Apples and Ostriches

My adventure in SA is over but there is  a lot more story left to tell.  I would guess some of the allure of this blog was left in South Africa, but regardless, I will continue to tell my story, for me.  But, before I begin the next chapter in the HBH Odyssey I want to say thank you to everyone who has read and/or commented.  I am flattered that you have read as much as you have and would be honored if you read more.  Oh, I got the video thing figured out.

A long drive was ahead of Jako Tran and I on Monday the 16th.  We left Cape Town with George (a town located east of Cape Town by a few hundred miles) in our sights.  Along the way this rainbow showed up.  It was so vivid I had to take a photo. 

We were set to visit Dysselesdorp the next day to check out some Organic apples, pears and apricots.  Although we don’t import any of these items, it was amazing to see what it takes to get them ready for the market.   The orchards were full of sweet red and green apples.  Daikeror little bucks played hide and seek with the truck as we toured up and down the rutted rows.  Fast and small the Daiker eluded my camera, these apples almost got away too.

If you look at this picture closely you can see a little rock wall climbing up the mountain behind the orchard.  This wall was built for the specific purpose for creating  jobs, not to keep anything out or anything in, just to help the people of the surrounding community.  In my last post I said we have alot of things to learn from these people.  This concept is one of those things.

Generosity is a given in that part of South Africa and we were handed a huge bag of export quality apples on the way out the door.  I must admit that was my favorite part of the day. 

Earlier in the day we checked out a pear pitting, sizing and grading facility.  It was automated for the most part and really fun for the pears.   Here’s proof.

It wasn’t free apples but it was interesting.

The next day we drove to a town outside of Outshoorn called Burgersdorp.  the land we drove through was like high desert.  Ostrich outnumber people here.  The more I looked at these crazy creatures the more I had to think, “what the Hell are they?”  Why would something evolve like that? A flightless bird that has the power to kill a human and make Darwin roll over in his grave.  I could have ridden one.  Scratch that.  I should have ridden one. 

Back to Burgersdorp, while the town sounds tasty it is actually hot and dry. The processing plant for dried apricots and sun-dried tomatoes was pretty remarkable.  It was a beautiful area and it was beautiful product.

We looked at the apple drying facility as well.  A very simple system for peeling and drying is employed.  A peeler from Chicago and a California wind tunnel.  Who would have thought I would travel half way around the globe to learn about American systems? 

After the apples and apricots Jako and I headed back to Outshoorn where I rented a Toyota Yaris.  Jako and I parted ways and I found a little hotel to stay the night.  My next target was Lesotho and I had a couple of days to get there.  Thus, my solo travels began.

I will have a couple more videos up tomorrow, and I will see if I can’t muster up some more words as well.

Thanks again for reading.

Sincerely,

HBHB

I have heard about this thing called the Internet.

It has been quite some time since my last installment of the HB Hunter.  I’m sure everyone is on pins and needles waiting for my words to grace this thing we know as the internet.  That’s what I tell myself anyway.  Maybe the desolation of the Karoo has slipped into my head like some underage girl with a fake ID slips into a night club.  The feelings of grandeur last a short while until some one spikes your drink and you find yourself lying on the bathroom floor with no recollection of the night before. 

 

Still with me?  Good.

 

The last post here was about Rooibos and my good friends outside of Glen Ellen.  I have seen and done a lot since then but I will do my best to stay on track and keep the metaphors to a minimum for the rest of the day. 

 

Hanky Lang’s farm is the pinnacle of Organic Rooibos production.  The mans father was living in harmony with the wild lands surrounding him and growing Rooibos for 20 years before the western world even knew what it was.  It was a labor of love for him and remains the same for Hanky.  Using an old Toyota Land Cruiser the raw product is brought in small batches from the fields to the farm everyday.  It is important to begin the controlled fermentation and drying process as soon as possible to achieve the most consistent color and flavor profile.  For that reason there is somewhat of a daily quota for the cutters.  They don’t want to harvest too much because it can’t be processed efficiently.  Cut Rooibos begins to ferment through an exothermic reaction the moment it is lopped from the bush with sickle and hand.  If it sits for too long you get a very bitter dark leaf that has to be tossed.  In this country nothing is wasted, so for Hanky that is not an option.

Two of Hanky’s workers pose for the camera.

 

 

Amos is Hanks right hand man, and for good reason.  At 66 this guy could still give a baboon a run for his money.  I know that it would embarrass this humble religious man if he knew I was writing about him let alone relating some personal stories I heard while on the farm.  That is not my intent, but I have to tell you my favorite of all the stories I heard about this guy. 

