Ask Te Radar: Episodes 1-7
Do you have a burning question to ask our intrepid host? Is
there a topic you feel must be addressed. Could you live The Good
Life?
Well this is your chance to email Te Radar - just don't expect a
serious answer back!
We will pick the best questions/comments each week and let the man
himself respond right here.
So get emailing at
tvone@tvnz.co.nz and put "Ask Te Radar" in the
subject field.
Below are Te's answers about episodes 1-7. Click here to go see Te's answers about episodes 8-13.
Episode 7
Lindsay from Wellington writes: Dear Te
Radar,
I was fairly well amazed at the episode of Off The Radar this week.
Somebody snuck in one night and rustled all your sheep and it
seemed your response was: "At least the cows didn't get run over,
oh look, it's almost time for the Christmas parade".
Didn't you at least report the theft to Mr Plod? No plaster moulds
of tyre tracks? No wanted posters? No message at the end of the
show along the lines of: "Dear Mr Rustler, if I ever get my hands
on you it'll be a docking ring round the goolies for
starters..."
It just seemed odd that you had such a non-reaction to what must
proportionately been something of a disaster for your enterprise.
Or was there something else at play? Did the other sheep see the
Christmas lamb getting shot and, that night, stage a mass breakout?
Could they even now be on the lam (so to speak)?
Te Radar: Dear Lindsay
To be fair there was a bit more of a reaction at the time - the
kind that is not family viewing. I figured they had got through the
fence so I asked all the neighbours to keep an eye out for the awol
sheep but the more people I asked the more said "that happens a bit
this time of year" or "check down the butchers".
I did put up my wanted posters but that just meant more people
ringing to say this happens round Christmas. The neighbour even
found her padlocked gate had been taken off its hinges and left
leaned in place for a quick raid in the night. I tried not to dwell
on it though - taking the moral high ground.
The country is a great place and I didn't want some dirty rotten
scoundrels spoiling the spirit of Christmas and I am pleased to
report they didn't. Free range turkey is delicious and plentiful
and I got the bonus of my new turkling friend.
Andrea writes: This isnt a question but some
feedback for you from my two boys Connor 5 and Sam 4. They
love your programme and think that you are very funny. They
count down every week until Sunday night get in their pjs early and
hunker down with a mallow puff and watch every week. Great to
see such good tv for all the family!
Te Radar: Dear Conor and Sam
I am glad you find me a little bit funny and hope that you are nice
to your mum for letting you watch the show with mallowpuffs. You
don't know how lucky you are. The farm has grapefruit and figs for
desert which is not so good really. Keep watching and try to have a
bath more often than I do.
Fiona and Shane write: Dear Radar,
Well aren't you having a bloody good time. The fact that your program is screening prime time, and probably doing pretty well is a wonderful sign of things to come.
We have a long term goal of living off the land too, and I was wondering if my partner could come and do an apprenticeship with you, so that we can avoid making any silly mistakes down the track.
He is pretty useful, has a welder and can use it well, likes a shovel and fancies himself a bit of a hot shot when it comes to hunting.
Only one problem - he is Australian and would need to learn that NZers and sheep dont quite have the special relationship everyone thinks they do, and he has no idea what no. 8 wire is.
Hoping you can find a home for him anyway!
Loving the show, if only the kids would go to bed early on a Sunday night.
Te Radar: Hi Fiona,
Regrettably I am off the farm now and back home in the city, so I currently do not have anything to show an apprentice.
Shame I didn't know about it when we were filming, as I am sure I could have shown the Aussie a thing or 2.
Hope the goal of living off the land goes well.
Julie asks: I love your show. It's just the
kind of entertainment for me on a Sunday evening. You have a great
sense of humour and real kiwi attitude. You're my kinda guy
;)
(p.s. are you single?) cheeky aye!!
Te Radar: Glad you like the show. And alas, no,
I'm not currently single, as someone else, who like you also has
excellent taste, has snapped me up. Sorry
Episode 6
From Carolyn Slade: Since watching your program,
which I am truly enjoying, I have been
everywhere trying to find a sickle like what was shown in your
program. Do you have any ideas as I have totally used all of mine.
Keep up the great work.
Te Radar: Hi there Glad you are finding
inspiration...and better yet the kind that means you get off the
couch and do some of it! You are looking for a scythe and yes they
are hard to find. Antique versions pop up on Trade Me a bit
but they will require some work to get going.
