Category Archives: Food

Leftover Greens, Jackfruit, Mushrooms and Guinea Pigs.

July 15, 2015 Munchkin

I have a plethora of photographs, taken at opportune moments which are used for the purposes of writing posts for this Blog. I try to use up most of the photos but sometimes some are “left-over.” So, here are some pictures that can hopefully tie up some loose ends.

I still have not had the chance to add on to the Belcampo Foraging Tour (eco-lodge in Toledo, Belize) which was conducted a couple of months ago. There will be more of this coming soon. Anyway, this is a picture of hierba mora found growing wild on Belcampo grounds. This is a tasty green leafy spinach-like vegetable which is similar in taste and texture to the local callaloo.

You can also buy a bunch of the cultivated variety of hierba mora at the market in Punta Gorda. The vendors use the name “callaloo” interchangeably between this and the Amaranth sp.(true callaloo).

This is another jackfruit off-shoot. I had mentioned in my main article on this fruit that the seeds were also edible. The seeds just need to be boiled for about 20 to 30 minutes until they are tender. In this instance, I boiled the seeds and then stir fried the seeds with sliced garlic and garnished the dish with spring onion (I threw in some left over cassava). Needless to say, the meal was tasty!

And, of course, I can write ceaselessly about mushrooms! We can’t get enough of fungus and we love eating them! Last week, we had spotted a whole load of lovely oyster mushrooms in somebody’s yard in Punta Gorda. We sliced and slow cooked them in butter. We have found that this is the best way to enjoy the delicate tastes of a wild mushroom.

Oyseter.Mushrooms.Beaty — Wild Oyster Mushrooms.

A couple of weeks ago, we stumbled across these mushrooms in our coconut plantation. We identified them as of the Russula sp.; many of the mushrooms of this family can cause gastric upset but none are known to be lethal. We decided to eat a test batch of these wild mushrooms…they turned out to be very good…and no stomach upset!

One more mushroom picture! I raved on about the bamboo pith (stinkhorn) a while back because it was a revelation to me that the Chinese cultivated this particular fungus to eat. Here are some fresh specimens ready for chopping in our soup:

Cooked bamboo pith has the texture of bubbly honeycomb with the firmness of agar. There is no distinct taste. We like them!

And last but not least. Matilda’s little piggies are doing fine. They are still in the maternity ward and they have started eating grass already. Everything on Paradise Pastures seems to be pretty hunky-dory at the moment. More on the Mayor Elections over the next few weeks!

Belize, Farming, Food

Curried Ripe Jackfruit with Lentils

July 14, 2015 Munchkin

Remember a couple of weeks ago we had the big baby?

And I had explicitly mentioned that all parts could be eaten…even the unformed arils:

Well, here is a recipe for this part of the jackfruit, which is usually discarded. I recommend that you do not eat this part raw because it still has some sticky latex attached to it. The best thing to do is to cook it and so this is a yummy recipe for Curried Ripe Jackfruit.

The ripe jackfruit caramelises nicely to compliment the mustard seeds, cumin, tumeric and paprika. Fresh curry leaves are used to enhance the flavour of the whole “sweet and savoury dish.”

We both enjoyed the curried jackfruit with lentils and agreed that NO part of the jackfruit should be thrown away!!

Amusing, Belize, Food, Mushrooms, Soap

A Day in a Life of Munchkin and Gnome.

July 7, 2015 Munchkin

This morning, we got up a tad later than usual at 6am. We sat down to have a hot honey drink whilst drunken baymen (black stingless bees that buzz and bumble in a swaying motion) swarmed around us trying to steal honey from our mugs. It wasn’t that comfortable because every-time I took a sip, the bees would make a mad swoop for the mug and I would cough and splutter trying not to swallow a single bee! What a way to start the morning!

This is a typical day in the life of Munchkin and Gnome.

We mixed up a batch of soap; this time we made Chocolate Vanilla Cookie which is fragranced with a blend of essentail oils to give off the smell of oven-baked cookies. They appear marbled at first but with time, they assume a uniformity with a light chocolate brown colour.

