Category Archives: Belize

Chili Each Day Keeps The Doctor Away.

October 15, 2015 Munchkin

Hello everyone!! It has been raining all day today so thankfully, our rain water shortage has been temporarily solved. The rainwater tank is almost half full and we have another full tank as back-up. Phew!! We are so pleased!!

Anyway, onto the subject of chili peppers…yesterday, was town day and it was a hectic run-around of seeing patients for the whole morning, meeting up with people for lunch and the usual in-between hailing of passerbys and acquaintances. Not to mention, the rushing around for supplies in between a packed day. By the time I got home at 4pm, I was exhausted. At this point, I started feeling lethargic and then it got worse because I started feeling sorry for myself. One thing led to another and I developed a headache, sore throat and a low-grade fever. I immediately recognised it as the beginnings of the ‘flu (or some sort of viral infection). Gnome knew there was a problem when I reached over to the computer to write a Blog post and I simply couldn’t even muster up the energy to type out the WordPress address. Gnome admonished me gently for being such an awful patient and told me to have a teaspoon of chili sauce, in a drink immediately.

Munchkin Sick and Feeling Sorry for Herself!

I happened to have a glass of beer in front of me (therapeutic dosage to warm myself up of course…honest) so I stirred in a teaspoon of chili sauce and downed it. As soon as I drunk it, it really hit the spot and the I felt an immediate release in my sinuses and head. I felt so much better.

Gnome’s Medical Prescription: Beer

And one teaspoon of Chili sauce:

Culpeper describes this experience very nicely:

“…will so pierce the brain by flying up into the head through the nostrils, as to produce violent sneezings, and draw down abundance of thin rheum, forcing tears from the eyes…”

I went to bed soon after this, feeling nice and toasty. And so today, I still feel tired from fighting off the ‘flu and my energy levels are considerably lower. However, I have managed to keep the other symptoms at bay (fever, headache and cough) with a teaspoon of chili sauce in miso soup three times a day. By no means is this an instant cure-all but it does cut short the length of an ailment and lessons the symptoms so it is worth doing. I will probably continue this regime for the next 3 days at least. I have noticed that with natural remedies, it is not usually a once off dosage but rather a course.

Also, Chilis have nutritional value which can aid in mounting a proper immune response: vitamin A, C, E, B6, Potassium and Manganese and Riboflavin.

It is still raining here in Toledo…yay!! Have a Good Night everyone!!

Amusing, Belize, Farming

Water Shortage: The Saga Continues!!

October 13, 2015 Munchkin

Hi Everyone!! If you are a regular reader, you may remember that our well pump broke about 6 months ago and we have been relying on rain-water since then. Thankfully we have had rain water without much of a hitch since we live in the district of Belize with the highest rainfall. Coupled with hope, prayers and chorusing with the frogs, water has not been an issue….well, until recently. It has been so dry for 14 days now (this dryness is sooooo rare for this region and we are not in dry season) we are down to about half of a 550 gallon tank only so we are on Red Alert!! Bucket Washes and no showers.

The saga continues…

Early yesterday morning, Gnome noticed water dripping out of a hole in our water tank (our rainwater tank). Remember, there is no water in the well-pump tank. He went over to have a better look and discovered that a nail from the water tower had punctured through the base of the tank and we were fast losing our precious water. With Gnome swiftness, he used a hose-pipe to transfer the water into the empty well tank. Phew!! Thank-you Gnome for noticing…because if he had not noticed the dripping water, we would have no water left by the end of the day.

Okay, so we need rain. And we are looking at the weather report and there are no indications of rain. We are now looking further afield for hopeful signs through frog ribbitting, rain hawks, the man in the shop down the road and whatever takes our fancy.

Still no signs. Arrrrghhhh!!!

We still hope. The man in the shop said,

“It no look like it rain but sometime it come from nowhere!”

In anticipation, Gnome has patched up the water tank to receive rainwater.

Anyone know a good Rain Dance? Munchkin and Gnome are prepared to Boogey On Down!!

Belize, Food

Peach Palm Patties With Rosemary.

