SEPTEMBER 2010 ISSUE 25
OLSSON’S INDICATOR THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN STORY
FROM THE EDITOR
16th Winner: John Beardmore, St George, QLD This fantastic poem was sent in by John Beardmore of St.George, Queensland. As the winner of this issue’s Great Australian Story, John has won an Olsson’s merchandise pack valued at over $350.00. If you have a great story to share with us, please read the competition details below and send it to us. When my father E.J.Beardmore was young and lived at Wodonga,Victoria, he told me that he knew of the big trees and rain in the Gippsland, but he longed to see the land of saltbush and plains in Queensland. So when he left Victoria he wrote the following poem:-
This issue of The Indicator has turned out to be our most literary yet. With the launch of Genevieve’s poetry book for kids, a new internationally released “The Salt Book” featuring Olsson’s Sea Salt, a poem for our Great Australian Story, a new poetry competition and a book club, it’s enough to get even the most jaded bibliophile hot under the collar. I always had an inkling that my sister Genevieve was clever, and I was glad to have my suspicions proved correct (confirmed) when she started writing poetry for her children to recite as part of their school curriculum. To say they are funny is as much an understatement as saying the Salt book contains a bit of information about salt. If you have children or grandchildren still in primary school, do yourself a favour and get them a copy – you will be laughing as much as they are and the poem printed below is a good example of Gen’s quirky sense of humour. God Bless and stay warm Alex Olsson
Billy the Liar The sheep were in camp and we sat around the fire The cook and I and Billy the Liar The horses were hobbled and the kelpie called Dan Was licking out the frying pan. When Bill said he would tell us a tale that was true About some cattle he’d driven to Gippsland from the Barcoo So we filled up our pipes and stirred up the fire And waited the tale from Billy the Liar. There were 800 head said Bill with a yawn Big fellows too sure as you’re born There were ten of us with them and six or eight packs To carry the gear we’d need on the tracks. Well, we’d left the land of saltbush and plain And we’re nearing the land of big trees and rain When without any warning it began to get dark And we thought the old sun must be having a lark. But the further we went the darker it got ‘Til it was as black as the outside of our quart pot Clancy said ‘twas an eclipse of the sun But the cook thought the end of the world had come. Well we kept the mob going with our stockwhips alright And after a time it again became light But I wasn’t satisfied so that evening rode back On the off chance of finding a lost horse with a pack. I found the old horse with the pack on alright And I also found out what turned day into night With the eight pack horses my mate and the dog We’d driven the mob through a big hollow log. ____________________ THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN STORY cOmpETITION DETAILS mISSION: This competition hopes to revive the timeless art of "spinning a good yarn" and to give due recognition and praise to our beloved Aussie larrikins Every issue of the Indicator Newsletter will feature a ripping yarn from one of you lot. cOmpETITITION DETAILS: All the stories should have at least a grain of truth in them, and being mildly believable would be nice as well. So, if you have a good story, please type it out (no longer than one typed A4 page please) with your name, address and phone number and send it to: THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN STORY, PO Box 39 Guildford NSW 2161, FAX: 02 9632 0030, email: genevieve@olssons.com.au pRIZES: All of the authors of the letters that are printed in the Olsson's Indicator quarterly newsletter will win an Olsson's Merchandise Pack valued at over $350.00. TERmS & cONDITIONS: No submissions/stories received by Olsson Industries for THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN STORY Competition will be returned to the sender. All submissions/stories received by Olsson Industries for THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN STORY Competition will remain the property of Olsson Industries to be used at their complete discretion. Olsson Industries will duly credit every person who sent in the story each time the story is used in whole or in part. Olsson Industries takes no responsibility for the authorship of any stories that it publishes in whole or in part.
