I just love smoothies! Right click here to download an eBook containing 204 smoothie recipes. Enjoy!

This is going to be another regular feature......this article with thanks to Glenacres Superspar  newsletter.  To subscribe, click here and send the blank email. 

HEAD LICE
There is an outbreak of head lice at the schools again, so I decided to give you some information on this problem.
Lice are barely visible, blood-sucking parasites that live on hairy parts of the human body.
They seldom cause medical problems, but are very contagious and can be annoying.
Intense scratching can break the skin and lead to bacterial infections.
There are 3 types of lice:- head lice, which we will discuss here - body lice and pubic lice. Treatment depends on the area infected.
Contrary to popular belief, head lice are not related to poor hygiene, they prefer clean hair to dirty hair.
Treatment must kill the adult lice as well as the eggs (nits) on the body, bedding and clothing to be effective.

Lice are barely visible wingless insects between 1 and 3mm in size, about the size of a seseme seed. The nits are barely visible, whitish ovals cemented to the hair shafts. They spread easily from person to person by sharing clothes, towels, bedding, brushes and by body contact.
Every 4 hours or so, a louse bites into a tiny blood vessel for a meal. Because it injects anaesthetic, you won't feel the initial bite, however when the saliva gets under your skin, bites begin to itch.

Symptoms are intense itching on the scalp, especially behind the ears and at the nape of the neck. Children may hardly notice head lice or may have only a vague scalp irritation in the beginning. With advanced infestation, the scalp may become red and inflamed, with swollen glands near the area where the lice are living.

Once you have been infected with adult lice, they will attach their eggs (nits) to hair shafts on various parts of the body. The nits hatch in 8 - 10 days, producing more lice. Lice can live up to a week on items such as bedding, sleeping bags, clothing and towels.

Examine the scalp for tiny grey insects, usually at the nape of the neck or back of the head, where there is most hair. Also look for shiny, small, greyish-white oval-shaped eggs firmly stuck close to the base of the hair shafts. They look like flakes of dandruff that cannot be brushed off.

The goal of the treatment is to remove all lice and nits. This usually requires repeated efforts, because a few adult lice may escape by hiding in clothing or bedding, and eggs are difficult to kill.

The most common treatment for head lice is to kill the adults with an insecticide shampoo, freely available at all pharmacies, and to clear out nits with a special fine-toothed comb, also available at pharmacies. Of the medication for lice, permethrin is the safest and most effective, and most pleasant to use. For best results, follow the directions exactly. Other family members should be treated too - about 60% of infected children have relatives who carry lice. To eliminate all lice and successfully prevent reinfection, wash all clothing, bedding and towels in very hot, soapy water and dry them in a hot dryer. You can also disinfect bedding and other items such as hats and clothing, by placing them in a sealed plastic bag for 14 days - the nits will hatch in about a week and die of starvation. Brushes and combs can be disinfected by soaking them in hot, soapy water for 10 minutes.

Prevention of head lice, especially among children, is very difficult, since lice spread quickly from head to head. If you discover lice on your child, notify the school or day-care authorities immediately. Infected children should be kept at home until they are properly treated.

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My Recipe CD has now been updated and now includes 50 Recipe eBooks as well as 8 Bonus eBooks (4 eBooks on making, marketing and selling crafts for profit) Click here to take a look and also download your free Low Fat recipe eBook (that works out to about R2 per recipe book! sheessshhh!)

Hello Peter,
Just to let you know that I received my recipe CD today in the mail and I'm over the moon about it.
I'm going to spread the word to others to order copies too. It's most certainly worth every cent..........
Thanks again,
LC

Glenacres Superspar sends out a really nice newsletter full of super recipes. To subscribe, click here and send the blank email. 

Peanuts are a popular ingredient in sub-Saharan cuisine but here is a yummy recipe, much closer to home:

Pasta à la South Africa

250g tagliatelle pasta
15ml garlic butter
1 small onion, sliced
½ green pepper, cut into strips
250g mushroom, thickly sliced
500ml thinly sliced biltong
3 feta cheese rounds
250ml cream
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, drain and keep warm
2. Heat the garlic butter in a heavy based pan and sauté the onions and green peppers until soft
3. Add the mushrooms and sauté until lightly browned
4. Add the biltong and feta cheese and heat through, stirring continuously
5. Add the cream and bring to the boil
6. Season with salt and pepper and serve on the cooked pasta

Go take a look at my Wacky Sarmies page, there are some great sarmie ideas!

