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Keerbergen Belgium September 2, 2004 You know what is the best part of doing this newsletter month after month? The incredible feedback people send! Of course there are some people who mail and ask to be "unsubscribed" and to please stop sending them "that c&%p". That is when I wonder why I do this. But, then all these mails arrive from people who are wondering where their newsletter is and, just because we are a bit late sometimes, ask us if we have forgotten them! That and all the "Thank You" and other mails of encouragement keep us going again. That's when I feel on top of the world! So it is September again and a brand-new issue of the newsletter is at hand. In this issue I particularly like the "Botha Story" from Nico in Australia. June and I had a couple of good laughs when we first read it. It's a pity I can't let you read all of Nico's mails because it would take up a whole newsletter on its own. However, next month a bit more from him! So, as I said it's September and here, in Belgium, we are moving towards the Autumn and Winter. I can actually see it on our web site every morning. The Jo'burg temperatures are now occasionally higher than in Brussels. June and I are looking forward to the winter. For us the summer is nice but we still long for those quiet cozy winter evenings in front of a log fire with the snow outside and the candles burning inside. A glass of red wine, a nice plate of food...... Nothing better than that! But, before we get there we will probably go on a short holiday. The last holiday we had was in 1997 in Mauritius. That was great but it's time for another one after almost 7 years! So, this month we will probably go to Croatia. Friends of Derek and Jeanine's have an apartment in Porec, "just" across the Adriatic sea from Venice. It would mean an air trip to Venice and then the Ferry to Porec. Would you believe that a one-way airfare (Ryanair) to Venice costs a wholesome € 0.90!!!. (This is NOT a typing mistake!). So what if we have to bring our own "sarmies" for the 2 hour flight! After that it is a 4 hour ferry ride on the Hovercraft to Porec. But, let's first see if it all works out! If it does you will certainly hear all about it next month! At last we have our new Home Biltong Maker in stock and ready to ship. In fact a lot have already gone out at the special introductory price for the first 100 units. We are all very excited about our new "BILTONG BUDDY". It promises to be the ideal Home Biltong Maker for anyone! One of the most attractive things about the "BUDDY" is that it is so light! The big problem with all previous models of Biltong Makers has never been the price of the machine but the shipping charges! We charge basically whatever the Post Office rate is. But it is still soooo expensive! With the new "BILTONG BUDDY"" mailing charges are way down because the machine weighs (packed in its box) just around 2.5kg! Surface mail to Australia for example is now only R 170.00 and to Canada just R 150.00! I have just received my own machine and thanks to dear old Trish in Johannesburg, who organized everything, it looks like a million dollars (Euros, Pounds, Rands??). It works like a dream and looks very smart too! So, take the opportunity and order one now! The price will be only R 490.00 for the first 100 orders placed. After that it will go up to the normal retail price of R 590.00. Well, here we go into the last part of the year. Please let us hear from you, wherever you are? Just look at the contributions this month and the joy it will bring to so many people. You could also do just that! Have a good one and till next month! Lo
Shake it off One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone.
Here is the contribution for this month.
In the ancient ruins of Peru and Chile, archaeologists have found potato remains that date back to 500 B.C. The Incas grew and ate them and also worshipped them. They even buried potatoes with their dead, they stashed potatoes in concealed bins for use in case of war or famine, they dried them, and carried them on long journeys to eat on the way (dried or soaked in stew) The first Europeans to see the potato was Pedro de Cieza de Leon (1518–1560), Spanish Conquistador and historian, who wrote about the potato in his chronicles, Chronicles of Peru. Though the tuber was productive and hardy, the Spanish put it to very limited use. In the Spanish Colonies potatoes were considered food for the underclasses; when brought to the Old World they would be used primarily to feed hospital inmates.
The all new "BILTONG BUDDY" is here and available for immediate shipping!! The past couple of months we have been working hard on a very exciting project and it has now finally come about! We are proudly announcing the arrival of our latest addition! We believe that our new Home Biltong maker will be a "BUDDY" to all people who love their Biltong and have found it too expensive to buy a Home Biltong Maker of their own! Until now that is! The "BILTONG BUDDY" is the answer!! Our new 'BILTONG BUDDY' Home Biltong Maker has some distinct advantages over the Traditional 2kg Home Biltong Maker. These advantages are:
Details of the New "BILTONG BUDDY" can be found here. More and more people are into making larger batches of Biltong at one time. Rockey's New Age 5kg Biltong maker is just ideal for that purpose! Details on Rockey's machine can be found by clicking on this link. *(For the first 100 units)
Free spices with each Biltong Maker ordered! This month we will throw in a free packet of our Nice 'n Spicy spices with each Biltong maker ordered. The spice will be either our Curry Marsala or the world famous South African Bobotie spice.
