Category Archives: Farming

Amusing, Farming, Food, Plants

All About The Marrow.

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I know, I know…this is ground-breaking Munchkin writing, pushing the boundaries of blog content and shattering the mundane illusion of life.  Marrows; it’s all about the marrows…and if you are British (in any shape or form, even Aussie will do) you should know all about marrows.

So, this silly story all started when I stumbled across marrow seeds in the Farm Store in Punta Gorda, Toledo (Belize) of all places.  I presumed that since I had purchased these seeds here that everyone grew marrows, like we all grow the ubiquitous tomato or cucumber.  When I chanced across any British people that I knew around town, after the usual greetings, talking about the weather or Trump, I would then turn the conversation to the fact that I was growing marrows.  The usual response was, “…oh yes, but of course.”  It was a given that I was growing marrows and no explanations were required.

Anyway, when I chanced across any non-British and I steered the conversation to matters of the marrow, I received very blank stares.  Some minor blinking but nonetheless there was no-one at home and registering.  I would get usually get:  “..oh, uhu.” and then a sudden change in conversation.  Some-times I would get a perplexed, “what is a marrow?”

Well, I never!  I never thought that I would have to explain what a marrow was.  Well, you know..doesn’t every-one know?

“…it’s a big green vegetable…a bit like a pumpkin and you try to grow it as big as you can so you can enter marrow competitions…”

I did give this explanation and felt my face flush with embarrassment after-wards because I felt that I didn’t actually know what a marrow was.

After feeling like a silly sausage, I decided it best to do some research.  Okay, so now I do know what a marrow is:

A Marrow is the mature fruit of the Cucurbita pepo of the genus Cucurbita.

(This bit is only helpful if you know your latin and into botany…so, let me explain it another way…)

The immature fruit of a marrow is a courgette (or zucchini) so a marrow is an old zucchini.  Well I never!  I didn’t know that.  They are grown to a large size so that they can be stuffed with meat and other things.  Also, in temperate countries, marrows can be stored for many weeks after harvest.

If you wish to enter your marrow in competitions (as far as I know, they only do this in the UK), you are restricted to growing only the striped thick-skinned cultivar.

Growing Marrow.

Okay, so now you can ask me all about the marrows!!  Anyone for a Marrow Growing Competition in Belize??

Belize, Farming

Taming The Chaos!

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Phew…everything inside and outside just exploded into chaos these last few weeks.  Just a couple of weeks trying to take it easy has culminated in a majorly messy farm.  Okay, but we are ready to face the work and the gate has been fixed and now closes properly.  Yeah! Gnome said:

“…it’s still wonky though…but not so wonky….”

He had to change the hinges to these ones to shorten one side of the gate so that the gate would close properly:

New Gate Hinges.

Yeah, I know, you are probably thinking who would take pictures of their gate hinges?  Munchkin and Gnome of course because hinges are of vital importance in putting gates up…if you ever need to do it yourself, you will understand.  The Gate Closes!

Closed Gate.

Gnome has been making charcoal.  The first lot did not burn well so Gnome had to drill more holes in the bottom of the steel  drum to allow more air flow:

Charcoal Drum.

Now we have this burning continuously outside our house to make charcoal; what would the neighbours say?  It is a good thing that they are so far away!!  🙂

Making Charcoal.

One load of wood packed into this drum reduces to about a quarter volume of charcoal.  Right now, we are using the charcoal to boil water for washing.  Gnome says that he is going to make me a charcoal cooking stove.  He is already trying to perfect the home-made tin stoves with air flow windows:

Tin Smithing Air Control.

Watch this space for cooking Munchkin-Style on a tin charcoal stove…

Right now for our personal needs, Gnome needs to burn a drum of wood every three days.  Our hope is to entice Panda to start making charcoal and designate him head collier.   🙂

Fresh Charcoal.
Amusing, Belize, Farming

A Sunny Day…

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Another bright sunny day and so we keep on going with our dream farm which is always “in progress” or “in process.”  Arrrgh…but when you look outside, everything is getting bushy because we can’t get the grass done (walk behind brush-mower is no longer working -RIP).  We are attracting a lot of toucans, light blue birdies and bright red coloured birdies because of  the semi-bushy state.  A bird spotter would cringe at my lack of birdie knowledge…ha-ha!!

