Preparing Venison

Preparing Venison

1. Use only venison that has been field-dressed correctly.  Choose only deer meat that was cut, skinned, wrapped and refrigerated promptly by a professional or an experienced deer butcher.

  • Venison should also be aged for a period of 10-14 days after being dressed out. This allows the meat to dry out some, reducing the gaminess and making the meat more palatable.

2.  Trim away all visible fat. Unlike beef fat, which imbues the meat with flavor and helps to keep the meat moist, venison fat does not taste good and will do nothing for the texture of the meat. Using a sharp knife, trim away the connective tissue and fat from your cuts of venison before attempting to cook it.

  • You can discard deer fat, though it’s also commonly rendered into tallow, and makes for excellent soaps.
  • “Silverskin” is a thin membrane that you’ll find on many recently-processed cuts of venison, which you’ll want to remove if it hasn’t been already. It can be somewhat tedious but peeling it off the meat as much as possible will improve the flavor and also make it easier to cook.

3.  Marinate the meat overnight before cooking it. Venison has a strong, gamey flavor that you can highlight or mask, depending on the cut and what you hope to do with it. Learning a bit about how to match a cut to a marinade will help you tenderize the meat and add flavor. The best way to marinade venison is in a large gallon Ziplock bag in the refrigerator overnight.

  • Use thinner cuts with marinade and brine larger cuts. At most, an overnight marinade will only penetrate about a 1/8th of an inch into the meat, making marinading a large roast kind of pointless. Use thin strips of flank or backstrap to the marinade to get the most out of the process.[2]
  • For a simple marinade, use Italian salad dressing, or make your own with a half-cup each of vinegar and olive oil, a clove of minced garlic, and a teaspoon each of brown mustard and Italian seasoning (or oregano and basil).
  • For a BBQ marinade, sauteed half a finely chopped yellow onion and 3-4 cloves of minced garlic in about 5 tablespoons of butter until translucent. To this, add two cups of tomato sauce (or a cup of ketchup), a half cup each of apple cider, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar, and two tablespoons of chili powder.
  • If you’re not a fan of the “gaminess” of venison, use a citrus-based marinade. Citrus tends to mask the strong flavor of venison and can make it more palatable to children and less adventurous eaters. Try marinading a half-cup of lime juice mixed with a half-cup of olive oil, half a cup of chopped cilantro, a minced green chile, a teaspoon of ground cumin, and a shot of tequila.

4.  Substitute the removed deer fat with another fat source. Although the deer’s own fat will affect the flavor of the venison adversely, venison lacks the “marbling” needed to keep it moist and tender, making it very easy to dry it out. Because of this, many experienced venison cooks will “bard” or “lard” the meat with another fat source, such as butter, margarine, oil, or bacon fat.[3]

  • Barding is done by adding fat to the outside of the meat. This method works best on the grill or in the skillet because it involves essentially basting the meat with a fat source. After turning the meat over, you can brush some melted butter or olive oil onto the browned side of the meat to imbue flavor and moisture.
  • Larding is done by inserting fat into the meat, through little cuts. This method works well for larger cuts and roasts that you cook in the oven and works especially will with other meats like ham or bacon. Use the tip of a chef’s knife to make incisions into the thick parts of your venison roast, then push small cuts of bacon, or fatty pork, into the slits. As it cooks, the fat will help to keep the meat moist.

5.  Match the cut to the cooking method. Different cuts are more appropriate for different cooking methods. Some are great cooked up as steaks, while others make better stew meats or candidates for venison sausage.[4] Whether you have a specific dish in mind and want to get the right venison for the job, or you want to find the best vehicle for your cuts, you can point yourself in the right direction:

  • Backstraps or tenderloin are the tenderest and usually the most desirable cut, and can be cooked whole, cut into individual steaks, or cut into smaller chunks for stews and stir-frys. Tenderloin can be served rare-medium.
  • Roasts are best from the lower hams, which should be braised or stewed at a low temperature for a long period of time to ensure tenderness.
  • Steaks are best from the top half of the hams, which are the most versatile section of venison. While it’s initially a bit tough, after being properly-tenderized, this meat can be used for a variety of purposes.
  • Stew meat should come from the lower ribs, the belly, and the neck. If you’ve got a meat grinder, this also makes excellent ground venison or venison sausage.

http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Venison-(Deer-Meat)

Robertsons Masterclass – Milk Tart Recipe

Infused with cinnamon and a dash of Robertsons Nutmeg, a traditional Milk Tart is irresistible! If you’re looking for a simple recipe, here is one for you. Inexpensive and easy to prepare, this recipe is simple and guarantees great results. Watch the Robertsons Masterclass and follow the simple steps to create a delicious homemade Milk Tart. Robertsons Herbs & Spices is South Africa’s most loved spice brand and a proud.