 

Amos his brother and his daughter were fishing near the farm maybe thirty years ago.  Amos’s brother was driving home after a little too much Whiskey.  He rolled the Buckie (truck) around a tight corner.  Everyone was banged up but OK.  The police showed up and asked the brother if he had been drinking.  Not one to lie the brother said he had and they were taken to the local police station for blood tests.  The station was two stories with the upper level used for testing blood and paperwork.  A male and female officer escorted the brother up stairs and two officers stayed with Amos downstairs.  The bottom level had two rooms and a total of four police officers occupying that area. 

The story goes that the two officers who were with Amos started to berate him and his daughter.  Amos was sober but getting mad when one of the officers pushed him just a little too far.  Amos instructed his daughter to get under a table and in just a few swings knocked out both of the police officers holding him in custody.  Hearing the commotion the officers from the other room came rushing in and got knocked out equally as quick.  By this time the two from upstairs came down to see what was going on, the woman turned on her heels to call for back up, the man seeing three officers knocked out cold and one hiding under the table reluctantly engaged the 75kg whirling dervish and ended up flat on his back.  The story ends with rifles drawn and Amos spending the night in jail to await trial the next morning.  The judge had a small briefing with Amos before trial.  Amos not being one to lie told the judge he was guilty of battering those officers and that he would take whatever punishment the judge felt necessary.  Once court was in session the Judge promptly fired three of the officers and suspended the other three who were in the altercation for abuse of power and negligence.  Amos was let off with a warning and told that he had done a service to the community by weeding out some of the bad cops.  This story was related to me by Hanky and reluctantly confirmed by Amos simply saying, “That was a long time ago.”

 

If I could live a life half as full as Amos I would die a happy man.

 

Oom (a respectful title meaning Uncle) Amos is pictured below.

 

I enjoyed the time I spent on this farm so much I actually shed some tears as we were pulling away.  Don’t tell Amos…

 

My next adventure would take me to Stellenbosch to ride a little skate park surrounded by wineries.  A unique set up with a miniramp and some fun boxes (leave it alone Dave it’s too easy) kept me entertained for a few hours.  The plan for the next week slowly came into light and I prepared to spend a week on the road looking at organic fruits and eventually rosehip.

 

Business is intertwined with adventure here in South Africa and it suits me.  I have felt more at home in some places of this continent than I ever have in California.  We have a lot to learn from these people, and a lot to teach.  Our differences are many but our similarities stand like a monument.

 

I love you all and thanks for reading…

 

HBHB

(Honeybush Hunter Ben)

A family tradition

Hanky Laing.  What a name, huh?  Hanky Laing is an organic rooibos farmer very close to the cederburg mountains, where rooibos originated.  His farm sits in the saddle of two tall cragy peaks.  On clear days you can see the ocean to the east and the Cederburgs to the west.  However, you dont have to look any further than the front gate to marvel at the scenery.  The wild life on the farm is diverse and plentifully ranging from Baboons to Springbock to 100 year old tortoises.  One of the most illusive and dangerous animals lives among the rocks and sandy fields of Hankys farm.  The Lynx has been taking at least one of Hankys sheep a month and this has been going on since there has been livestock on the farm.  Past generations created traps for the Lynx and I got to see one first hand.  High in the mountains over roads that didnt exist an unassuming pile of rocks reveals a macabre purpose. 

Bait would be placed inside the cave and a chain would be hooked to the meat.  The other end of the chain was hooked to a rock just ready to fall over the opening thus trapping the Lynx or Lion inside.  The same method is used today but the traps aren’t as asthetic or humane.  Luckily for the Lynx they dont work as well either.

While in the area, Oom (meaning Uncle) Amos showed me some other sights that you dont see on a day to day basis.  The following picture and video were taken in two different locations but the drawings are believed to be created around the same time.  A rough estimate makes these bushman drawings about 300+ years old.  The first photo shows an aardvark and some tribes people along with lines that I believe point to water.

Bushman drew pretty

You have to look closely to see the figures, but there is no mistaking them once you do.  I took some video of the second set of drawings but Im having a hard time converting it to a format compatible with wordpress.  Hopefully in my next post I will have figured it out.

when I wasnt chasing tigers or reading bushman drawings I was in the field watching the rooibos harvest.  I jumped in for 30 minutes or so and cut my own bag (about 20kg worth).  Most of the workers in the field were from Lesotho and had some strange ideas about how to stay cool.

I pulled my shirt off and there was a collective yell.  All these guys were worried that I had lost my mind.  I would have liked to explain to them that I wouldnt be in the field all day but instead I just stared blankly at them.  They were blown away with the camera and each one made it clear they wanted their photos taken.  I told them they would be posted to a website and available for them and the rest of the world to view.  I would guess this is the closest these guys will ever get to their 15 minutes of fame.  I guess its only fair to include a picture of myself with the guys so everyone knows I was really here and really sweating.

Im the one with the beard...