Very Bushy:

Bushy Yard.

Anyway, I kind of mentioned that we had lost all our guinea pigs to a rogue possum.  Yes I know…Paradise Piggies are no more and have passed onto become Heavenly Piggies.

We love you piggies!!  Miss you!!

Happy Piggies.

So, every night, for the last 5 nights, we have been baiting the possum with an enticing bucket of scraps that we place in full veranda-view on the nearest vegetable bed.  Sure enough, every night something has been knocking it over and slurping out of the bucket.  They never finish it because it is too much and every night I set the bucket up straight for it.

A few days ago, we decided that it was time “to get the possum.”  During our much-loved sleeping time, we donned our long sleeves, long trousers and woolly hats and sat in the darkness of the veranda waiting quietly for the possum.  Gnome had his pellet gun ready (for full destruction) and I had lights ready to switch on to dazzle.  I also had a bucket of brine ready to dunk the cleaned carcass in preparation of a possum dutch oven/curry for the day after.

Anyway, we waited and waited and waited.  The stars were pretty!!  And when I got accustomed to the darkness, I could see different shades of blackness…kind of poetic and meditative if you ignore the biting mosquitoes!!

(Meanwhile the cat was in the house sleeping…usually by now he would have been kicked out for his usual night duty).

Okay, so nothing happened…and no possum came…not much of a story, right?

Oh but what happened when we finally got the cat out of the house in the wee hours of the night?  The bucket turned over…

We’ve been baiting the cat??!!  Oops…upside down picture…not upside down cat!!

Where is that darn possum??  I really want my possum curry.  Yes we have declared war on all possums in the vicinity…

Belize, Farming

Starting Again!

Okay, so we listened to our Jungle Tune a few more times and then we got up and started moving around.  We feel a bit better today.  We are running out of charcoal because we are boiling water every night for washing (shower re-location…usual…blah-blah-blah…renovating) so Gnome started making charcoal today.  He basically filled a 55 gallon drum with wood and started a fire in it.  Every now and then, he checks on the drum of wood…shoogles and shakes the contents…there is the sound of some tin bashing about and then I hear him adding more logs of wood.

In between all this, he has started C++ programming tutorials for fun.  And there is another reason: Panda very nicely bought him a Raspberry Pi kit (never knew anything like that existed) which is a little computer that integrates electronics with computer programs (which can be coded in C++ hence the sudden resurgence of computer programming excitement).  These afternoons, we are working through Raspberry Pi tutorials together; I wire the circuit and he programs.  It is actually nice and romantic in a Munchkin and Gnome sort of way.

From a purely practical point of view, this gadget actually opens doors to all-new Gnome inventions-(TM) -guaranteed to make life easier on the farm-kinda like Wallace and Gromit.  The first experiment is a RFID cat flap for our cat and then we will branch out and RFID tag our female geese to help get them into designated feeding areas.  Watch this space…Munchkin and Gnome: The Next Generation!!

Kitty is going to get a special electronic cat flap!

Cat.

There is much to do, clean up, tidy up and maintain that I just need to walk out of the door and pick the nearest thing.  I began by cleaning up the vegetable beds and started up some more vegetable seedlings.  We have to be careful about what we plant now because we will have to look after these plants over dry season.  We have managed to plant out all our fruit trees and spread cardboard mulch around them…the cardboard is great because it will eventually break down and add to the soil and it stops weeds from growing up around the trees.  Also, thanks Panda for bringing us cardboard every week (amongst other useful things including sawdust and seaweed).

Cardboard.
Amusing, Belize, Farming

Last Pictures…

It’s a bit like in a British pub when they say “last orders” for the last round before it closes.  These are my last lot of pictures from the farm before the new year.

Toasted bread from Gnome’s charcoal stove:

Grilled Bread.

Akee are in season right now:

Akee Fruit.
Cleaned Plate of Akee.

When you saute sliced akee, they look like scrambled eggs.  Try an alternative breakfast with akee and toast!!

Scrambled Akee and Toast.

Look at these bunch of naughty, thieving blighters!!  Eating us out of farm and home…

Thieving Aracari.
More Aracari.
Aracari.