Kimberley is one of the top places to visit in South-Africa

Kimberley, one of the top places to visit in South-Africa

With its surrounding wide open spaces, golden savannahs, and deep blue skies, Kimberley is defined by its sparkling and often tumultuous history. It is also one of the top 50 places to visit in South-Africa.

The first episode in Kimberley’s history is the diamond rush of 1869.

In 1869 a shepherd called Swartbooi found an 83 carat diamond that grabbed the attention of the world. This shepherd’s discovery sparked hope, dreams and the imagination in many an adventurous spirit across the world.

This diamond called “the star of South-Africa” is very aptly named – it’s sparkle influenced the history and development of South-Africa in many ways.

The first consequence was the great diamond rush that followed Mr. Swartbooi’s discovery. The diamond rush started along the riverbeds of Klipdrift (Barkley West) and led to Kimberley.

Here the diggers created the biggest hand-dug excavation in the world, The Big Hole. They put Kimberley on the map as the Diamond capital of the world

Created by shovels, picks, blood, sweat and tears, this spectacular hole is 214 meters deep and has a perimeter of 1.6 km. The determined miners dug between  1871 and 1914. They moved 22.5 million tons of earth that yielded 2722kg of diamonds.

These riches led to the rise of prominent figures like Cecil John Rhodes, the forming and rise of companies like De Beers. Their legacy and influence still affect us all.

The Big Hole houses a surrounding open air museum that consists of original buildings from the diamond rush era, called the Old Town. Through the investment by De beers Consolidated Mines, new attractions have been added to the Big Hole facility in order to create a world-class tourist destination, and one of south-Africa’s top 50. This provides a unique insight into diamonds and the lives of those who toiled in search of them.

A stroll through the Old Town brings the atmosphere to life. If one close your eyes you can almost hear the hustle and bustle and perhaps a brawl breaking out at the Occidental Bar.

The Occidental is the oldest bar in South-Africa. Here visitors gets an authentic experience as well as Buffet Sunday Lunches and Live music from time to time.

Back in the visitor center, visitors can watch the educational film in a unique movie theatre. Furthermore, you can take a tour through the dark labyrinth of mine tunnels. Visit the real diamond vault where the sparkling glistening diamonds take your breath away.  You can also do serious shopping in the numerous shops that sell everything from jewelry, curios and leather goods.  You can even try your luck at panning for your very own diamond.

Finally, perhaps the most spectacular and unforgettable of all the experiences at the Big Hole is the viewing platform. The platform is exactly the size of a 19th-century mining claim (30 Cape feet wide by 30 Cape feet long). This gives visitors the opportunity to view the Big hole from above, to take in its grandeur and remarkable scale.

What is Fair Trade Tourism?

The aim of Fair Trade Tourism is to make tourism more sustainable by ensuring that the people who contribute their land, resources, labour and knowledge to tourism are the ones who reap the benefits.

FAIR TRADE TOURISM PRINCIPLES

Defining Fair Trade in TourismFair Trade in Tourism is a key aspect of sustainable tourism. It aims to maximize the benefits from tourism for local destination stakeholders through mutually beneficial and equitable partnerships between national and international tourism stakeholders in the destination. It also supports the right of indigenous host communities, whether involved in tourism or not, to participate as equal stakeholders and beneficiaries in the tourism development process.

Fair Trade partnerships between tourism and hospitality investors and local communities

  • Equitable consultation and negotiation taking into account the interests of local     community stakeholders, including tourism enterprises, and indigenous residents not involved in tourism
  • Transparent and accountable business operations through environmental and social audits
  • Employment of local residents (including indigenous people) to provide opportunities for developing their human potential.
  • Training and development at local community level for managerial positions, if appropriate as part of a public, private and civil society partnership.
  • Investors aware of and adhering to relevant regulations, whether derived from local, national, or international regulation, including a regulation that would apply in the tourists’ countries of origin, e.g. on Health and Safety and environmental controls.
  • Anti-corrupt practices

