Belize, Farming, Food, Mushrooms, Plants

Fruits in Season.

May 18, 2015 Munchkin

Hi There! Just something short and sweet…pictures from the farm. We find that the farm just keeps on producing and doing its own thing. Even although we have taken a few days from farm work it doesn’t stop it all from growing up…aagghhh…the bush and the grass are all coming back with the rains! Anyway, here are some things that make us feel that it is all worth it in the end.

Mulberry is in season; you would naturally consider this as a temperate fruit but it actually grows in Belize very well. The yields are very high…the only thing is that you have to pick them early morning before all the birds get them.

The bees are polinating the African oil palm. Again, this is a favourite with wild animals so you have to grab them while you can. The palm nuts are actually really nice boiled in soups and stews. Oh, and another thing, the dog likes them too. So much competition…we don’t mind sharing but the problem is that the rest of the other critters have no concept of leaving a few behind for us!

This is a nice specimen of wild mushroom. They are Lepiota sp. unfortunately, not edible.

These yellow fruit are called abiu. They have a clear, whitish pulp with some similarity to the texture of persimmon. A tasty fruit which can only be picked once there is a tinge of yellow on the outer shell. The birds seem to be able to eat them green so we tend to lose a lot of them to our little friends. Here is a nice picture of two surprisingly intact specimens:

It is mango season and the trees in Toledo are totally loaded. We are lamenting over this because when we initially started planting fruit trees on our farm, ten years ago, we were so excited about planting weird and exotic trees that we completely overlooked the common back-yard mango. So, now we have no mangoes on our farm and they are actually our favourite fruit. We are making up for it this year by planting seedlings but it is going to be quite a wait to have our own farm-fresh mango…about 5 years! Here is a picture of mangoes on a tree (not on our farm).

Oh, and this is an unusual fruit called velvet apple. They are furry red balls with a yellow/orange pulp which we have actually never tasted before. They have a very nice peachy smell to them. This picture was taken from a friend’s farm; they look like Christmas decorations:

Hope you enjoy the pictures. Now is the time to stuff yourself silly with mangoes until July…then it will be avocado season! Lots of wonderful fruit to look forward to.

Belize

Travel With Munchkin and Gnome.

May 17, 2015 Munchkin

We have been out and about, doing a bit of this and that, and socialising. Internet has been intermittently on and off hence the inconsistencies in writing up posts.

On Friday night, we ended up going out late at 7pm to see some patients. Also, we met friends at Belcampo (lodge in Toledo) for a soiree. Look at this place…this could be anywhere from California to Glasgow but it is actually in Toledo, Belize!

Picture this and Jazz Music in the Background.

Again on Saturday night, I couldn’t fulfil scheduled blogging time because we had another doctor call-out at 7pm. No rest for the wicked!

On the road today to Placencia which is a 2 hour drive from Toledo. Placencia is a strip of land nestled between two large bodies of water (Caribbean Sea and Placencia Lagoon). Real estate is booming right now and there are new resorts popping up everywhere. Check out the pictures.

Gnome suggested that a gaggle of geese would look picturesque on the moat.

Luxury in Placencia:

Anyway, we visited a friend who has recently moved to Placencia from Italy. Yes indeed, Munchkin and Gnome have been totally out of character and been socialising around the clock.

We were glad to get back home…back on familiar ground.

Luxury in Toledo:

Rustic Accommodation in Toledo. — Rustic Accommodation in Toledo with Garage.

Bungalow in Toledo, Belize:

Back on the road. This is “Flo’s Bend,” a sharp turn onto Barranco Road which is a 5 minute drive back home. This sharp bend is a real bugger because we have known many personal acquaintances (five, actually) who have ended up in the ditch in the middle of the night. They are usually travelling back home from Flo’s Bar (sixty seconds away) and turn a tad too sharply round the curve.

Ahhh! Home Sweet Home…sixty seconds away:

Belize, Food

Brown Rice, Pineapple and Ginger Casserole.

May 15, 2015 Munchkin

I am writing early today because it is thundery and blustery outside and I don’t know how long the Internet will hold up today (touch wood). Today I am posting a recipe for a warming and exotic vegetarian dish made with fresh pineapple and ginger.

This slow cook casserole allows the spiciness of the ginger to complement the sweet taste of the pineapple and the brown rice absorbs all the flavours really well. A dish recommended for stormy days like this one…feels like the Flood Flies might be coming out tonight!

Check out my recipe Brown Rice, Pineapple and Ginger Casserole in Belize Wild Recipes.

