Yield: 3 ounces
Ingredients
2 tablespoons beeswax
1/4 cup olive oil
40 drops (2 milliliters) lemongrass essential oil

Directions
Make a double boiler using a tin can. Melt the beeswax and olive oil together in the can, over medium heat. Remove from the heat.
Add the lemongrass essential oil. Stir the mixture while it cools, just until it begins to thicken. Pour into a 4-ounce tin. Allow the lure to cool.

To use
Smear one tablespoon of the swarm lure at the back of the hive box.
Set the hive box in the shade, raised above the ground where it is dry.
Wait for the bees to swarm. You just might get lucky

INGREDIENTS
To make extract
1¼ cup vodka,
1 pod vanilla bean split,
1 cup pecans , chopped
To finish off to make liqueur
1¼ cup water,
½ cup white granulated sugar,
1 cup brown sugar,

INSTRUCTIONS
To Make Extract
Toast pecans in oven at 350 °F for 5 minutes. Then take out and let cool.
In a large mason jar combine vodka, split vanilla bean, and toasted pecans. Cover and store vodka mix in a cool dark place for 3 weeks. Mix up mason jar often.
After two weeks remove pecans and vanilla pods in a strainer. Store in cool dark place for pecan extract.
To Make Liqueur
After pecans and vanilla have seeped in vodka and strained out then you can turn pecan extract into liqueur. Combine white sugar, brown sugar and water in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat to a boil or until all the sugar as dissolved.
Take sugar mixture off heat and let cool completely. Add to mason jar and store in refrigerator to keep chilled for later.

ingredients:
195g. (1 cup) dark brown sugar, firmly packed
110g. (1/2 cup) white sugar or caster sugar
310 mLs (1¼ cups) water
250g. pecans, toasted and chopped into small pieces
2 vanilla beans, split down the middle length-wise
500 mLs vodka

Method:
Place the 2 sugars and the water into a medium saucepan over medium-low heat
Stir, bringing to the boil
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes
Put the vanilla beans and chopped, toasted pecan pieces into a large jar
Pour the hot syrup mixture into the jar and let it cool
Now add the vodka

Ingredients
2 large onions, chopped
1 clove of garlic
80g ginger
120g curry powder (masala)
60g coriander powder
60g cumin powder
10 x elachi (cardamom pods)
A handful of curry leaves
1 cinnamon stick
10g star anise
2 or 3 bay leaves
1 kg deboned leg of lamb cut into cubes
2 tins of whole, peeled tomatoes
1 Tbsp tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch fresh coriander/dhania

Method

Sauté the onions, add the garlic, ginger, curry powder (masala), coriander powder, jeera (cumin), cardamom pods, a cinnamon stick, bay leaves, curry leaves and star anise. Simmer while stirring on a low heat.

Add the cubes of deboned lamb leg and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste and add the tinned tomatoes and water to cover. Give it a stir.

Cook gently on a low heat until the lamb is tender.

Once cooked, add salt and pepper to taste, and stir in the chopped dhania/coriander leaves.

Serve with sambals, desiccated coconut and chutney.

Plum Sauce

1 Kg plums, stoned and roughly chopped
100 g water
2 T sugar
a pinch salt

Place all of the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook until soft and saucy in consistency.
Once cooked, cool and blend until smooth

Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to one week, or freeze.

OR:

Sticky grilled plum sauce

INGREDIENTS
12 Flavourburst plums
2 T Butter
50 g Demerara sugar
3 T soya sauce
2 limes, juiced

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Halve the Flavourburst plums and place on the grill or braai for 5 minutes, or until they begin to char. Brush with a little butter, then grill the other side.

Bring the sugar, soya sauce and the juice of the limes to a simmer in a saucepan. Add the grilled plums and adjust the seasoning to your liking, adding more sugar or soya sauce if necessary.

Leave it chunky to make a dipping sauce or simmer further for a basting sauce.

