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DISCLAIMER The information and contributions contained in this newsletter are received from various readers local and international. Views and opinions reflected in our newsletter are not necessarily those of Biltongmakers.Com and its team members. Keerbergen
Belgium April 2007Outside it can still be somber and cold. The noise of a windy April rain shower and the hail stones against the window don’t exactly point to the fact that spring is on the way. And still! When we, in between the rain showers, take a nice long walk, we can hear the happy “wietoewiet” from a couple of Kiewiten. Hearing that we know that spring can’t be far away! The coming back of the Kiewit heralds the start of the spring in the Low Lands.
Well, it is so far! The egg has been found and handed over, the trees and bushes are full of blossoms and the tulips, crocuses and a host of other flowers are adorning every garden you see. Our alarm clock is packed away because we are once again woken up with the birds singing in the trees outside our bedroom window. This morning when I woke up at around 2 (like I normally do) I looked out of one of the upstairs front windows. There were Mr and Mrs Duck waddling across the road with their brood! It is amazing sometimes. You can be driving on a major road and all the traffic will come to a halt. When you get out of your car you see that some ducks are crossing the road. And they can take their time!! With the incredible weather we have had most of our garden is ready for the summer! Most of the winter rubbish has been cleared, compost heap moved (to the neighbour’s garden with his kind permission) and the patios cleaned with the high pressure hose. As you can see on the right June certainly did her bit! A couple of weekends ago Tony, Catherine and the kids came to stay. It was a long time ago that I almost saw the sun rise and my head is still sore! June made a “Pap en Vleis”. Excellent as usual and so were the “smoothies”! So, here we are, all ready to enjoy a bit of warm weather. I know that a couple of years back we could not get enough of the winters here. I suppose it was the sun in our blood that made us yearn for snow and rain and nice cozy evenings by the open fire. We still love that but a bit of warm weather will be very welcome right now! And then …. It’s our birthday this month. We are all of 12 years old! So, have a look a bit further on what we have in store for you! How time flies. I can still remember those early days when we first started with the web site and the biltong makers. We knew absolutely nothing and learned through making mistake after mistake. In the end it worked out not too bad I hope! April promises to be a good month. The Boerewors and Droëwors orders are flying out of the door and …… very shortly we will have biltong as well! Yep, believe it or not but after all these years we finally took the plunge and imported a pucker biltong drying cabinet. So, all you people in Europe, you can start emailing your orders through. There won’t be endless stock and we will have to restrict people to 2kg each in the beginning. The biltong will be packed in vacuum packs of 200 gram which will cost € 7.00 each. Let me end on a little more serious note and make a a request for all of you to support a very worthwhile cause. In 1980, Morne du Plessis, the then captain of the Western Province rugby team created a fund to support and take care of all rugby injuries from school age right up to professional players. Morne started this fund after two wellknown rugby players, Chris Burger and Petro Jackson died of their injuries sustained while playing rugby.
Rugby coaches are trained at school and club levels. Workshops on prevention are held all the time, all year round to create a safer rugby. You can read more on the great work of the Players Fund on their web site www.playersfund.org.za To generate an additional income for the Players Fund a fluffy toy Springbok called the “Teddybok” was created. The “Teddybok” became the official mascot of the Chris Burger/Petro Jackson Fund two years ago. Come on people, stick your hands in your pockets and order a “Teddybok”. It is available in small, medium and large and it can be ordered from www.villagers.co.za Well, that was it for this month. Keep well, have a good April and we’ll speak again in May! Take care, Lo
There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but there is always enough time to do it over.
[Anonymous] “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”
[Helen Keller]
Remember
Way, way back ….
Wait …. can you still remember ….
Can you still taste and smell ….