Belize, Farming, Fermentation, Food, Our Products, Soap

Munchkin and Gnome are Still Here!

May 14, 2015 Munchkin

Yes we are still here!! A few people have been wondering what has happened to us so I would to reassure everyone that we are absolutely fine. It is transition time from dry to wet season at the moment and with this change, brings early morning rains. As a few of you will know from our previous posts, this has really messed up our farm routine. So, instead of staying at home and feeling sorry for ourselves, we have rearranged our whole farm routine to fit with the weather change. Changing things around a bit isn’t so bad actually as it makes life a bit less predictable.

From our observation, the rains start around 7am and then by 11am, the sun starts coming out…this is horrible because the atmosphere is heavy with humidity and you can’t sweat to cool down. Anyway, by about 3pm, the ground has nicely dried up again and so we have moved our farm work to late afternoon. Gnome is still able to clean up and continue with the brush-mowing while I keep up with maintenance. This work then runs into animal feeding time and so by the time I get into the house, I don’t feel like writing a chronicle of the day. Just to change the routine a bit, we have been going to bed even earlier…about 7pm because we have both been in the mood for reading before sleeping. I am reading Mark Twain and Gnome is reading C.S. Lewis (the lesser known science fiction novels). We both like to read the Classics though I have caught Gnome on occasion reading trashy novels…he just laughs and calls me a literary snob!

Munchkin and Gnome are still doing their stuff…

We made another batch of Chocolate Artisan Soap:

We also prepared Chinese Fermented Black Beans; Needs to get more smelly and fermented…we will give it 12 months to do its thing:

Gnome is making brown rice koji for brewing and miso-making:

And here is a Toledo Firefly…you usually just see a mass of green lights in the dark:

And the cat is up to his usual tricks again, running after lizards in the house. The is a savvy lizard hiding on Gnome’s foot…this one got away:

Slinky on Gnome's Foot. — Slinky on Gnome’s Foot.

Ok everyone, have a good night and hopefully I can be more organised with writing the daily posts!

Belize, Food, Medical Related, Plants

Asafoetida Chilli Sauce Recipe.

May 11, 2015 Munchkin

This recipe which contains asafoetida, doubles up as a home remedy and a tasty condiment.

Asafoetida is a resin obtained from the tap-root of several species of Ferula. It is mostly used in Middle-eastern and Indian cuisine. It contributes a strongly pungent taste to food and can be compared to a combination of garlic and onions. It makes a very unique tasting chilli sauce and asafoetida has the added health benefits:

1) Digestive aid.

2) Anti-flatulent.

3) Anti-viral and Anti-bacterial.

4) Traditional remedy for asthma and bronchitis. Can also be used for coughs and colds.

5) In Aryuvedic medicine; it is used to balance the Kapha constitution which has a watery/phlegmatic tendency. Also, it can balance the airy qualities of the Vata constitution which requires grounding.

I have put the Asafoetida Chilli Sauce recipe in Belize Wild Recipes and Home Remedies.

The recipe also contains:

Tomatoes:

Habanero Peppers:

Cilantro (Coriander):

For international readers asafoetida can be purchased from health-food stores and Indian supermarkets. For those in Belize, asafoetida can be bought from The Apothecary.

Amusing, Belize, Food, Saving Money

How Do You Eat Your Dak?

May 10, 2015 Munchkin

The last few days, early morning rains have wreaked havoc on the plans of mice and men (and Gnome and Munchkin). So, what can mere mortals do under these circumstances when they are thwarted by the elements?

Munchkin rummaged around in the kitchen and came up with something tasty.

Dak Chopped Ham. — Dak “Chopped Ham.” Literally in Greek.

We ate Dak.

Dak is the Belize version of the familiar tinned chopped ham that you see on all supermarket shelves. I have no social qualms about broadcasting the fact that I eat this preserved flayed pork meat on occasion, as I grew up in a Chinese household where this food was seen as a legitimate food item. We used to steam it with rice and eat it with fresh green vegetables. Gnome, on the other hand, tells me that many other cultures do not deem this as a proper food. It is a food that might lurk in the back of somebody’s cupboard but most certainly, the harbouring of such an item should never be professed. It is eaten alone…in hushed tones with the lights dimmed down. Ooooh…sounds like fun…a secret society of underground Dak eaters!

Nobody is willing to openly admit that they eat Dak but those cases stacked in the back of Chinese supermarkets that we all see must be going into somebody’s belly! There are times of the year when there is not a single tin to be found on the shelf and everyone is hanging out for the Dak shipment.