Gnome then went off to procure a large stick…wahooo!! The Big Stick is coming out so coconut products will be available soon!

I went off to wash the dogs…they were actually really well-behaved today as I soaped them and then doused them thoroughly with Sulphur-Lime Dip (a Gnome Bored-in-Belize concoction) which is used against fleas, tics, mange and ringworm. It is great stuff and works well…however, we all end up smelling of rotten eggs. Afterwards, I had a shower and doused myself in lavender oil.

Next, we both donned our respectable clothes to go into town to assume our identities of Doctors Munchkin and Gnome (or “The Doctors” as we are known in Punta Gorda). We had an appointed patient review.

So, we did our doctoring stuff and as Gnome was walking down the path, he spotted a decaying tree with a whole load of oyster mushrooms growing on them. You have to be on the look-out at all times for mushrooms to pop up! They were such beautiful clean specimens. We picked the whole lot of them and I was so pleased with our find that I let Gnome store them in my town hat.

We also spotted White Goods on a Pick-up! Our Pick-up game that we like playing where we spot white goods on trucks for points.

Munchkin: Sloooow down! What do you think it is…a washing machine? Or a mini freez…

Gnome: Quit blabbering! Take a picture now!! We’re turning left now!! Pronto!

As we were leaving Punta Gorda, we stopped off by the sea to have a hot drink together (yes, I brought my food bag with the thermos flask…no biscuits this time). We stared out at the choppy sea and marvelled at the enormous amounts of seaweed on the shore. This will be a Munchkin and Gnome project for the future…this particular seaweed is called “sargassum.” It is of particular interest to us because it is actually used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is named Hai Zao and it is used to dissolve phlegm, act as a diuretic and relieve oedema.

Homeward bound back to the farm where I cooked up curried ripe jackfruit and lentils for lunch:

Will post recipe this week! Too much to write about…

And that was just the morning of a typical day with Munchkin and Gnome!

Amusing, Belize, Food

Shepherd’s Pork and Mango Pie (a la Munchkin).

July 5, 2015 Munchkin

I told Gnome that I had a new recipe called “Shepherd’s Pork and Mango Pie.”

Gnome: Is there any “Shepherd’s Pie” to this meal?

(Gnome is referring to the well-known dish of baked minced beef topped with mashed potato).

Munchkin: Yes, the mashed potato on top.

Gnome: Well, there you go. One can not go against the word of a Munchkin! Shepherd’s Pie, it is…a la Munchkin!

(Gnome distinctly dislikes using French terms…I think he was being facetious, if you ask me).

So, here we go: This dish is made with minced (ground) pork (instead of beef) and mango (instead of the tomatoes in Shepherd’s Pie) and shiitake mushrooms (instead of button mushrooms). This gives it a sweet, tangy exotic taste. It is baked and topped with mashed potato with coconut cream (instead of butter).

The authentic part of the recipe is the potato!

I used these little wild mangoes for this recipe; as they say here in Belize they are Sweet Sweet Sweet!

A bit like Shepherd’s Pie, don’t you think?

Amusing, Belize, Food

Tommy’s, Fridge on a Pick-up and Pineapple Cobbler.

July 4, 2015 Munchkin

Today we planned a day out to a plant nursery in Stann Creek and set out about 9am for our two hour leisurely cruise. Gnome laughed at me when I packed our “food bag” which consisted of a thermos flask of milky tea and some digestive biscuits. I just shrugged and said that there was simply no place to stop for refreshments (except for supermarkets and bars) on the way to Stann Creek. I didn’t want a beer, I wanted a cuppa tea!

Anyway, as we trundled along in our pick-up truck, we couldn’t help but notice that it kept on making a screechy, high pitched noise every-time he went over 100kph. So, Gnome spent the whole drive trying to keep the noise at bay. The sound was aggravating and we spent the entire drive worrying about ball joints and universal joints and God-knows-what-joints! Gnome is not skilled in fixing mechanised vehicles so if the truck happened to break down, we would be stuck in the middle of nowhere!

