TOP:
The‘ladies’,as
VanAswegencalls
theewes,queueup
at themilkingshed.
ABOVELEFT:
EsteevanAswegen.
ABOVERIGHT:
Theextensive
vegetablegarden,
whichsuppliesall
thedeli’sneeds,
is thehandiwork
ofVanAswegen’s
mother,Minda
Farrell.30 august 2019 farmer’sweekly 31place last year in the category for
goat’s milk bloomy rind cheese,
with or without condiments.
It has a buttery yet milky
taste, and she says it makes a
superb baked Camembert.
The halloumi, which gained
third place this year, is made
using the traditional style of
folding, and contains mint
from the Baris garden.
“Developing our range of
cheeses has been a mind-
blowing journey. Since we
developed our own recipes, it
took a lot of experimenting. It
was important not to replicate
other cheeses on the market,
but to develop a range with its
own identity and flavour.”
Goatproductionnotes
TheBarisgoatherdconsistsof
50 Saanenewes.TheSaanen
goatoriginatesfromtheSaanen
ValleyofSwitzerland.The
largestamongallthedairygoat
breeds,theyaremainlyraisedfor
commercialmilkproduction.The
herdwassourcedfroma number
offarmsacrossSouthAfrica.
VanAswegenrecently
introducedToggenburggenetics
intotheherd.Thetraditional
goatbreedoftheToggenburg
andWerdenbergregionsof
StGallen in eastern Switzerland,
it was first brought to South
Africa early in the 20th century.
Van Aswegen has no plans
for crossbreeding the goats.The average daily milk
production is 2,5ℓ/ewe, and the
cheesery produces about 250kg
of cheese during the summer
months. The breeding season
starts in March, and she keeps
one ram for every 35 ewes.
The herd is kept on planted
pastures, such as chicory
and ryegrass. Van Aswegen
believes in holistic care, but has
the herd inoculated against
endoparasites and ectoparasites.
A mineral lick and concentrate
rations are provided before
kidding starts in winter.
The average temperatures
on the farm go to below
freezing in winter and as high
as the mid-30s in summer.