The art of small talk

In the city, a glib smile suffices when it comes to interaction with any stranger that crosses her path. Yet a visit to Struisbaai taught Elizabeth Wasserman that small talk is no small matter

From food scraps to compost in a jiffy: We test the iCompost

If turning kitchen waste into compost could be done at the touch of a button, more people would take it up, and much less waste would end up in landfills. That’s what Himkaar Singh, the man behind the innovative iCompost, believes. Platteland was keen to put this innovative appliance to the test

Find wisdom in the forest: It all starts with soil

A tree is an investment in any garden, even though patience is required to pluck the (figurative) fruit. When you plant several trees together to create your own forest, the reward is much greater. They offer shade, they support life… and they improve your soil. We spent time reflecting in our white karee“forest”– and learnt a lot

Ohrigstad's tiny big farmer

Agriculture courses through the veins of the Els family, who have been farming in the Ohrigstad valley in Limpopo since the 1930s. And they are getting younger and younger: Grandfather Jan Els was 36 when he set out, father Dewald 27… and littleWaldo got behind the wheel of massive machines at the age of 6!

The head hen who lays the golden eggs

The Country Chic is a delightful specialty store in the Swartland where small farmer and entrepreneur Suzanne Smit sells the organic free-range chicken eggs and poultry meat she produces – straight from her farm to the shelves of her own store

On mountains and moments

On a trip in the southern Drakensberg, a torrential downpour and a field of prickly thistles got acclaimed photographer Obie Oberholzer thinking about the power of perspective

Ballad of the butter farmer

High up in the Italian Alps, Maria van Zyl learnt to make the tastiest butter in South Africa. Then she started a clever “subscription farming business” delivering dairy products to households in the Cape on a weekly basis, which is how she could afford to buy the first five cows for her micro-dairy. Meet the (bio)dynamic small-scale farmer with big plans

Spring on a stick

Expand your braai repertoire by serving a side dish of flavourful spring-vegetable kebabs cooked to perfection over the coals.

A puzzle of nostalgia

Ride a fat bike through the town where you grew up - an abiding landmark in your life - and behold the picture that reveals itself.

Let's braai!

Celebrate Heritage Day on 24 September with this braai menu, which Platteland put together from Martelize Brink's recently published second cookbook, Oor die Kole.

Cents and sensibility - Is growing your own veg worth it?

In this fast-paced world where we expect everything to be convenient and cheap, a kitchen garden is a beautiful but unattainable dream for most people. With the economy in its current state, one might justifiably wonder: isn't it more affordable simply to buy your vegetables at a grocery store?

Postcards from the Tankwa

The R355 between Ceres and Calvinia is the longest stretch of gravel road between two towns in South Africa. And if you find yourself on this route, you're in the Tankwa Karoo. From the road, the surrounding plains seem lifeless and dull, but when you stop your car, sit quietly and breathe in the atmosphere, you realise there might just be much waiting to be discovered here.

The Velddrif hustle - Boats, bazaars and bokkoms

Since Rob and Maria Kirsten picked unassuming Velddrif on the West Coast as their new home 17 years ago, they've built their own house and established a number of successful businesses.

A river runs through it

Some of the most desirable - and correspondingly expensive - real estate in the world is located beside rivers, and South Africa is no exception. Alan Duggan went looking for people with an affinity for flowing water... and came away with a plan for the rest of his life.

Kameel... Where is that, exactly?

There are many small towns and villages in South Africa that you've probably never visited but their names will ring a bell. Then there's a hamlet like Kameel, with 49 silos and 27 residents...

Sisters of the soil

Two years ago, nine small-scale flower farmers across the country found one other on Instagram and created a support network called Hort Couture Flower Collective. Who would have thought a flourishing new venture would sprout and bloom from the hardship of the hard lockdown?

Get away from it all in Vanderkloof

Lying among koppies on the shore of South Africa's second-largest dam is Vanderkloof, an oasis in the Upper Karoo. There seems to be consensus that you won't find a town anywhere else in the country as peaceful and safe as this one.

To the mountains

Enveloped by the Swartberg on the farm where her son was getting married, Juliana Coetzer realised how mountains and their healing energy have supported her throughout her life.

Koperfontein - The winds of change are blowing.

It's little more than a siding and a stop on the railway line to Saldanha, but Koperfontein is getting a new lease of life thanks to a wind farm and a new coffee shop and venue.

In the shadow of glants

Eucalyptuses the colossi of our landscapeare spread out over a large part of South Africa and offer respite to man and beast and bee. Still, it's become the done thing to simply get rid of these "aliens". Please think twice about doing so, pleads Dave Pepler.

Valley of plenty

The place where the Wilge River cuts through the mountains about 40 km north-east of Bronkhorstspruit is known as Wilgepoort, Trichardtspoort, Zusterstroom... or simply "the valley". This river is the lifeblood of the people who live and farm here.

Backwaters of the Molopo

If you look at a map of North West, where the northern border curves into Botswana, that's where you'll find Piet Plessis, Tosca, Bray, and Vorstershoop. Willem van der Berg drove many kilometres on dirt roads and met people who still have time for stories.

Make a kokedama

A kokedama, or a Japanese moss ball, is a lovely way to display an ornamental plant like a living work of art in your home. We show you how to make your own.

Thunderbirds get a second chance

The southern ground-hornbill - an iconic species of the savannah biome that breeds only once every six years - is critically endangered. Sarie Marais-Nell visited the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project near Bela-Bela, where they are working hard to slow the decline in their numbers.

GENADENDAL Barefoot on hallowed ground

Genadendal, a village in the Overberg region, is steeped in the slower pace of an earlier era. The bricks, stones, woodwork, thatch, and even the trees, tell the fascinating story of the first mission station in South Africa - and of many other firsts.

A weekend in Prince Albert

Prince Albert, which turns 260 this year, has evolved from a quiet Afrikaans farming hamlet to a modern, bustling oasis that draws visitors from all over the world. Yet this town at the foot of the Swartberg has lost none of its charm. Walk with us.

Healing, endless greatness

Empty, vast landscapes – deserts, arid pans, the Karoo, the Free State plains, green valleys, the sea – change people. Your worries don’t vanish, but you gain a better perspective on them, says Annelise Erasmus.

Enchanted by water

Alan Hobson and his family were living the good life in Johannesburg, but the fishing waters of the Eastern Cape lured him back. Since he and his wife Annabelle moved to Somerset East, their main aim has been to establish fly-fishing as a tourist attraction in the Karoo.

Guard dogs your eyes, your ears, your friends

Having a guard dog is a good option to keep you safe in your home, but a dog cannot be a replacement for a security system. You have more responsibility for your own safety than your pet does.

One wet summer

During a good rainy season, few sights (or sounds!) on earth beat the Orange River in flood crashing into the gorge at Augrabies Falls, says Sue Hewitt from Bethulie. – Augrabies Falls, Northern Cape