October 11, 2015 Munchkin

Hello Everyone!! I have been experimenting with peach palm a lot since each bunch weighs about 10kg (22lbs). Peach palm or pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes) is a palm which is indigenous to Central America. These trees produce bunches of orange-coloured fruit which can be eaten as a carbohydrate.

Fresh Peach Palm Bunch. — Fresh Peach Palm Bunch

Once cooked, they have the texture of a sweet potato and they taste almost fruity. In this recipe, I cooked up some of this carbohydrate, mashed it up and flavoured it with rosemary which really helps to bring out the peach-like flavour. This recipe is gluten-free and would also be a great base for a vegetarian burger.

We had our Peach Palm Patties with a generous dollop of chilli sauce! If you would prefer this as a sweet, you can omit the rosemary and serve these patties with honey and ice-cream…yum…now that’s a real treat!

Belize, Farming, Plants

Catching Up.

October 10, 2015 Munchkin

We have only written three posts in the last month so I am using this post as an opportunity to catch up. We have actually had very hot and dry weather for about 10 days with no rains until today actually. In the last 3 to 4 days we had to go on “red alert” as the water supplies were going down fast. This meant bucket washes (no long showers) and hand-washing clothes. The well-pump still has not been fixed yet but Gnome has a plan to use compressed air to pump the water up to the surface…all we need is a compressor.

I have heard the frogs ribbitting on for rain and we have even joined them in their gloriously orchestrated croaking. The grey clouds are gathering above our house as we speak! Let us continue Ribbitting!! We are down to half a 550 gallon tank of water and we need two 550 gallon tanks totally filled up. When we are on “red alert” a lot of activities are postponed including soap-making…this requires a lot of water for washing up and cleaning of big pots, buckets and utensils.

I will leave you with some pictures from The Spice Farms which is situated in Golden Stream in Toledo, on the Southern Highway of Belize. The place is owned by another fellow medical doctor (anaesthetist) from the United States, formerly from Kerala, India. Being Doctors/ Wannabee Farmers together, Dr. Mathew was nice enough to give us a guided tour of his establishment last week. Lots of vanilla, black-pepper, cinnamon and other spice plants to see.

Have a good night!! Let’s hope for a massive downpour tonight!!

Belize, Pets

Farewell To Grandma Stumpy.

October 9, 2015 Munchkin 4 Comments

This is an MGNews Special to present a Farewell To Grandma Stumpy. Our lovely and wonderful Grandma Vanessa Stumpy passed away peacefully in her sleep on the 3rd of October 2015 at her home in Paradise Piggies. She died at the grand old age of 8 years old.

Grandmas Stumpy is the Grandmother of all the piggies and she mothered generations upon generations of piggies on Paradise Pastures. She will be sorely missed by all. She was our Sunshine, she was the lovely piggie with a gorgeous heart of gold. We Love You Stumpy!!

The funeral was held today at Paradise Pastures. All the piggies gathered to pay their respect.

The Duckies and Goosie came to say their solemn farewell:

Mayor Gnome and Doctor Munchkin were in attendance at the funeral to send Grandma Stumpy off to Paradise Piggie Heaven.

A few words from Mayor Gnome:

” Farewell Grandma Stumpy. I promised you Freedom, Fresh Grass and Beyond. Make haste to the Kingdom of Paradise Piggies and we shall meet again one day in ‘Beyond.’ We Love You!“

This one is for Grandma Stumpy!! Please let us join in a Farewell with “The King” to help Grandma Stumpy along to her appointed place in Paradise Piggies Heaven.

Amazing grace, oh how sweet the sound
That saved a wreck like me
I once was lost, though now I’m found
I was blind, but now I see
When we’ve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Then when, when we first begun
Too many ages false and spent
I have already hung
This face and flock He saved us by
His endless grace will leave me whole
Amazing grace, oh how sweet the sound
To save a wreck like me I once was lost, but now I’m found
I was blind, but now I see

Amusing, Belize, Construction

We’re Back On-Line!!

October 7, 2015 Munchkin

Just a quickie to let you know that we are back on-line. We were up at 5am this morning in preparation for the technicians coming to change our antenna. We had to be ready for them because the antenna was attached to a 45 foot pole!!