Congratulations to our very own Genevieve who has just had her first book published. Genevieve and her friend Cathy have co-written a book of hilarious poems for primary age children entitled “Poetry Attack“, complimented by fabulously funny illustrations. If you are interested in Genevieve’s book, drop her a line at: genevieve@olssons.com.au The collection includes:
DOG The dog’s gone mad There’s a storm outside And she’s looking for Somewhere safe to hide.
She just started attacking The presents and crackers Good thing it’s a girl dog or It would have lost it’s “privileges”.
She’s ripped off the flyscreen And scratched at the door And puked in the pot plants And weed on the floor.
Now the dog’s panting There’s slobber on her lips. Far out, what’s that smell?? She’s just let one rip!!!
Last year at Christmas There was thunder and rain So we let her inside But never ever again!
She’s run up to my room and Squeezed under the bed. I’ll just reassure her with A gentle pat on the head.
RECIPE - WITH ROCk SEA SALT
EXHIBITIONS
Confit of Truffle-oiled Salmon
Staff at Olsson’s have just finished a successful exhibition at Darling Harbour for Food Service Australia involving food service and bakery, showcasing their range of unique sea salt products to the trade. We have received a great response from chefs and end-users alike, with immediate orders placed to secure the Great Barrier Reef Sea Salt Flake now available: a wonderful product in pricing alone, excellent value not to mention the benefits and marketing opportunities having this product made from waters of the Great Barrier Reef. For further enquires please contact your local rep or Peter Hartley on MB: 0418216750 or email peter.hartley@olssons.com.au
With Warm Chestnut & Brussel sprout salad Fear not – this recipe sounds terribly posh, but it’s as easy as poached salmon with some extra special ingredients. There’s a farmers market near where I live every Saturday morning and my favorite stall is one that sells mushroom products grown in the old railway tunnels in Mittagong, NSW. Along with a surprisingly varied array of mushrooms, they also sell truffle oil – both black and white. The recipe below calls for “truffle” oil which is olive oil in which a truffle has been placed and the unique and delicious aroma of the truffle has infused into the oil. It is a truly delightful ingredient, and far less pricey than actual truffle. But if you do happen to have a truffle lying around, please feel free to use that instead (better still, send it to me!). If you can’t find truffle oil, or don’t like it, you can substitute it with porcini oil. This recipe uses rock sea salt to lightly cure the salmon. And even though all the salt is washed off, you won’t believe the difference this process makes to the flavor and texture of the fish. If salmon is not to your liking, any kind of trout can be substituted. This recipe serves 6 people, but for more or less just adjust the number of salmon pieces. Ingredients:: For the Salmon Salmon pieces, each approx 150-200gm, boned but skin on. 6 500gm Olsson’s Rock Sea Salt Truffle oil Coat the flesh of each piece of salmon liberally with the rock salt, then place in the fridge for 4 hours. Preheat the oven to 1000C Wash the salt off the salmon and pat dry with a clean tea towel. Generously rub the truffle oil into the flesh of the fish, then place the fish in a large oven bag. Pour in some more truffle oil, then remove all the air from the bag. Place the bag of fish on a tray in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve with mashed potato (put some truffle oil in mash if you like – it’s lovely). For the warm Chestnut & Brussel Sprout Salad Chestnuts (fresh) 200g Brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved 300g 100gm Butter 1 tblspn Lemon juice 2 tblspn Italian parsley, chopped Prepare the chestnuts: preheat the oven to 2000C. Cut a gash in the outer shell of each chestnut. Put on a baking tray and roast for 15-20 minutes, or until the shells are split. While they are still warm, peel the chestnuts and rub off the inner skins. If some skins are stubborn, boil for a few minutes to loosen them. Cut in half if you like. Tip brussel sprouts into a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes and drain. Heat butter in a frying pan until it turns golden, add lemon juice, chestnuts and brussel sprouts and toss together. Season with sea salt and white pepper. Scatter over the chopped parsley and serve in a bowl.