So, today we ate Dak chopped ham cooked in onions, tomatoes and Italian herbs with cassava hash browns. Munch away quietly with dimmed lights:

We also had a nice dipping sauce which is so easy to make:

Munchkin’s Dango Dip:

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp soya sauce

Mix well and use as a dip.

You may have already surmised from the name “Dak” that this is Danish in origin. There is also a Chinese version available in Belize called Zwan; the label is written only in Chinese and to be honest, I am a bit wary of it! The name Zwan does not somehow hit the spot and cause me to salivate with hunger. This one definitely has to be hidden in the dark depths of the kitchen cupboard away from prying eyes!

A few years back, I tasted some Belizean food which incorporated this chopped ham. I was at a hospital medical meeting and we were given a buffet of sandwiches for lunch. All the sandwiches were one variety…they were white slices of bread with a filling of margarine and a whiff of pig. At the time, I didn’t say anything and just politely ate the food with no questions asked. The Belizeans were chomping happily away while the Nigerian medical staff had very dubious looks on their faces. Sometime afterwards, I enquired into the nature of these sandwiches whilst I was in the company of well-seasoned ex-pats (they had been around for about 20 years) and they explained that these were called “ham sandwiches” or even “Dak sandwiches.” The filling is made by pulverising the piece of chopped ham into a paste. Margarine is then spread on white soft bread and on top of this, a smear of Dak paste. Therefore, one tin of Dak (200g or 1/2lb) can go a long way and can economically feed a whole party of hungry people. Talk about Homeopathic Ham!

So there you go. How do you eat your Dak? Don’t be shy…we can form a secret society for eaters of forbidden Dak!

Belize, Food

Friday Fry-Jacks with Miso Dip.

May 8, 2015 Munchkin

Today started off with grey skies and heavy rains hence, we were at a bit of a loss on the farm. So, we came up with a great idea to go into town, on a whim, to buy some fry-jacks for breakfast. For those of you who are not familiar with this Belizean breakfast fare, it is half or quarter circular shaped piece of flat dough which is deep-fried in cooking oil. It has a lot of baking soda in it to make it puff up as it cooks; some people preferentially place a slit in the dough so that it deflates after it poofs up. It is usually served in the morning with re-fried beans, pork, beef or chicken. We bought the fry-jacks as a take-out so that we could take them home to Munchkinise them…that’s what I do best!! It was actually quite funny because I had not bought fry-jacks for ten years and so I was still working with old prices. When I walked into the eating place, I asked, “can I have a dollar fry-jacks, please?” The lady gave me a bewildered look at said that there was no such thing as a dala fry-jack and a portion cost $2.50. Oh my, we do sometimes live in a time warp because we don’t keep current with eating out prices.

Back home, I stuck the fry-jacks in the oven, on low heat, to keep them warm. And, then I made:

Munchkin’s Miso Dip

1 tbsp miso

2 tbsp honey

6 bird chilli peppers, chopped finely (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and use as a dip.

This miso dipping sauce is not just for fry-jacks. It is also great for french fries, corn tortillas and all manner of snacky foods. If you want to a bit healthier, carrot or celery sticks will also do the trick. The dip is sweet and savoury at the same time with a definite umami quality; the hot chilli adds a kick to it!

We had a lovely breakfast:

(picture missing)

Can you believe it!!! The picture was corrupted and could not be down-loaded! We only realised it after pigging out on all the fry-jacks!

As a consolation, here is another picture of us eating:

You know what this means…we are going to have another fry-jack day so that we can get a picture. When I told Gnome, he had no objections to repeating the binge again.

I do not actually have a recipe for fry-jacks because I have tried a couple of Internet recipes which don’t seem to have the correct ingredient portions. I think that the regular person on the street who knows how to cook fry-jacks does not Blog! One day, I will get it right and if I do, I will surely post up the recipe for all you fried-dough fans!

Belize, Elixirs, Fermentation, Food, Our Products

It’s Cacao Picking Time!

May 7, 2015 Munchkin

April and May are the months for collecting mature cacao pods here in Belize. Today, we harvested a whole lot of pods; they come in all shapes and sizes and colours:

Here is a picture of an opened cacao pod:

The white pulp around the seeds is edible and has a sweet aromatic, acidic taste to it. For the actual chocolate making process, the seeds/beans are fermented with the pulp and dried out in the sun (for up to 7 days). Fermented cacao beans at this stage are shipped by container loads overseas to be processed into chocolate.

