Doing Gnome Stuff: Ballistic Testing.

April 17, 2015 Munchkin

It has been a day for doing some Gnome Stuff; in this case, Ballistic Testing of Three Different Pellets. Here is a picture of them:

0.117 Calibre Pellets Tested: Hollow Point, PBA, 10.5grain Domed.

The testing materials used were three aluminium bottles filled with water, the sort used to carry specialty oils and a cocoa powder can. The bottles were set at thirty yards, like so:

Bottles filled with water and set in the test field.

And the can was set at sixty yards, hanging off of a tree.

The first thing that can be seen from the above photo is that the rightmost bottle was knocked over by the shot with the heavy, 10.5 grain domed pellet. The entry and exit holes for this pellet:

Entry Point for 10.5 grain Domed Pellet.

The PBA pellets make a very impressive crack, almost like a real firearm, as they break through the sound barrier. These are their photos:

This is the embarrassingly bad photo of the deformity at the back of the bottle, ie. it didn't go through. — This is the embarrassingly bad photo of the deformity at the back of the bottle, ie. it didn’t go through.

The lead hollow point pellets also break through the sound barrier and are only slightly heavier than the PBA pellets. They showed similar results:

Entry Point for Hollow Points Pellets. — Entry Point for Hollow Points Pellets (yes, another bad picture).

The Hollow Point also did not go through the bottle either (I know, I know, the pictures are getting really bad...but Munchkin didn't take these, I did). — The Hollow Point also did not go through the bottle either (I know, I know, the pictures are getting really bad…but Munchkin didn’t take these, I did).

As an additional note: the can set at sixty yards and hit with the 10.5 grain domed pellets, fared like so:

Can.at.sixty.Entry.Heavy.Domed — Entry Point for 10.5 grain Domed Pellets.

And the exit point (Yay, I can actually see this one!!).

There are no photos of the can for the other two pellets because I couldn’t hit the can with three shots…presumably the accuracy of the other two pellets isn’t as good as the heavy pellet, which hit the can in one shot.

These are interesting results. The heaviest pellet happens to be the cheapest but appears to go through everything shot at in this test and also seems to be the most accurate at the longest distance. While the other two pellets are more expensive (the PBA pellet almost ridiculously so), they would not go through the metal bottles and did not seem to have long distance accuracy. This is probably of no consequence for plinking (expensive plinking, mind you) but for hunting, the heavier weight and improved accuracy of the domed pellet may be an advantage in stopping something a bit bigger (and yummier!).

Laters Everyone!! 😀

Belize, Blog, Farming, Fermentation, Our Products

Nobody is Reading Our Stuff (and it’s hot).

April 16, 2015 Munchkin 3 Comments

I am feeling a bit disheartened because I think I am writing at a brick wall. As usual, I try to write a post everyday but my Stats keep on dropping. Persistence is supposed to be the key so I will endeavour to keep on going…

It is also soooo hot here in Belize!!

Anyway, today Gnome racked the Melomel because it had stopped bubbling (or talking) to us. We had a quick taste…it was bright orange from the sapodilla and carrots…and it tasted rather orangey. Let’s see how it will evolve. He also put the last of the koji beans in jars in an attempt to make Chinese fermented black beans. We can’t find a recipe anywhere for this so we have decided to add salt to it in a jar and let it keep on fermenting. The fermentation area has been cleared up to make way for start of our soap marathon and so we shall be making a batch of chocolate soaps tomorrow. Gnome also removed the last of the barbed wire fencing which had been originally constructed for the division of large animals on the farm. We are not even going to pretend any-more…we are fine with small things like guinea pigs!

Well, I have developing more products for BotanicaBelize; this time it is Mens’ facial products. It was so hot!!! But, alas I did muster enough creativity, despite the heat, to make some nice products.

One day at a time…

I would like it to be fun all the time but sometimes the sweaty, horrible heat gets in the way!!

Belize, Farming, Food

The Trouble with Coconut Water!

April 15, 2015 Munchkin 2 Comments

On our farm, we have a coconut plantation and you would think that it would be quite the thing to sell coconut water with fun and profit in mind. The reality is not the case as we have discovered because there are so many considerations that make you stop and wonder whether it is all worth it or not.