They told us to receive them at 8am prompt; they arrived at 9.15am. One of the guys had to drive back into town because they forgot the antenna!! Anyway, it took half an hour to change the antenna and three and a half hours to find the signal. They actually ended up lowering the post to 30 feet to get a signal! The signal comes off the main tower in a pyramidal shape so the further you are away from the tower (but still within range) the height of the receiving antenna actually becomes lower. So, now our Internet is working better because we have a good signal!!

Yay!! You will be getting our regular posts again!!

Amusing, Belize

I Need a Desk Lamp!!

October 1, 2015 Munchkin

Hi Everyone!! Gosh…can you believe it…in Belize, I can’t find a simple desk lamp. I am just looking for one of those normal lamps with the bendy neck and on-off push button. Yeah one of those cheap (C&G…Cheap and Good) lamps that you can buy anywhere else but Belize. How frustrating…

The reason why I need one is because I have started hand-sewing out of sheer necessity and I need a desk lamp for better lighting. I am in desperate need of good fitting clothes so I have resorted to buying second-hand clothes and altering them to fit my size and shape.

I think this is a good enough time to talk to you about clothes shopping in Toledo. Any brand new clothes that you buy here are usually really bad quality and made of material like viscose or polyester. In the Tropics, these are horrible to wear because your skin can not breathe through them. On top of this, the fashion is really trashy (yes, call me a prude) with see-through stuff and blouses with too many holes in the wrong places. Also, all trousers (or pants) are low riders and there is no other choice. Personally, the only people who suit these type of trousers are the skinny waif types. 5 foot 2 inch Munchkins, like me, need trousers that actually come up to the waist or else we look like fat squashed-up pears. In short, the clothes that you buy here are for flirting, showing off flesh and accentuating the size of your bottom (they like voluptuous bottoms here) and I am not into that at all!

And so I have resorted to the used clothes stalls. The clothes sold here are usually from the Goodwill stores from the States. So, all you guys out there who are giving away your lovely clothes, in the name of charity, note they are getting sold to us poor buggers in Belize. Tops, shirts and trousers usually go for about $10Bz ($5US) in the seconds market. Mens’ second hand trousers can fetch as high as $20Bz ($10US) and they look like they have been worn to death. I noticed that for a while there was a spate of seconds with sewn on “Dickie’s” labels (but were clearly not Dickies stuff) and because they had that label, they were all being sold at premium prices. And we won’t even mention shoes…not a single pair of decent leather shoes to be found in the whole country of Belize!! Wahhhh!!

Anyway, at least you can find some cotton stuff at the seconds stalls. Oh, and when I find linen, I grab it! Also, there is some classical, elegant stuff so I can at least dress like a doctor if need be. It is pretty embarrassing wearing tarty clothes on a medical house call!! It is certainly not the image that I want to get across…but the funny thing is that it is actually perfectly acceptable to wear a hot little number, whilst doctoring, and so the problem actually lies with me!!

There you are…I have had my little rant and I feel much better for it! Alas, if only I could find a desk lamp…

Belize, Blog, Our Products, Soap

Apothecary Administration.

September 30, 2015 Munchkin 2 Comments

Hi Everyone, every now and then we have to do the mundane work of website administration. After all, one of the reasons why we took on this Blogging was to try to make some money from the Apothecary. Having done this for almost a year, I can confidently dispel the myth that you can “quit your day job” if you have a website shop. No, people are not flocking to buy our wares on-line. We find that people just enjoy reading our posts especially for the funny stories and the recipes. In turn, we have decided that, despite the lack of monetary return, we will continue Blogging because it is an outlet of expression for both of us, especially in my case. I had aspirations of becoming a writer/ journanlist before I became a medical doctor and I find that I can re-cultivate my writing skills through this form of expression. Besides, it is a really good way of informing family and friends of what we are doing so they need not worry that we are stuck in the middle of nowhere deprived of entertainment and variety.

Apothecary tweaks include:

The Apothecary has been better organised into categories. In the soap section, we are offering soaps in plastic wrap, tin and rolls of 50 to give people more of a choice (and a better price). Also I have added the pictures of the body sprays which have been missing for a whole year. Still more pictures to come…

Also, there is a new Custom Orders page which gives information on special orders. It gives a list of possible products (anything really from hair care to nail care to foot care…you name it..and we will create it) and available Belizean raw materials that can be used to create brand new products. There is a whole list of lovely local stuff; here are some pictures to entice you:

There is still more administration to come including New Products and a full list of Elixirs.