SEA SALT RUB TIPS Next time you’re making pork or chicken schnitzel, why not add a little of “The Great White” Sea Salt Rub to your flour mixture. DELICIOUS!!! If you’re looking for something to spice up the kitchen or a tasty gift idea, why not give our sea salt rubs a try.
OLSSON’S INDICATOR
GOURMET SEA SALT PRICE LIST + ORDER FORM ALL pRIcES ARE IN AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS Valid from 30.06.10 to 31.12.10 pRODUcT The Salt Book Great Barrier Reef Sea Salt Flakes “The Great White” Sea Salt Rub “Wild Thing” Sea Salt Rub “Big Chilli & Garlic” Sea Salt Rub “It’s So Rosemary” Sea Salt Rub “Lemon Lemon Lemon” Sea Salt Rub “Thyme & Oregano” Sea Salt Rub Sea Salt Crystals Rock Sea Salt Macrobiotic Sea Salt Macrobiotic Sea Salt
SIZE
RRp $30.00 $6.50 $6.50 $6.50 $6.50 $6.50 $6.50 $6.50 $4.50 $4.50 $4.50 $6.50
250gm 100gm 100gm 100gm 100gm 100gm 100gm 500gm 500gm 200gm 500gm
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SUBTOTAL Australia Post 5-10 business days
$10.00
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Special Delivery Instructions: Payment Details: Please tick payment method. Please make cheques payable to: Pacific Salt Pty Ltd
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Signature ORDERS mUST BE pLAcED BY mAIL OR FAX ONLY TO: Olssons Sea Salt (a division of Olsson Pacific Group), MAIL: PO Box 39, Guildford NSW 2161 Australia P: 1800 804 096 F: 02 9632 9099
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THE SALT BOOk - FEATURING OLSSON’S MACROBIOTIC SEA SALT right salt, in the right amount, for the right dish. To that end, this book contains a comprehensive guide to today’s bewildering array of salts, to help you ‘know your salt’. The authors also state that we need to get rid of the salt shaker when salting food at the table. We need to use better salt more sparingly, rather than shaking table salt with abandon. An important part of being ‘salt wise’ is eating well. We need to take the time to prepare food for ourselves which is healthy, tasty, and ecologically viable. We need to season that food sparingly, with quality salt that is made using natural processes. An important contribution to this book was made by Dr Russell keast, Senior Lecturer, Exercise and Nutrition Science, Deakin University. Dr keast is both a trained chef and a sensory scientist working in the field of taste and flavour research. Among the other top makers of fine salt around the world, Olsson’s Pacific Sea Salt were selected to be included in The Salt Book, a collaboration between Arbon Publishing founder Fritz Gubler, who had the original idea, and David Glynn, author of Great, Grand & Famous Chefs and their Signature Dishes. David and Fritz worked closely together to develop the unique mixture of recipes and background information, with the aim of providing not just practical information, but a broader cultural context leading to a comprehensive understanding of salt. From making your own salt to cooking the perfect steak, from specialty flavoured salts to salty ice cream, the recipes and techniques in this book range from the practical to the surprising. They will enable the reader to tackle some of the fundamentals of salting—curing, pickling, brining and preserving—as well as pair the right salt, in the right amount, with the right dish. The reader will also be introduced to some innovations, such as salt block cooking. What does it mean to salt wisely and well? Fritz Gubler and David Glynn advocate a ‘salt wise’ approach to using salt, whether as an ingredient or a condiment. The authors advise that we need to be aware of the salt that we eat. We need to know how salt tastes, and if we have used too much, or too little. We need to use the
We’ve been lucky enough to secure a quantity of these beautiful books, and would like to offer them to you (until stocks run out) for the discounted price of $30 (normally $35). The Salt Book has been included on the order form on Page 3 of this newsletter. The publishers chose our Macrobiotic Sea Salt to feature in the book – shown below in the non-blurred section. Other salts included in the book were: Maldon Sea Salt, Fleur de sel de Guerande, Fleur de sel de Camargue, Halon Mon sea salt, Hawaiian black, red and green salts, Himalayan pink salt, Murray River pink salt, Tetsuyas truffle salt, and many others.