The first thing is cost; here in Belize, people expect to pay between BZD0.50 to 1.00 for a fresh water coconut which gives an average yield of 150 to 200mls (5 to 6.6fl/oz) of coconut water. Belize manufactured coconut water can be bought for 500mls for about BZD2.00 (USD1.00). So, it is rather cheap and affordable as you can see from the prices and making a grand fortune from the sale of water coconuts was never possible but we decided to sell a couple of gallons on a weekly basis just to stimulate our daily maintenance of the coconut plantation.

In doing so, we realised what it actually meant to process coconut water and all of the pit-falls involved from the cutting of fresh coconuts to preservation and selling of the water.

Firstly, coconut trees have to be climbed by Gnome and 20 to 30 coconuts (most of ours are medium sized) give one gallon (3.785litres). The coconuts are cut open by slicing through the husk and the shell with numerous deftly cuts with the machete whilst you hand is holding onto the coconut …you need to watch your fingers… and then, the water is poured into a bucket. The water does get detritus from the coconut shell so it is then filtered through a muslin cloth. At this point, it needs to be freshly frozen as the nutrient-rich liquid is the perfect medium for bacterial multiplication. After de-frosting fresh coconut water, it should be consumed as quickly as possible (2-3 days in the refrigerator); at room temperature, in the Tropics, it will start fermenting within 2 hours.

I am sure that you all know, fresh coconut water has an unrivalled taste of sweetness. This is another one of the challenges that we face in processing our coconut water…we have to freeze it in order to preserve it but freezing it makes it less sweet. At this point, I would like to thank Adriana Guzman for independently noting this fact. We tested her observations and also found that the thawed coconut water tasted as if it had been diluted with water.

It was then that we came to the important realisation that shop-bought coconut water must be one, treated for preservation (probably a combination of pasteurisation and addition of preservatives) and two, sweetened to overcome the loss of sweetness due to the preservation process. This is why it never tastes like the real thing. The only way to get the true, natural taste is to have your own stash of fresh coconuts and be willing to cut them open yourself.

Amusing, Belize, Pets

Eureka!

April 13, 2015 Munchkin

I pondered over getting a hand-held vacuum cleaner for a long time. The main reason is because I live in Belize and it isn’t a matter of going down to the shopping mall or going online and ordering it on 24 hour delivery. Making a decision to buy something which can’t be bought in Belize entails ordering it on-line, sending it to a shipping company which transports to Belize, sending the invoice to the shippers, waiting anywhere from 2 to 6 months to get it shipped here, paying duty and transportation and then driving to the final collection point which is a 2 to 3 hours away.

And so I cogitated, procrastinated and then did some more thinking and finally told Gnome that I really, really wanted a Eureka hand-held vacuum cleaner. I went on-line to Amazon and noted that in some of the reviews, many people mentioned that it was very heavy for a hand-held machine. And so I told Gnome that the vacuum cleaner was 5lbs in weight but I wasn’t sure if this was too much for me to handle. With a glint in his eye he mentioned that the Cat was 5lbs in weight (at that time). He said rather nonchalantly, “Try the cat.”

I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that comment so he further explained that I should lift up the cat with one arm and shugle him about like I would a vacuum cleaner. And so I did, with the kind permission of our pet cat, Ewan. He didn’t seem too heavy to handle and he didn’t seem that bothered by my man-handling. And so Gnome concluded from my cat-vacuum cleaner emulation experiment that the Eureka was to be bought and I should go on-line immediately to purchase it and fulfill my cleaning requirements.

Six months later we collected it and brought it home. I was beaming with hope, pleasure and excitement as I unwrapped the box like a Christmas present (a belated one at that). It didn’t turn out to be heavy at all…Munchkin power can handle a measly 5lbs in weight and it worked like a charm.

Now the funny thing is that it is a running joke that the Eureka and the Cat are both sucking up all the crumbs on the kitchen floor and under the dining room table. We have a good old laugh about it…which is which? We have even started calling the cat “Eureka!”

HaHa…we know how to entertain ourselves out here in the middle of nowhere!

Belize, Farming, Fermentation, Food

Full of Beans!

April 11, 2015 Munchkin

Gnome was full of beans this morning and brimming with energy right from the get go. He was out of the house by 5.30am with the brush-mower clearing the back of the farm. I started cleaning buckets and basins, started a big pot of beans on the stove and washed sheets for koji making. It was bean mania and the various bean preparations continued to exude beaniness into every square inch of the house.

When we finally met up again, Gnome had grated coconuts and I proceeded to squeeze the cream out of them. I then laid out the coconut meal in the sun for the making of flour.