Didn’t that feel good…..just to go back and say, Yeah, I remember that!!! If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED!!!! Pass this on to anyone who grew up in South Africa who may need a break from their “grown up” life! Take care,
Suzie (my GPS) was showing me a shortcut through the Black Forest that would save about an hour in driving time. After a while on the small winding roads of the hills in the the Black Forest I saw a small little sign on my left saying “Cuckoo Clocks”. It was still early in the morning and, with most of the mist gone and a with a bright wintry sun trying to penetrate the dense pine forests on the hills around me, I thought, why not, I don’t come here often so let’s go and have a look. I remember that in an earlier life we always had a Cuckoo Clock hanging on the wall in the lounge. You surely know what I am talking about. These clocks with a rabbit and bird on the front, a deer head with horns on the top and two pine cones on the chains below to wind the clock. Every so often a little bird would appear from a little door in the front to let out a happy sound similar to what the cuckoo birds makes.
The road got narrower winding itself in between the mountains towards the little town of Triberg. On both sides of the road signs started to appear advertising cuckoo clocks. The area was literally littered with places making cuckoo clocks. And then, without warning there was the little town of Triberg and right in front of me the largest Cuckoo clock in the world in the shape of a little house. Triberg im Schwarzwald is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located in the Schwarzwald-Baar district in the Black Forest. It is a small little town of only about 5000 souls. I have included some pictures I took of this clock. The mechanism is incredible and almost entirely made of wood. Do yourself a favour and click on the pictures to see them big. It’s worth the trouble to wait for them to download if you have a slow internet line. So, there and then I though that this would make a nice bit of reading and after a little research came up with the following. The History of the Cuckoo Clock The first cuckoo clock dates back to around 1730. It was a product of the almost 100 years of clock making in the Black Forest of Germany that started sometime in the mid 17th century. The first cuckoo clocks were primitive compared to those made later. Their movements were made with wooden plates and gears. Many of the clocks had square faces painted with water color paints.
The many themes decorating the clocks were only limited to the imagination of the painters of the faces for the clocks. They included scenes of family, hunting, military motifs and more. Some of the more famous early cuckoo clock makers in the Black Forest were Theodore Ketterer, Johann Baptist Beha and Fidel Hepting. By the late 1800s the cuckoo industry was some what industrialized. I saw this clearly all along the roads leading to and from Triberg. The miriad of signs pointing not to factories but to homesteads and small homes where till today the cuckoo clocks are made by small home industries. The Cuckoo Bird The Cuckoo can be found in Africa, Asia and Northern Europe. They are slim bodied and are about 13 inches in length. They have a blue-grey head, breast and upper parts, and horizontal barring on the under parts.
The South African Meat Industry Company,
Samic has BRAND-NEW meat cutting charts. Just scroll down to tips of the month to access them. Do yourself a favour and click on the banner below for lots of interesting information.
Our Home Biltong makers have given many of our customers much joy and happiness and have brought many of them “a little of South Africa” back in their homes. It is so easy to make your own Biltong and it is ever so cost effective. In fact it only costs you just a fraction of the price you pay in the shop and, what is more important, you can make it just the way YOU like it. Please read what these people have to say. COMMENTS FROM BILTONG LOVERS AROUND THE WORLD! WOW ….. our first batch of biltong was great !!!!! We have a butcher here in Canada who had a shop in Toronto in a prominent South African area, so he started making wors and biltong, not bad, but not like ours!! Rockey’s Biltongmaker has a permanent place in the kitchen as is working all the time!! Alles van die beste,
Dubai, UAE(20-02-2007) And so more and more people keep on telling us how fantastic it is to make your own biltong! So, to all of you who have not tried it yet, now is the time! ESPECIALLY WITH THE BIRTHDAY SPECIALS WE HAVE FOR YOU THIS MONTH! (SEE BELOW!)
Details on ROCKEY’S 5kg Home Biltong Maker can be found by clicking on this link.
You can have a look at the BILTONG BUDDY here.
Before we carry on we must mention that although we have ample stock on hand at the moment, we may run into trouble towards the end of the month and there might be a delay in shipping. So be quick and make use of this absolutely ONCE-OFF opportunity to start making your own biltong! From the publication of this newsletter until the last day of this month or for as long as our present stocks last here are your prices …..
