Boer met biltong

Ek het nou al 6 kg se biltong hierdie jaar verkoop, alles met een advertensie wat ek by die werk opgesit het.

Teen hierdie tempo gaan ek een van die dae aftree en boer met biltong.

Ek het my biltong-hok so bietjie opgegradeer en die toutjies met kettinkies vervang. 

Die toutjies sak te veel af as jy te veel gewig daaraan hang, waar die kettings altyd dieselfde spanning het, en die biltong kan nie afskuif en teen mekaar raak in die kas nie.  Die biltong hakkies haak ook maklik in die kettingkies in.

Dis ook nou baie maklik as jy onder wil werk, die boonste kettings haal maklik af en jy kan al die kettings uithaal as jy die hok wil skoonmaak.  Ek sit tinfoil onder in die hok, ek vou dit op teen die rante onder, en dan is daar die minimum gemors binne-in die hok as jy klaar is.  Haal die tinfoil uit en gooi weg en siedaar – ‘n skoon blink hout boks.  As jy regtig wil kan jy die kettings ook skoonmaak na die tyd.

Dis ‘n baie goedkoop oplossing.  Ek dink my hok se ontwerp is nou redelik uitgesorteer.  Stuur baie geld en ek stuur vir jou die afmetings en instruksies!

Party mense bestel sommer 2 kilos op ‘n slag, ek sal nou ‘n groter hok moet bou wat ‘n hele bees kan hanteer!  Net soos ek dink my voorraad gaan nog ‘n week hou, dan kry ek nog ‘n bestelling.  Dis dalk tyd om my prys op te stoot, teen $40 per kilo is dit die goedkoopste biltong in Perth.

Mensig, met ‘n klein bietjie harde werk kan mens baie geld maak…

The Big Aussie BBQ

Yesterday it was time to greet the queen in a real West Australian way – we had a massive barbeque on the Perth foreshore.

There were 120 barbeques, 120,000 sausages (unfortunately no boerewors), 8000 liters of tamato juice, 130,000 drinks and more than 100,000 people who came to greet the queen.

Public transport was free and we took the train into the city early Saturday morning.

Because we were there early we got into the main stage area, and we got close to the action.  This whole area was later locked off and the rest of the common folk had to go somewhere else to look at the queen on the big screens.

This created it’s own problems of course, because my youngest little darling wanted to go to the toilet, and I had to go through what seemed like 7 heavily guarded gates to get out, and had to get stamped to ensure that I’m allowed back in again.  The same applied if you wanted to buy sausages or drinks.  Security was tight and there was no mercy for anyone without the red stamp.

But it was great fun.  I’ve never had the opportunity to see the  queen in real life before, and I was surprised at how human-like her Duck was.  (I don’t know why this duck is always accompanying her, it must be some mascot or something.)

The crowd was extremely well-behaved, and the WA Police tweeted later:

“about 100,000 ppl/no arrests/1 move-on notice/3 elderly ppl collapsed (fine now)/3 kids reunited with carers #CHOGM”

It was an alcohol-free event after all, as the Premier correctly assumed that good decent Western Australians won’t start drinking at 9am on a Saturday morning…well, not the 200,00 that came to the foreshore anyway.

The national anthem was sung with pride and once again one couldn’t help but notice how much these people love their country and how proud they are to be Western Australians.  And that includes me.

We were close to the action, and when we asked my youngest what the queen looked like, her response was “she looks very old!”

Apparently Her Majesty also had a look at my daughter’s CHOGM photo earlier this week, and she was very impressed with this beautiful young girl from Africa.  She may even have smiled when she looked at it in admiration: 

On the way back we got off at Sterling station to run in to IKEA for a cheap lunch and drank free refill cold drinks till we burst. 

So, in one week we met the Premier of WA in person, and saw the queen and her Duck from Edinburgh.  What a week it was, indeed!

I need a holiday.

Die Koningin, die premier en die jets

Hier in die Wille Weste is mos nou groot dinge aan die broei. Al die groot kokkenosters van die Commonwealth lande kom vergader hier in Perth. Dis nou al maande lank wat beplan word vir die fancy koek-en-tee besigheid met die Queen en al die ander groot terroriste wat hier gaan tea-parties hou. Al Gaddafi se pelle kom ook – ou Zuma, Pohamba – net ou Bob (van Zim) is nie genooi nie, want hy het te veel geraas met ou Tony Blaar en die Queen se mense.

Hier is nou groot makietie hier Doer Onner. Ons fancy rooikop proim ministah het die queen gegroet sonder om haar se kniege te buig, want sy is mos darem ‘n moderne feminis wat nie tyd het vir fancy maniere nie.

Dis mos een van daai rare dinge hier in Australia – die Proim ministah ry met ‘n wit Holden – dis seker die enigste Commonwealth-land wie se groot kokkedoor nie in ‘n duur duitse voertuig rond-gekarwy word nie – die Holden is mos kamstig ‘n eg Australiese simbool. Hulle besef net nie dat die Holden eintlik ‘n simpel Opel is met ‘n ander badge op nie, en Opel is so Duits soos Hitler en sauerkraut.

