A Zen Garden For The Duckies.

January 28, 2016 Munchkin

Together

The Duckies have set up camp outside Mayor Gnome’s dwelling and are demanding MGNews coverage. So what’s up?

The peaceful duckies have been chanting incessantly:

“Waaa Waaa Waaaa….Waaa Waaa Waaaa…Waaa Waaa Waaaa…”

Everyday from dawn to dusk, they have bee protesting over their terrible living standards…the coup is getting old and bashed up and fails all duckie coup guidelines.

Plus they are upset over the Paradise Piggies getting all the attention. The spokes-duckie for the group stated:

“It’s not just about the Paradise Piggies! We duckies want freedom too. We ask Mayor Gnome to please grant us enough space to meditate, posture and stare into space to our heart’s content.”

But, the plot thickens…Evil Goosie is hatching a dastardly plan to convert the peace-loving group into Anarchists. He’s spoiling for a riot or anything that involves violent pecking and general disorder.

Mayor Gnome has been forced to work round the clock to restore order to the farm.

This is a public statement from Mayor Gnome addressing the duckie situation:

“Dear Duckies, I have meditated over your complaints and I will make things right! Right Thought, Right Action. We shall act speedily and build you a Zen Garden!”

In a later interview, Mayor Gnome confessed that he had to take control of the situation quickly. He explained,

“I know what that Goosie is up to. I don’t want this situation getting out of hand…it would be a major catastrophe if the duckies turned to anarchy..”

Yes indeed. Mayor Gnome is true to his word and is building a Zen Garden for the Duckies.

The Zen Garden is a whopping 30 feet by 30 feet. That should be plenty of space for the Zazen Duckies!!

Hooray for the Zazen Duckies!! We have a feeling that they might get some prime-time space on this Blog…the duckies’ endeavours on the contemplation of existence is indeed worth reading about.

Belize, Elixirs, Our Products, Soap

Apothecary Pictures.

January 26, 2016 Munchkin

Odd.Together.Shot

Hello Everyone. This is a late post for me but I decided I had to keep the Blog going to bring the traffic in!! I have noticed that if I don’t write for about three days, our viewing statistics go down. Anyway, we found a whole load of missing Apothecary pictures stuck in a nameless file in the computer. We have downloaded them and I will be sticking them in the appropriate places in our website very soon. Meanwhile, enjoy our picture gallery!

Chocolate Swirl Soap. Hand-made with Toledo cacao and coconut oil.

Our Chocolate Mint Body Wash is made from coconut oil castile soap (totally detergent free) which lathers up very nicely. A must for any chocolate lover out there!

The Lemongrass Foot Spa is great for tired, achy feet. It also acts as a natural deodorant and anti-fungal so it can be used for Athlete’s Foot.

If you feel like treating yourself, why not go for a 32oz (1 litre) Elixir?

Luxury Cacao Butter Soap is one of our new offerings for 2016. Very indulgent with a creamy lather…lovely!!

If you want to see all this stuff plus lots more, please have a look at The Apothecary.

Belize, Fermentation

Vernaccia Tasting.

January 25, 2016 Munchkin

This is our official Vernaccia tasting after polishing off a fair bit (won’t tell how much…Ha-Ha)…Hic!! It was soooo good that during the course of drinking it, the name evolved from Vernaccia to Foccacia (can’t believe I am telling you this!) but I guess it means that it is good stuff. We make it a point not to buy the imported wines in Belize because they don’t travel well and once they get here, they are not stored properly (usually) so it all ends up being rather disappointing. That’s why we make our own and it is a very fortunate thing that we have an Italian Gnome in our midst who grew up with family wine-making.

Anyway, Gnome has called this particular wine Vernaccia because he says it tastes very similar to Sardinian local (Vernacular) wine. This particular wine is slightly “darker” than a typical white wine and has full-bodied sherry-like qualities. We are not growing grapes here (partly because it is too wet and they are rather finicky requiring a lot maintenance). Gnome opted to use sapodillas for this wine. The interesting thing about this fruit is that the PH and Brix tests of this particular fruit fall within the range of grapes.

Here is the tasting after six months:

Colour is amber yellow and very, very clear.

Subtle sweet aroma with mildly floral undertones.

With the first sip, there is a mild honey sweetness, which is full-bodied and coats the tongue with a velvety unctuousness. Has sherry-like qualities without the heaviness.

Great stuff…so much better to make it yourself!! This will get even better with time.

Belize, Farming, Fermentation, Food, Philosophy, Plants

Processing White Peppercorns.

January 21, 2016 Munchkin

Munchkin.Feeling.Rightous

This year we decided to process our pepper into white pepper. Usually, we just pick them green…

And as they dry out in the sun, they become black peppercorns.