Sliced banana and cinnamon sugar
Peanut butter and cheese
Toasted bacon and banana
Toasted mince and pickles
Cheese and tomato sauce (ketchup)
Bread with butter and apricot jam, topped with mashed potato! (KFC works just great with the gravy!)
Bread and butter with gravy poured over, eat with knife and fork
Vetkoek with slap chips as a filling!

Source: Sunday Times

1947: The first Dead SSea Scrolls are discovered, Robert Broom unearthes Mrs. Ples, Indai and Pakistan gain independence, the British royal family tour South Africa, Al Capone, Henty Ford and c. Louis Leipoldt die. The AK-47 is designed. 

This dates from the late 1800's

Zoute Ribbetjie (Salted rib)

Take a forequarter of mutton. Remove the neck and shoulder, and crack the ribs across. Rub into the meat salt, sugar and a small quantity of saltpetre.
Let it remain in this for two days, turning it occasionally. Hang it to drain, and if wanted smoked, hang it in a chimney where only wood is used.. Keep it there for a week. Wash well and boil till tender, then broil it over a charcoal fire.

Nature is wonderful. I envy the jobs of the game rangers and their wealth of bush knowledge. I have often wondered where one can read up on all the interesting facts. I would like to make this a regular feature of this newsletter, if you are able to contribute or would like to comment on the contribution below, please email me.

The aardwolf looks most like the Striped Hyena, but is significantly smaller and has a more pointed muzzle, sharper ears used for listening for harvester termites, black vertical stripes on a coat of yellowish fur, and a long mane down the middle line of the neck and back, which is raised during a confrontation to make the aardwolf's size appear bigger. It is 55–80 cm long, excluding its bushy 20–30 cm tail, stands about 40–50 cm at the shoulder, and weighs between 9 and 14 kg. Its front feet have 5 toes. Its teeth and skull are similar to that of the hyena, although the cheek teeth are specialized for eating insects, and its tongue for licking them up. As the aardwolf ages, it will normally lose some of its teeth, though this has little impact on their feeding habits due to the soft nature of the insects they consume. It has two glands at the rear that secrete a musky fluid for marking territory and communicating with other aardwolves.

Aardwolves are shy and nocturnal, sleeping in underground burrows by day. They usually use existing burrows of aardvarks, Old World porcupines or springhares, despite being capable of creating their own. By night, an aardwolf can consume up to 200,000 harvester termites using its sticky, long tongue. They take special care not to destroy the termite mound or consume the entire colony, which ensures that the termites can rebuild and provide a continuous supply of food. They will often memorise and return to nests to save the trouble of finding a new one. They are also known to feed on other insects, larvae, and eggs, and occasionally small mammals and birds. Unlike other hyenas, it does not scavenge or kill larger animals because of its weak jaw and small size.

The aardwolf is primarily solitary (especially with the males), but a mating pair will occupy the same territory with their young. Young aardwolves generally achieve sexual maturity after two years, and the breeding season varies depending on their location, but normally takes place during the autumn or spring. During the breeding season, male aardwolves will search their own territory as well as others' for a female to mate with. This can often result in conflict between two male aardwolves when one has wandered into another's territory. Gestation lasts between 90 and 110 days, producing 1 to 5 cubs (though it is normally between 2 and 3) during the rainy season when termites are active. The first six to eight weeks are spent in the den with the mother. After three months, they begin supervised foraging and by four months are normally independent. However, they will often use the same den as their mother until the next breeding season. They can achieve a lifespan of up to 15 years when in captivity.

Source: Wikipedia

Do you have family and friends all over the world? Does it cost you a fortune to buy and mail gifts to all of them? Why not buy one Recipe eBook and email it to everyone! Just think about the savings on postage! For my selection of eBooks (and CD's) just click here.

Afrikaans Newsletter

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Potjiekos recipe

Another new feature, from now on I will feature a potjie recipe with each newsletter. For those of you who are not familiar with a potjie (cast iron three legged pot) you may use a dutch oven.

Lamb is not my favourite, but I am sure a lot of you love it, so here goes:

Lamb potjie

Ingredients
45 ml olive oil
1 kg lamb, cubed
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
5 cm piece fresh ginger, grated
2 onions, chopped
10 ml mustard powder
10 ml ground cumin
10 ml ground coriander
2 litre hot chicken stock
250 g dried figs, halved and/or 1 packet dried apricots
salt and milled black pepper to taste
2 juice and rind of lemons
65 ml natural yoghurt

Method:
Heat the oil in the potjie and stir-fry the meat in batches until browned. Remove. Stir-fry the garlic, ginger and onion in remaining oil, adding more oil if necessary, until soft. Add the spices and fry for another minute. Return the meat to the pot, add the stock and figs and/or apricots. Cover and simmer for about one and a half hours until tender and done. Flavour with lemon juice and stir in the yoghurt just before serving. Serve with steamed vegetables and white rice. Serves 6.