The other day I was traveling back from Veldhoven in Holland when "Suzie" took me on the shortest route through the little country lanes and meadows of Southern Holland and into Belgium. Just after I turned yet another corner I stopped in amazement! There on my left was the most beautiful little cart packed full with bunches of sunflowers. I got out of the car and looked around for someone to help me. No-one was to be found.
Now, you may ask what this has to do with the tip of the month. Well, with the note on the cart were some pieces of paper with a suggestion as how to treat your sunflowers. I thought other people might be interested so here it is;
If you have an answer for these people please mail them? QUESTION I want to know if you can help me with the following. I have a no: 3 Potjie and I want to get a stand that I can put on my Weber charcoal grill. I can find the big tripods that can be used over an open fire but nowhere can I find a smaller stand. Can someone help me? Michael Swanepoel mswanepoel@redflex.com QUESTION I am looking for the Grabauw wors recipe. Joe Illes Joe.Illes@wdgh.nhs.uk (If anyone finds this recipe please let us have it as well?-Ed) QUESTION As a child growing up in S.A., my father would bring home something he called, "Russian Sausage". Much to my health conscious mother's horror he would deep-fry this wonderful treat. I recall it to be reddish in color, with a bit or sourness to it. Could anyone please tell me where I can get some or perhaps a recipe, and if it is the correct name. Shoubee Liaw USA shliaw@seattleschools.org (We have had this one before but it keep popping up and we have not yet had an answer to it-Ed) Here are some of the answers we received the past month to the question below. How does one make kosher Biltong? ANSWERS I could not find a recipe for Kosher Biltong although it can be bought at www.biltong.net It seems that, in order for the meat to be kosher, it must be soaked in cold water for half an hour. I would presume after that it can be dried as normal. Johan Hi Lo, In your newsletter this month Janine asked about kosher biltong. Biltong is kosher if your meat is kosher and your kitchen is kosher. I use shoulder clod (what's that?-Ed) which gives me smaller pieces which has its advantages, quicker drying and a greater area for spice (coriander) adhesion. Isa (Israel) Hi Biltong Team! Making Kosher biltong is simple. All you need are “Kosher” ingredients. Those that follow the Kosher dietary laws will know the rules. However, for those that are not clear, it is quite easy.
Kind regards, Arnold (Thanks a lot to all of you-Ed) Hallo daar, Ons het 'n website gemaak vir Suid-Afrikaners en belangstellendes vir Suid-Afrika. Wil julle asb. ons link op julle website plaas of in julle volgende nuusbrief. Baie dankie, Riesa Lehmann (If you can't read Afrikaans, let me know then I can try to write to you in English) (Afrikaans, English, Dutch, Double Dutch, German, French, Chinese or any other language. We always manage to read and understand it somehow -Ed) Here is the link: http://www.suidafrikanersinnederland.nl (One question though Riesa; what is the old South African flag doing on your web site. I thought that we were way past that or are some of us still living in the past?-Ed)
Potjiekos We still get so many requests for a Biltong Potjiekos that we are giving it here again. This one is from Manna uit die Boland! Biltong Potjiekos
(Anyone wanting this recipe in English please mail the editor)
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From the far Outback (somewhere near the entrance to the Great Barrier Reef) By Nico Botha Welcome to our part of Australia! Hi to all the readers, "vrinne" and "tjommies" around the world! Living in Australia is great, but it has its shortfalls. If you need a kg (kaygee) of Biltong or Boerewors over a weekend then you better wish for a miracle, or a fellow South African to knock on your door with what you need!! That happened to us! I am a rebel, went backpacking in the UK and Europe, stayed 10 years in London, met and married an Aussie and returned to the "Homeland" in 1997 with Skippy(wife) and our four year old daughter Caitlin. We had lots of South African friends in London and Caitlin cut her first tooth and most of the rest, on biltong and droe wors. She had never been to South Africa and, when we went, the excitement blew her away. To visit Ouma and the rest of her African family! She spoke Afrikaans with a real "rooinek" accent too!! We stayed in South Africa in a coastal village named Ndlambe, on the banks of the Kowie river, for four years. We still say that was the best time of our lives! Danielle gave birth to our son named Cieron Nico on 01/01/1999 in Port Elizabeth. A real little boerklong with kaalvoete, a "kettie" and a pocketknife! Cieron took two years to overcome the move from South Africa to Australia and he still has a kettie and a pocketknife and "hunts" possums, wallabies and wombats with his Shi-Tzu dog named Choc-Chip Muffin! We left South Africa to settle in Australia in September 2001 and moved from Wollongong to Ayers Rock in the middle of the Outback were nothing happened till the South Africans arrived and clicked with 5 more South Africans! Yes!, I saw a massive loop and started making Biltong, Boerewors and Potbrood. I used kangaroo and camel meat and it's so lean and soft and tasty that we all just loved it! I even used the meat for biltong. So close to kudu you cannot believe it! There are more camels in the Australian Outback than in all the Arabic countries!