Im afraid I have gotten off track again.  there is so much info to relay that Im having a hard time doing it efficiently. 

I came to Hankys farm to learn the cutting process as well as how the tea ferments.  Large machines used to cut tobacco at one point are employed on the farm to give a consistent and unique cut to all the rooibos.

Cutting machine

The green or raw tea is then spread evenly over the concrete court and allowed to dry for about 12 hours.  an exothermic reaction occurs and the tea goes from green to red.  The flavor is enhanced by this process and the color is also determined by how long the tea ferments.  As this is an organic farm all of the implements that are on the court, stay on the court.  Each night the court is swept clean.  They go so far as to take the rooibos off of the tires of the tractor.  an amazing operation to say the least.

Things have been done like this since about 30 years before I showed up.  Hankys father was the original owner of this farm and approached his rooibos as a wild plant.  No pesticides or herbicides have ever been used on this land and they never will be.  Organic living seems to be innate here. 

Hanky and his wife are amazing people.  Their farm manager Amos is equally as amazing.  I will do my best to convey my sentiments about these people in my next post.  But now it is time to say goodbye, rent a car and drive to my next adventure. 

I dont know when I will be able to post again, but I will do my best to make it soon.

I miss you all!

The reason I am here.

Well here it is.  It has been about a week since i set foot on the great continent of Africa.  It has taken me that time to wrap my head around the culture here, or maybe that is how long it took for south African culture to wrap itself around my head. 

I have had the unique experience to stay with two different familys in three nights.  The hospitality and generosity of both of my hosts has been second to none.  

I spent the first night with Rooibos farmers in the Sandveld (meaning sand field) area located in the western province of SA.  Upon arrival I was given a thurough tour of Cape Dry Products (CDP).  CDP is the organic processing division of Coetzee and Coetzee.  Rooibos arrives after being cut and fermented in the tea courts.  The product is then milled to spec and passed through a state of the art steam steralizer, readying the product for testing.  Samples are pulled from the square root o the number o bags in the lot plus one.  That means if there are 100 bags 11 are tested for flavor, particle size, micro levels and pesticides.  This process ensures a consistent cut size and flavor profile.  Storage for finised product is both in the CDP warehouse (seperate from unfinised product) and Coetzee and Coetzee’s facility in Cape Town.

Hennie, my host for the first night owns the property on wich CDP is built and contributes alot of Rooibos and knowledge to the operation.  Hennie is what you think of when you imagine the quintisential South African man.  His sun baked face is wraped in a course dark beard that looks thick enough to hide a guineyfowl (Phesant).  His build is that of a man who could lift tatractor just to change the tire.  Despite his Lionesque aperance the man is a Lamb.  He and his family live in a beautiful home surrounded by rooibos fields and Hoodia tunnels.  Hoodia (as pictured below) is a unique South African herb used by the Bushmen to supress hunger and elevate spirits.

Hoodia

The first thing you notice when stepping in the front door of Henis home is the indoor braai or BBQ.  A room 20×20 and 30 feet tall is really nothing more than a chimney.  The smell of creosote and smoked meat permeate the still air of the room.  The pictures I took dont do the scale of this structure justice.  I spent the remainder of the evening talking with Heni and his wife about all things American.  Our conversation ranged from politics to religion and far beyond.  Heni always returned to hunting, asking what types of animals we have in America and can we shoot them.  Like I said he is the genuine article.

Up early the next morning, Heni wished me luck and reminded me to come back with all of my American friends (and dollars) to hunt his lands and have a proper braai. 

My ride to the next farm was Gerhard.  A bit more cultivated and passionate about motor sports he took pleasure in scaring the shit out of me driving at 120k over rutted sandy roads.  Our approach to Hanky Laing’s farm was steep and winding through mountain passes just wide enough for a small truck.  Occasionaly we would come to a gate.  I was happy to shoulder the responsibility of opening and closing these obsticles until I saw this. 

Gerhard assured me that there are no jokes in South Africa when it comes to Lions, and that he was happy I was handling the gates.  Thankfully there were no more closed gates between the warning and Hankys farm. 

South Africa is full of smells, they blow with the wind and tickle the olfactory senses with the hardest of feathers.   The aroma of Rooibos was thick in the air at Hankys farm.

I hate to leave things like this…but my ride is here and trust me when I say my experience at Hankey’s farm is more than enough to warant another post.

Cheers and until next time!

I’m here…

Well, I finally made it.  My layover in Dubai was interesting to say the least.  From Muslims in the traditional garb eating Burger King Whoppers, to a business man so exhausted he melted from his seated position to one of kneeling, only to be woken up by smacking his head on the underside of the table. 