 Fair Trade between tourists and local people

  • Informed and responsible tourists foster a mutually beneficial exchange with local people, respecting their culture
  • Tourists pay a fair market price.
  • Fair and sustainable use of natural resources
  • Investment and research in environmental protection
  • Implementation of measures which enhance the local environment
  • Consultation with the local community
  • Adherence to relevant national and international conventions, such as the
  • Convention on Biological Diversity and regulations, including a regulation that would apply in the tourists’ countries of origin.
  • People charge a fair market price

http://fairtrade.travel/content/page/what-is-fair-trade-tourism

Fair Trade Tourism Principles

RESPONSIBLE SAFARI HOLIDAYS

TRAVEL RIGHT WHILE ON SAFARI

Safaris are some of the world’s most exclusive holidays. Traveling to some of the least-explored wildernesses, staying in camps sleeping just a dozen people and enjoying the expertise of highly trained guides is an absolute privilege – as is seeing some of the continent’s most threatened wildlife, in the company of some of its most ancient tribes. But these indulgent holiday settings something belie the fact that most safaris take place in some of the poorest and least developed nations on earth – in regions where electricity and running water remain a privilege, not a right, and where, until recently, conflict or drought may have ravaged the landscape and its people. There is, of course, great potential for this wealth to cut through the poverty – to empower native communities who have long been without a voice, and to tackle conservation issues such as the extraction of natural resources and that ever-present voice: poaching. But doing so requires the participation of governments and tour operators, local communities and travellers, to ensure that safari is not something we will one day look upon as a quaint holiday of the past – while the animals still roamed the continent.

TRAVEL BETTER WHEN ON SAFARI

  • Remember that you are likely to be traveling in some of the world’s poorest nations. Do your bit by tipping your guides, drivers, cooks and hotel staff – discuss an appropriate amount with your tour operator before you depart, and come prepared with cash.
  • Never purchase items made from endangered species – including coral, turtle shells or eggs, ivory, fur or bone.
  • Learn the three-way African handshake – sure to be an icebreaker with the unsuspecting locals!
  • Water is extremely scarce in much of Africa’s safari destinations. Take short showers rather than baths and reuse towels. Some lodges provide buckets in the shower to catch water while it is heating and while you are showering. This is then used by staff for cleaning – you can also use it to do laundry. Clothes dry fast in the desert!
  • Limited water is also easily contaminated. Some lodges provide biodegradable toiletries and laundry detergents, but if bringing your own or camping, please use environmentally-friendly products.
  • It’s natural to want to get closer to the animals – but this will distress them. Never ask your guide to leave the trails or drive after wildlife, and be sure to obey all rules in the reserves.
  • Fires start fast and burn hard here; never drop cigarette butts or matches on the ground, be extremely careful when building fires, and keep water to hand to extinguish sparks and embers.

 

http://www.responsibletravel.com/holidays/safari/travel-guide/responsible-safari-holidays

 

Eco-tourism in South Africa’s wine lands

Eco-tourism in South Africa’s wine lands is thriving, with visitors to the Western Cape increasingly as interested in exploring the wealth of eco-tourism activities on offer as they are in sampling the region’s famous wines.

In fact, these days you don’t even have to taste the wine to enjoy a day in the wine lands. From accommodation, farmer’s markets and literary festivals to rock music festivals, mountain bike trails, and full-moon hikes, eco-tourism is creating huge public awareness around sustainability issues including recycling, energy conservation and minimizing environmental footprints.

Eco-tourism has become key in conserving biological and cultural diversity within a region. Job creation within local communities is one of the positive spin-offs. The high-yield, low-impact tourism model is a good fit in the wine lands, which typically offers highly personal and exclusive experiences to small groups of visitors at a time.

Eco-tourism is broadly defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people” (The International Ecotourism Society, or TIES, 1990). The mutually beneficial relationship between conservation, local communities and sustainable travel is at the very core of successful eco-tourism.

Biodiversity and Wine Initiative

In 2008, conservation history was made when the conservation footprint in the wine lands exceeded the vineyard footprint for the first time. What this means is that in less than four years, the wine industry has succeeded in setting more area aside for long-term conservation than is currently planted in the vineyard.

With this achievement, South Africa is leading the world in the conservation of biodiversity in this environment. It also illustrates the industry’s commitment to protecting our unique natural heritage.

