west coast newsletter september

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LEES ISABELLA NIEHAUS SE BLOG OP SARIE

WHAT IS HIP HOT & HAPPENING

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Aurora
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Langebaan
Leipoldtville
Lutzville & Koekenaap
Malmesbury

Moorreesburg

Paternoster

Piketberg

Porterville

Redelinghuys

Riebeek Kasteel
Riebeek-West
Saldanha
St Helena Bay
Strandfontein
Vanrhynsdorp
Velddrif
Vredenburg

Wittewater

Wupperthal
Yzerfontein

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South African Tourism

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Western Cape Tourism

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Cape Namibia Route

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West Coast Peninsula

West Coast September Newsletter

On the farm

Darling

The Dormehl Property Group

Dormehl Property Group Darling is a real estate company situated in
Darling specialising in property
in the Western Cape.

Darling

Two Homes in the Village

A Unique Country Residence or a Country Manor in the sought after tranquil West Coast village of Darling.

Click here for more information

Click on the Blue Door to visit

Dormehl Property Group Darling on Nosy Rosy

Cape Town Opera

is proud to announce that it will be staging

Verdi’s La Traviata

at the Opera House, Artscape on the 11 , 13, 19, 21 & 22 October 2011 and have put together a special package deal for its “out of town” supporters!

This offer is extended to not only the West Coast but also to our readers in Hermanus and Overberg as well

Prepare to be carried away and swept up!

Contact Lynda on 021 410 9928

Click here to email Lynda

Riebeek Valley News

Riebeek Cellars is Proud to announce

GENERAL SMUTS COMES HOME, AS RIEBEEK CELLARS' VIOGNIER
WINS SA'S TOP 2011 WINE TROPHY

South Africa, Western Cape, Riebeek-Kasteel, 25nd August 2011: The prestigious General Smuts Trophy for the 2011 South African Champion Wine was awarded to Riebeek Cellars for their superb Viognier, at a ceremony held at Muisbosskerm on the West Coast on Friday.

'We are honoured that the judges of the South African Wine Show have chosen to reward our efforts,' said Cellar Master Zakkie Bester. 'But it's only fitting,' he added with a characteristic twinkle in his eye, 'as General Jan Smuts was born in our valley, just a few kilometres away.'

The Riebeek Cellars Viognier was one of only 58 Class Winners, of which just 17 were awarded Champion status, with just one wine going on to be declared the trophy-winner and the country's best young wine of the year. Significantly, it's the first time in the history of the competition that the top honour has gone to a Viognier.

'It's an extremely special wine,' says Viticulturist Hanno van Schalkwyk. 'The grapes come from just two rows in one carefully selected block. The vines are meticulously groomed, pruned and suckered. Then they are hand-picked and kept overnight before again being hand-selected for crushing.'

Says Senior Winemaker Eric Saayman, 'In the cellar, everything is done by hand; no part of the process is mechanised. The wine is wild fermented, then it's not pumped but poured into new 500 litre French oak barrels.'

Prior to the competition, the Viognier had spent 6 months on wood. A further 6 months will ensure optimal polymerisation and softening of the tannins, if anything resulting in an even more impressive wine, before just 1000 litres are bottled under the Cellar's Kasteelberg label.

'That's the total output of this limited release wine,' says Bester. 'It's not one of those wines that is carefully crafted just to win awards and then you find something different in the bottle.'

Not to be outdone, the Riebeek Cellars red team also put in an impressive showing, with their unwooded Pinotage beating out many wooded entries to scoop the Trophy for Champion Pinotage, and the only unwooded Pinotage to win gold.

'The judges commented on the fruitiness,' says Wine Maker Alicia Boshoff, 'and while this is characteristic of our wines, in this case we identified a quarter of our Pinotage block that, due to slope and soil type, ripens early. So we picked it earlier and incorporated it with the rest, giving the wine it's distinctive and quite exceptional fruit; so yes, unusual but also typical of the hot, dry, stony soil it was grown in.'