INGREDIENTS
500 g frozen all-butter puff pastry, thawed
coriander, to garnish
For the curry:
6 extra-large free-range eggs
4 T canola oil
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 x 6 cm fresh ginger piece, peeled and finely grated
1 T fresh or ground turmeric
10 curry leaves
1 T yellow mustard seeds
1 T ground coriander
1 T garam masala
3 T tomato paste
1 T sugar
1 green chilli, split lengthways
3⁄4 cup water

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
1. When the pastry is soft enough to handle without breaking, roll each sheet into a large sausage-like shape. Cut each roll into 4 equally sized portions and stand each piece upright on the cut side. Lightly flour your work surface.

2. Press down into a patty shape, then roll out the dough to the desired size. Place in the freezer while you make the curry – they can be cooked from frozen.

3. To make the curry, boil the eggs for 6 minutes. Remove from the water and place in cold or iced water. Once cool enough to handle, peel the eggs and set aside.

4. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it starts to brown, then add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the turmeric, curry leaves, mustard seeds, coriander and garam masala. If the pan looks a little dry, add another tablespoon of oil and some water. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste, sugar and chilli, then add the water and mix through.

5. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced, then add the eggs and gently stir through, spooning the sauce over the eggs making sure they are all covered.

6. Cook for a further 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and cover with a lid while preparing the paratha.

7. Heat a non- stick pan over a medium heat. Add a few paratha to the pan and cook for 2 minutes on each, side or until both sides are golden and flaky. Repeat with the remaining paratha. Serve with the egg curry, garnished with coriander.

Ingredients
35 g oil, preferably rapeseed
140 g water
115 g rye flour, preferably stoneground
125 g strong (bread) flour, preferably stoneground
½ tsp salt (increase to 1 tsp if not using sea salt flakes)
2 tsp anise seeds, lightly crushed
7 g “fast action” dried yeast, 1 packet
½-¾ tsp sea salt flakes, optional
2-3 tsp black and white sesame seeds, optional
extra rye flour for dusting worksurface

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 250°C (480°F, gas 9, fan 220°C) and line a large baking tray with baking parchment.

2. Put the oil and water in a saucepan and heat gently until lukewarm, 40°C (105°F). Stir to ensure that it is evenly warmed.

3. Put the flours, salt and anise seeds in the stand-mixer’s bowl and stir thoroughly with a spoon.

4. Add the dried yeast and mix thoroughly.

5. Fit the stand-mixer’s dough hook and with the motor running on minimum gradually add the warmed oil and water mixture.

The dough for thin rye crispbreads

6. Increase the speed to 2 (kMix) or 3 (KitchenAid) for 2-3 minutes until the dough begins to form a ball. (You might need to add a teaspsoon of water if the dough looks too dry, or a teaspoon or two of rye flour if it looks too wet.) If necessary, knead the dough lightly by hand to form a ball.

7. Cover the dough and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

8. Divide the mixture into 12 evenly sized pieces and shape them into balls.

9. Sprinkle the worksurface with rye flour and roll the a dough out until it is about 8 cm (3″ diameter), turning and flipping frequently.

10. Transfer to a square of baking parchment and continue to roll it until it is about 18 cm (7″).

Using a plate as template to trim dough for thin rye cripsbreads

11. Trim the dough into a circular shape, using a plate as template, and roll in some sea salt flakes and black and/or white sesame seeds if desired.

12. Prick all over with a fork (or roll with a kruskavel).

A thin rye crispbread ready to be baked

13. Cut a hole in the centre if desired and the slide onto a baking stone or baking tray.

14. Bake for about 4 minutes, until slightly golden round the edges, but keep an eye on it to ensure that it doesn’t burn. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

15. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

16. Once the oven has cooled to 50°C, put the crispbreads back in the oven and leave to dry and cool completely with the oven door open.

17. Transfer to an air-tight container until required. (They should keep for several weeks.)

1 x 170g tin of tuna in brine, drained
3 spring onions, finely chopped
5ml crushed ginger
20mls chopped parsley
Salt & papper
60mls breadcrumbs
2 small potatoes, peeled and cooked
15ml grated garlic
1 egg
15ml Dijon mustard
45ml flour
butter and oil to fry

Sour Cream Sauce
80mls sour cream
Juice of 1 lemon & grated rind
1 t chopped fresh dill
salt & ground pepper

Mash the drained tuna and cooked potatoes with a fork. Add the onions. garlic, ginger parsley, egg and mustard and mix thoroughly. Season. Shape into 4 fishcakes and coat lightly with flour and breadcrumbs. Rest in the fridge. Heat the butter and oil and fry gently until golden brown. Combine the ingredients for the sauce and serve.