The flight into Cape Town was wonderful (a sharp stick to the eye would have been welcomed after spending 10 hours in Dubai’s cushion-less, couch-less, carpet-less terminal) and seemed quick.  South Africa took me into her humid arms the moment I stepped off the plane.  For some reason I expected swarms of natives offering me the South African equivalent of Chicklettes.  Instead there was a very attractive woman, standing patiently in an orderly line holding a sign with my name on it.  I loaded my luggage in to the back of her Toyota and climbed in the driver, er… passenger seat.  it really takes some getting used to riding on the wrong side of the road.

The home in Betty’s Bay that my host was gracious enough to let me stay in is amazing.  The ocean is 100 yards from the back door and the mountains are a mile at best from the ocean.  This landscape of this part of SouthAFrica is like nothing I have ever seen.  I have seen parts of this landscape before, but never all together in the same place.  Where else in the world can you see Penguins and Bikinis on the same beach?

OK no bikinis but look at all those Penguins!

Today was the first day of work.  Not hard work, but work all the same.  I got the rudown on production lines and general operations of Coetzee and Coetzee and I must say, there are very few food grade warehouses in America that could compare to the organization and cleanlieness of this facility.  Trust me they have an uphill battle with pests and such but they do an amazing job of keeping things sorted.  We will review the organic side of the business tomorrow as well as cupping (indstry slang for tasting) some of the teas produced by Coetzee and Coetzee. 

Wednesday I’m headed to the cedarburg region to harvest Rooibos and get sunburned, should be fun.  I’ll do my best to keep this thing up to date but interweb connectivitie is seriously limited.  Stick with me here and please post comments (unless of course you are going to bitch about my spelling, love you Steph!) they really help me feel a little closer to home. 

I will leave you all with a photo that sums up the United Arab Emirates.

Square Donuts? Only in Dubai.

Thanks for reading!

The preperation.

For those of you that dont know me, my name is Ben. 

Now that we know each other, Let me introduce this blog.  Honeybushhunter everyone, everyone Honeybushhunter.

Im using this as a tool to keep track of my time in South Africa not to mention keeping the losers and Motherly types updated on my travels and health.  If you are reading this for vicarious entertainment or just so you can sleep at night great, but if you are here to bitch about my spelling or are looking for some nasty website by the same name, keep looking!

My Dad and I work together supplying the food industry with Organic ingredients.  Some of those ingredients include Herbal teas from South Africa.  This trip will be a good opportunity for me to learn a little bit more about Honeybush (Cyclopia intermedia) and Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis).

Here is a little preview of the plants I will be working with and there uses. 

Honeybush is so named because the flowers smell of honey. The taste of honeybush tea is similar to that of rooibos but a little sweeter.

There are 23 species of honeybush tea found in the wild, of which mainly 4 are used for commercial use. These are Cyclopia intermedia, known as ‘berg tee’ or mountain tea; C. subternata, known as ‘vlei tee’ or marshland tea; C. genistoides, known as ‘kus tee’ or coastal tea; and C. sessiliflora, known as ‘Heidelberg tee’, named after a town in South Africa, where it grows in the local mountain range.  The Raw plant and the finished “Honeybush” are pictured bellow.

 

Rooibos

Rooibos is grown only in a small area in the Cederberg region of the Western Cape province.^[2] Generally, the leaves are oxidised, a process often, and inaccurately, referred to as fermentationby analogy with tea-processing terminology. This process produces the distinctive reddish-brown colour of rooibos and enhances the flavour. Unoxidised “green” rooibos is also produced, but the more demanding production process for green rooibos (similar to the method by which green teais produced) makes it more expensive than traditional rooibos.

In South Africa it is more common to drink rooibos with milk and sugar, but elsewhere it is usually served without. The flavour of rooibos tea is often described as being sweet (without sugar added) and slightly nutty. Rooibos can be prepared in the same manner as black tea, and this is the most common method. Unlike black tea, however, rooibos does not become bitter when steeped for a long time; some households leave the tea to steep for days at a time. Rooibos tea is a reddish brown colour, explaining why rooibos is sometimes referred to as “red tea”. Unlike some higher quality oolong or green teas, rooibos is often only good for a very limited re-steeping as there is a sharp drop off in brewing after the first infusion.

Several coffee shops in South Africa have recently begun to sell red espresso^[3], which is concentrated rooibos served and presented in the style of ordinary espresso(which is normally coffee-based). This has given rise to rooibos-based variations of coffee drinks such as red lattes and red cappuccinos. Iced teamade from rooibos has recently been introduced in South Africa as well, and in Australia as Lipton “Red Tea, Rooibos & Guarana”.

This is just the tip of the information iceberg that you will be assaulted with each time you visit me here.  I hope to provide some good pictures and stories to supplement the scholastic side of this blog.  

Until next time, thanks for reading!

Ben “Honeybush Hunter” Cleveland