Searching for the oldest vine in South Africa
A man by the name of Jacobus Viljoen rattled the cages of history in the grape industry today when he asked Fredo if he knew where the oldest vine in South Africa could be found? Not an easy question because the ‘vine industry’ consists of table grapes and wine grapes...
Iconic avocado producer which started in South Africa now also in India
In former times we knew it only as Westfalia Estates. Now, known as Westfalia Fruit, it has become fully international, with production virtually around the world and strong global marketing organisations. Westfalia Fruit has just announced that it is expanding its...
Fredo’s Fresh Produce News – First week of March 2022
Fredo’s Fresh Produce News – First week of March 2022 After so much disruption over the past two years because of Covid-19, a new, perhaps much more formidable challenge has emerged. Fredo reported on these matters in stories on the Fruitnet.com on-line website and in...
Our own moment of truth and reconciliation
Archbishop Desmond Tutu always said that South Africa’s peoples must make peace with one another. His favourite saying was that one must learn the art of forgiving before you can only truly forgive if you know what real forgiving is. This is what he wanted to achieve...
We have no words – we have lost our moral compass – our Arch!
We have no words – we have lost our moral compass – our Arch! The infectious laughter, supreme kindness and love, compassion for all – fearless in criticism – a father like one we never had. When everyone said no, he would say why not? He always insisted that you come...
If only one Stilbaai citizen’s honesty can rub off on politicians
This morning Fredo had a humbling experience when he travelled to the town of Stilbaai to buy his Sunday papers. These papers, and even the daily papers, are often not worth-while buying – compared to what we were offered some years ago. They are as one would say...
It is worth looking after the genes of the old Saffron pear tree
Fredo has not visited Cape Town’s Company Gardens for many a year. A couple of years ago, he had a very good reason to go there – a tree planting involving a Saffron pear tree which has been developed from what is generally accepted as the oldest fruit tree in South...
What kept us sane during Covid in the Southern Cape
Three things kept Janey and Fredo sane during the past 18 months of lockdown! It was the ability to connect with the JEFF TOGETHER family on Facebook every morning and sometime throughout the day. Then was the special new meaning we could attribute to “eating out”....
When the good citizens of Stilbaai get “gatvol”
In Afrikaans there is a lovely word that describes the mood when you have really been pushed too far. We then say we are now “gatvol” and when we say that we normally mean it. Fredo thought about this description when he learnt about a dispute in one of Stilbaai’s...
Longing for the old election times
For those who have not noticed South Africa is in the grip of election fever again. Here in the Southern Cape this occasion is marked mainly by the application of lots of posters on lamp posts across the town – sometimes even on a fence pole on the country roads. This...
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