The potholes at one stage were so big you need a GPS to find your way out! The kids loved this trip. They love nature and lots of stars at night! We even saw satellites moving from east to west and north to south. The best were the wishes from the kids on seeing shooting stars! The Great Barrier Reef is a natural barrier between the mainland and the outer sea, and this has an effect on the waves rolling in. We have none, and we miss the waves of the African coastline to swim, surf and play in. "Die water is plat soos 'n dam" but absolute crystal clear right down to the bottom! Did you know the Great Barrier Reef can be seen by the astronauts from space! This is a big country, ask the pommies!! We have been here in the Whitsunday's for a year now and we have met so many South Africans and "When we's" (Zimbabweans). Our network of friends and work colleagues is growing by the day! We get together on a daily or weekly basis or for a quick visit and even make our own Boerewors and Biltong! Saturdays when all the locals go to our street market for the week's supply of fresh veggies, the "manne" will get together for a wors making session. We do in many ways look after our friends, as it is vital in a new country to keep ties. My mother can make "melktert" but that of Louise Basson, a teacher here at the Christian School, is just as good! Louise and her husband left South Africa many years ago and lived in Kiwi land were she gave birth to their son Otto. Keep that name in the back of your head for years to come, as he will be a hit with all three the Tri-Nations Countries as he can represent all three! I think SARFU should sign him asap!
The bushfire awareness is so high here in Australia that in many parts of the country they have total fire bans in summer. That means no open or gas fires so no braaivleis or a "tjop" or six, or a T Bone or a Rump with a lekker double layer of angina medicine attached to it! My Aussie mates have now discovered the "South African thick sausages" and they all prefer it with a wood smoke flavor to it! Even the word "Lekker" comes from the Aussie mouth! What next! This part of Queensland is very fertile and Danielle gave birth to our second son Cianan Pieter on 07/06/04 ! What makes this more special is that a friend, a South African doctor did the delivery and she is also a Botha! Now I am ready for the Big Snip! (Kapater) (Read about it next month!) Its time to say goodbye In my heart we will always be South Africans with our own traditions and ethnic values. Even the teachers at the school notice that! Thank you for the opportunity to share my "new" homeland with all of you! If you are ever in Australia just "pop in". We are only 2470 kilos (klicks as the Aussies say!) from Sydney! Mooi loop! Nico, Danielle and the kids Botha
Dead Hair? A man is driving along a highway and sees a hare jump out across the middle of the road. He swerves to avoid hitting it, but unfortunately the hare jumps right in front of the car. The driver, a sensitive man as well as an animal lover, pulls over and gets out to see what has become of the hare. Much to his dismay, the hare is dead. The driver feels so awful that he begins to cry. A beautiful blonde woman driving down the highway sees the man crying on the side of the road and pulls over. She steps out of the car and asks the man about his problem. "I feel terrible," he explains "I accidentally hit this hare and killed it." The blonde says, "Don't worry." She runs to her car and pulls out a spray can. She walks over to the limp, dead hare, bends down, and sprays the contents onto the hare. The hare jumps up, waves its paw at the two of them and hops off down the road. Ten meters away the hare stops, turns around and waves again, he hops down the road another ten meters, turns and waves, hops another ten meters, turns and waves, and repeats this again and again and again, until he hops out of sight. The man is astonished. He naturally asks the woman, "What's in that can? What did you spray on that hare?" The blonde woman turns the can around so that the man can read the label. It said ........ "Hair spray - Restores life to dead hair, adds permanent wave."