Have a good night!!

Belize, Farming, Food, Plants

Peach Palm (Pejibaye) In Season.

September 29, 2015 Munchkin

Hello Everyone!! More fruits in season and this time it is the peach palm which is also known as pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes). These palms are an essential for anyone looking to grow lots of food for themselves. They start bearing within 3 to 5 years of planting and can produce for up to 75 years. It is a significant crop because it produces edible peach palm fruits, heart of palm and flowers. The heart of palm can be harvested from suckers so you need not lose the whole tree to procure this food (compare this to the cohune palm in Belize which is traditionally cut down for this ).

Today we harvested a single bunch of this fruit; one bunch weighed 10kgs (22lbs). We have about 20 more bunches to harvest and this is only from 2 trees. We probably have about 20 pejibaye trees on the farm so you can imagine the amount of food that we can harvest from them eventually. It will end up being a significant staple for us. Plus it will feed the rest of the animals.

To be honest, we have had problems eating peach palms and we have not been especially enamored by the texture. We find them stodgy, fibrous and difficult to digest. To prepare them, we halve the fruit, take out the seed and boil them in a vat of water for a couple of hours (I have read that they are boiled for 5 hours but if you did that, they would just turn to mush). The result is a carbohydrate which is not bad tasting (maybe at a push like sweet potato) but really heavy on the stomach. You certainly could not eat an entire plateful of them!

Anyway, today we decided to do some experimentation in order to find a way that we could eat peach palm so we took a bunch of peach palm, de-seeded them and boiled them.

To get a good homogeneous mash, we then put them through a meat grinder (blender was too small for the large quantities).

We took a third of this to sun-dry. Another third was just bagged and frozen and the last third, we made into peach palm paste (like lotus seed paste or red bean paste) for Chinese sweets like mochi balls and Moon Cakes. This was the result…we even stamped them to make them look authentic. The sweet paste actually tastes very good (yay…a success) and the added sugar seems to make it more digestible.

Watch this space for more peach palm recipes and experimentation!

Belize, Farming, Food

Eating Eggfruit Everyday.

September 28, 2015 Munchkin

Wow!! It was unbelievably hot today with a temperature of 32oC (90oF) and a realfeel of 47oC (117oF). How can one get any farm work done??

Anyway, I would like to introduce you to a new fruit in season which goes by a few names including Eggfruit and Canistel (Pouteria campechiana).

This fruit is indigenous to Central America but despite this, it is not found readily in the backyards or jungles of Belize. Many people, including locals, have never seen or heard of it and the few people who actually have this tree actively made efforts to procure this particular fruit tree.

It is one of those fruits of Tropics which can never be viably exported because once it is harvested, it needs to be eaten immediately, probably within 48 hours before it starts fermenting. This fruit comes in different shapes and sizes; some are long and pointed like the picture above and some are more ovoid in shape. They can be eaten out of hand and in common literature it is described as having the texture of boiled egg yolk (hence the name). I think it tastes like cooked (mashed) sweet potato and to my palate, because of this carbohydrate taste and texture, it fits more appropriately into savoury dishes. But that’s just me!! I read that other people make ice cream and milk shakes out of this fruit.

We always look forward to canistel season which usually falls into September and October. We have four baring trees and they can be very generous hence the reason why we are eating eggfruit everyday. This of course, calls for a lot of imagination because if you eat them the same way everyday, you will naturally get bored of them. So here are a few pictures of my canistel creations. By the way, some pictures include pumpkin…

…so, to be more accurate, we are eating eggfruit and pumpkin everyday!!

Mashed Canistel (like mashed potato):

Canistel seared on a skillet:

Avocado stuffed with young pumpkin and canistel.

Seared Canistel with Pumpkin and Spicy Sausage with Steamed Callaloo.

There are more pictures which I will post them as recipes over the next week or so.

Go forth and find some Eggfruit to eat…they are yummy!!

Casa Mascia Apothecary