Because I mostly cook Chinese food, white pepper is actually more useful for me from a culinary point of view. The preparation of white pepper requires a bit more work. This is what you do: Pick the peppercorns when they start turning red:

Then place these peppercorns in water to let them all ferment. After a while, the water will get bubbly and murky. Each day, dip your hands in the water and rub the peppercorns with the palms of your hand. This “retting” procedure loosens the outer shell to release the white peppercorn. Do this for 7 days…you can throw away the outer shells each day but leave the white peppercorns to ferment and do their magic. It all gets rather smelly but hey, I think it is really important to understand the value of doing things yourself. Now I know why ground white pepper costs $30 Belize Dollars per pound and I will no longer complain about the price!

On the 7th day, drain off all the water:

Separate the white peppercorns:

You will find that the peppercorns are at different stages. Remove the white peppercorns and let them dry out in the sun. The rest of the pepper (which still has the outer hard shell) can be placed back in a clean bowl of water. At this stage, you can add newly harvested pepper to repeat the 7 day process of fermentation again.

So there you go. You will find that when you consciously spend the time and energy in processing your own food, it becomes a matter of necessity. It isn’t about economics anymore…it’s about eating good food that money can’t buy.

Amusing, Belize, Construction, Farming

Celebrating With Vernaccia!

January 20, 2016 Munchkin

New.Munchkin.Gnome.Yellow.Boots We had our usual town day today and then stopped off at the hardware store to purchase one connector and a roll of teflon tape. These were two crucial pieces that were missing in the air-lift pump construction that stopped us from completing the full Gnome-Rig yesterday.

Gnome put the missing piece in and switched on the air-compressor. There was a moment of silence as we stared at the pipe coming out of the well. All of a sudden there was the glorious sound of water shooting out of the pipe…YAY!!! Hip Hip Hooray!! Respect To The Gnome. He Gnome-Rigged an air-lift pump all by himself!

And then at Gnome’s finest moment, the clouds gathered together above our house with the inevitable Sod’s Law rain. Ha-Ha!!

We celebrated with a glass of vernaccia; Gnome says that this particular wine that he has made tastes like local (vernacular) Sardinian wine which has a sherry like quality.

Mmmm…what a lovely way to celebrate. A little bit of sunshine in a glass.

Amusing, Belize, Construction, Farming

Gnome Premonitions.

January 19, 2016 Munchkin

Gnome.Another.Glasses.Shot

This morning Gnome woke up with a start. He had a furtive look about him like a squirrel and his eyes were kinda bulging as he said,

“I know it! We will find the air-compressor in PG!”

I processed his statement in with a pinch of salt as I tried to shake myself out of my sleepy state. I yawned and then cheekily replied with,

“Oh, Neo Gnome…has the oracle spoken?”

In the back of my mind I was thinking that he was just trying to find any excuse not to take the three hour drive to the city to procure this contraption for our well-pump.

He said it again,

“I know it! It’s at Mac’s!”

I yawned and patiently said slowly,

“How do you know that? Where? We’ve never set foot in that shop before…”

With conviction in his words, Gnome said,

“I can feel it…”

I rolled my eyes with my usual derisive Chinese woman look and thought to myself…oh to live with a sensitive Italian Gnome who can “feel” things…what next. I didn’t believe him but I thought it best to humour him.

And so off we went into town and enroute, I made him go into every hardware store to look for a portable air compressor. I wanted to delay the inevitable…the disappointment and then the long tedious journey to Belmopan. None to be found and the last place was Mac’s Shop which is a little run-down shop selling mostly second-hard hardware. The road was blocked so we had to make it on foot. Guess what we saw as soon as we entered…

Gnome rushed over the machine and said out loud,

“There it is! I told you!”

Well, there it was and there was no denying that he was right. Gnome’s premonition was correct. I laughed to myself and thought…all this solitary time in the bush must be activating secret Gnome powers…Ha-Ha. I’ve been watching too many crappy Super-hero movies!! If Hollywood ever make a film about Munchkin and Gnome, in the bush, developing special powers, I want Maggie Q to play me! Too Funny.

Anyway back to reality…

We now have a portable air-compressor and Gnome is putting together all the bits to make the Air-lift pump..

He has been messing around with PVC pipe, hoses, bits and pieces and stuff (oh, how technical of me) all afternoon:

Nearly accomplished but we are missing a connector. So, watch this space for the next thrilling installment! Will Munchkin and Gnome get their well-pump working again? Will they be able to do it before all the water runs out? Oh the thrills and spills of living on a farm!! Oh, and what if Gnome really has super-hero powers??

Belize, Construction, Farming

Time To Sort Out The Water!!

January 18, 2016 Munchkin

Munchkin.Froggie

It was quite a while when we had discovered that our well pump was broken…apparently by a frog getting caught in it and sliming up the whole contraption (remember the thrilling installment of Pump Vs Frog??). Anyway, we have been thankfully saved time and time again by the Toledo rains. Lately we have been getting dry season weather…you know, that stifling heat with some young plants starting to wilt in the ground. Our water supply is fast dwindling and we are now on red alert ie. back on bucket washes and hand-washing clothes (boo-hoo). What a life…living in Paradise. Anyway, it is about time we started sorting out the water situation!

