Category Archives: Belize

Amusing, Belize, Farming, Pets

Against All Odds!

2 Comments

We have a Baby!!  Yes, against all odds we have a baby duckie!  We haven’t had much luck with the duckie breeding program because of gender issues (this is true, by the way, the male duck paired up with a male goose and wouldn’t have anything to do with the female ducks).   Anyway, we have a new drake on the block that is satisfying the harem of ducks.  However, none of the ducks wanted to set so Gnome made an incubator.

We put 12 eggs in the incubator (Gnome-rigged, of course with temperature control) last month and eagerly waited.  Gnome candled them at the beginning and all of them seemed to be viable.  Towards the end of the incubation period (takes 28 days to hatch), disaster struck when we realised that the cat had been jumping on top of the incubator because it was such a comfy warm spot, causing the temperature to fluctuate, subsequently spoiling the eggs.  We were so disappointed and gave up on the project as an “act of cat.”  However, there was one egg we had put in 5 days later than the rest which was due to hatch today…we woke up this morning to:

“…peep….peep…peep.”

Yes, we have one lone duckie!  Awwwhhhh….soooooo cute….

New Baby Duckie!

Another baby picture:

Duckie!!

We have set up an emergency brooding area in a fish tank with a 100 watt lamp to keep it warm.  He’s just had his first feed and seems to be doing okay!  A bit lonely but we are keeping it company…

Amusing, Belize, Farming, Food, Mushrooms, Plants

Everything But The Cat!

munchkin-back-view.png

Every morning, one of the first things that I do is to harvest food for the day and usually just  enough for the day so it stays fresh…no need to be shoving anything in the fridge.  Actually we only have a tiny fridge for pharmaceuticals…no veggies, fruit and condiments allowed!  Morning harvest:

Farm Harvest.
Farm Harvest.

The leafy greens are chaya and to the front are some carambola (starfruit).  The round yellow fruit, at the back are sour peach. The banana leaf has some wild mushroom (Schiziphylum commune).  So, Gnome asked me:

“What do we have to eat?”

I replied and pointed to the table of offerings:

“Everything but the cat!”

Belize

Phew It’s Hot!

walking-in-town-together

Well, we had a town day today (Punta Gorda) to actually escape from the heat.  That doesn’t make sense because it was still hot in town…but at least we weren’t mowing the grass, chopping coconuts down and doing our usual heavy farm stuff.  It feels like a second dry season right now and as I am writing this I realise that most of our overseas readers are probably experiencing winter weather right now.  Our winters can get down to a chilly 18C (64F) but not so this time…it feels like 38C!

Anyway, we had our usual relaxing stop over at the PG sea for a cuppa.  Ahhhh…sometimes it’s just nice to take the day off…when you live on a farm, the work is never ever done…

Horlicks By The Sea.
Horlicks By The Sea.

We had Horlicks this time.  Thank-you British Belize Foods for giving us a bit of British!

Belize, Farming, Food, Plants

Another Edible Ornamental.

4 Comments

munchkin-eating-bread-chair

Hello Munchkin here and I am still munching through the edible ornamentals.  This one is Pereskia aculeata also known as Barbados Gooseberry.  In a specific area of Brazil, Minas Gerais, it is known as ora-pro-nobis; here, the plant is cultivated for its edible leaves.  The leafy green is high in vitamins, minerals and amino acids.  Because of its high nutritional value, there has been research into using the dried leaf in bread and sausage making.  I like to put this in our miso soup.

Ora Pro Nobis Leaves.
Ora Pro Nobis Leaves.

The fruit is round, orange in colour and has the taste and consistency of a gooseberry.  It looks like an orange gooseberry actually!

More Barbados Gooseberry.
More Barbados Gooseberry.
Barbados Gooseberry.
Barbados Gooseberry.

You can eat them as they are or use them in jams and preserves.  They have a fruity tartness.  Oh, but last but not least, the flowers are really pretty on this cactus:

Barbados Gooseberry Flower.
Barbados Gooseberry Flower.
Pereskia aculeata. Flowers and Fruit.
Pereskia aculeata. Flowers and Fruit.

Anyone interested in buying a plant?  Let me know and I will bag some in the new year.  Cheers!!

Belize, Farming, Food, Plants

Edible Ornamentals.

munchkin-funny-look-yet-another.png

Hello!!  This is Munchkin and yes, I logged in right this time.  I am still pulling this face…so, I still feel like I’m holding the fort up on this blog.  Munchkin Power!!

Just to let you know, in case you haven’t guessed already, the only plants that we like to have on our farm are edible or useful plants.  Sorry, not just into pretty ornamentals that you can’t eat.  But here’s a plant that serves many purposes and is also nice to look at.  This is Canna indica (aka achira):

Canna indica
Canna indica

There are a whole host of other names including Indian arrowroot, African arrowroot and edible canna.  We first read about this plant when we were looking into the possibility of using plants as a sewage filtration system …this has been characterised by the use of reeds…reed bed system.  When we considered reeds, Gnome had said:’‘Mmmmm…you can’t really eat reeds….is there something else that can be more useful?”

