Hello and Happy Easter from Munchkin and Gnome. It is dry season here in Belize and it is that time of the year to splish splosh splash about in water to keep cool. Well, the ducks are doing it already:
Duckies Splashing About!
To give you a re-cap of the last two months, we have been harvesting lots of food every-day. It has been a continuous process of harvesting, processing and preserving. Our year started off with a bonus harvest of wild mushrooms…in this instance it was puffball mushrooms. I will write about it in more detail but we felt very blessed with these wonderful harvests which seem to have an affinity to goose manure.
Puff Ball Mushrooms.
Next came the abundance of eggs from the geese and ducks. We look forward to the goose eggs every year because the season only lasts for 2 to 3 months. The yolks are very creamy. This year, I made a lot of custard with the goose eggs….compared to the duck eggs, the custard is thicker and creamier. At this point, we still have eggs coming out of our ears so I am making salted preserved duck and goose eggs (Chinese Style). We are willing to put up with the usual goosie bullying and carrying-on to get these lovely treats:
Fried Goose Eggs.
I have also had many experimental adventures with suriname cherries. We are still continuously gathering them and their delightful resinous taste is a delight. I have made jam, relish, olives and stewed fruit.
Pipping Suriname Cherries.
And this year, for the first year in 15 years, the pond has not dried out yet!! And, look what we have. Tilapia!!
Or Gong Hei Fat Choy or Happy Lunar Year (I have seen this version a lot lately)!! So, today marks the end of the Year of the Ox. Boy, I really thought 2021 was a hard slog as predicted!! Lets hope that good things come with the Year of the Water Tiger. I have tried to look up the meaning of the Year of the (Water) Tiger and (you know what you get on the Internet…anything and everything) this is a bit of what I got:
‘Tigers will rule the jungle in 2022.’
Our Jungle Tiger Rules in 2022!
‘People with strong confidence can overcome their fears.’
No Fear!!
‘The Water sign is a sign of fluidity so welcome good changes in your life and accept them.’
Welcome the Changes!
‘Water represents Wealth which means Abundance and Prosperity.’
Live Long and Prosper!
It doesn’t sound too bad as long as you face challenges with confidence and fearlessness. We Can Do it!!
It has been pouring down lately. We are back to sloshing, sliding and slipping about in our wellies. It is amazing how the weather suddenly changes here. It seems like it is all or nothing! Anyway, this morning was a pleasant and sunny so we decided to go for a walk around the farm together. Funny….you would think that we would do this all the time…most of the time we are working on our farm chores and don’t have time to walk around the place in a relaxed manner. Hmmmm…there is something wrong here…Ha-Ha…Munchkin and Gnome should be enjoying the place and not so fixated on getting things done!
Together!
Since COVID-19, we have spent a lot more time on the farm. I am grateful that we are fortunate enough to have this place to be creative and grow food to eat and survive. Just as an aside, right now in Punta Gorda (the nearest town) , the numbers of COVID cases are on the increase. Somebody described it very aptly to me the other day: ‘Every man and his dog has COVID.’ In Belize, when someone is tested positive, they go into self-quarantine for two weeks. We have noticed that the pandemic and the quarantining has really impacted Punta Gorda lately; many restaurants are closed simply because they are short staffed, many shops are closed (with owner testing positive) and there are very few people on the streets. The town used to be a hustle and bustle of people on the streets with village buses honking horns and vendors shouting out their wares. Now, it’s so quiet…
All Quiet in Punta Gorda.
Anyway, that was a tiny snap shot of life down here.
Back to the farm! I am sure that you have guessed that we are at home almost all the time with everything that is going on. That’s why things are getting done! Today, we started off looking at the banana area. It is producing really well. Gnome timed the planting of the bananas so that we can harvest one or two bunches a month.
We have kept the grass down around the bananas so that the plants are able to thrive without competition. The downside of this maintenance is that we are getting more wild life coming from the bush, scurrying through our cleared fields to steal our lovely ripe bananas! We have a resident skunk and a funny looking animal with a long nose (?ant eater or quosh). Gnome says that we can try sharing for now but they mustn’t eat us out of house and home! Hmmm…not sure if these animals were at the same meeting!
