Omweg Farm

Omweg Farm We apply regenerative farming practises in the Hermitage valley of Swellendam, and raise pigs and chickens on pasture.

03/06/2026

A golden-orange carpet appeared almost overnight 🍄

It’s creating a beautiful sight, but these fungi are also hard at work beneath the surface. Their underground network is breaking down the wood chips, cycling nutrients, building soil organic matter, and feeding the countless organisms that make up a healthy soil ecosystem.

For us, their appearance is especially very welcome because they’re growing beneath the two large oak trees that shade our apiary. Recent storms have shown just how vulnerable these non-indigenous giants can be. The 2 oaks have become a familiar and much-loved feature of our farm, and the fungal life in the wood-chip mulch is helping to build healthy, more resilient soil around their roots.

One of the joys of life here is learning to notice these small signs. A cluster of mushrooms after the rain is more than a beautiful sight - it’s a glimpse into the living world beneath our feet.

🍄🌧️🐝🌳

02/06/2026

The recent storm gave us the opportunity to rebuild and improve our chicken coop. 🏠

Dry, spacious, well ventilated, plenty of nest boxes, predator-proof, and fitted with an automatic opening and closing door. A comfortable home for the flock, whatever the weather. 👌

Just one loose end to tie up … never underestimate the curiosity of a goat 🐐🐔

17/05/2026

A peaceful ending to a stormy week. 🌿
We were fortunate to come off relatively lightly after the storm, especially considering the wind damage around town and the destruction caused by the Breede flooding. A few small structures on the farm were completely destroyed, but it also creates an opportunity to rethink, rebuild, and improve.

Yesterday though, we simply soaked up the sunshine, moved Pieter’s cattle onto greener pastures, and planted more fruit trees into the silvopasture - with visiting friend Jeremy getting some hands-on experience on the digger.

New compost was ready just in time, and it was beautiful to see. If the visible life in it is anything to go by, the microbial life must be thriving too. 🪱 Hopefully the trees will love it as much as the worms do, and the worms will do their thing in the soil.

And on the other side of the farm, one very happy little goat was making the most of storm-damaged Black Wattle branches she could finally reach. 💚🐐

Even though I wasn’t raised on a farm, the imprint was there from the very beginning. 🐮 Complete with farm animal wall a...
10/05/2026

Even though I wasn’t raised on a farm, the imprint was there from the very beginning. 🐮 Complete with farm animal wall art lovingly crafted by my sister, who is 11 years older than me.

But more than anything, this photo reminds me of the love and care I always received from my Mom - and the carefree childhood she and my Dad created for me.
Thank you, Mom! 🤗

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. For the 24/7 care, devotion, patience, and for creating happy hearts and safe spaces - you’re amazing. ❤️

07/05/2026

Happy goats, even on a rainy day🌧️🐐

Sagewood, Cross-berry and Kanferbush make great snacks - packed with extra protein, fibre, minerals and vitamins. The goats have officially approved what we planted.👍🌿

30/04/2026

The waiting room - highly rated by our chickens. 🐓 Our upgraded nest boxes seem to be doing the trick, with fewer eggs turning up in random places. Set under the tree, it’s also become a favourite roosting spot.

Before heading into the nest boxes, they gather here, patiently waiting their turn - taking a a moment to enjoy the early morning sun before the day gets going. 🥚🌱

We aim to create an environment that promotes biodiversity, so it was exciting to spot a toad in the vegetable garden at...
24/04/2026

We aim to create an environment that promotes biodiversity, so it was exciting to spot a toad in the vegetable garden at night. 🐸

Toads are fantastic allies in a vegetable garden, acting as natural pest control. A single toad can consume thousands of insects in a season, helping protect plants without chemical pesticides. They’re also highly sensitive to pesticides, herbicides and environmental toxins, so their presence is often a sign of a healthy, living system.

Truth be told, we’re not often in the garden at night, and seeing this toad made us realise that biodiversity is already here, right around us, often unnoticed.

That’s very much what the City Nature Challenge is about: looking a little closer, making observations, and documenting the life that surrounds us. From today until Monday, you can log observations in to help highlight and protect urban wildlife. Every year, cities around the world take part in this friendly challenge to see who can record the most observations and find the most species. In Swellendam, you can join the Overberg group and contribute to the challenge.

And in support of the Swellendam Tree Walk being developed by the Swellendam Conservancy, we’re offering up to 15% off our sausages and charcuterie at the market tomorrow. 🤩 Just show us your observations of trees in iNaturalist. They must be visible from the road within a 1 km radius around the market. 🌳

Many of these trees may have been planted by residents rather than occurring wild, but they support a host of species and are no less important.🐦‍⬛

Make the most of the beautiful autumn weather - go exploring, take photos, and log your observations in iNaturalist. Every observation helps build a living atlas of our local biodiversity.

Come show us what you’ve found. 🌳 See you tomorrow, at the

23/04/2026

We’ll be at the this weekend - come say hello 👋

Good food, real ingredients, raised the right way 🌱

At our stall this week:

🌭 Boerewors (Classic, Winter Warmer & Indonesian)
🥓 Smoked ham & coppa
🍔 Grass-fed beef mince & patties
🧀 Handmade Tuscan cheese (grass-fed milk, calf at foot)
🍗 Pasture-raised chicken
🐖 Lard

Good food, from our pastures to your kitchen.

Trees remind us how connected we are to the earth 🌳 living both above and below the ground 🪱Above, they offer shade, she...
22/04/2026

Trees remind us how connected we are to the earth 🌳 living both above and below the ground 🪱

Above, they offer shade, shelter, food, and a place for birds and insects to live.
Below, their roots support the soil - helping water soak in, feeding microbial life, and building resilience over time.

One of the first things we did here was plant trees. Not just for how they look, but for what they bring.

We chose species that can also support our animals - leaves that offer protein and minerals as additional fodder. Over time, the trees will help improve water retention, reduce wind, support biodiversity, and create a more comfortable environment in our pastures.

It’s a slow process, but an important one.

Trees are everywhere, yet we often don’t really notice them. In Swellendam, the oaks along Swellengrebel are part of the town’s identity. But there’s so much more to see if we start looking a little closer. That’s what the Swellendam Conservancy Tree Walk is about: a way to notice, learn, and rediscover the trees around us.

You can also contribute, the aim is to launch in Spring so all observations are welcome now. The iNaturalist app makes it easy to record what you see and help build a shared map of local biodiversity.

Take a moment this Earth Day. Look around. Notice the trees. 🌿

Real flavour takes time, and it starts in the field. 🍀 With pigs foraging, rooting, and growing without any rush - slowl...
21/04/2026

Real flavour takes time, and it starts in the field. 🍀 With pigs foraging, rooting, and growing without any rush - slowly developing their neck muscles.

Then patience. Three months of curing and drying the neck, letting nature do its work. ⏳

What you see here is the result: honest marbling and full, developed flavour.

Our Coppa is now available - in small batches, as always.

Order online at www.omweg.co.za
or find us at the Under the Oaks Market this weekend 🍁

Address

Hermitage South Avenue
Swellendam
6740

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00
Thursday 08:00 - 17:00
Friday 08:00 - 20:00

Telephone

+27834441020

Website

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