Conservancies joint eco-tourism activities

Right now, one of the most exciting emerging trends in eco-tourism in the Western Cape is the way in which wine regions are getting involved by establishing conservancies and developing joint eco-tourism activities, drawing on the network of producers within the same area and pooling their resources.

https://www.brandsouthafrica.com/tourism-south-africa/travel/food/wine-ecotourism

http://blog.sa-venues.com/provinces/eco-tourism/

The definition of Responsible Tourism

Define: Responsible tourism

Sustainable tourism development guidelines and management practices are applicable to all forms of tourism in all types of destinations, including mass tourism and the various niche tourism segments. Sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established between these three dimensions to guarantee its long-term sustainability

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) -2004 definition

Responsible tourism, or sustainable tourism

Sustainable? the overused term? we use it very loosely and largely. Still often perceived, wrongly, as a system of constraints while it is primarily the expression of common sense, at the scale of the human community, organization or individual.

Responsible tourism, therefore, means to realize tourism activity as a provider or traveler, paying attention to the circumstances of the activity and the consequences of its implementation.

  1. Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.
  2. Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance.
  3. Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.

“One’s destination is never a place but a new way of experiencing life”

The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is, at last, to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land. G. K. Chesterton

Life is a journey that must be travelled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations. Oliver Goldsmith

The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are. Samuel Johnson

For further official definitions, including the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, GCET, please visit the UNWTO’s website.

http://hopineo.org/en/hopsolutions-resources/responsible-tourism/

http://www.ranker.com/list/notable-and-famous-travel-and-tourism-quotes/reference

 

 

Aardwolf Facts

Aardwolf is a mammal that belongs to the family of hyenas. There are two subspecies of aardwolf that can be found in southern and eastern parts of Africa. Aardwolf inhabits open plains with enough rainfalls and sources of food. It avoids forested areas. These interesting animals are often killed by farmers due to misconception that aardwolves attack their livestock. Besides killing, aardwolves are threatened by habitat loss. Luckily, population of aardwolves is large and stable. They are not on the list of endangered species.

Main Characteristics

Aardwolves are a member of the hyena family. They have a body length between 55 and 80 cms (22 – 31.5 inches), a tail length between 20 and 30 cms (7.9 – 11.8 inches) and they weigh between 8 and 10 kgs (17.6 – 22 lbs). Their fur is buff or yellowish/white in colour and they have 3 dark, vertical stripes down each side and diagonal dark stripes across their fore and hind quarters. They have a mane of hair on their back that stands up when they feel under stress. This makes the Aardwolf look larger and appear more threatening. Their front legs are slightly longer than their hind, giving them a slightly downward sloping body. Their tail is bushy and they have dark eyes and a dark coloured muzzle. Their front teeth resemble those of hyenas but their molars are like small pegs. To compensate for this their food is ground up by their muscular stomach.

Habitat

Aardwolves are found on the open, grassy plains of east and south Africa. They are solitary and they rest in burrows during the day before becoming active at night. Their territory is between 1 and 4 square kilometres (0.6 – 2.5 sq. miles), depending of food availability, and they mark it with urine, dung and secretions from their anal glands.

Diet

Aardwolves mainly feed upon termites, in particular snouted harvester termites. They also eat maggots, grubs and any other soft bodies insects. Sometimes, but rarely, they will feed on small mammals, birds and carrion. Aardwolves don’t dig into the nests of termites, they just pick them up with their tongue. They can consume as many as 200,000 termites during one night.

 

 

Breeding

After a gestation period of approximately 90 days, 2 – 4 cubs are born in a den. They leave the den at 6 – 8 weeks old and between 9 and 11 weeks they begin to forage with their mother. By the time the cubs reach 16 weeks old they are weaned. Aardwolves reach sexual maturity by the time they are 2 years old.  Aardwolves are monogamous and both parents raise the cubs together. The primary duty of the male is to guard the den from predators. The breeding season is at different times of the year, depending on location.

Predators

Humans and dogs are the main predators of Aardwolves.

Subspecies

There are two subspecies of Aardwolf: 1. Proteles cristatus cristatus They are found in south Africa. 2. Proteles cristatus septentrionalis They are found in east Africa.