We have decided to replace the whole mechanism of pumping with an air compressor. This utilises the “air-lift” effect which was a Gnome brain-storm; just so happens to be more elegant plus you can buy all the parts here (which is very important if you live in Belize). Basically, compressed air goes down which in turn, displaces water upwards.

Now to find an air compressor and would you believe it…none to be found in the Toledo region. Looks like we are going to have to take a trip to the big city to get all the equipment. We have to get this done quickly or we will be out of water within a week or less. It’s a race against time!

Belize, Food

Mozzarella Rice Bake.

January 17, 2016 Munchkin

Munchkin.More.Eating

What to do with leftover rice? Instead of the usual fried rice, I came up with this really easy recipe. It is a bit like a rice pizza made with mozzarella and capers as topping. You can use this concept to create a meat free dish if you are vegetarian.

Mozzarella Rice Bake.

Check out the full recipe for Mozzarella Rice Bake

in Belize Wild Recipes which has over sixty recipes which have been created with much love and gusto by Munchkin.

Amusing, Belize, Fiction, Pets

New School For Paradise Piggies!!

January 16, 2016 Munchkin

Munchkin.Bossie

Yes I think it is about time we had another Paradise Piggies update…you know the friendly bunch of guinea pigs residing at the fictional gated community of Paradise Pastures. We don’t get much feedback on these posts so we wonder if anyone else gets the same amusing pleasure as we do in making up silly stories on Piggies in Paradise and Mayoral elections. We suspect not…but hey…we guffaw over the guinea pig comments and Mayor Gnome antics. I suppose that’s something.

This is an MGNews update bringing the latest thrilling exploits of the piggies in the best jungle resort in Belize. Mayor Gnome has inaugurated the opening of a school in Paradise Pastures. In other words, he’s put a sign up and said a few nice words.

A school to educate the next generation.

The piggies are really excited about the prospect of a school. Here are a few comments from the residents of this fortunate community:

Dishawn-Piggie:

Grandma.Stumpy.Reception.Three.Piggies

” Power to the Piggies. We need to preserve our art, culture and history!”

Penelope-Piggie:

Grandma.Stumpy.Reception.More.Piggies

“More science and engineering for the piggies! We need to build rockets to the moon and have one common goal for the good of Piggie-kind!”

Well, this is certainly a good start to the year with lofty and inspiring thoughts. A Big Thank-you to Isabel for the gift of the clay school plaque. The piggies had a good chew on it but quickly realised that it was inedible. They were asking if you could pleeeease make a sign out of gingerbread next time…thanks in advance!

Belize, Elixirs, Our Products, Plants

Elixirs at Cotton Tree Lodge.

January 14, 2016 Munchkin

Elixirs.Passion.Cacao.Roselle

We had an Elixir Tasting last night at Cotton Tree Lodge with a small group of six. The lodge is having a Chocolate group at the moment so we set the mood for the night by starting with Cacao Fruit as the first tasting. This was interesting because it was a new batch and we were curious as to the response from the group.

In this batch, we actually increased the sugar content in order to balance the astringent qualities of the cacao bean. The result was a mellow, well-rounded flavour with a definite rich chocolate taste. Overall, the group found this elixir complex, interesting and unique.

This time, we talked more about the medicinal properties of the Elixirs. It was very clear that the Cacao Fruit had mood-lifting and stimulating qualities as the night proceeded! This one got every-one into a talkative and lively mood.

By the end of the tasting, it seemed that the clear favourite was the Grapefruit Elixir. This one is actually three years old and the maturation process brought out such interesting flavours! It was a complex combination of pears, apples and honey. Very silky smooth and unctuous and it had a lovely clear golden colour.

It just goes to show that aging a liqueur makes all the difference. Most of the Elixirs that we have available are about 2 years old now and getting better.

Again, it was amusing to see the response towards the Culantro Elixir…you either love it or you hate it!!

Culantro is used interchangeably with cilantro in this country in cooking. This herb lends a herbaceous refeshing taste to our Elixir. Some people absolutely love it because they like everything with the taste of cilantro (culantro). Others wrinkle up their nose in dismay and describe it as being “too soapy” or “too medicinal.” The feedback is always very helpful!

Liqueur.Tasting.Together

For more information on our Elixirs, including taste profiles and medicinal properties, check out our link. For our full list of Elixirs please check out The Apothecary.

Casa Mascia Apothecary

A Zen Garden For The Duckies.

Apothecary Pictures.

Vernaccia Tasting.

Processing White Peppercorns.

Celebrating With Vernaccia!

Gnome Premonitions.

Time To Sort Out The Water!!

Mozzarella Rice Bake.

New School For Paradise Piggies!!

Elixirs at Cotton Tree Lodge.

Everything Handmade in Belize.