Click here to go to our on-line shop.
South African Meat Cutting Charts
Below you will find three BRAND-NEW meat cutting charts. These are displayed with the compliments of SAMIC.
These charts you find here are very detailed also showing what you can do with the different cuts. They come from EBLEX They have a fun web site at www.beefyandlamby.co.uk with loads of excellent recipes to boot!
South African Musical and other Events in Europe
Amongst those are;
To see all upcoming events please click on South African Events in Europe web site. There are loads of things happening!
If we have not given an answer and you can help these people could you please mail them? (Please copy us in on your mails @ info@biltongmakers.com so we can help other people who might have the same questions in the future) QUESTION I have clients coming to hunt a rhino with us and would like to know if I can use the meat to eat and make biltong. Jessie Bird
When meat is dried what temperature is it done at and are there any enzymes destroyed in the meat? Dan Kremer
Please can somebody help with regard to the salt. Penny Mcloughlin
ive made some biltong and some of its gone mouldy. i have mad sure that there not toucchinng but it continues to mould wats going on???? chris Chris
Is it possible to use mouton/sheep to make biltong and what part is the best to use. Philip Celen
Beware the attack of the Twinkletonians ….
By James Clarke  It is now more than a third of a century since Pioneer 10 was launched by NASA – a spacecraft designed to travel beyond our solar system and into deep space.
It is now 15-billion kilometers from Earth. It sent its last faint signal five years ago – a signal that took almost 24 hours to reach Earth. It carries a gold plaque engraved with a message of goodwill and a map showing the Earth’s location in the solar system. That gold plaque continues to worry me. It could represent the most stupid thing mankind has ever done. The idea is that some “Thing” out there might find our spacecraft and immediately realize there is something akin to intelligent life on a distant planet. There is even a drawing on the plaque of a nude man and woman standing against the outline of Pioneer 10. Thus, whatever finds Pioneer 10 will have an idea of the size and shape of humans. I have conjectured before about what could happen after that. Imagine if the finder is the size of a cooling tower and has six heads and 36 arms and poor under-arm hygiene, and it views the naked couple as jelly babies. THINKS: Wow! A planet full of living, wriggling jelly babies! It persuades King Zog of the planet Twinkle to mount an expedition to our planet and they begin harvesting us and popping us into sweet jars for little Twinkletonians to squabble over. “Ooh, more jelly babies! Bags I the black ones!” yell the kids. “Naah, you ate all the black ones last time. “Ma! Boogle’s being selfish again!” “If you kids don’t shut up I’ll put you both in the pot with your sister for dinner tonight!” Or what if these giants serve us up in bowls as snacks at cocktail parties – with cheese dip? Or serve as with custard? Or in aspic? What if they are like the Chinese and treat us like seals snipping off what they want and drying them for aphrodisiacs and discarding the rest? Or like Westerners and raise us for meat in pigsties with troughs full of their kitchen waste? What if they pop us into blenders? The trouble is that on the gold plaque NASA has clearly identified our solar system and our precise location within it. To the Aliens, our solar system might be what Kyalami Race Track is to us and we’ll have them tearing around at night landing willy-nilly – like on top of the Free State, flattening Bloemfontein. Well, that’s all right I suppose. But what if it’s Gauteng? By the same token, of course, the Twinkletonians could be our size and terribly friendly and swarm here in their millions. They might like us so much they’ll climb into our beds and silently snuggle up – which might be fine except what if they are slimy and cold and smell like yesterday’s nappy? But then again they could be really humongous giants who scoop up our tiny little planet, along with Mars and Venus and the rest, to play marbles with. Whatever – it is too late now to recall Pioneer 10. The die is cast. Sleep well. POTES’ CORNER I have a pome from Glen Parnall of Auckland Park – derived from a series of verses he recalls as a child. A cow stood on the railway track Boerewors! And aspirant pote, Derek Rubidge, with a hint of despair, wrote: I sit mainly at home
The Syrup Ingredients
Ingredients
When its time to dunk the fried koeksisters in the syrup, place the pot with the syrup, into a large basin with ice cubes to the prevent the syrup from becoming too warm, the syrup has to be kept cold. Add the remaining syrup over them once finished, they taste better. Makes about 5 to 6 dozen and you can packet and put them in the freezer. They keep better that way and won’t freeze. Happy baking from Lorraine Austin