OLSSON’S INDICATOR
NRI CRICkET MATCH, WERRIBEE The NRI national member and supplier conference was held in Melbourne and included a round robin type cricket match held in the spectacular grounds of the heritage listed Werribee Mansion.
WA DEPOT - kEWDALE
The Triazines, David Carpenter 3rd from right.
Some 100 odd members and suppliers assembled to do battle split into about 12 teams. Among the participants were Dave Carpenter and Allan Ross from Olssons. With the contest underway and the battle in full flight, Dave’s team was sadly knocked out of the competition despite his superb bowling and sensational batting. Luckily, Allan's team showed guts and tenacity and went on to win the grand final. Go Allan!
Winning Team The Fungicides, Allan Ross top left
Olsson Industries are pleased to announce the opening of their newest warehouse and distribution facility at Allied Express, 24 Miles St, kewdale, Western Australia. Olsson’s range of supplement blocks and associated products are now distributed in every state of Australia and available through all major rural retail outlets for those graziers wishing to increase productivity of their livestock and maximize the grazing potential of their properties.
Mark Thomas QR Freight Linehaul Manager, Tony Taylor State Operations Manager Allied Express and Allan Ross
SEA SALT RUB COOkING DEMONSRATION Recently at an Olsson’s seminar, we invited Josh Job, Executive Chef at Daydream Island to deliver a cooking demonstration to our guests. After receiving the range of Sea Salt Rubs, Chef Josh developed the following tasting menu and demonstrated how to cook each dish – sensational! You can find all the recipes on the web site and let me assure you, they taste as wonderful as they look. STARTER Toasted ciabatta bread with extra virgin olive oil and The Great White dukkah ENTRéE Big Chilli and Garlic infused squid pan tossed with lime served aside a petite Asian salad of shredded vegetables and Lemon Lemon Lemon aioli mAIN Thyme and Oregano Dolce crusted lamb rack served on Its So Rosemary roasted potatoes, buttered asparagus and Wild Thing sauce.
EXTRAORDINARY TURNOUT IN CENTRAL QUEENSLAND University of New England discuss the nutritional requirements of dry season supplementation. Ron was well received and had many questions to answer. Feedback from attendees was very positive with many stating the knowledge gained will be of great assistance to increase farm productivity. Olsson Industries showed how the “Indicator System” complements the theories of Professor Leng and can be used to fulfil nutritional deficiencies. Look out for a presentation in your area as these seminars are very popular and the information gained if applied can increase your farm gate returns. Olsson Industries had an extraordinary reception at a recent supplementation seminar in Capella. The event at Lacey’s Rural was attended by over 60 local cattle producers who had the opportunity to listen to Emeritus Professor Ron Leng from the
Cattle Tranz is a water soluble supplement in tablet form containing a balanced array of essential minerals, glucose and fructose. Calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium are needed for normal metabolism of animals. It has been suggested through trials that stress in animals is the imbalance of these minerals. Studies done in Australia have shown that supplementing cattle with minerals (such as those contained in Cattle Tranz) reduces glycogen loss and improved dressing percentage on cattle prior to slaughter. Cattle Tranz supplied in drinking water can also markedly increase daily water intake. Stress can be caused by: • Prolonged and continuous stress suffered by animals in liveexport boats • Animals being transported domestically over long and short distances • Livestock walking long distances during musters • Weaners in the yard during weaning • Animals experiencing sickness • All ruminants: cattle, sheep, goats, alpacas, etc.
The staff at Lacey’s were also keen to display both the OP Therapy range and the Gourmet Sea Salt range. All the guests were able to sample the sea salt products and test the OP Therapy body creams and scrubs and both ranges have now been permanently stocked at Lacey’s as a result of the demand generated from this event.