Interesting Facts

Aardwolves are also known as: Maanhaar Jackal Protelid  Aardwolf is the Afrikaans word for “earth wolf”

Similar Animals: Brown Hyena Spotted Hyena Striped Hyena

http://www.theanimalfiles.com/mammals/carnivores/aardwolf.htmlhttp://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/aardwolf_facts/525/

The Northern Cape’s vultures

Two species of vulture are relatively common in the Northern Cape. The African White-backed Vulture has colonies around Kimberley (c. 300 pairs) and in the Kalahari (see article on aerial survey of Kimberley colonies). The Lappet-faced Vulture only breeds in the Kalahari (the last pair nesting in the Kimberley area disappeared a few years ago). The White-headed Vulture is occasionally seen in the northern parts of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park where it probably nests in small numbers. The Cape Vulture is extinct as a breeding species in the Northern Cape, but is occasionally seen in the Province and especially in the south-eastern Karoo and the Kimberley area. The Palm-nut and Egyptian Vultures are vagrants to the Northern Cape.

 

Research on vultures Mark Anderson has been studying African White-backed Vultures since 1993. This work, done in collaboration with Angus Anthony, and a team of keen Kimberley biologists and bird-watchers, is conducted on De Beers’ Dronfield Game Farm. The main aim of this work is to mark a number of vulture nestlings annually, with metal rings and initially with colour-rings, but latterly with patagial tags. This project provides useful information on movements, mortality factors, nest site fidelity, etc. A study is also currently underway to investigate the effects of climate change on this population of vultures.

GPS transmitters fitted to vultures This year, with funding from the Hawk Conservancy, De Beers and Gauntlet, we attached GPS-units to four vulture nestlings. The movements of these birds are now monitored on a daily basis (and can be tracked on www.birdlife.org.za; thanks to Kevin Ravno of Natural World for his help with the maps).

 

Vulture restaurants South African raptor conservationists pioneered the idea of vulture restaurants (places where safe food can be supplied to vultures). More information about vulture restaurants and a booklet on this exciting conservation initiative can be obtained from the Birds of Prey Working Group (contact Erika Belz at erikab@ewt.org.za)

There is a vulture restaurant and hide at De Beers’ Dronfield Game Farm, located just north of Kimberley. More information can be obtained from Mark Anderson.

Asian vulture crisis Mark Anderson was involved in the Asian vulture crisis and attended meetings in the USA, Hungary and Kenya. There were initial concerns that if a disease was killing Asia’s vultures it may spread to Africa. It was recently found however that a veterinary drug, diclofenac, has been responsible for the catastrophic decline in the number of vultures in South Asia.

Sources:

 

ttp://www.andersonafrica.co.za/vultures.html

http://www.andersonafrica.co.za/articles/kimberleysvultures.pdf

http://www.andersonafrica.co.za/articles/VultureresearchatDronfieldGameFarmduring2007.pdf

Northern Cape Weather and Climate

Although the Northern Cape Province is mainly semi-desert, the western areas of the Northern Cape, including Namaqualand, a small section of the Green Kalahari and Calvinia, Nieuwoudtville and Loeriesfontein in the Upper Karoo fall into the winter rainfall area from April to September. Sharing the same climate as Namaqualand, it’s not surprising these two sub-regions will give you breathtakingly beautiful explosive displays of wildflowers during spring months from July to October.  The eastern summer rainfall areas experience thunderstorms that resonate across the wide plains and powerful bolts of lightning puncture the earth. The Northern Cape’s weather is typical of the desert and semi-desert areas. This is a large dry region of fluctuating temperatures and varying topographies. The annual rainfall is sparse, only 50 to 400mm per annum. In January, afternoon temperatures usually range from 34 to 40º C. In 1939 an all time high of 47.8º C was recorded at the Orange River. Summer temperatures often top the 40 º C mark.

Winter days are warm. The onset of the night bringing dew and frost to supplement the low rainfall of the region. Sutherland in the Karoo is one of the oldest towns in South Africa. Its average minimum is -6ºC. In winter snow often blankets the surrounding mountains. On the whole, you can expect to enjoy hot summer days and chilly nights when visiting the Northern Cape, South Africa.  To start planning your trip, explore the Northern Cape with us! Enjoy browsing our info pages where you will find all the Northern Cape Attractions and destinations, photographs to inspire you and a good selection of accredited accommodation in Kimberley. You will find a user-friendly guide to accommodation, with listings sorted by region, town, and suburb and by categories from hotels and guesthouse to self-catering options. We hope you enjoy your stay in the fascinating Northern Cape Province!

 

 

SA-Venues.com South Africa Explored

google.com/+SAVenues

SA-Venues.com is an online Travel and Accommodation