We have a number of garden areas. This area was originally for peanuts and melons but did not work out. It was too wet. This has turned into the tobacco garden with a handful of aubergines simply because we can’t get anything else to grow. It is still very nice to see these beautiful plants doing so well.
Tobacco Field.
We have another garden space which is more suitable for peanut planting. We originally only planted taro, a purple coloured root vegetable that will be harvested in the dry season.
Taro Field.
You can’t see the peanuts next the taro because they have just been planted. This place is high and dry and good for crops that don’t like wet feet.
Lastly, we have another garden section that we have devoted to climbing vegetables. After years of planting an array of different vegetables, we find that the climbers do better on our farm. It might be because they are off the ground they are less liable to rot and caterpillar infestation. Here, we have made arched trellises from rebar.
Vine Section.
Looking Good!! We are pleased with our efforts and have plenty of vegetables to eat! This is a harvest of wing bean which is currently in season. I haven’t seen anyone in Belize grow this Asian vegetable but it does very well in this climate.
Wing Bean.
Thanks for reading my blog post and hope that you may be inspired into growing your own back-yard vegetables and herbs.
A Happy New Year to you all! Let’s make 2022 a good one!! We started off on the right foot this year by planting peanut on the last day of the year and we had a big rain yesterday which will hopefully ensure that the peanuts will sprout. The January rains are usually the last rains before dry season so we are trying to get things into the ground this month. I have a few left-over pictures from last year that I would like to share with you.
For Christmas, we decided to buy a local chicken from the village. These chickens are much prized and go for about $5/lb (compare to shop bought Mennonite (battery reared) chicken that goes for about $3/lb). Apparently the Chinese really like it too and drive around the villages buying up all the chickens to eat. When I received the chicken, it looked like a pheasant with very long bones. It wasn’t fat and plump so I decided it would not make a good roasting chicken. I thought that the best thing to do was to make it into a curry in order to tenderize the meat. So, we had an impromptu Christmas Curry this time! Look at the bones on this chicken…
Local Chicken made into a Curry.
I was a bit concerned about the texture of the chicken and was anticipating very chewy meat. However, the curry tenderized the meat very well. The meat was flavoursome, tender and had the perfect bite. It was a very nice surprise…I wanted to show you a close up picture of the meat…it looks like game…
Local Chicken.
See…it is not white like poultry meat. Anyway, it was delicious and we would definitely buy local chicken again. This is completely different from the super soft chicken that you buy in the supermarket. This has taste!! Here in Belize, the Mayans like to use this chicken to make Caldo; this is a soup made with annatto, culantro and other spices. I think the Chinese (in Belize) boil it into a medicinal soup with Chinese herbs.
It has been cold this winter (18C/64F) so we had the pleasure of mulled wine for Christmas. Of course, we made it Belizean style with herbs and spices that we gathered from the farm. This year, we used the following: sorrel (roselle), all-spice, cinnamon, cardamom and orange peel.
Christmas Mulled Wine.
We have had some winter harvests as the farm keeps on producing generously. Presently, we have long gourds growing on trellises. This one is a Sicilian gourd which can grow up to 5 to 6 feet. When it is completely mature, it hardens and looks like a very long baseball bat. This gourd is very tasty…I like it steamed or cooked in stir frys.
Sicilian Gourd.
The next picture shows a Python Bean. It can grow to about 6 feet long but has a curled look to it. The outside skin is striped. It tastes like a very large long bean. It has a nutty taste and I like it best raw in salads in order to preserve the crispiness of the texture. This is definitely another winner and we will be planting more.
Python Bean.
I will leave you with a picture of a passion fruit flower. We planted these from seed about a year ago and they are now producing. I am hoping to make Passion Fruit Elixir from this harvest. Our Elixirs are made from from a base of white rum, muscovado sugar or cane sugar and herbs and spices. In this case, it will be made from fresh passion fruit pulp!
Passionfruit Flower.
Passion Fruit Elixir.
Wishing you all a Lovely Day. Make it a good start to 2022!!
Hello! It is New Year’s Eve and I wanted to write something positive that would lift our spirits up so that we can all look forward to a new year together! My recapitulation of 2021 can be summed up thus:
‘….the mower is broken again….’
