As I write these lines, the days are shorter, the nights are cooler and the cosmos are in full bloom.
We had a very wet summer, with numerous grey and rainy days and water everywhere. I discovered rivers and underground streams that I had never seen in the 16 years I have been on the farm. Not to mention the numerous times the Groot Spruit River becoming a lake of 60 meters wide!


Sadly in December we were targeted by stock thieves, and loss not only 7 calves, but also 3 of our dairy cows in milk, Gaby, Maya and Pinky who were stolen the weekend before Christmas. I am still heartbroken, as my dairy girls are part of the family. We searched and searched and searched again in the region, but at this stage they are still missing. And I must say that the police are not much help… Jersey cows are not very common around here anymore, so I still hope that one day one of them reappears and we can find all 3.

December saw the opening of your sister company, Natural Earth. So you can now again find our range of farm made produce in Clarens. Natural Earth is situated in the Rosemary Centre (where Clarens Brewery is), between Madame Butterfly and the Gin Bar.

As the Bloem Show is on again this year, we entered a few of our products in the Dairy Competition. We dropped our samples in Bloemfontein at the end of February, for judging first week of March. But we will only get the results on 5th May when the Bloem Show is on. Hopefully we have done well again…
With the wedding season in full swing, we were very excited to have a few brides trusting us for their Big Day. Whether it is a cheese wedding cake/tower, or simply cheeses for the harvest table, we can tailor to your needs. And not only for weddings, but for any function too.
In February, we had the visit of another volunteer, Doctor Cassey, who spent a few days helping us on the farm. What a pleasure it was to have someone helping me with the daily care of the cattle. Thank you for your visit Cassey!

Who doesn’t like a flat bread, easy to bake and delicious to eat. And this one can also be used as a pizza base, so one recipe to please the whole family! Have a look at our versatile recipe.
Don’t forget to like and share our Facebook page – Jackal’s Hill Fromage, and to follow us on Instagram – @val_ofs.
Till next time…
Valerie & the Team