After an hour’s drive up the Southern Highway, we finally reached the first civilisation stop: “Tommy’s Superstore” in Bella Vista. This Chinese supermarket is the size of a K-mart and looks like a regular supermarket (this is a big deal in Belize because most of them don’t…not that I care).

Tommy's Superstore, Bella Vista, Toledo. — Tommy’s Superstore, Bella Vista, Toledo.

We stopped at the car-park and I suggested having a cup of tea with a biscuit. If in doubt…bring out the hot beverage to calm the nerves! We romantically sipped our tea in front of the Chinese supermarket laughing and making light of our harrowing journey. We both agreed that it was best to turn back home in case anything happened. Before we left the car-park, a local farmer on a bike laden with pineapples approached us. You should have seen him…he strung the pineapples in lots of three and hung them from the handle-bars of the bike. He must have had at least thirty of them hanging like Christmas bobble decoration. We bought 15 pineapples just because we were so impressed by his superior co-ordination with the bike-load! And, they looked so sweet and tasty. Gnome was thinking about fermentation whilst I was thinking about dessert!

On the way back home, we saw a fridge on a pick-up…1000 points!! Here are two views of our auspicious find.

Munchkin: Slam on the breaks Gnome. I think we got us one here!

Munchkin: Slowly…slowly….

Gnome: Hurry, hurry before you miss it!

For anyone out there who has the vaguest interest in this crazy game that we play, we like to spot “white goods” and various paraphernalia on the back of trucks and we award a points system according to the item. This is our idea of fun (I like to write about it in the vain hope that other people would consider playing the game with us…but alas, nobody seems to get the “fun” part). Anyway, a fridge is awarded the highest score hence the reason why I make Gnome sloooowww down to get a drive-by picture for the blog. Very auspicious!

We got home in one piece, thankfully…

Most of the pineapples have been pared, cut into pieces and frozen. Weather permitting, I will try to dehydrate the rest. I made pineapple cobbler today..I am going to pour some of our wonderful elixir (liqueur) onto it before serving!

Have a Good Night!!

Belize, Farming, Food, Mushrooms

Wild Chinese Mushrooms in Belize.

July 3, 2015 Munchkin

Hi Everyone! More wild mushrooms in Belize and we haven’t even stepped outside our farm! I have called these mushrooms “Chinese” because they are eaten mostly in Asian cuisine and they are commercially cultivated for this reason. The wonderful thing is that I can harvest them fresh in my own backyard rather than buying the dehydrated form from China via container transportation to the little known country of Belize.
This one is known as “snow ear” or “silver ear” fungus in Chinese. Yes, even I know this one because it is so popular in Asian cookery. If you ever find yourself in a Chinese household, you will be sure to find a packet of this dehydrated fungus secreted in their food cupboard. It is usually used in soups (pork soup in my household). Wiki states that it is cooked in sweet dishes…I have never heard of it being cooked in this way.
Tremella fuciformis growing on a dead branch on our farm; it is slowly getting bigger day by day:

You can buy this mushroom in the dehydrated form in Asian supermarkets. It looks like this:

The next one is another very popular Chinese fungus called “wood ear.” This is another “must have” in the Asian kitchen cupboard. Again, this one is used in soups and stews. Both the snow ear and the wood ear fungi have the texture and bite of soft and succulent ligamentous tissue…again, you have to be Asian to appreciate this. This is why we like eating them (Gnome likes them too…that’s because he is a wannabee Chinese). Auricularia auricula fungus growing wild on our farm:

Shop-bought dehydrated form of wood ear mushroom:

There is a spelling error on this packet: “Dride Black Fungus.” Gnome figured that it was a Scottish-Chinese who made the spelling mistake. Ha-Ha!!