They are rather cute though so we are not going to war with them…

Belize, Energy Saving, Farming, Saving Money

Tin Smithing with Gnome.

Hello!!  Despite designating this time as “rest period” to get ready for the new year’s major work on the farm, Gnome is still tinkering around.  Right now, we are renovating (actually, we are always in this state and will remain in this state for a long time) and we are back to cold water showering  awaiting the re-location of the hot water shower.  Because it has been so cold (20C/68F), we have resorted to bucket washes with hot water.  Water requires energy to heat up so we were burning through a butane tank like there was no tomorrow (we bathe a lot).  So, Gnome put his “Saving Money” cap on and decided to try making a home-made charcoal burner made out of an old milk tin.  This is a prequel to Panda’s last entry about the Gnome Mk1 Charcoal burner.  We thought that Panda was in a similar situation with hot water requirements, so Gnome also gave him one of these to try out.

Pictures of Tin Smithing with Gnome:

Make holes in tin with hand drill:

Charcoal Hob Making.

Then make air holes, at the bottom of the tin, with a jig saw:

The square air holes are not completely cut out and are bent into the tin to form a shelf for mesh wire.  This is Panda’s picture which shows the air holes:

Captain Charcoal®

Charcoal (filled right up to the top) is then placed on the mesh wire and a fire is started:

Charcoal Hob Testing.

It is important to place a piece of metal on top of the tin to allow partial elevation of the cooking pot; we used an old hob ring.

Charcoal Hob in Action.

Viola!  Water boiling in a kettle:

Boiling Water.

Note: use manky camp-fire kettles and pots.  Do not use your fine cookware on these stoves or you will be scrubbing a lot!!  The tin full of charcoal lasts for about 1 or 2 hours so you can boil quite a lot water and then cook a meal afterwards.  Basic food can be made like toasting bread and cooking thinly sliced sweet potato:

Charcoal Gnome Cooking.

Cooking with the charcoal burner:

Cooking Over Charcoal.

This design is not perfect (yet!) and Gnome is working on a new model with air flow control and a handle.  Watch this space…

Amusing, Belize, Farming, Food

Hard Work!

 

The work is never done and there isn’t enough time in the day.  There isn’t enough time to write blog posts either!  Okay, so what’s happening…well, I will start off with my usual joviality.  Since we have been so busy on the farm, I haven’t kept up with harvesting fruits and so the place is teeming with blackbirds and jays.  They’ve been stealing all the starfruit and peach palm.  They are not leaving a single one for us:

Munchkin: “This is daylight robbery.  The blackbirds are robbing us blind!”

Gnome:

“Sing a song of sixpence
A pocket full of rye.
FOUR AND TWENTY BLACKBIRDS,
BAKED IN A PIE!”
Oh yes, we were willing to eat iguana curry because we were losing our vegetable garden to them.  Well, now we have declared war again…this time, it is the blackbirds!
Bird.

The cat does his job…now and then…catching birds (I mean)…but not consistently enough…

Cat eating Bird.
Okay, so we are painting the veranda and putting railings up.  Also, there has been so much erosion, from rains, around the house that the ground is getting washed away!  Gnome has come up with a great plan to make partially raised beds, about 1/2 foot in height, and filling them up with our usual sawdust and seaweed.  Since water pools in these areas around the house, we have decided to grow peppermint and taro (or any other aquatic plants that we can think of) in these beds so that they can soak up all the water.  That sounds lovely…imagine the aroma of beds of mint around the house!

Fresh Mint.
 Next on the list, is fixing up the gate because it is falling over.  The list is endless!  Anyway, we still try to add a nice touch to things so today we are going to go shopping in Punta Gorda (this is a rare event for Munchkin and Gnome…the shopping, I mean) and buy some Christmas lights for our new veranda.
Have a lovely weekend!!
Amusing, Belize, Farming, Food, Plants

The Usual Farm Stuff…

Hello!!  Yes we did attend the British High Commission reception a few days ago.  Well, we kinda thought that it was a good idea to show our faces since we hardly leave the farm.  Gnome:

“…well, we haven’t been seen in public for a while…people might start to believe we are  fictional characters…”

Somebody asked me why I was attending and I said that it was because I was Scottish…somehow I think that there was a joke contained in the question…

Anyway, back on the farm, It has stopped raining for a few days but it is still very grey.  At least we can walk out and not be sloshing about in wetness!!  I’ve got some new pictures…mostly vegetables and plants…ha-ha…we are soooo exciting…but what pictures could we possibly have to show you if we have a farm?