Anyway.

Hier is hordes goeters gereël vir die affêre. Ons het selfs Saterdag ewe ‘n Big Barbeque with the Queen herself – en natuurlik gaan hierdie biltongboer nie die grootste moerse barbeque in wêreld-geskiedenis kan mis nie! Miskien kry ons nog ‘n ou kiekie van my en die ou antie – hou maar die nuus dop. Ek sal my mooi khaki safaripak aantrek net vir in geval. Met vellies, natuurlik.

Hier vlieg vreeslike goed rond – F18 hornets nogal. Hulle loer en kyk of die Sjinese of die Arabiere ons nie dalk wil binneval nie. Elke nou en dan vlieg hier ‘n hele spul Hornets hier reg oor ons koppe. Elke keer hol ek buitentoe om te gaan kyk, maar dis bewolk en die flippen pilots vlieg daar bo iewerste. Ek het twee van hulle nou die dag gesien daar in Leederville – man dis ‘n mooi ou stukkie vliegtuig daai. Wens net hulle wil my ‘n draai gee op die goed man.

Anyway, met al die duisende programme en planne was een van die planne om fotos te neem van verteenwoordigers van al die commonwealth lande wat nou in WA woon. Hulle kon mense kry van 50 van hierdie lande – almal woonagtig hier in die Wille Weste. Raai raai wie word toe die fancy family from Namibia? Dis net hy daai – julle eie ou biltongboer homselwers.

Hulle het ons een Vrydag middag daar in Kings Park afgeneem soos wafferse onderbroek-modelle. Na hulle elkeen van ons uit elke hoek en draai afgeneem het, het hulle besluit om my oudste dogter se foto te gebruik. Sy staan nou ewe en pronk daar in die Hay street Mall, en die oorspronklike kunswerk-foto staan in die staats-teater.

Ek en my twee meisiekinders het toe nou die aand gaan kyk toe hulle die teater se opening doen – en toe gesels ek bietjie met ons eie ou Premier van Wes Australia. Hy is ‘n vreeslike vrinnelike ou omie, en ek het gesê hy kan kom biltong proe by my huis as hy ‘n tydjie kry. Ek het net vergeet van my safaripak, maar ek dink ek was darem nie te onsmaakvol geklee vir ‘n suidwes biltongboer nie, of hoe?

As ek geweet het hy gaan daar wees, kon ek dalk vir hom ‘n ou biltongtjie saamgevat het – dit sou seker beter afgegaan het as die fancy vinger-etes wat hulle by die plek gehad het. Ons moes maar doen met die smoked salmon en allerhande fancy mushrooms met kaas en WA se beste wyne.

Ek wonder of die ou queen my biltong sal eet daar by die groot barbeque?

Cuito Cuanavale

Lekka storie om te kyk - Cassinga

Making Biltong Down Under

When you’re from Windhoek, you can only spend so much time without biltong.  I was practically raised on this stuff.  I can still remember the first time my granddad got a kudu and we carved it up into little pieces and hung it up in the little room in our backyard.  I was still very young, but I remember it fondly – like it was yesterday.  I can still taste that kudu when I think about it. 

After nearly three years in Perth, and having to buy beef biltong from local butchers at ridiculous prices, I have finally put aside enough time to build a decent biltong drying cage so that I can start making my own biltong.

At first I tried to use a cheap dehydrator, but I will not recommend this to anyone.  If you don’t have one that has variable temperature control, it will just cook your meat while it’s drying, and it will taste like bad army food.

The better way to make biltong is the traditional way – air drying.  I built myself a nice little cage out of flyscreen, rope and wooden planks, using a staple gun to attach the flyscreen to the sides.  The top and bottom covers are removable, to make it easy to access and clean the cage:

I also added some wheels to make it easier to drag this thing around the house:

The meat is prepared by marinading it in vinegar and the basic biltong spices: coriander, pepper, salt and a little brown sugar.

Then these spiced beauties are hung in the cage by attaching little hooks through them. S-shaped hooks made out of normal binding wire does the job perfectly.

Using a fan to help blow-dry the meat makes the curing process a little faster, but is not essential.  It does help, however, if you have moving air around the meat.

Look at these beauties – pure nature at it’s best: environmentally friendly, bio-degradable, and extremely good for my heart and emotional well-being:

A good piece of biltong is what makes life worth living.

(No additional animals were killed during the production of this blog…)

Pragtige natuurfotos

Hierdie natuurfotos is so mooi, my oë traan nou eintlik van vreugde:

Regte egte organic biltong – no other animals were harmed during the making of this product.  Completely biodegradable and environment-friendly.

Dit kan mos net ‘n ou biltongboer se hart blymaak om dit te sien.  My ou biltongkassie het ‘n goeie job gedoen.

Die lewe is ‘n fees!