OLSSON’S INDICATOR
CATTLE TRANz HELPS WITH TASSIE TASTE SENSATION: GREENHAM carcass weight range of 220 - 350 kg Growers receive a premium of 20 cents per kilogram above base price for cattle that meet the grading requirements. The difference between making the grade and not is $70 for a 350 kg beast. Graeme recommends CattleTranz to all farmers supplying Greenham. He encourages them to give it to cattle in the period leading up to transport for slaughter.
Peter Greenham and his son, Peter Olsson’s Cattle Tranz is helping a Tasmanian meat processor achieve his goal of producing the best grass fed beef in the world. CattleTranz is a soluble tablet containing salts and electrolytes. It has a calming effect on cattle and reduces stress during transport which means that carcasses grade better under the MSA system. Carcasses from stressed cattle are typically dark in colour and don't meet the required standard for premium beef. Like Olssons, Greenham Tasmania is a 100% Australian owned family company. Managing director, Peter Greenham, is the sixth generation to work in the meat processing industry. His forebears started out as butchers in Melbourne in the 19th century. The family gradually moved into meat processing and currently owns two abattoirs, one at Tongala in northern Victoria and the other at Smithton in northwest Tasmania. When the family bought the Smithton abattoir in 2003 they quickly realised they were on to something special. The premium grass fed beef coming out of the plant was the equal of any in the world. Tasmanian grass fed beef is different. The state is blessed with an exceptionally clean environment and reliable rainfall that produces fantastic pastures. British breeds thrive in these conditions, growing steadily, and producing truly succulent meat. It has a flavour and level of marbling that surprises chefs both here and overseas. Peter Greenham has used his marketing skills to put the Tasmanian product on a pedestal. He has created two brands, Tasmania Natural Beef and Cape Grim Beef, and extensively promoted them throughout Australia and across South-east Asia. Cape Grim in particular is now readily available in leading restaurants right round Australia. Celebrity chef, Neil Perry of the well-known Rockpool restaurants in Melbourne and Sydney is a big fan. He dry ages Cape Grim beef for up to 35 days and grills it over a bed of redgum coals. The result is sensational. Neil recently shot a television segment with Greenham at Smithton and has also produced a video for Peter Greenham explaining how to cook the perfect steak. Visit www.capegrimbeef.com.au to learn how to improve your barbecue skills! Peter Greenham has also established a partnership with the giant Japanese Aleph restaurant chain and supplies it with premium Tasmanian beef graded to exacting standards. Livestock manager, Graeme Pretty, explains that participating farmers have to register and tag their cattle before they are 12 months old. No drenches or antibiotics are allowed after that and hormone growth promotants are banned. No genetically modified feed is permitted. The cattle are processed between 18 and 27 months and with a
"It really calms the animals and makes a big difference when we put the carcasses through MSA grading. We get better coloured meat, and a better yield. It's only the top MSA grades that go into Cape Grim and Tasmania Natural, and meet the Aleph standard. Cattle Tranz can make the difference between an animal grading well and not. If they don't travel well they're not likely to grade well," Graeme said. "With Cattle Tranz we get more cattle to grade where we want them and that really pays off for the farmer." Graeme said he had tried several other products. "But we came back to Cattle Tranz because it's effective, cheap and easy to use." Flinders Island farmers, Penny and David Conn, are also impressed with Cattle Tranz ease of use. "We put it in the troughs 24 hours before transport and feed plenty of hay. That makes sure they all drink which means they all get a dose. We've used other products but they're more work and even then a lot of cattle miss out." Graeme Pretty said transporting cattle from Flinders Island to Smithton had provided a good test for Cattle Tranz. "There's a fair bit of handling on the way. They’re trucked to the wharf, loaded onto a barge, taken off again at the other end, and then on to another truck. Before Cattle Tranz we'd get 50 to 60% grading MSA. Now Flinders Island cattle grade at an average 90%.” Peter