In 1662, on the 17th of April, the first apple was picked at the Cape. It was the Witte Wijnappel.
In 1692, Babylonstoren Farm was granted to Pieter van der Byl by the then Governor of the Cape, Simon van der Stel. Prior to that, the Drakenstein Valley had been inhabited by the nomadic Khoisan communities for tens of centuries. It was Pieter van der Byl who planted the first vineyards on the farm and who altered the watercourses to provide irrigation. In 2007, the present owners, Koos Bekker and Karen Roos, bought Babylonstoren and created a garden inspired by the historic Company’s Garden in Cape Town.
On 17 April 2019, after successfully searching for a Witte Wijnappel tree in Holland and importing it back to South Africa, Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing and Hortgro re-planted the Witte Wijnappel in the Company’s Garden near the place it originally stood. Now the oldest recorded apple cultivar will form part of the more than 300 varieties of plants in the garden that are edible or has medicinal value.
Head gardener Liesl van der Walt commented: “The Witte Wijnappel is a treasured gift linking our garden with our inspiration, the original Company’s Garden in Cape Town. It is also a valuable addition to our growing collection of historical trees that include Newton’s “Flower of Kent” apple tree, Shakespeare’s mulberry, Napoleon’s willow, and many old Cape varieties such the Saffron pear, and Ohenimuri and White Winter Pearmain apples.”
“The move was made with the whole South African agricultural industry in mind. Knowing that, along with its position in the Company’s Garden, the Witte Wijnappel will now also be in Babylonstoren’s heritage orchard where we know it will be lovingly tended and appreciated by visitors, makes us very happy,” said Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing Managing Director Roelf Pienaar.
Hortgro’s Executive Director Anton Rabe added: “Today, the impact on and contribution of the apple industry to the modern rural economies of the Western Cape and the rest of the country is vast. We contribute to rural development and transformation by creating an excess of 27,000 direct (on-farm) jobs and a further 109,000 dependants are impacted by the success of the industry. We help ensure food security, rural stability, infrastructure, and foreign earnings. The industry has a compliance with discerning market requirements and food safety, ethical trade, and environmentally sustainable production practices.”
For more information:
Babylonstoren
Tel: +27 (0)21 863 3852
Email: [email protected]
www.babylonstoren.com