Wildlife Crime, Barrie’s.

I was delighted to read, in an email from World Wildlife Fund, that President Obama has pledged assistance in the fight against wildlife crime in Africa. I didn’t realise that the crime involved syndicates which makes it a much more major issue than I had realised, even though I was fully aware of the seriousness of the problem. Elephants and rhinos are being decimated in order to steal their tusks and horns, I cannot quote the current figure, but the amount of rhinos killed this year is well into the hundreds – I checked, 367 at the end of May. Obama said "The entire world has a stake in making sure we preserve Africa’s beauty for future generations."  I 100% agree with him.

Because we had friends coming to dinner on Friday we decided to go one more time to Barrie’s Asparagus farm – then our friends cancelled. Still, I now have lots of asparagus.  Being a holiday, they were pretty busy, and didn’t look to have too many helpers. I guess they were on holiday too. Of course, as Tim Barrie’s sister pointed out, they are open all year, but I basically only go there for the asparagus. They have lots of wonderful local products and produce, but it is not really worth our while to travel half an hour both ways for things we can get closer to home. Yesterday, I saw their piglets for the first time, they were rooting around at the asparagus I guess. Cute little things, but one day they will be in their freezers as pork chops and such. Not sure I could do that.

Talking of pork someone commented that they didn’t know what to do with tenderloin, this is a link to a recipe I posted earlier this year (January 10) for Pork and Black Beans it is a favourite of ours.

Being a holiday we have had fireworks all weekend. I feel so sorry for all the animals, wild and domesticated, and birds too, which must be scared out of their wits.

The 4th of July will soon be here and I thought you might like a recipe for something other than the ubiquitous burger.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Drumsticks

From EatingWell:  July/August 2007
Chicken drumsticks stay deliciously moist when grilled—even with the skin removed. Minty sweet-and-sour dipping sauce adds a refreshing twist to “ordinary” grilled chicken. Make it a meal: Serve with brown rice and slices of fresh pineapple.

4 servings  Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 8 chicken drumsticks, (about 2 pounds), skin removed, trimmed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium. (No grill? See Broiler Variation, below.)
2. To prepare dipping sauce, combine orange zest, orange juice, water, honey, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and coriander in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Whisk cornstarch and the remaining 1 teaspoon vinegar in a small bowl until smooth. Add to the saucepan and return to a boil, whisking until thickened, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in mint.
3. Sprinkle drumsticks with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the drumsticks until crispy on all sides and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, about 15 minutes total. Serve the drumsticks with the dipping sauce on the side. Broiler variation: Position oven rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat broiler to high. Prepare sauce (Step 2). Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle drumsticks with salt and pepper (Step 3), then broil, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, about 15 minutes total.

Nutrition

Per serving : 255 Calories; 8 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 93 mg Cholesterol; 16 g Carbohydrates; 29 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 389 mg Sodium; 315 mg Potassium
Tips & Notes

• To oil the grill rack: Oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Don't use cooking spray on a hot grill.)

Have a great day