I had heard there was somewhere near Kaiwaka that stocked the new
versions but have had no luck finding that myself. Sorry I
can't be of more help beyond that. Will post new information
as it comes to hand.
From Julieanne in Wellington: I think the
show is great and love the experiments! In the trial of
different methods of growing produce in containers, which method
is working out the best, I only have a small area to garden
in and would appreciate learning from your trial.
Te Radar: Glad you are enjoying my attempts at
gardening. While I clearly haven't had tremendous success and
can't claim to be an expert, it seems you can't go past a raised
garden bed, with the box made from timber or mud brick, with plenty
of good soil and compost mixed in.
I reckon the best tip is to not make the beds too big and to keep
succession planting (thanks for that lesson Betsy) - where you
don't plant all your plants at once but in stages so they are ready
to be picked at different times. Best tip of all is just to get
growing!
Robert in Kerikeri: I grew up in the
Marlborough Sounds where gardens, possums, cows, sheep, goats,
chooks, firewood, fishing, eeling, gumboots, and "making do or
doing without" was the very fabric of our lives.
Your 'Off the Radar' series is relevant to many Kiwis and certainly
entertaining as well as educational. It is my favorite programme by
far and is deserving of all episodes on DVD or on TVNZ On Demand
website download.
Please tell me that the full episodes will be made available
?
Te Radar: Many thanks for the kind words. I
believe that the show will be out on DVD early next
year.
There is also a book which I have written that will be due out in
the first week of December. It is more of a behind the scenes look
at the show than an actual how to guide, (actually it is more of a
how not not to guide). The book is called Off the Radar, so as not
to avoid confusion.
Lee asks: I have tried to source the
tablet form of rennet you used in episode 4 when you made feta
cheese but no luck in my area. Have tried
the liquid form and the results haven't been successful so
far. Have tried using various amounts in different dilutions
but still no hard curding to speak of - more like cottage
cheese.
Te Radar: That's a bummer. You can
purchase cheesemaking supplies online at
www.cuisineaccessory.co.nz/cheese_making_equipment.htm
They sell a rennet stick for $12 plus postage. They also
sell the liquid form so might be able to help with a recipe that
uses that.
Maria: Fantastic show, really enjoying the info
and laughs. I am rather interested in the scythe you have had
appear in a couple of your episodes. What a brilliant tool. Any
ideas where I could purchase one other than TradeMe! Looking
forward to the rest of the shows.
Te Radar: I never was much chop with homework but
I've cracked this one...check out
www.koanga.co.nz They have scythes but
prepare yourself - a flash one sets you back about $200. Then
again, the frustration of a weed eater probably takes years off
your life so it's not a bad deal.
Episode 5
Lee-anne and Blake from Upper Hutt: My 8-year old
son thought that making cheese would be a great experiment
during the school holidays but unfortunately we can only source
liquid rennet at our local supermarket. In your recipe you
use tablet hard form so could you tell me how much liquid rennet I
should use.
Te Radar: Thanks for the query and for watching
Radar's efforts. I am no expert - just a keen experimenter so
no promises but if you try 1/2 tsp of liquid rennet in 1/4 cup of
water, that should work fine.
Nicky asks: I'm loving the show Radar, not only
are you full of great ideas :) but having a laugh along with
you has been fantastic so thanks for that :)
I'm wondering if you will be producing a book on all that you have
learnt along your way?? More home made cheese recipes would be
great...I'm about to start my first batch of feta!!
Te Radar: Glad your enjoying the show. There is a
book due out in early December about the programme. I don't think I
included a cheese recipe in it though, sorry about that. I hope
your feta goes well, I couldn't believe how easy it was, and
it tastes great.
Episode 4
Anja asks: I would love to be able to make the
feta cheese that you were doing...any chance of you posting the
recipe on the website?
Te Radar: You can find the
recipe here
Episode 3
A whole host of people emailed in asking about the digging fork
used in the episode.
Te Radar: Sorry to say they don't appear easy to
find in New Zealand. They are also known as a U-bar digger. Some
websites are
www.leevalley.com and
www.smithandspeed.com. Not sure if either have
local suppliers but no harm in asking.
UPDATE: I have kept on the case and am pleased to report
the broadfork is available through
www.koanga.co.nz
They
call it a U Bar and you will have to take a few deep breaths before
looking at the price! But just think of all the wonderful
produce you'll have.