After this, it was back to the beans. The night before we had decided upon making a “meatier” hatcho miso and so today we made Beef Jerky Hatcho Miso or as Gnome has coined it “Meat Lover’s Hatcho Miso.” This involved putting 20 cups of fresh black bean koji and 2 lbs (1kg) of beef jerky through a meat grinder.

There was a few cups of black bean koji left over so we decided to make a small batch of Taosi which is a Filipino fermented black bean preparation, made by soaking the koji in brine.

Next we took the freshly cooked beans from this morning and added more Aspergillus spores to start a continuous batch of black bean koji. Our goal is to fill a 55 gallon drum with hatcho miso…more about that in a later post!

We then had a brief intermission for food and refreshments. For those interested, we still think that it is important to sit down and eat two proper meals a day, despite all the frenzy and excitement. We had Chinese roast pork, pumpkins and shiitake mushrooms cooked in mead and sweet potato cakes.

Anyway, the next task was making Shinshu miso with the mountain of bungle beans from the freezer. This was Gnome’s idea since I had been giving him such a hard time about the bungle. Yes, we used up all the beans so problem has been solved. We made 2 and 1/2 gallons of this…ready in one year!

Phew, it has been a bean marathon. We were done by 2pm.

Munchkin and Gnome: Mad About the Beans!

Belize, Farming, Food, Plants

On The Farm.

April 10, 2015 Munchkin

The whole house smells of bean juice with trays of hatcho miso and buckets of beans soaking in water. At this point, all windows have to be opened or else one can get over-whelmed by the fart smell of bean. What better reason to take a look outside and tell you what interesting things are happening on the farm.

First of all, one jackfruit tree has started bearing this year:

We were not sure how to check for ripe fruit so we had to look up information on it; apparently, you can harvest them when they are green and to speed up maturity you can place it in the sun. When ripe, the outer shell is suppose to crack with firm pressure placed on it. Well, we have one of these babies getting a nice sun-tan outside and we can’t wait to eat it! Jackfruit can get to a massive size (20kgs or 50lbs)…our are a modest 15lb (7kgs) in weight.

The kenep has just been flowering. It has a lovely smell of vanilla which attracts honey bees. Kenep fruit are similar to lychee in that there is an outer shell which you crack into with your teeth and then you bite into a thin soft flesh around a seed. The great thing about this is that the seeds can be boiled and eaten. So far, still no sign of fruit this year..

This is a grub that we found whilst digging around for sweet potatoes. In Australia, they call them “Witchety Grubs” and traditionally they are eaten raw. Gnome has eaten one before and said that it wasn’t that good…a bit over-rated!

We tried to throw this at a duckie and she looked at us in a “duckie” way…a sideways neophobic and partially horrified look…

Looks like she doesn’t know what to do with the Witchety Grub!

Belize, Fermentation

Rice-Banana-Coffee Beer Tasting.

April 9, 2015 Munchkin

Do you remember the Mystery Beer which was made about 2 months ago? Yes, the one that involved lilac sheets! This was bottled last Wednesday and at that time, I had a quick taste and I have to admit that I just noted the “burnt” flavour from the coffee but nothing to get overly excited about.

Well, here is the tasting after one week of bottling:

Colour is red amber and very effervescent; small sized bubbles with moderate fizz. Clear with good head.

Smells like strawberries! Lovely fresh strawberry smell, like walking through a strawberry field. There is a lingering berry sweetness.

With the first sip, there is an immediate delicate and distinct taste of strawberries! There is a mild sourness and the last flavour component is the coffee taste which compliments the whole experience.

Wow, this tasting is truly amazing! I can not believe that a beer can develop such complex taste components in just 7 days. It has captured the taste of delectable strawberries even although this fruit is not an ingredient. The rice and banana combined has given this unique and fruity taste.

After this tasting, I thanked Gnome for his love and discipline in making beer (and his general practices in life). It is quite interesting to note that Gnome does not drink much and in fact, makes fermented beverages because he actually enjoys the whole making process.

Thank-you Gnome For Your Fermentation Magic!

Belize, Fermentation, Our Products, Saving Money, Soap

Hatcho Miso Belize Style.

April 9, 2015 Munchkin

Miso Madness is almost over as the Munchkin is starting to feel twitchy over our dwindling supply of soap…

…which means that our run of frenzied fermentation is coming to an end and the previously, prematurely terminated Soap Marathon is going to have to resume (yeah, our soaps are really popular and people just can’t get enough of them; this is A Good Thing, she tells me ;-P).