And all this as the celebrations were just dying down after Riebeek Cellars had swept the boards at the hotly contested Swartland Wine Show. Already the Viognier had given some idea of its potential, stealing the show as Swartland Champion wine and Class Winner in the 'Scarce White Cultivars' category. And already the Pinotage had claimed the Dry Red Trophy.

But this was supported by impressive depth, with no less than eleven class winners taking top honours in the wooded and unwooded Chardonnay, Rosé, Dry White Blend, wooded Viognier, wooded Dry Red Blend, wooded and unwooded Petit Verdot, wooded Cabernet Sauvignon, unwooded Pinotage and Cape Ruby categories.

Industry pundits are fond of calling it 'a good year'. But with accolades like these pouring in, it's a justifiable claim indeed. No doubt, General Smuts himself would have been suitably impressed.

For more information, pack shots or to interview one of the Wine Makers, please call Alta Saayman on +27 (0)22 4481213 or email alta@riebeekcellars.co.za.

For info please contact Lucille on 022 448 1213

or email by clicking on address lucille@riebeekcellars.co.za

Flower Update

Click above to find out where the flowers are.

Updated weekly

Last Update 29/09/11

Piketberg

Fynbos

The Morea Gigandra in Bloom

Moraea gigandra L.Bolus Moraea tulbaghensis L.Bolus

Visuals

The Morea Gigandra will be in bloom in about 2 weeks time. The Morea Gigandra is an Iridaceae (part of the iris family). Locally it’s known as the “Grootflappie”. Sadly the Morea Gigandra has an Endangered conservation status.
Moraea Gigandra is a winter-growing, summer-dormant geophyte. In the case of M. Gigandra the storage organ is a well-developed corm that is annually replaced and consists of a short, solid, vertical stem surrounded by strong outer corm tunics.

Moraea Gigandra has an extremely limited distribution in renosterveld vegetation in an inland area of the Western Cape. It is on the verge of extinction here due to the ploughing up of its natural habitat for the planting purposes of winter cereal crops, and today survives in just a few, scattered remnant populations on low hill slopes and flats in moist, heavy, clay soil.

Luckily Moraea Gigandra can be viewed on a local farm here in Piketberg, “Die Brug”.

Be sure to view this wonderful plant when in bloom.

Please contact Philip at 084 4910 182 to view these flowers, as they are on private property.

Contact Piketberg Tourism for Flower and traveling in the area info

022 913 2063

Nieuwoudtville

Hi there

The flowers in and around Nieuwoudtville are still very beautiful. Some are going off, but new one's
are already starting to bloom. The Sparaxis elegans, Sparaxis tricolour and the Geisoorhiza splendidissima are starting to
bloom now. They can be found on the 'Trekpad' flower route, Hantam National Botanical garden, Matjiesfontein, Papkuilsfontein and Biekoes.
These places also have a wide variety of other flowers, like the Hesperantha pauciflora, Hesperantha cucullata,Spiloxene serrata, Babiana's, Nemesia's, Gazania's, Lapeirousia jacquinii, Romulea diversiformis, Lachenalia's, Moraea's, Ixia's and many more.
The Hesperantha vaginata can be found on Papkuilsfontein.
At the Quiver tree forest the vygies are also still very beautiful.
We still have fields of flowers to be seen and the orchid species still has to bloom.
We are also on facebook,'Nieuwoudtville', to keep the tourist up to date with the flowers.

For more info you can contact the info office at 027 218 1336 or email them at info@nieuwoudtville.com

Thank you and kind regards
Mandie Kotze

Thank you Mandie for your beautiful photos to visit Mandies Grasberg Guest Farm page click Here

My food Heritage

If I think about my food heritage and the passion for good food that drives and inspires me everyday, I cannot help but think of the hands that formed and shaped my love for food. Hands that lovingly knead the bread dough to the perfect consistency. I remember fondly how my gran would sit in her garden, enamel bowl on her lap, peeling the vegetables for the stew of the day. No matter what my food memory is, loving and caring hands always seem to be part of it. Nurturing, comforting, guiding, protecting and helping hands always. I am indeed blessed beyond measure, thank you!
I therefore dedicate this article to all the mamas, grans, fathers, aunts and uncles who so caringly left this huge legacy for us to enjoy.