A foursome is waiting on the men's tee while another foursome of ladies is hitting from the ladies' tee. The ladies are taking their time, when finally the last lady is ready to hit the ball.

She hacks it 10 feet; Goes over and hacks it another 10 feet, then hacks it another 10 feet.

She looks up at the men who are watching shrugs, and says apologetically, "I guess all those f#%king lessons I took this winter didn't help!"

One man immediately replies, "Well, there's your problem..... You should have taken golf lessons instead."

The old man had died. A wonderful funeral was in progress and the country preacher talked at length of the good traits of the deceased; what an honest man he was, what a loving husband and kind father he had been.

The widow, meanwhile was ever so slightly shaking her head, as she intently listened to the preacher's words.

Finally, the widow leaned over and whispered to one of her children....

"Erica, honey, go on up there and take a look in the coffin and see if that's your pa in there."

GREEN TEA
The most popular beverage in the world, but so many people don't recognise it as a herb.
Green tea has been used in Chinese medicines for 5000 years.
Scientists, in the 1970's, discovered that people who drank green tea, were less prone to heart attacks, high cholesterol, strokes, cancer, infections, and high blood pressure.
Today, and tea that contains flowers, bark, buds, leaves, or seeds, is called tea, but real tea is Camellia sinensis, and can be either black or green.
Tea loves acid soil, with lots of leaf mulch dug in. Their leaves like to be kept moist, with a mist sprayer system. The top 3-4 leaves are nipped off the top sprig of every branch.

COSMETIC USES
Green tea is an excellent skin refresher. Pour cooled green tea into a spritz-action bottle and use as a cool, refreshing toner.
Mix some green tea into your aqueous cream to use as a cleanser and make-up remover.

MEDICINAL USES
Green tea is a powerful antioxidant. The powerful antioxidant phenols boost the immune system and ease chronic coughs and colds.
These antioxidants help prevent and repair cell damage that is in the beginning stages of cancer, heart disease, cataracts and macular degeneration.
Green tea is also a stimulant, antibacterial, diuretic and astringent.
Green tea helps reduce blood cholesterol levels, has anti-tumour properties, and is a general tonic.
Dentist believe that gargling and rinsing with green tea helps reduce tooth decay, as it is rich in natural fluoride.
** Please note that people with irregular heart beats, pregnant woman and nursing mothers should not take more than 1-2 cups of green tea daily.
Cooled green tea can be used as a lotion to treat skin cancer.
If you are overtired and aching all over, sip a cup of green tea in a hot bath, to which a big pot of green tea has been added, for instant revival.

CULINARY USES
Two teaspoons in a cup of boiling water, makes a delicious, refreshing cuppa. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, or a teaspoon of honey if desired. Cooled tea can also be added to fruit juices, jellies, syrups, cakes, jams and iced teas. Add to stocks, stews and even soups for extra nourishment.

The FunkyMunky Herb eBook is now available. 48 popular herbs, descriptions and uses with photos. Immediately available, will be emailed to you. Only R50 , send me an email for payment details.
I'm very impressed with what I've read so far. What I really like is that your book is a combination of medicinal and culinary advice, unlike many other herb books I've read.
And the format is great - thanks very much. I have an ambitious project to make a herb garden this year - so your section of herb gardens will come in very handy - Shelagh 
 

Zimbabwe update

I used to have a regular feature on my website that I called the Zimbabwe Letters. sadly my contact "went silent" and I didn't have a source any more. I am looking for another source (any volunteers?).

40 black rhinos poached from Zimbabwe's parks
Yahoo News

HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwe has lost about 40 black rhinos to poachers who have killed the animals in some government parks and conservancies over the past three years, a state daily said Saturday.

"At least 40 black rhinos have been poached in some government parks and conservancies in the country over the past three years," the state-run Herald said.
The newspaper quoted World Wide Fund (WWF) spokeswoman, Melody Maunze, as saying although other animals such as buffalos and lions were not in danger during that period, the black rhino was under siege.

"...We are are concerned about the increasing levels of poaching in conservancies, in particular, and some state parks," Maunze said.

"Efforts should be made to work with communities now settled in some conservancies to constructively engage in wildlife management, which would be a more economically viable option, suitable to local conditions than
traditional livestock production systems some of them are into."

The southern African country temporarily placed over 100 rhinos at a private conservancy in the southern part of Matabeleland last year following the continued poaching of the endangered species.

Under the Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species, no country is allowed to trade in rhino products following the massive decline in its population in the 1980s.