After the frenzy of rice koji making and the resulting shinshu and shiro misos, we are ending our run with a couple of pig tail buckets of hatcho miso. The first bucket was made two days ago, however, it turned out to be about a gallon short because I held back some of the black bean koji to reinoculate the next batch of beans. There was a slight set-back with that particular batch (yes, yes, I’m sure you’ve heard about the Great Bean Bungle…let’s move on…) and to make a long story short, another batch had to be introduced into the equation. Anyway, back to the short bucket: I just “happened” to have a gallon batch of miso from last year which was made with cacao beans and while very aromatic, the chocolate taste was just too overpowering (yes, chocolate-lovers, this is actually possible!). So, we emptied all of the containers, mixed them together again with the addition of bird peppers (Korean-style??) and a generous handful of black peppercorns.

Mixing Black Beans, Last Year's Chocolate Miso, Chilli Peppers and Black Peppercorns. — Mixing Black Beans, Last Year’s Chocolate Miso, Chilli Peppers and Black Peppercorns.

And voila’, the first full bucket of Belizean Style Chocolate (Cacao Bean) Hatcho Miso (with chilli and black pepper) was born:

Time to start thinking about soap…

Amusing, Belize, Food

Bean Bungle Burger!

April 8, 2015 Munchkin

Just the other day, Gnome had mentioned that we seemed to be eating beans everyday. Like a good Chinese woman, I blinked once and then placidly ignored his comment. I am sure that all of you out there will understand that once in a while, especially during wild intense times of fermentation madness, one can get rather tired and have little energy left to cook fanciful foods daily. Hence the reason why I haven’t been posting up recipes lately.

However, Gnome added insult to injury and did a big whopper of a bungle. During Hatcho Miso preparation, he over-cooked a tonne of black beans which could not be used for miso making. He left me with 40 cups (22 lbs or 10 kgs) of mushy black beans and urged me to “make them go away, please.”

And so with a teeny little ounce of creativity which I squeezed out by sheer willpower, I managed to create a recipe with the excess black beans. They are bean burgers made with home-made coconut flour and rice flour; they are especially spicy with whole black peppers and chilli peppers. I have called them Bean Bungle Burgers.

When we sat down to eat last night, Gnome rather sheepishly said, “the beans are good.” I smiled and gave him a Chinese woman approving nod.

Amusing, Belize, Fermentation

Beef Jerky and Chilli Mead.

April 7, 2015 Munchkin

Brewing has come to an end…boo-hoo! After completion of the Resurrection Metheglin there was one last brew bucket to be used and alas, this is what has happened, the final fermentation: Black Pepper Beef Jerky and Chilli Metheglin.

All Buckets have been used. — My collection of trigeminal buckets.

The idea for this unusual mead had its inception from reading an old article on Cock Ale. Apparently, an old, parboiled cock (a rooster, you sick folk ;-P) that has been flayed, stamped in a stone mortar and put in a sack with other aromatic goodies can be steeped into ale to add just a little bit more body! Well, with a leap of tangential thinking, derailment and frank thought disorder, I took Cock Ale and got…ta-da…Beef Jerky Mead with Chilli!

Black Pepper Seasoned Beef Jerky Ready to be Simmered.

Extrapolating (or intrapolating or just plain guesstimating) from the original recipe of one cock for 10 gallons of ale…and making some assumptions as to the size of your average Belizean cock; and, also, considering the difference in flavour between fowl and beef…we settled on 250g of beef jerky for five gallons of mead.

This is the amount of chilli pepper we used:

…a nice, wild hybrid of jalapeno (sorry, no tilde) and bird pepper that turns purple before red.

I aimed for a slightly higher strength of alcohol than usual (6-7% alcohol) in order to better hold the expected heaviness from the beef and chilli; which in this case, was achieved with four and a half “quarts” of Belizean Rainforest Honey…

Belize Honey "Quarts." — Belize Honey “Quarts.”

The beef jerky was simmered with half the chilli for about an hour without the honey, making a nice and spicy beef broth. After which, the honey was added and brought to the boil for a second before cooling and pouring into the brew bucket. The yeast used was my standard “evolving” lager yeast.

Let’s see how it turns out!

Casa Mascia Apothecary

Monthly Archives: April 2015