Another huge contributing factor to my kitchen successes and that of my mom and gran, is the Kook en Geniet or “ Cook and Enjoy” as it was recently translated. I think it could be seen as the South African peer of Julia Child's Master the art of French Cooking and is a comprehensive collection of recipes, menu plans, nutritional information and general cooking information. It should be the first cookbook you buy as a young aspiring cook and in my opinion it would still make a wonderful gift for an about-to-get-married couple. No cookbook collection will be complete without it.
One of the dishes that my mom used to make from her "Kook en Geniet", is Smoorsnoek. ( a typical Cape Malay dish made with smoked or fresh snoek, potatoes, onions and spices.) Traditionally served on rice with a slice of wholegrain farm bread and jam)
Coming from a family that clearly loves food, it is almost inconceivable to think that we would buy smoked snoek, so on our recent trip to Hermanus, I stalked my dad while he so carefully and lovingly smoked a snoek for my mom to make smoorsnoek.
Before I give you the recipe for smoorsnoek, here are my dad's handy and helpful hints to help you smoke your own snoek.

1. Use Kaapse Akker sawdust - I think the English version would be Old Oak.
2. Use only a light sprinkling of herb salt - too salty or too fresh is no good.
3. The snoek need no more than 20 minutes in the smoker. Longer than that and the smoky taste will be too overpowering.
4. The above applies to a free standing counter top smoker.

Smoorsnoek

500gr smoked snoek - flaked and bones removed

1 large onion - chopped

½ of each green pepper, red pepper and yellow pepper - chopped
2-3 large potatoes - peeled and cut in chunks
salt/pepper
lemon juice and zest - optional
fresh parsley - chopped
olive oil
about 125ml chicken stock

Heat the oil in a pot and add the onion and peppers. Saute until it becomes transparent. Add the potatoes and the stock. Place the lid on the pot and allow the potatoes to cook until soft. By now there must be very little(if any) liquid left in the pot. Add the flaked fish and warm through. Add the chopped parsley and lemon zest and juice. Taste and season accordingly.
Serve with steamed fluffy white rice , thick slices of farm loaf and jam

Click on visuals for

More Smoked Snoek Recipes

Smoked Snoek Pate Snoek Terrine

Snoek Quiche

Click here to connect to Nina's blog

Click to email Nina; myeasycooking@gmail.com

Nieuwoudtville area

Grasberg Guest Farm

Grasberg is situated near Nieuwoudtville on the Northern Bokkeveld Plato in the Hantam Karoo.

Grasberg is a beautiful farm with old sandstone buildings, a rich history and a wide range of wildflowers and bulb plants to feast your eyes on.
In the flower season we have tours on the farm.
There are also some nice mountain bike routes to ride.

The hiking trails are beautiful with something different around each turn.

We have 2 self-catering houses, with personal little touches, and equipped with everything that you need, to make you feel at home.

The Grasberg river runs only in the winter until late spring and also feeds the Nieuwoudtville waterfall.

We farm with wheat, sheep and rooibos tea. You are welcome to come and join in and experience the farm life with us.

Click on visual to see web page on Nosy Rosy

For Bookings and General info, contact
Mandie Kotze 0272181228 or 0837722918 or Click on email: grasberg@hantam.co.za

South Africa

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Cansa Update South Africa

CANSA Celebrates 80 Years of Caring

CANSA has been caring for and improving the lives of countless South Africans for 80 years, thanks to our big family of caring volunteers, staff and those members of the public who have supported our work financially. CANSA relies on donations from you in order to continue to reach our goals in terms of service delivery to those affected by cancer.

See CANSA's Service Delivery Report-Back: 2010 to 2011...

Annually, 12 million people worldwide hear the words "you have cancer". In South Africa, approximately 100000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year and over 60000 lose the battle against cancer. The reality is that 1 in 4 South Africans is affected by cancer in their lifetime, with more than 90% of cancers being caused by environmental factors. CANSA is fighting cancer in South Africa and you can help by supporting the work that CANSA does in your community.