Southern African countries are currently working together to help boost the populations and recently Zimbabwe donated one black rhino to the Khama Wildlife Sanctuary in Serowe, Botswana. 

From: My Home, Zimbabwe
 

This South Africa - interesting facts and information

Tuning in to Tourism Radio

A South African company has become the first in the world to successfully launch a dedicated tourism radio station.

Tourism Radio, launched in Cape Town earlier this month, offers international visitors a convenient, inexpensive way to gather the information they need about the country as they travel through it.

The innovative service uses Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, installed in rental cars, to track the movements of its users, giving them information relevant to the particular area they are driving through.

Once a visitor opts to include Tourism Radio in their hired car - for as little as R10 to R15 a day - they simply tune in to Tourism Radio on 90.2FM to get cultural, historical and anecdotal information, as well as updates on nearby attractions and shows.

"What this means in practical terms is that if you're in Cape Town, you learn about the development of the Mother City, and when you drive to Stellenbosch, the focus of the broadcast travels with you ... it's that easy," says Tourism Radio founder and operations director Mark Allewell.

Pre-recorded shows focusing on local music, typical South African slang and the like are interrupted with up to date travel and weather reports or - if the visitor drives through an area of importance - with information about that area.

"It's like having a local person there in your car," says Allewell.

Tourism Radio spent the best part of two years developing its system, as well as eight months compiling all the relevant information.

According to Allewell, the pilot service in Cape Town will be followed by a nationwide launch by the end of 2006 - and could be exported, with partner firms Budget and National Alamo Car Rental spreading the word to their international car rental network.

"With partners like Vodacom, Budget and National Alamo helping us expand through South Africa and the world, we are very excited about our next stage of growth."

Source: SouthAfrica.info
The all-in-one official guide
and web portal to South Africa.  
 

Recipe Requests

Looking for a specific South African recipe? Email me and I will do my best to find it for you!

Add your suggestions to my Elephant Stew and Wacky Sarmies recipes.
 

Featured Website

Every issue I feature an interesting website with South African links.
 

The Recipes

Nasionale Poeding (National Pudding)
Not sure where the name originated from, probably from the national festivals we used to celebrate...

2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1 tablespoon butter

Sift flour and baking powder and rub butter in.. Mix with well beaten egg and a little water. Roll out and spread apricot jam on, then roll up again.

Syrup - make with

2 cups sugar
3 cups boiling water
1 dessertspoon butter
1 teaspoon flavoring

Pour syrup in long ovenproof dish, place dough in and bake for 1 hour at 180ºC

Depressie Poeding (Depression Pudding)
I seem to remember reading of the Great Depression way back in 1918?? The historians can correct me, please. 

25ml butter
30ml apricot jam
62.5ml sugar
10ml bicarbonate of soda
25ml vinegar
300g cake flour
2ml salt
375ml milk

Melt butter and place with apricot jam and sugar in mixing bowl and mix well. Dissolve bicarb of soda in vinegar and add to butter mixture. Mix well. Sift dry ingredients together well and add to mixture, alternating with adding milk and mix well. Ladle into greased ovenproof dish with prepared syrup (below). Bake at 180ºC till golden brown and done.

Syrup
1.25 litre water
300g brown sugar
2ml ground cinnamon

Heat all ingredients together over low heat till sugar is dissolved. Boil for 5 minutes and cool.

Afrikanerbond Poeding (can anyone help with translation and some background?)

50ml soft butter
200g sugar
1 egg
240g cake flour
10ml baking powder
2.5ml salt
250ml milk
5 ml vanilla essence

Mix butter and sugar well. Add egg and mix. Sift dry ingredients together and add to butter mixture, alternating with milk. Mix well. Add vanilla essence. Ladle into greased ringform and bake for 45-50 minutes at 190ºC. Serve with wine sauce, custard or cream.

Paul Kruger Cake
Possibly a favourite of Oom Paul?
Ingredients can be halved and be sufficient for two cake pans.

500g butter
500g brown sugar
10 eggs, separated
750g cake flour
5ml bicarbonate of soda
5ml salt
5ml ground cinnamon
8ml mace of nutmeg
5ml mixed spices
300ml brandy
2ml almond flavoring
500g currants
250g mixed peel

Mix butter and sugar till light and creamy. Add egg yolks separately and mix well after each addition. Sift dry ingredients together twice. Add almond flavoring to brandy and add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternating with brandy. Shake currants and peel together with some flour in a plastic bag and add to mixture. Mix well. Ladle into two lined, round, 250mm cake pans , and sprinkle some milk on the top to prevent cracking of the crust. Bake for 2 1/2 hours at 180ºC. Place a round piece of brown paper on top of each cake after 1 hour.

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