A bottle of pickled mini-eggs, a present from his sister, hatched an idea that would change Gabriel Delport’s career path. After polishing off his sister’s gift he wanted more.
But these quails’ eggs weren’t local, and after a quick Google search, he established that the nearest supplier was in East London.
“So I got into my bakkie and drove. Spent a day with the breeder. Came back with 50 birds in a big box tucked under my canopy cover. I stopped every hour to give them water. Didn’t lose one!” Seven months later, there are 4 000. And Gabriel says: “I absolutely love them. It’s a whole new world.”
Windsor free-range quails and eggs have slipped quietly on to the market – first at Food Lover’s Market/Everfresh Ballito, and now beyond.
Free-range, of course, does not mean the quails are flying around the farm. (The less they fly the more they lay.) They are in spacious cages, and don’t nestle down to business – they walk and drop. And only in the afternoon. They take 30 days to mature, and then start laying.
“I’ve always had a soft spot for chickens. But quails are something else. When we clean the cages, if some of them slip out we leave them; there’s a colony in the garden. And the sound they make … it’s a real bush sound. We also keep the albinos – there’s quite often a pure white one – they’re the most beautiful.”
Gabriel speaks as eagerly about the mottled eggs his quails produce. “Did you know that every hen has her own personal print? Which is repeated on every egg she lays! And they’re so healthy – very low cholesterol! And an egg a day is like natural Viagra … lots of customers who buy direct from the farm tell me they work really well, but maybe you’d better not mention that.” What? No chance, Gabriel.
Health benefits aside, the eggs are simply delicious. Boil for just three minutes, then plunge into iced water for easy peeling. This is quite a delicate business as the shells are surprisingly tough. Gabriel advises using a small, sharp knife to cut a shallow ring around the egg; the shell then peels off more easily.
These make beautiful little snacks – perch on a bed of rock salt, ground black pepper and ground cumin. Serve with a little dipping bowl of mayonnaise spiked with turmeric or ground chilli. Use for decorative, and tasty effect to make fried Chinese rice a little more special. When you fancy a lighter breakfast, a small poached quail’s egg is ideal.
Even newer on the market are the farm’s fresh dressed quails. Look in the poultry section of the butcheries at Food Lover’s Market. The little birds are quite pricy and finicky but superb as a special starter. Or a small-appetite main course. There are loads of exciting recipes on the internet – a good South African site is www.quails4africa.co.za
We braaied them, after painting with home-made peri-peri sauce. We also griddled them à la Rick Stein from his French Odyssey cookbook.
Rub with olive oil, crushed dried chillies, salt and pepper. Five minutes on each side on a hot griddle. Another five minutes. Then rest off the heat for five minutes while you make a dressing – shallots, parsley, garlic and Dijon mustard plus olive oil, red wine vinegar and – an unusual touch – maple syrup. Eat with your fingers!
Windsor is a busy farm: Gabriel and Paul Shepherd also raise Zulu chickens – what they call “kukkuks” (in posh Gauteng referred to as “village chickens”). Then there’s the sugar cane, and the Vanda orchids from Thailand which they’ve been growing for five years.
If you can’t find these fascinating eggs or delicious birds at your local store, badger the manager to phone Paul or Gabriel on 083 741 3170, or better still, e-mail them at xsport@mweb.co.za
Story by Erica & John Platter
1 Comment
I would like to purchase 2 birds. Will this be possible? I only have a small yard