A Selection of Organic Wines for the Perfect Picnic Outing!

Wine and/or cap classique make up an important part of any special picnic. For me it is important to strive to always support the farmers that are trying to make a difference to our precious earth. There are some wonderful organic wines out there. The best part is that more of these organic wines are being released as time goes by. So before we know it there will be a bigger selection of organic wines offered via the mainstream outlets.

Below I have identified a few of these farms that are leading the way with yummy organic wines.

Avondale Wines:
www.avondalewine.co.za

Terra Est Vita – ‘Soil is Life’
At Avondale we practise sustainable and natural viticulture in line with our ethos Terra Est Vita – ‘Soil is Life’.  We know that for the land and the business to thrive, every aspect of our living system must also thrive.  In everything that we do, we uphold the key principle of Life – to constantly create conditions conducive to more Life.

Org De Rac Wines:
http://www.orgderac.co.za

Our approach at Org de Rac stems from a deep respect and commitment to the natural environment, the people involved in making our wine and the people who will finally enjoy our wine.

Steller Organic Wines:
http://stellarorganics.com

Stellar Winery, South Africa's largest producer of fine organic wines, processes organically-grown grapes for the South African and export markets. The grapes are drawn from farms in the Lower Olifants River Valley, part of the Namaqualand area of the Western Cape. This is an area famous for its spring flowers and is also the only semi-arid Biosphere hotspot in the world.

Waverley Hills Organic Wines:
http://www.waverleyhills.co.za

Waverley Hills Estate is situated between Tulbagh and Ceres, South Africa, at the foothills of the breathtaking Witzenberg Mountain Range. The fertile Oakleaf yellow clay terrain is impregnated with river stones, resulting in well-drained soils with excellent water holding capacity. All the vineyards are irrigated with pure mountain spring water and are located on a natural watershed area where both the Breede and Berg rivers originate. 

Bon Cap Organic Wines:
http://www.boncaporganic.co.za/

Seven generations of our family have lived on this farm. Growing grapes since the late 1920’s Bon Cap Organic Wine Cellar produced its first wines in 2002, the same year the farm received full organic status. 

Warm Gluhwein Recipe for Cold Winter's Nights

There is nothing better than a warm glass of gluhwein to help you get rid of the winter blues. Today is a typical winter's day in Cape Town which makes me long for a cozy fireplace, a glass of gluhwein and my husband to cuddle with. In the spirit of winter I decided to find us a tasty recipe.

Recipe 1 – GLÜHWEIN

750ml red wine
2/3 cup of sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
5 cloves
1 big bay leaf
1 sliced up lemon
1 sliced up orange
2 cardamom pods
1 Vanilla pod

Just mix it all together in a pot and mull it over medium heat for about and hour or so.Do not let the concoction come to a boil.

Recipe 2 – GLÜHWEIN with a South African twist

2 Rooibos tea bags
500ml Boiling Water
125ml sugar
1 orange peel
2 cinnamon sticks
10ml crushed cloves
1 bottle red wine (750ml)

Make strong rooibos tea with the bags and boiling water.

Add the sugar, orange peel, cinnamon, cloves and red wine and let it simmer slowly for 20 minutes. Remove the teabags, cinnamon & orange peel and serve warm.

 Recipes and Photo Credit courtesy of  http://www.freerecipes4all.com/

What have you done today to make yourself proud?

Aquila Owner, Searl, trying to get medicated water to Absa
Photo Credit: Getaway Magazine

My heart is saddened by yet another brutal rhino poaching this past week. Absa, the first rhino introduced to Aquila game reserve, died after 5 days of fighting for his life after poachers brutally removed his horns. To date 279 rhinos have been killed across South Africa. If they keep going at this rate there will be more than 400 rhino deaths for 2011 in SA alone. Where will this end? This is all for greed and money. Have people gone crazy, do they not care, do they not realise by killing and destroying our precious animals and earth, they are indirectly hurting themselves and robbing their own children and people from their heritage. I am outraged at this and will do everything I can to help make a difference.

You can also make a difference by doing the following:

1) Sign these petitions

http://www.mypetition.co.za/index.php?page=sign_petition&petition_id=504

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/africa-geographics-stop-killing-rhinos-petition/

2) Join the Woolworths My School My planet Campaign and choose The Rhino Fund as beneficiary.
This costs you nothing. Woolworths has committed to donate a certain percent of profits everytime that someone swipes their card while shopping at any of their stores. Please read more about this campaign here:
http://www.myschool.co.za/villages-and-planets/494-ewt-myplanet-rhino-fund

SA Top Ten Picnic Spots

Top 10 Picnic spots as per http://www.southafrica.net/

Kirstenbosch Gardens {Picture courtesy of Dial-a-Picnic}

1 Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

Indigenous flora and immaculate lawns plus delicious people watching potential because numerous Cape Malay couples who come to take wedding photos in the park. Rhodes Drive, Newlands, Cape Town, Western Cape Tel 021 799 8783