Wahhhh!!!
‘….broken again!’
Oh.
‘ ….again….’
No comment!
We have found 2021 a challenging and tough year. There have been a few setbacks. However, I would like to say that against all odds, we have managed. Yes! With the power of Munchkin and Gnome Spirit we persevere and keep going!! Here is a recent picture of the farm…all cleaned up and pristine…
We Did It!!
To add to the positive note, we have just harvested a bumper peanut crop. We have pulled up all the peanuts and Gnome has re-tilled the ground. As we speak, he is re-planting the peanuts for food (and good luck) for the new year!
Peanut Harvest.
Look at these lovely peanuts:
Purple (Black) Peanuts.
We would like to say Thank you for All the Good Things this year. We have been fit and healthy and active on the farm. The vegetable crops have been abundant and generous. The fruit trees have started baring and we have more than enough to eat and to feed our ducks and geese. I would also like the thanks all the people that are in our lives who have given us much support and kindred spirit.
Wishing Everyone a Happy New Year and make it a Good One!! Good Health and Happiness to All.
Another week has gone by and it is time to write another blog post. You won’t believe it…the computerised chores have revolutionised the place. Things are getting down both inside and outside the house…I am actually finding the time to get housework done! I was thinking about why this method is working for us…one reason is because I have relinquished the responsibility of trying to remember chores. That frees up all the mental anguish of retaining extraneous information. Also, it is impersonal. If the computer comes up with the list for the day, you either do it or you don’t. There is no need to spend extra energy explaining to the computer whether it is the right time to do something.
Anyway, it has been unbelievably hot for the last week…it feels so awful and we have had to really push ourselves to get out in the burning heat. It is getting to about 34C (93F). We still keep going because it is so lovely to see all the plants thriving. Here are some more pictures from the farm:
Akee Fruit.
The akee are just starting to bear. Once the fruit gets bigger and splits, they will be ripe for harvesting. This is a very good tasting fruit with a buttery texture and taste.
Gnome has been air-layering Gnome-style…lychee plants. He stuck plant pots filled with soil around branches, These covered parts will hopefully form roots and and be removed and planted in about two to three months.
Litchi Air Layer.
Here is a close up:
Litchi Air Layer.
Here is a picture of some puff ball mushrooms that I found growing in the goose coop. They are edible but these ones were too old to be eaten. It’s a shame because they were large enough to make a good meal! When, I sliced them in half, they were spongy and dark inside. They are at their peak and edible when they are pristinely white inside.
Puffball Mushrooms.
And, oh I have run out farm pictures! Other things that I have been doing…I have new Chocolate Lip balm flavours! These are all White Chocolate…yum!!
Vanilla White Chocolate Lip balm.
Coconut White Chocolate Lip Balm.
Key Lime White Chocolate Lip Balm.
And, let’s have a group picture!
White Chocolate Lip Balms
Check out our Shop for more Chocolate Lip Balms. Other Chocolate flavour available are Original, Orange, Mint, Cherry and Raspberry. Oh my, it’s all busy on the farm right now!
Hello Everyone, we have been moving along quite quickly with our planting. This is partly because we have computerised our farm work into daily lists. Gnome has put the chores on weekly, fortnightly and monthly cycles so that we can keep up with all maintenance. I can’t believe that such a simple concept can make such a difference! Now I don’t have several scraps of paper with endless lists of work to do. I don’t even try to remember what needs to be done…which inevitably leaves to every thing being forgotten as life gets in the way all too often…the computer can do it for me!
Everything is looking great on the farm…I say that with such glee because this is a first for us. Usually something is sadly neglected but this time, everything is getting care and attention!
Pitahaya.
Oh look at the pitahaya growing so nicely against our stone rock bed. We are planning to transplant all these into a pitahaya orchard with wooden posts as support to allow the plants to grow upwards. The orchard will allow more space to produce fruit and weeding will be a bit easier. This rock bed method looks nice but requires too much maintenance.
We have some wild rocket (arugula?? Is that how you spell it??) and besides, Gnome tells me that this is the Sicilian name for this popular bitter salad green. In Italian, it is called ‘rugola.’ I like the wild variety because it has a very sharp, bitter taste and has a texture more like a dandelion green.