Greenham and his father, also Peter, believe strongly that the best results come from working closely with farmers. They buy directly from them where possible, and hold regular meetings to provide market feedback and guidance on how to get the best returns. Farmers dealing with the company are always encouraged to use CattleTranz. Peter Greenham said it makes sense "A lot work goes into producing top-quality cattle. We don't want it all undone at the end because of transport stress. Getting a higher yield also helps us meet the increasing demand for our branded product." The family is currently upgrading the Smithton plant to improve throughput. Major improvements to boning and chilling facilities will be completed in the next few months. Neil Perry showing how to cook the perfect Greenham’s steak
OLSSON’S INDICATOR
LETTER FROM IAN MACCALLUM
OUTBACk BOOk CLUB
This is from Ian MacCallum, 2009 Olsson’s Photographic Competition Grand Prize Winner. Dear Genevieve, I wish to extend to you, Allan Ross and the Company my thanks for the generous prize for the P h o t o g r a p h i c Competition. The blocks have been supplied through MacCallum Inglis, Scone, and will be extremely useful as we are experiencing a very poor season and the ewes and lambs will certainly benefit from these products. We have always used your products and winning this competition with such a useful prize was certainly a thrill. kind Regards, Ian MacCallum.
OLSSON’S POETRY COMPETITION Are you a writer of wonderful words, remarkable rhymes, preposterous poems? Well, why not send us a poem you yourself have penned. This issue of the Olsson’s Indicator newsletter has a rather poetic flavour in its’ Great Australian Story as well as Genevieve’s poetry book success. So, to celebrate and inspire those yet undiscovered poets out there, yes you, we here at Olsson’s are having our first poetry writing competition. All you need to do is send us your original poem. The best 5 entries will win a copy of Genevieve’s poetry book “Poetry Attack” and their poems will be published in the next Olsson’s Indicator newsletter. So, get those creative juices flowing!!
Since we all love reading the Olsson’s Indicator newsletter, I thought we could continue the love affair with books by starting our very own book club. I would love for as many as possible to be involved in the book club by selecting books, writing critiques or just dropping me a line. A new book will be selected every newsletter and we’ll also publish any comments and critiques regarding the previous issue’s book. For this issue I have selected “We of the Never-Never” by Aeneas (Jeannie) Gunn, a well-loved Australian classic. If you don’t have a copy at home, there are several websites that I frequently use such as The Nile book store at www.thenile.com.au. or feel free to contact me to purchase a copy. I look forward to your feedback regarding “We of the Never-Never” and any book selections for future reading. Genevieve, Ph: 02 9632 0441 Email: genevieve@olssons.com.au
PHOTO COMP WINNER We’re so excited about the Cattle Tranz and we have had such a great response from all of our customers who are using it, that we have decided to run a special photo competition featuring animals in transit using Cattle Tranz. The format of the competition is still the same with the notable exception being that all photos submitted from now on should show Cattle Tranz. Back to the matter at hand. This issue’s winner of the Olsson’s Photographic Competition is Jenny Wetselaar of Berridale, NSW. Jenny’s fabulous photo shows her sheep (in all their glory) savouring the delights of a tasty Olsson’s Peak 50 block. What handsome animals they are too! Well done Jenny and congratulations! You have won $1000.00 worth of Olsson’s blocks of your choice from your local Olsson’s stockist. If you would like to enter the Olsson’s Photographic Competition, please visit our website at www.olssons.com.au for competition details. keep sending in those photos, we love receiving them. Happy snapping everybody!!
Conditions of entry: 1. Each poem submitted must contain the following details: Competitors Name, address and phone number. Email address also if possible. 2. One entry per person. 3. All entries must be received by 31.08.2010 Please send entries to: Olsson’s Poetry Competition Attn: Genevieve PO Box 39 Guildford NSW 2161 Or email genevieve@olssons.com.au www.olssons.com.au olsson’s advisory service 1800 804 096
www.olssons.com.au olsson’s advisory service 1800 804 096