The effects of the “scare factor” of the new tobacco Bill – setting fines of up to R50 000 for owners of clubs, bars and restaurants who allow patrons to light up illegally – will be eagerly watched by anti-smoking campaigners. The Bill was passed by parliament this week and campaigners hope it will become law before the end of June. It will impose heavy fines on errant club, bar and restaurant owners who previously faced only a R 200.00 “smack on the wrist”. “We are hoping there will be a high degree of voluntary compliance once it becomes law,” said the Director of the Campaign Against Smoking, Peter Ucko. ‘We are hoping there will be a high degree of voluntary compliance’ “We don’t want to use the big stick, but we will press for the prosecution of those who fail to comply.” Ucko hoped the big fines would act as a strong deterrent to those clubs and bars which had thus far ignored the ban on smoking in public places. “We already have a high degree of compliance in shopping centers. Let’s hope the same thing now happens in clubs and bars.” He said press reports this week that referred to “clubs and bars where smoking is permitted” had been very misleading. “Smoking is not permitted in any clubs and bars. It is only permitted in a section of a club or bar that has been specially set aside in accordance with the regulations.”
“But if I go to a policeman with an offense that carries a fine of R 50 000.00, it is worth his while to do some leg work and take it to a prosecutor.” Ucko said the new amendment that allowed the minister of health to regulate the ingredients, additives and emissions of tobacco was very important. “Some producers have been adding chocolate and liquorice to make their cigarettes more attractive,” he said. “Cigarette smoke is harsh, but it is less so if you add liquorice. And this encourages children to take up smoking.” He said the amendments would allow the minister to limit the amount of addictive nicotine in tobacco. The amendments would also allow the minister to regulate cigarettes’ ignition propensity, those additives that made them burn right down to the filter “when left alone”. This ignition propensity, he said, started fires that cost South Africa a “fortune” each year. “Without the additives South Africa would have what we like to call self-extinguishing cigarettes.” Ucko said the Bill would now go to the National Council of Provinces for approval. “It will then go to the president to sign and finally to the printer of the Government Gazette. “It is a total guess, but I would say it is reasonable to expect the Bill to become law before the end of June.”
Support the Teddy bok South African Musical and other Events in Europe
Dear Lo, I need your help, The response from the banner, on Biltong makers, is very poor. 3 sales in one month. I think , if you the creator of this formidable web site could put a good word for Teddybok and its mission It will make a big difference. You are the good old friend and the reporter and let’s face it : THE BILTONG PROVIDER for all the expats. The Super Fourteen Rugby season has started. If you news letter can carry the Teddybok story in its editorial It would reach your readers. Story for your inspiration. Teddybok is the Mascot of the Players Fund. The Fund was created in 1980 by Morne du Plessis the then captain of the Western Province Team. Rugby players. Chris Burger and Petro Jackson. Both died of their injuries while playing this wonderful game we all love to follow. The fund benefits immediately from your purchase of a TeddyBok. The Fund takes care of all rugby injuries from school age right up to professional players. It also has a mission to instruct all the children at many schools as possible how to prevent neck damages. Rugby coaches are trained at school and club levels. Workshops on prevention are held all The time, all year round to create a safer rugby. More on the great work of the Players’ fund on their web site: www.playersfund.org.za More on Teddybok just type: Teddybok, then enter on your Google bar. Since two years TeddyBok became the mascot of the national team. It is available in Small, Medium and Large. To order just click on the link. There it is Lo, thank you for your help ! Jean-Luc
We don’t know who send the following to us but we can all relate to it, especially now in the Spring! The Daffodil Principle Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over.” I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead “I will come next Tuesday”, I promised a little reluctantly on her third call. Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren. “Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!” My daughter smiled calmly and said, “We drive in this all the time, Mother.” “Well, you won’t get me back on the road until it clears, and then I’m heading for home!” I assured her. “But first we’re going to see the daffodils. It’s just a few blocks,” Carolyn said. “I’ll drive. I’m used to this.” “Carolyn,” I said sternly, “Please turn around.” “It’s all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.”