We are growing horseradish which also doubles up as mustard greens.  They are in buckets on the veranda…this is to ensure that we always get our greens even when I can’t get out with the heavy rains or if the geese are plotting to ambush me downstairs.

Horseradish.

The peppermint is growing really well.  And hey look…my pictures are getting better…

Peppermint.

Finally, at long last, we have managed to get the sage and rosemary going.  Yes, these are more plants on the veranda that need shelter from the heavy rains.

Sage.
Rosemary.

The akee are starting too:

Akee.

Oh and here is a picture of our back yard.  We do indeed live in the bush…

Bushy Yard.

Okay, last farm picture; the summer squash is going crazy with the rains.  I guess you can’t complain too much about the weather when you get this:

Summer Squash.

Have a lovely weekend.

Belize, Farming

Some Extra Pictures.

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Hello!!  I am posting up some extra pictures that I have taken that never made it into my blogs.  Oh by the way, it’s been really wet with torrential rains down here.  We are sliding about in mud and can’t get anything done…what’s new, right?  Here’s to sunnier, drier days in the future…

I don’t think I ever posted up pictures of The Spice Farm in Toledo.  Anyway, here you are if you want a nosey:

Spice Farm Restaurant.
Inside Restaurant.
Another Picture.

Every now and then, we go to visit the owners; the owner is also a medical doctor (so, have a few things in common…doctoring and farms…but, his farm is a sooooo much bigger). The last time we visited, we ate fresh lotus seeds (after a lovely chicken biryani).  If you get the seeds green, they are very sweet.

Eating Lotus Seeds.

Oh, and this is a new project on their farm…a special arched walk-way for weddings and such…

Flowering Arches.

So, more visiting pictures…these ones are of The Earthship, a building made from recycled glass bottles.  Our friends, Alisa and Richard have put a lot of time and passion into this one…

Earthship.

Okay, hope you are all having a lovely Sunday!!

Amusing, Belize, Farming, Our Products

Hello!!

Hello Everyone!!  Well, tropical storm Nate passed by without a drop of rain.  We had stayed indoors on that day (thinking it was going to pour down) but it was actually a fine sunny day.  Gnome said afterwards,

“let’s never look at weather reports EVER again!!  They never get it right!”

Munchkin:  “Yeah sure but if you remember correctly it was the fruit-monger who told us about the incoming storm first…”

Gnome said:  “Since when did the fruit-monger become a meteorologist?”

Munchkin: “Eh…since we trashed the last weather report…”

Anyway, it is absolutely pouring down right now so I am forced to come indoors.  Anyway, I should really keep up with my blog posts!

What have we been up to?  Making some new chocolate soaps for the new season; oooh nice!!  And I even managed to take a cool looking picture (a la Panda…he’s really into fuzzy background photos…sorry, I mean professional looking “coffee table” pictures!!  Ha-Ha!!)

Chocolate Soap.

Oh, and Gnome bought me this Vision cooking pot as a gift.  It was about time for some new cookware!!  Over the years, I’ve slowly accumulated bits of kitchenware from people (usually people leaving Belize because they don’t want to be here any-more).  So, I’ve ended up with a hotch-potch assortment of old pots and pans…and many missing lids.  Gnome told me it was about time that I should have my own set of cookware:

“Munchkin…you really love cooking….why, after all this time have we never got you your own set of pots and pans?”

Gnome bought me one of these to “try out” and I absolutely love it.  This is great for french onion soup.  Ooooh, can’t wait to get the whole set!!

Vision Cookware.

We’ve been digging up our sweet potatoes…they are huge:

Sweet Potato.

Tobacco is growing and Gnome has been soaking dried leaves in a solution of brown sugar and lovely essential oils.  He has packed them in bamboo to cure.  Watch this space in 12 months:

Tobacco Curing Solution.
Bamboo.

Tobacco:

Dried Tobacco Leaves.

Ok folks, I would lIKE TO WRITE MORE BUT MY CAPS LOCK KEEPS STICKING…LOOK AT tHIs!!