Ouma Beer is not your average 64-year-old ouma. She is tech savvy and runs two very successful Facebook pages and two blogs on camp food and camping ideas. Your snackwich maker may be more handy than you realise.
Berie Smith (Ouma Beer) has 4765 fans on Facebook and about 200 000 followers on her blogs. Her Facebook page, Kos vir kampeerders met idees vir kampering, is a favourite daily get-together for anyone looking for meal-making inspiration, whether it’s for camping or not. “I started the Facebook page in August 2010,” says Berie, who has 11 grandchildren.
“We camped for 13 years. I was the area chairman of the South African Caravan Association, and editor of their newsletter for a few years. I retired from camping when I turned 60.”
Diagnosed with diabetes that “bothers the feet a bit”, Berie decided to keep her mind active and create something from a subject she loves.
“We’ve seen it all,” says Berie. “People get bored with the customary ‘braaitjie en slaaitjie‘ when they go camping, so I decided to do something about it. I adapted favourite recipes for camping meals, and made our children’s food fun and exciting.
“Everyone knocked on my caravan door for advice about food, so I decided to put all that knowledge, gained from research and trial and error, to good use and start a blog and a Facebook page.”
Berie spends hours on the internet each day, searching for photos and new ideas, recreating old recipes and keeping her fans happy with what she has to offer.
“I also have pages on microwave cooking,” she says. “That section is equally busy and keeps me from brooding over the things in life that one cannot change.”
We found Berie’s “Snackwich” ideas and recipes particularly refreshing. They are creative, fun and tasty. So get your Snackwich machine out from the back of that cupboard. Not only will you rediscover its use, but it will soon be an item you won’t leave behind when you go on holiday.
For amazing recipes and ideas for campers, log on to www.facebook.com/oumabeer62 or kampkosenwenke.weebly.com
Recipe
What you need
½ cup grated carrots
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 egg
½ cup sugar
½ t cinnamon
1/3 t baking soda
½ cup self-raising flour
¼ cup oats – regular or quick
2tb chopped walnuts
What you do
Beat together the carrots, oil and egg. Add sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, flour and oats and mix well. Add walnuts.
Spoon the batter into the wells of the Snackwich machine until full but not overflowing. Bake for 5-7 minutes, checking often to ensure you don’t overcook.