Bill Cox asks: Hi Radar, great show. I lived in a
tent for a year once! Anyway my question is what sort of tent
that you have and can I buy it when the shows over?
Te Radar: It's a jolly good tent all right.
It's an old army tent, (circa 1970, as it has "Defence force mortgage fund" stamped in the inside) that my father purchased from the Scout jamboree in Fielding in 1984ish.
It's not currently for sale, and other than trade-me or an Army surplus shop (although I have never seen one there) I wouldn't know where one could be purchased.
Perhaps Actual Govt / Army sale?
Charlie MacDougall asks: I would like to see more
hunting maybe rabbits or do some spotlighting for possums as
hunting provides a great food source that is free
Te Radar: You are certainly right that hunting
provides a great source of free food, and I do some spotlight
rabbit and possum hunting later in the series.
I did a lot more than you see in the programme, but the camera
crew cant be with me all the time so you dont see all of it. The
rabbits tasted very good indeed. I shot the Turkeys with a double
barrelled shotgun, but I am not sure of the make.
Episode 2
Steve Chamberlain writes: Just be carefull,
because on Sunday nights programme stock were shifted by truck from
one farm to another. Legally when stock gets shifted all stock must
be tagged correctly
Te Radar: Thanks for the feedback. We did
have appropriate tags and papers for the stock but due to an
obvious lack of loading ramp and pens the original owners could not
attach all tags. They arrived partially tagged and we finished the
job. Also we have had the local tb guy out for a visit to cover all
the bases.
Sara Anderson writes: Loving your programme,
very funny too see you tromping round the paddock trying to deal
with your cows etc. Last night I was watching and I was really
disappointed to hear one of your guests say "Im not doing that
because Im not gay" or something similar. Please consider how this
would have sounded with another word used in a similarly negative
context like because Im not Maori, Asian etc. Do you have enough
control to ask that to be edited out during the final process?
Te Radar: I have to say the issue of censoring
what people say is something of a conundrum. The teenager who made
the comment was not doing so to inflame or to pass judgement on
sexuality. As you will know from working with youth discribing
something as "gay", as he did, is slang for something that is lame
rather than being a literal statement about homosexuality . While
it isn't a phrase I would use, editing or censoring elliminates the
chance for others to exercise and/or question their judgement so
here's hoping this has provided a way for the youth you work with
to consider their choice of words. Hope you keep watching as the
ramblings around the paddock become more rambling!
Lucas Smith writes: I go to Waihi school and I am
13 years old. I would like to ask Te Radar what is the hardest part
about living on the farm and what is your favourite vege that you
have grown and have you got somenames for your chickens because I
have got some good ones for you if you like Margot, Sophie and
Silvia. I think that your programmes are really great and we have a
landrover just like you one .
Te Radar: Hi Lucas. The hardest part about living
on the farm was having to make sure the animals were looked after
when I was away working. I often had to go away for a few days to
work all around the country, and I didnt manage to train them to
feed themselves. The chickens do have names, there is Big Red,
Tighty Whitey, and The Pheasant. I do like your suggestions though,
are they names of people you know? Hope your landrover is easier to
drive than mine. Thanks for your questions
Episode 1
Glen and Debbie Meads write: Just watched your
programme last night - was awesome! Just wondering if you could
give us the "recipe" for the worm farm?
Te Radar responds: Glad you find my
shambolic attempts at surviving entertaining. Keep watching and I
build a worm farm from an old bath in episode 3. The instructions
for it will be loaded on the website after the show. Don't
forget to feed them a good variety of food, mine got a bit bored
with their paper and silverbeet diet.
Jan Ormond and
Anna Franklin were
both looking for the name and contact details of the woman featured
in the episode who had the worm farm and the edible garden.
Te Radar: That was Trish from Rainbow Valley
Farms. They have a website -
www.rainbowvalleyfarm.co.nz.
Matt asks: Do you think that having a nice cup of
tea with your legs crossed is probably the nicest thing in the
world? Or do you think there are possibly nicer things?
Te Radar: While having a cup of tea with your legs crossed in indeed nice, there are nicer things. Like having a cup of tea with a gingernut biscuit with your legs either crossed , or uncrossed, or better still, entwined in the legs of a special friend.
Click here to go see Te's answers about episodes 8-13.