MAKE YOUR OWN HONEY MEAD

Mead or Honey Wine was a favourite drink of Medieval Europe made famous by Friar Tuck of Robin Hood mythology although it was made and drunk by many civilizations for hundreds of years before that. The Egyptians at the time of the Pharaohs relished the drink. Basically it is honey fermented in water, mixed with fruit juices and allowed to mellow for over twelve months to give it a beautiful distinct liquor type flavour. It is alcoholic. Ideally as an end-to a-meal aperitif, it is also ideal as a night cap preventing stressful dreaming and has been claimed to have aphrodisiac properties.

Here is a simple recipe tried and tested by Mike Miles for the South African connoisseur! But anyone can drink it!! In addition to bottling and selling your natural raw South African honey, processing your beeswax, rendering your propolis shavings, try making an annual supply of honey mead using excess honey. You can use ripe or unripe honey, fermented or burnt honey, crystallised / granulated honey and honey from the uncapping process filtering out the wax particles. It is recommended that the honey used is natural raw honey for better quality and flavour.

A Step–by–Step Process for the Novice

Buy a 2 litre bottle of Paarl Perlé Wine. The glass bottle is perfect as part of a starter kit for the fermentation process. You can try plastic containers but glass is best. We are not marketing the wine brand! It is just that it is a nice size and shape bottle to try out your first batch of Honey Mead!!

This is a lovely shaped 2 liter bottle for your classic home brew Meads.

Drink the wine! Chilled is best. Then wash out the bottle.
The ingredients you will need for this bottle size (2 litres) will be:
1.2 liters water
500grm honey
1 cup pure Orange or Lemon Juice
1pkt All Purpose Wine Yeast
1pkt Wine Yeast Nutrient
image8

You will also need an air-lock for the bottle. You can purchase the plastic air-lock, wine yeast and wine yeast nutrient from a reputable Home Brew Shop. Otherwise contact BeeQuip to see if we have these items in stock at the time. Try the first batch using either pure orange juice or lemon juice. Orange makes a sweeter mead; lemon more tangy. Later experiment with other juices; e.g. Morula juice makes a really tangy flavour and ferments well!!

You can use honey which has fermented in the jar and is not suitable as table honey.

The darker the honey, the darker the colour of the liqueur.

Boil the water and honey in a pot. When the water is about to boil immerse the whole jar of honey in the water to dissolve all the honey (and it’s easier to clean out the jar). Once it has thoroughly dissolved allow to cool. The mixture must be luke-warm; (below 28 degrees Celsius). Then add in the fruit juice, the wine yeast and the wine nutrient. Stir altogether until everything is thoroughly dissolved and the mixture has cooled down.

What the Mead mixture should look like after 1 year – a beautiful rich honey
colour!

Pour the mixture into the wine bottle. There should be a reasonable gap
between the liquid and the top. Find a cork which will fit the wine bottle
tightly; drill the right size hole through it and fit the airlock. Then fit
the cork tightly into the wine bottle. Fill the airlock with water so it
balances nicely in a U-shape and replace the red cap. And Voila!! The
fermentation process should commence within 24 hours.
image11

A plastic air lock for fermenting the mead

After a week to 10 days the bubbling should slow down and then stop. You will probably find sediment at the bottom of the wine bottle. Siphon off the liquid into a smaller bottle or bottles, making sure no sediment goes through. Throw away the sediment and wash out your 2l wine bottle for the next batch.

You can bottle your Mead into any glass bottle for the year-long hibernation. Dark glass bottles are preferable although the transparent bottles show off the colour better and are more enticing!

And here’s the hard part! Leave your Mead for 12 months before drinking. Hide it away in a dark cupboard. The longer you leave it the better the product.

Two different types of home brewed Mead. On the left a sweeter, fruity tasting Mead for after dinner! On the right a more bland tangy flavour for bedtime!

And then you have real Mead!! For your own home consumption!! Enjoy!! But please remember your home made Mead can have an alcohol content between 7 to 15%.