steyn; Eureka Mills Stone Ground Flour
Great things often come from small beginnings, and that is certainly the case with Eureka Mills; South Africa’s smallest commercial flour mill. Set amidst the rolling wheat fields of the Overberg, Eureka was born in 1998 when two farmers decided to mill their own flour using traditional stone-grinding methods.
It’s this gentle grinding that helps to ensure the wheat remains as natural as possible, says Nico: “Unlike commercial roller mills, with a stone mill the temperature is much lower so the enzymes that help you to digest the glutens are still present. There are no shortcuts with our flour – it comes in from the field, gets milled and goes straight into the bag. We don’t bleach or fortify any of our flours.”
But what goes into the bag is only as good as what comes from the fields, and caring for the land is key to the philosophy behind Eureka.
“We’ll plant two years of wheat, one year of canola and then let the land rest for four to five years. This gives us healthy soil and healthy wheat, so we can use less pesticides and fertiliser,” explains Nico. “We also no longer use disc ploughs, so we don’t disrupt the soil structure. After it rains, you can still find earthworms in our fields! This kind of farming and milling is definitely more labour intensive, and you have to a passion for it.”
It’s a passion that quickly shines through at Eureka, where Nico and his team of millers are on a mission to reacquaint South Africans with the lost art of baking.
“For me it’s about informing people, to get people to think about the flour they use, and the bread they eat,” says Nico. “We’re so used to refined breads here, and nowadays you get bread that’s still fresh 10 or 12 days later… how natural can that be? I want South Africans to make a conscious decision about the bread they eat.”
Visit www.eurekamills.co.za or call 028 722 1887.
Jason Snell; The Drift Farm
Take a wander down the veggie aisle of any major supermarket and you’ll be astounded by the lack of variety: two or three types of tomatoes, one or two varieties of carrot, perhaps a single squash… hardly nature’s bounty?
And that’s what Jason Snell and the hard-working farmers at The Drift Farm are trying to change, introducing South Africans to the cornucopia of vegetables we’re missing out on.
“We grew 15 or 20 different varieties of tomatoes last year,” says Jason, a man whose passion for heirloom vegetables borders on the religious. “And it’s not just tomatoes: it’s turnips, kale, carrots! We grow incredible mixed-colour carrots! And candy-striped beetroot!”
Long popular in Europe and America, heirloom vegetables are an “open-pollinated, non-hybridised variety,” explains Jason, explaining that the diversity of heirlooms has largely been lost amidst the monoculture of industrial farming. “But if you look at nature, it works by using variety to combat disease. Heirlooms are actually stronger, because there’s variety in the species.”
Working with – not against – the environment is key to the success of The Drift, which rolls up against the Akkedisberg near Hermanus: “We try and farm as close to nature as possible, because what’s in your soil directly relates to what’s in the vegetables that you eat,” says Jason.
While The Drift’s veggies are available through a few specialist retailers and vegetable box schemes in Cape Town, the most rewarding point of sale is his stall at the weekly Neighbourgoods Market, says Jason: “We want to move to a more European way, where you get to know the farmer and build up some trust. At the market you’re buying veggies from the farm directly from me; it really is a case of farm to fork. It’s about education… I think we have lost touch with our vegetables, and we’re hoping to change that.”
Visit www.thedrift.co.za or call Jason on 072 532 3388
Wayne Rademeyer; Buffalo Ridge Mozzarella
Getting your hands on a buffalo isn’t as easy as you might think. That’s what Wayne Rademeyer discovered in 2006 when he decided to hang up his advocate’s robes and go into the buffalo business.
“I got fed up with the standard of so-called buffalo mozzarella in my caprese salads, and felt sure I could make it better myself,” laughs Wayne. “Luckily my legal background helped me navigate the minefield of rules for importing disease-free water buffalo from Australia.”
Today, his growing herd of Mediterranean Riverine Water Buffalo – related to, but more docile than the African Buffalo – provide more than enough milk for the fromage blanc, yoghurt and balls of stretchy mozzarella produced at his small cheesery outside Wellington in the Cape wine lands.
It’s a simple operation where almost everything is done by hand, and Wayne’s ethos of good milk leading to great cheese comes to life.
“Our buffaloes are entirely pasture fed; we don’t use any artificial fertilisers or pesticides, and we try to follow biodynamic principles as far as possible,” explains Wayne. “And because our animals are pasture-grazed the calcium content of the milk is a lot higher. They’re outside walking all day so they’re using energy and the milk volumes are lower, but the animals are healthier… and that gives us better milk.”
And, in turn, a better cheese: one that’s higher in protein and calcium, but lower in fat, than cheese from cow’s milk.
“There are just four ingredients in our mozzarella,” says Wayne. “Whole buffalo milk, to which we add rennet and culture. Then there’s some salt in the brine. And that’s it. It’s a completely natural product.”
Available at good delicatessens. Contact Wayne on
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Richard Bosman; Richard Bosman’s Quality Cured Meats
There’s a quiet intensity about Richard Bosman; a tireless enthusiasm for his craft that finds expression in his mouth-watering charcuterie. And, as with so many small producers, it’s passion and patience that make all the difference.
“We only use traditional charcuterie techniques,” explains Richard, as we stand surrounded by racks of drying salami, coppa, pancetta and prosciutto in his modern charcuterie near Cape Town. “The only time we add our own little flair is in tweaking the flavours of some of the products.”
And delicious tweaks they are; like his delectable cider salami made with handcrafted Elgin cider, or the air-dried pork neck cured with spices and red wine.
But the details are nothing without great raw ingredients, and Richard will only use pork from a single farm in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley where farmer Charlie Crowther rears pasture-grazed pigs that feast on wild grasses and acorns.
“Our philosophy is to use the best of what’s available around us, that’s of the right quality,” says Richard, who’ll happily hang a leg of prosciutto for an extra few months if it’ll cure it to perfection. “We do everything by hand, and it takes a long time. There are quicker, commercial ways of making this kind of product, but that’s not what we’re about.”
Visit www.richardbosman.co.za or call 083 277 3494
First published in Food&Home Entertaining, September 2011
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