And, of course, there is the paddy straw mushroom, which I have mentioned in previous posts, which preferentially grows on cacao trash (which we get from the Chocolate Factory in Toledo for manure). These are the egg-shaped mushrooms that you get in Chinese food and stir frys.
Volvariella volvacea on our farm:

You can buy these mushrooms canned in Asian Supermarkets. But guess what…we have fresh ones to eat…yeah!

What an auspicious three-some to find on our farm. Such delectable wild treats…who needs a restaurant when we have the best food right here at home. Whenever I mention going out to eat, Gnome laments and says: Wah!! Our Food is fresh fresh fresh…what more do you want? Why waste money eating bad food outside?

Sometimes he sounds just like my mum! And so we feast a plenty at home…

Amusing, Belize, Farming, Food, Plants

We Have a Big Baby!

July 2, 2015 Munchkin

We have our first big baby weighing in at a formidable 28lbs (14 kgs).

We have had our eyes on this little one for quite a few months and have affectionately called them our jackfruit “babies” because they resemble giant pods that look like they will burst open at any moment and something alive will pop out of them!

This is the first year that our jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) trees have produced so we are very pleased. Jackfruit can weigh up to about 40 kgs so they give you a lot to eat. We picked this one when it started emitting its characteristic musky fragrance and when the outer shell was pressed, the flesh behind it felt softer.

A word of warning…if you ever get a hold one of these babies, be prepared to spend at least one hour preparing it. Use plenty of newspaper and coat your knives in oil to stop the latex from sticking onto the utensils. Also, wearing rubber gloves (and goggles!) helps so that you are not too immersed in goo and latex. Don’t let any of this worry you…it is definitely worth it!

To prepare, cut the jackfruit into quarters lengthwise. Then cut out the mid-line pith, like so:

The jackfruit is mostly eaten for its delectable arils. Take these out and pop out the seeds. All parts of the jackfruit are edible so do not throw anything out except for the shell. So this is what you get:

The Fruit:

The fruit can be eaten fresh. Our variety is a firm type which we prefer. There are softer varieties which tend to be moist and sweet and have the consistency of snot (still good, though). You can freeze the fruit and eat in the frozen form. They can be used to make desserts such as ice-cream or fruit pie. I really like my fruit savoury, so I am going to stuff some of these with minced pork. Yum! There are plenty of recipes to be found on the Internet; just look up Malaysian, Indian, Ethiopian and Cambodian cuisine to name but a few.

The Seeds:

These can be boiled and eaten as a snack or used as a carbohydrate accompaniment to a meal. They taste like breadnut (also Artocarpus sp.) or chestnuts (if you are from the temperate region). The seeds just need to be boiled for about 20 to 30 minutes until tender and the shell comes off easily.

The Rest:

Don’t throw out the rest of the fruit! A great deal of it is composed of unformed arils which are edible. They tend to be less mature and may have more latex on them. I use this part for cooking in stews, stir-frys and curries. You can also dip them in batter and fry them in oil (like onion rings). Again, this part of the fruit can be stored in the freezer.

We are going to be eating mostly jackfruit…

Belize, Food, Medical Related, Philosophy

Busy Being Doctors!

June 30, 2015 Munchkin

Hi Everyone. Our Internet just came back on…it has been really erratic lately and some days we only have it come on for about 5 minutes at a time when some emails download but no connection to write back. Such is life in Belize. Well, we’ve been busy with medical calls of late. So, all farm and business stuff has been pushed to a minimum until things go back to normal. The rains don’t help either…and, I should also throw in the unhelpful conjunction of the stars for extra measure! Anyone waiting for coconut products is waiting for all our patients to get better, sunnier days and of course, the big stick (for knocking down the coconuts).

Of course, being doctors always comes first and we really don’t mind seeing patients. We just have so many other things that we like to do that it is sometimes hard to fit everything into our lives. For us, seeing patients is our gesture to people, the community and the universe, at large because we put such a huge effort into this work. Not only are our call-outs one hour, they sometimes extend to two hours and we don’t ask for extra money for this. The money that we receive from patients is what we like to view as a “gesture in kind.”