It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain peak and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers. On the patio, we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking”, was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. “50,000 bulbs,” it read. The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain.” The third answer was, “Began in 1958.” For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration. That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time–often just one baby-step at time–and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world . “It makes me sad in a way,” I admitted to Carolyn. “What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it ‘one bulb at a time’ through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!” My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. “Start tomorrow,” she said. She was right. It’s so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, “How can I put this to use today?” Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting …..
So work like you don’t need money. Love like you’ve never been hurt, and, Dance like no one’s watching. If you want to brighten someone’s day, pass this on to someone special. I just did! Wishing you a beautiful, daffodil day! Don’t be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin. ~anonymous
Left takes power in World Cup Sangakkara praises Sri Lanka’s golden oldies Lions feel the crush after 10 weeks of rugby Cape braces itself for 200 000 soccer fans
-Where can you watch rugby on TV?-
Click here to find out where in most countries!
It is now April and we have not had much response to our request for contributions to our newsletter. It is not easy to come up with new stuff all the time and we largely depend on you, the reader. So, to all those people who subscribe to our newsletter and to those who send us enthusiastic emails about how they enjoy reading it …….. why not put pen to paper yourself and lend us a hand. You are probably sitting at the computer right now so how about it. Let our readers enjoy your story! You might have a nice recipe to part with or perhaps a question to ask? You never know how you could help somebody else with your own hints and tips. Share it with other people around the world!
So if you need Boerewors just click on Just imagine some “lekker” pap and wors with a nice tomato and onion sauce! Our Boerewors is vacuum packed in quantities of about 500 gram.
Droëwors, as it is known in South Africa, is as much part of the country’s culinary culture as Biltong, Pap, Boerewors and Potjiekos. We have around 150kg Droëwors in stock right now but please hurry because it always seems to disappear like snow before the sun. The price is € 28.00 per kg or € 7.00 per 250 gram packet. Droëwors travels well and posting is an ideal option. See all the information and mailing rates by going to www.boerewors.be Interested? Just complete the order form you find when you go to the www.boerewors.be web site or give us a call on +32 (16) 53.96.25 or email.
Spring is here and the summer is nigh and it is time to start planning your special functions. Lamb on the Spit is a way of entertaining as only known by very few mainly because it is thought
Together with the lamb we will treat you to a big pot of curried potatoes as well as a choice between a pasta salad or three-bean salad. Garlic or bread rolls are included as well.
Booking early is essential and you can do so on
+32 (16) 53.96.25 or email us. (A Lamb on the Spit can only be done outside because we cook on coals!)
You can click on the links below to view some of the previous issues of our newsletter.
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There is this tradition in some of the northern provinces of Holland that once the first Kiewit egg is found, spring has officially arrived. The person who finds this egg takes it to the Town hall where it is, with much ceremony, handed to the Queen’s representative of the province.
Now that it is spring we can enjoy the incredible colours of the blossoms on the trees and shrubs. Bright yellow, deep pink and, well, too many to mention. Just have a look at the picture on the left!
Was I in for a surprise that morning.
And……… we are going to make you part of the celebrations with some very special prices on most of our goodies!
So ….. what are you waiting for??
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, ” Daffodil Garden .” We got out of the car, each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight.
Our customers took heed and came in their droves to stock up for the Easter Weekend!
Our spices are of course imported especially from South Africa so you will get the “real” thing!