We use cacao in many of our products; one of the main ones is Cacao Absolute which we are know selling as a product in The Apothecary. We use this essential oil in our soaps, body oils, massage oils and body sprays; for more information on how we make this check out Making Chocolate Essential Oil.

We are collecting the fresh cacao beans to make Elixirs (or liqueurs). This is a favourite with the chocolate connoisseurs. This is what it looks like initially:

This is on Day 7; look at the spectacular burgundy hues!

The Cacao Fruit elixir requires time to mellow out and develop the complex layers of taste of cacao fruit and bean. The beans will be removed soon and thereafter it is left to sit to allow natural sediment to sink down to the bottom. Every two weeks, the liquid is siphoned into another glass jar so that the sediment can be discarded. There is a lot of work required in creating clarity in this product. We will probably make a batch of about 5 gallons of this which will be ready in about 12 months time. The best things come to those who wait!

Amusing, Belize, Our Products

Munchkin at the Post Office.

May 6, 2015 Munchkin

A visit to the Post Office in Belize is always full of surprises. First of all, I opened up my post box to find that a Christmas Card had just arrived, 6 months late. Inside, was written, “Hope your Christmas is full of wonderful surprises!” dated the 4th of December 2014. Wow, that was certainly a belated surprise. I wonder where this card has travelled, in all this time from Australia to its final destination in Belize? Mind-boggling, isn’t it?

Anyway, today I had to send a package overseas. I need to tell you about what all this entails so that you know what it means when I send something by post. I had been in the post office the week before with the same package to have it weighed and priced for delivery. At this point it important to mention that there is seldom a queue in the post office but as soon as you walk into the tiny Government building, you feel time suddenly stops and everything moves at an infinitely slower pace. Getting a package price means getting a weight done and a bizarre and mind-boggling calculation (which seems to change from week to week and is dependent on the pricing schedule whims of the clerk, the conjunction of the stars and blind luck). You are talking about a 15 minute wait to get this information.

Upon delivery approval, I brought the package into the post office today…open..to be inspected by the postal staff. The post clerk has to approve of all the contents and the packaging. I am so careful to pack well because I have been sent home a few times with “inadequate packaging” and it was also a very hot Friday afternoon and they were just about to close. I also have to go in armed with brown paper wrap, scissors and sellotape so that I can wrap up the box and have it sent on the same day. I have learned to speed wrap within 60 seconds…not that it actually matters because the rest of the post office world is going at a snail pace. Otherwise, after inspection, you can actually take it back home to wrap up to then return to the post office for final posting! This time, I got another surprise…the price of delivery was less than what was quoted the week before. I wasn’t really that surprised…sometimes it is hit and miss…and most times, I actually lose out with delivery cost and have to pay extra. Nevertheless, this time it was a positive surprise and I will have to get in touch with the recipient to tell them the good news.

The postal service is one of the challenges of Belize. It is not even something that you can complain or get upset about. I have to like or lump it and try to work with the system. I do still want to earn a little bit more money by sending our Apothecary items overseas so I persist with it and hopefully on each occasion, I can find something to be pleasantly surprised about.

Belize, Blog, Farming, Food, Pets, Plants

Far From The Madding Crowd.

May 5, 2015 Munchkin

Hello Everyone!! Goosie is recovering very well from his traumatic doggy attack and was released from Farm-ICU today. He made some quiet honks through-out the day and then sounded a loud HONK in the afternoon and drew me his usual dastardly-look to tell me that he was back in action. To top it all off, our missing duckie suddenly reappeared, as if by magic, tonight for feeding time. We had no idea where she had been for the last 24 hours…we tried doing doggy sniffing and patrol all round the farm perimeter today looking for signs of her…and then she just pitched up for food tonight! No questions asked, we quickly ushered her into the coup. Wow…we are so pleased that everything has ended well and all our duckies and goosie are safe.

New things on our farm:

Gnome only uttered one word, “melomel.”

The Kun Batz (Ketchi Mayan name for Belize wild passionfruit) has ripened to an edible fruit and tastes like a cross between a lemon and water-melon…very good!

An unusual wild green pod growing, which we had been watching for 9 months, suddenly exploded. The dried pod looks like a nice ornamental for displaying (soap, maybe?!).

We are going to germinate the seeds because the vessel looks really pretty; it is boat-shaped and could be lacquered to make it last.

We are glad that we can share the highs and lows of our farm life in this Blog!

Casa Mascia Apothecary

Monthly Archives: May 2015