2 Sandy Bay Beach

This nudist beach is not a family picnic spot but naked grown-ups like to picnic too. Beautiful beach completely free from whining whipper-snappers. South of Llandudno Beach, Cape Town, Western Cape

3 Melkbosstrand

West Coast wonderful at it’s most pristine. Sit under the milkwood trees watching whales or bring a bucket and spade for the white sandy beach. 20 minutes from Cape Town, West Coast Road, Western Cape

Yummy Tzatziki Recipe

 

Courtesy of http://greekfood.about.com/

Cool and creamy, this tangy cucumber dip flavored with garlic is the perfect compliment to grilled meats and vegetables. It's served on the side with warm pita bread triangles for dipping, and is also used as a condiment for souvlaki.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced finely
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper
• 1 cup greek yogurt, strained
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh dill

Preparation:

Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until well combined. Using a whisk, blend the yogurt with the sour cream. Add the olive oil mixture to the yogurt mixture and mix well. Finally, add the cucumber and chopped fresh dill. Chill for at least two hours before serving.
Garnish with a sprig of fresh dill just before serving.

Smoked Snoek Pate

Courtesy of: http://www.voilacapetown.com/

Snoek pate recipe is very South African. It's so nice on a piece of toast served with a glass of Sauvignon blanc. We serve it for aperitif or for starter with a nice green salad. 

SMOKED SNOEK PATE

Ingredients

200 g good quality smoked snoek

250 g creamed cottage cheese

¼ cup of mayonnaise

1 table spoon of lemon juice

1 table spoon of fresh ginger and garlic

1 chopped onion

2 gherkins

30 ml chopped fresh parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Remove skin and bones form the snoek and flake. <>Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Season with salt and black pepper and spoon into small dishes.

Keep refrigerated for minimum half day and maximum 5 days.

New Rudi's Free Range Sausage

Wow, last night at our favourite market, Earth Fair Market - Tokai, we bought the most delicious sausage from Rudi's Sausage Deli. If you have never tasted sausage from Rudi's Deli, then you have not lived. It is to die for. You will never go back to buying any boerewors from the shop. Our personal favourite is their Ollie's boerewors. Ollies taste like boerewors use to taste when we were small before they started adding all the cereal and other nonsense.

Rudi’s specialises in speciality sausages made according to the world’s traditional recipes, especially Argentine, French, German, Italian and Spanish style sausages.

None of the ingredients or spices used in the manufacture of these sausages contains any preservatives or M.S.G. No additives to create bulk like Soya, Rusk or potato starch is used and Rudi’s prides itself on the 100% meat content of the sausages.

All the spices are hand mixed and only home grown herbs are used. No pre-packed sausage spice packs are used. Rudi’s uses different wines, spicy traditional wines, ports and vinegars to add flavour and act as a preservative in the sausage. Some of the recipes require the sausages to be smoked. These are smoked in a large smoker using Apple or Oak Wine vat shavings, thereby lending their own flavour to the sausages. Sausages that need to be cured, such as German Salami or Chorizo sausages, are placed in a large temperature and humidity controlled cellar under the butchery. There they can cure from 1 week to up to 6 months. 

Do yourself a favour and headover to The Earth Fair Market or the Stellenbosch Fresh Goods Market, this Saturday and buy your Rudi's sausage. You won't regret it.

Today is Earth Fair Market Day!

This is one of my favourite markets to go to! I absolutely love it! It is in the middle of the week, so you don't have to wait until the weekend to get into the mood for trying new treats. The energy of this market has such a nice feel to it. Relaxed, buzzing, but not crowded, no snooty people and fabulous products. I really have fun when I visit this market. As soon as you walk in the door you can get yourself a well deserved glass of wine or locally brewed beer and then you can start the browsing and tasting. For those of you who visits straight from work, there are yummy prepared meals to have for supper. Saves you from heading home and cooking. From falafels, to pizza to vegetarian moussaka, there are more than enough options to keep you satisfied.

For more details you can visit their website http://www.earthfairmarket.co.za/

The History of Picnicking

By http://www.picnic-basket.com/ 

In our world today, picnic simply means a pleasurable outing at which a tasty meal is eaten outdoors, preferably in a beautiful landscape. But did you know that the relaxing and carefree act of eating outdoors and sharing quality time with those you care about has its roots back in the medieval times in England?

    Picnics evolved from the elaborate traditions of outdoor feasts enjoyed by the wealthy. Medieval hunting feasts and Renaissance era country banquets can be credited with laying the foundation of the outdoor dining experiences we enjoy today. The history of picnicking is credited to the Europeans, and nowadays people all around the world enjoying participating in these leisurely outings.

    In Europe during the 14th century, the earliest picnics were medieval hunting feasts in England. These feasts before the hunt began were of special importance and the main foods that could be found at these feasts would be hams, baked meats and pastries.