During these hectic, stressful and tiring days, I think to myself that we are so lucky that we can work together as doctors (and in everything else). Due to patient confidentiality, doctors should never talk about their patients to anyone else except to other medical colleagues. In our line of work, this is called “sharing the anxiety” or in more professional terms “de-briefing.” I am really glad that we can share the anxiety together!

It is nice when some acknowledgement comes our way. The last week or so, we have received gifts of fruit from patients’ relatives.

A gift of mangoes. This is great because we have no mangoes growing on our farm.

A gift of kenip fruit. These are fruit with a sweet and acidic flesh…you gnaw on the fruit around the seeds and then the seeds can be kept, boiled up and then roasted to make a nut snack. Gnome really likes this fruit!

Have a good night!!

Belize, Food, Medical Related, Plants, Saving Money

Get Bizzy With the Kola Nut.

June 22, 2015 Munchkin

Hello Everyone. Happy Solstice to y’all!! I want to show you some pictures of the fresh kola nut…here in Belize, they call it the “bizzy nut” because it keeps you busy. The tree is of the Cola sp. and it is originally from West Africa. It really gets you moving (and buzzing) as it contains 2 to 3.5% Caffeine, 1 to 2.5% theobromine and theophylline. All of these are known stimulants and theophylline is of particular medical importance because it is used therapeutically for chronic obstructive airways disease, asthma and infant apnoea.

It is used in West African cultures in social gatherings, spiritual practice and to prevent hunger pangs. From our own observations, it is mostly the Garifuna (originally from West Africa) who chew on the bizzy nut here in Belize. They have been known to consume this nut during all night drumming sessions especially around National Garifana Day.

From our personal experience, one nut is equal to a triple espresso and it really gets you talking. It is good for social events and as a substitute for coffee or mate. It is very good for people with asthma and definitely a good drug for “where there is no doctor.” It is also a good natural diuretic. Gnome says: It is good if you like to entertain (but, are also cheap) because it gets everybody talking and at the same time, nobody eats any food because it is an appetite suppressant and so you save money! Our place is Boca-free!!

This kola nut was the original ingredient for Coca-cola although, now in present times it has apparently been omitted from this popular drink.

The dried nuts are available in Punta Gorda; I have mostly seen it stored in a jar at the local pharmacy priced at 25cents (one shilling) each. Cheaper than a coffee ($2 to 3) and twice the potency of coffee!! The other thing is to befriend someone with a kola nut tree because the trees are prolific producers and you can get bags and bags of it (to eat like a busy little squirrel). They are usually taken in the dried form and in this state, they are really hard in consistency…hard enough to break your teeth.

This is the fresh pod:

There are between 6 to 12 nuts (seeds) in each pod. We have eaten the aril around the fresh seeds and found it pleasant tasting…it is a bit like the mace in nutmeg but a bit more substantial in texture with a bland, sweet taste.

Fresh Kola Nut:

Get Bizzy tonight (or not…since there is nothing to do living in the middle of nowhere!).

Belize, Farming, Food

Cooking with Cashew Fruit.

June 21, 2015 Munchkin

I have discovered the wonders of cooking cashew fruit and Ioving it! I have managed to get most of the tannic properties out of the fruit by peeling them. At first, I thought that I would peel them llike tomatoes (boil them, take them off the heat quickly and then peel) but when I actually got down to peeling the raw fruit, it wasn’t that difficult. So, here is a picture of the peeled fruit:

Here is a picture of the chopped fruit:

For all you vegetarians out there, this fruit has the texture of chicken breast so you could use the following recipe but omit the sausage. It has a good enough texture to give a satisfying bite.

My recipe is: Pork Sausage and Cashew Fruit Casserole.

I used some curry leaf in the recipe. The Curry plant actually grows very well here in Belize:

We were both very pleased with the cooked cashew fruit! The only problem is that that every single fruit is getting gobbled up by the paca (gibnut) community and as soon as one drops from the tree, it disappears. Gnome says that this is fair exchange for eating two gibnuts a year.

Casa Mascia Apothecary