CANSA’s Holistic Care & Support Service

Acknowledging the latest national and international trends with regards to cancer and those affected by cancer, we have identified a growing need from the public and cancer survivors for a more holistic and supportive care programme.

Helping cancer survivors to manage their treatment...
CANSA Care Centres countrywide now provide holistic care and support to cancer survivors and those affected by cancer, from the time of diagnosis, through all phases of need, including survivorship. This includes prevention, early detection and support programmes.

Survivors are also taught how to better manage side effects or complications resulting from their treatment and support is also provided on an emotional and spiritual level at the Care Centres.

Three cancer survivors share their journey to recovery with CANSA...

For an overview of CANSA's unique, integrated service to those affected by cancer, download the CANSA Cares Service Leaflet: English | Afrikaans and read more About CANSA...

Help CANSA Make a Difference in Your Community

• Become a volunteer
• Make a monthly donation to support CANSA’s work
• Support your local CANSA Care Centre
• Support CANSA's Research Projects - Science & Resource Centre and Watchdog Role

R50 could provide a cancer survivor with CANSA's Cancer Coping Kit Audio programme;

R100 could help us train volunteers to provide one-on-one support to cancer survivors;

R150 could help man the CANSA Toll Free Call Centre for 30 minutes;

R200 could help us print 500 awareness pamphlets;

R500 could help us provide lodging to cancer survivors undergoing treatment far from home;

R4600 could help keep our Mobile Clinics going for a day

Queries CANSA

To find out more about the specific care and support services offered at your nearest Care Centre, click here for contact details.

For more information, please contact Lucy Balona, Executive Manager: Marketing and Communication at CANSA

email: lbalona@cansa.org.za, call 011 616 7662

visit www.cansa.org.za

call CANSA toll-free 0800 22 66 22,

email: info@cansa.org.za

Vredenberg and Surrounds

Interesting people of the West Coast

Everybody needs that “Go to Guy” when it comes to your PC/computer/laptop.

Here is one that comes recommended. Gert of Computahaven in Vredenberg is the guy. He has been looking after our computer needs for the last 7 years.

What is Computahaven all about?

Gert sells PC’s, cameras, printers, big screen projectors, fold up screens. If you are looking for a display board for slide projection look no further. Gert repairs laptops, PC’s, printers, and projectors. Here you can have your PC custom built, a Gaming PC built to your specifications.

Gert has a specialized internet gaming centre on the premises that can accommodate 10-12 gamers. There are also facilities for LAN parties for groups, companies, birthday parties and kids. Discuss your refreshment needs with Gert.

Photography is another of Gert’s passions he also does weddings, parties, model shoots etc.

Computahaven

7 Leerdam St.

Vredenberg

Contact Gert on 022 713 4037 / 082 940 5002

or Click on email address

computahaven@telkomsa.net

Piket-bo-berg/ Riebeek West

Over the past months I have been selling continental sausages at Piket Bo-Berg Farmers Market, last Saturday of the month, as well as the Funky Fresh Market in Riebeek-West, first Saturday of the month after realising that there was a need for a selected variety of Continental Style sausages&polony at both of these monthly markets.

My products are made by a Swiss-German family butcher/friend in Cape Town and the stock is brought through to Tulbagh the evening before the market – therefore my stock is always fresh!
I currently sell smoked and air-dried sausages which include: Landjaeger, Merguez, Soujouk, Plain & Pepper Salametti, Italian Fennel (also known as Hot Italian).
In addition I also have a range of Teewurst, Mettwurst, Zwiebelmett, Kalbsleberwurst, Zwiebeling as well as Bockwurst, Bauernbratwurst, Weisswurst, Knackwurst, Cooked Ham, Back Bacon, Streaky Bacon, Bierkugel.

At every market we sell freshly grilled Bockwurst& Bratwurst in addition to our Gourmet Sandwiches with a range of fillings and toppings.

Should you require any of my stock,

please call Angela on 082 770 7678

on the Monday before the Market, so that it will be ready for your collection.
I do carry a full list of other products, with basic descriptions, and this is available upon request at the markets

Piketberg