‘Rugola’
This is a picture of kang kong (sounds a bit like King Kong! I can never remember the name of this plant and usually come out with a mish mash of the name.). The latin name is Ipomoea aquatica, if that helps. How we managed to procure this green was quite interesting…I bought a bag of kang kong from a Chinese grocery store and rooted one of the cuttings. They grow very easily in wet, marshy areas. This edible green is growing in our water chestnut pond.
Water Chestnut Pond.
This is a close-up of the kang kong:
Kang Kong.
Oh, and what do we have here? Munchkin and Gnome have branched out into ornamentals!! How we procured this is another interesting story…a hotel!!…we don’t take the towels…we take the seeds from plants (we DO ask of course!). You know those nice pots of ornamentals that they have in reception or at the front door…Ha-Ha!! This is Papyrus: a very good looking plant…
Papyrus.
Okay, that’s it for now. I will write again NEXT WEEK!! Yes, you have guessed it…I’ve got the computer to remind me!!
Yes, Hello!! We should keep the Blog going, don’t you think? Life seems to get in the way…everyday… and waiting for the mood to write just doesn’t work! I went out on the farm to take a whole load of pictures so I can play catch up (again)! We are generally doing fine on the farm; there is the usual equipment failure, too much rain, too little rain and hot, hot, hot days. That basically sums up Belize if you interested in weather, plants and farming. Sorry…I should add a bit more oomph and enthusiasm to get you all out planting vegetables…after all, this is what my Blog posts are about. Right now, in Belize, we are on a 7pm to 4am COVID curfew so there is plenty of time to stay at home and grow something to eat!! Let’s show you some pictures. Gnome has prepared the land for more melons since we both love cantaloupes.
Freshly Tilled for Melons!
We have a nice little okra garden going. If you like your own freshly picked vegetables with the minimum of work, I urge you to grow okra. They are an easy crop.
Okra Garden.
This is a ditch that Gnome dug a few years ago for water chestnut. Our kitchen water drains into the ditch to fertilise and maintain the plants. As you can see, they are looking healthy and we will hopefully have a good harvest at Christmas time.
Water Chestnut.
Digging Pond.
Oh, and I found an old picture of the pond above so you can get an idea of how deep it is. There you go…the ditch has served its purpose and is producing food.
We have started lotus in basins again. The last time we had lotus, the dastardly geese ate or destroyed them all. Now that we have the geese in fenced areas, our plan is to plant the lotus in the pond so that we can harvest lotus root and seeds.
Lotus Leaves.
I will save the other pictures for another post. I know you don’t believe me but I will write again soon. One last picture…honestly, we do look like this! Ha-Ha!! Actually, I jokingly asked Gnome if we looked like this and he said:
The wet season has come! It’s a late wet season because it has come in August instead of July. We were thinking that other things were a month late this year…like the flood flies came late this year too. Anyway, we are stuck indoors. The heavy rains start early morning and by the the time we get up, there are puddles everywhere. During the day, it rains intermittently and it is grey and cloudy.
Heavy Rain!
You definitely have to wear wellies in this weather:
Goosies are happy!
We have both been drawing to while away the hours indoors. For the last two years (on and off), we have been copying and learning from a ‘pen and ink’ book to learn the technique. Now, we are starting to translate photographs into our own pictures. This is the creative part. I think that we both enjoy drawing and find it relaxing. We have never really drawn much since we studied sciences and all that stuff to become doctors.
Here is a picture of the rosewood stand on our farm. I have shown the photo too so that you can get an idea of what I was trying to translate into my picture.
Munchkin’s Rosewood Stand.
Rosewood Stand.
This is Gnome’s picture. This is a close up of the giant bamboo on our farm:
Gnome’s Giant Bamboo.
Giant Bamboo.
Okay, it’s still raining as we speak! We are going to swap the photos over and I will try the bamboo picture and Gnome will draw the rosewood. I find it really amazing that despite learning from the same book, our styles are very different and are actually close representations of our personalities. Gnome is more precise and technical. I am a bit more fluid and organic. What do you think? 😉