The drought is finally over. The Bokke are champions again! Last month we wrote that the Springbokke were on the brink of greatness. And how right we were! What a nail biting game it was! We were at Derek and Jeanine's house in Schoten having a braai and celebrating Derek's birthday. What a game! Here is what I read just after the game. I am sure that most of us will agree with this. By Stephen Nell, Jacques van der Westhuizen and Tamlynn Johannes Springbok coach Jake White said: "I woke up the Sunday morning after the finals and I realised the victory had not yet sunk in. I thought that it might take a few days before I come to terms with the fact we are Tri-Nations champions! "I know this team is full of potential and talent, but to be honest they surpassed even my expectations in terms of the time they've taken to develop into a winning combination. It's just been unbelievable. I didn't think it would happen so quickly," said White. "It was the biggest game of some of these players' lives.
"Nobody gave us a chance when we started. The way in which Jake has transformed the team into one big unit is amazing. We have had consistency of selection and a solid game plan," he said. Vice-captain De Wet Barry was equally excited: "Words can't describe it. It has been a while since we have been successful. It feels awesome. This will do wonders for the game in South Africa. People believe in the success of the green and gold again." Players from the Western Cape were in high spirits when they arrived home on Sunday afternoon fresh from their Tri-Nations triumph.
They enjoyed the win and especially the celebrations after the match. "We are in such high spirits as a team. It's just a great feeling to win and so we had real reason to celebrate," Barry said. Van Niekerk said: "We as a team got together and just had a blast. We had a nice time relaxing and absorbing the win. "We had some beer and there was champagne." Marius Joubert said that he had a great after-party with the team. "We had beers and just celebrated. We just enjoyed the moment," Joubert said. Conradie and Andrews opted for a quiet night rather than partying up a storm. Asked how it felt winning the trophy, Barry said: "It is so great. It's been a while since we've had success for the green and gold. This is very special for me and I know it must be for the whole country." The players have little time to rest as they start training on Monday along with the rest of the Western Province team for the Currie Cup tournament. Jean de Villiers said Clyde Rathbone must be feeling sorry that he turned his back on South Africa. De Villiers said: "I am sure Clyde is feeling sorry now. You can say what you want, but you don't forget your roots in the space of a year. "But he did show a lot of character. He came to say congratulations, which I thought was very nice." (This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Times on August 23, 2004-Ed) -Where can you watch rugby on TV?- Click here to find out where in most countries!
The winner of the August Competition The winner of the August competition is Shelly McClean from Edinburgh in Scotland! Congratulations Shelly, your Cadac Skottel Braai is on its way to you. There should be some warm weather left this summer (what summer?) to have a barbecue or two! Remember the following: The prize for the September Competition The winner for the competition for September 2004 will receive one the best prizes ever! A Falkirk size 3 Potjie Pot! Click here to see a picture of it on the competition page! To enter the competition all you have to do is to visit our home page at www.biltongmakers.com and click on one of the two competition links. The winners of all competitions are notified by email. Some of the other prizes for the year So, don't wait! You can enter right now by clicking on the competition link on our home page.
It's easy to earn a free Biltong Maker! As a South African orientated web site we are constantly looking to contact more and more South Africans across the world. Not only to tell them about how they can make their own Biltong but also to give them a chance to share their stories with other South Africans the world over. So, here is your chance to help us. If you know about a South African family or friend living near you or perhaps somewhere far away, why not tell them about us and then us about them. Perhaps you can send us their email address so that we can mail them a copy of this newsletter. If they like it they can stay on the mailing list, if not they can just let us know and we will remove them. If the response we receive is large enough and, directly due to your efforts people place orders with us, you could be rewarded by receiving one of our products totally free of charge. What an easy way to perhaps get your own Home Biltong Maker without having to pay a cent for it! You can mail us at info@biltongmakers.com During August many people went to the trouble once again of submitting their friend's and family's names and we would like to thank all!
Help us to make it even better! Many people are subscribing to this newsletter every day. Mostly they do so because they enjoy reading it and like to hear from people in other parts of the world. If you are one of our subscribers why don't you write something yourself? Just like you enjoy reading about what other people are up to, they might enjoy reading about you and your family. Why not put pen to paper (or fingers to the keyboard!), and tell us about anything interesting. About life in your part of the world, what you do and how you live. Perhaps something that happened to you. You might have a nice recipe to part with or perhaps a question to ask. Perhaps you have some advice to give? You never know how you could help somebody else with your own hints and tips. Of course it does not have to be about Biltong or food. Anything that is of interest is welcome! Share it with other people around the world! It would be so nice to hear from you!
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