After some more research, we discovered that this beautiful ornamental has been used for the treatment of industrial waste waters and has proven to remove high organic loads from waste water.  Wow!!  What a useful plant…one that we can incorporate into an organic waste disposal system!

And another wonderful thing is that you can eat the root of this plant raw, baked or cooked.  I haven’t tried it yet but I assure you that it is one of the “must-eat”foods on the Munchkin list.  Does anyone want to buy a plant?  If you do, let me know and I will have some bagged in the new year!  Cheers!!

Amusing, Belize, Blog

I Wrote Two Posts Yesterday…

gnome-funny-face.png

Hee-hee-hee.  The Munchkin didn’t realise that she was writing from my WP account (twice, no less!) and sooooo kindly ended up writing my posts for me.

So, here is my third post in two days!!!  Yey, I think I have done my job and I should get one of these:

munchkin-with-hamburger-smiling

Thank you all for supporting the Gnome…

Amusing, Belize, Blog

Who’s Blog is it Anyway?

munchkin-funny-look-yet-another.png

Munchkin Here!!  Where’s the Panda…I thought he was supposed to be writing some stuff about jungle living.  And Gnome, what are you up to?  Oh, Gnome tells me he’s got nothing to write about.  Okay, I’m going to be pulling this face until you both start writing on the blog.  Get the picture?!

Belize, Farming, Food, Plants

Stories of Sorghum.

munchking-burger-side-smile

Hello!!  If you follow the adventures of Munchkin and Gnome, you will know that we are keen foragers and planters.  We also like to cook food in unusual and interesting ways…Munchkin Magic or Cookery Sans Fontiers.  Firstly, let’s tell you how we found our sorghum seeds.  We were driving on the Highway out of Belize City and Gnome all of a sudden screeched to a halt.  Luckily, there were no cars about. He quickly ran out of the car and jumped up and down with glee when he found this growing by the side of the road:

Sorghum on the Road.
Sorghum on the Road.

We took the seeds and planted them:

Sorghum on our Farm.
Sorghum on our Farm.

Sorghum is generally considered an animal feed in Belize and in most other countries.  It is however seen as a human staple in some parts of Africa and India.  It has a protein content of 11% (corn has 9%)  with B Vitamins, Niacin, B6 and manganese.

Sorghum.
Sorghum.

Anyway, Gnome charged me with the cooking of these grains.  He basically said:

“Do something tasty with this, my dear…”

Food.Gnome

So I did.  And WE LOVE SORGHUM!!  It’s tasty, yummy, versatile, has a nutty flavour and can be eaten in lots of different ways.  It tastes a bit like risotto but with more bite to it. Here is a picture gallery of some of our sorghum meals; recipes will come later.  Ooooh….we are so pleased with this great foraging find which has allowed us to experience such a delicious food.  Ahhhh….we feel blessed with our farm.

Sorghum with Lentils and Potatoes.
Sorghum with Lentils and Potatoes.
Sorghum with French Onion Soup.
Sorghum with French Onion Soup.
Chicken with Sorghum Breadcrumbs.
Chicken with Sorghum Breadcrumbs.
Sorghum and Veggies.
Sorghum and Veggies.

Yes, we are eating sorghum everyday and not getting bored with it!

Belize, Our Products, Soap

Sign Up For Casa Mascia Newsletter!

2 Comments

Munchkin.Feeling.Rightous

Hello Everyone!!  Just a reminder for the people out there who are interested in buying our Casa Mascia products.  The newsletter will be starting up next month and if you want to take advantage of discounts, vouchers and news on latest products, please sign up for the newsletter.

Here is a link:   Sign Up For Newsletter.

Simply type in your email address and that’s it.

Thanks and have a lovely day!!

Chocolate Artisan Soaps.
Chocolate Artisan Soaps.
Dark Chocolate Artisan Soaps.
Dark Chocolate Artisan Soaps.
Belize, Food, Plants

Tropical Cranberry Jelly!

together-munchkin-eating-foodHello to y’all who are running around like headless chickens trying to find a can of cranberry jelly for Thanksgiving Day tomorrow.  I have found the perfect substitute.  It is made from a fruit that we have coined “sour peach” which grows here in the Belize.  It has a lovely peachy aroma but once you bite into it, you start pulling funny faces because it is sooooo sour!

Sour Peach aka Eugenia spicata:

Sour Peach.
Sour Peach.

The making of the jelly…Munchkin Magic…Check out the recipe…

Sour Peach Jelly.
Sour Peach Jelly.

When the yellow fruit cooks, it becomes a beautiful red colour.  There is a lot of pectin in this fruit so it sets up nicely.

Sour Peach Jam/ Jelly.
Sour Peach Jam/ Jelly.

Happy Thanksgiving Day tomorrow to y’all out there who are going to celebrate.