Belize, Farming

A Piece Of Land.

Our beginnings in Belize started with Ideals and when we started looking for land, we always kept our philosophy in mind.

People always ask us why we moved to Belize.  When we were living in Scotland, we definitely caught the bug to be outdoors all the time.  Any spare moment we had, in between hospital shifts, we were running about in the Scottish Woodlands.  It got to the point that our days revolved around synchronising work shifts in order to get the free time together to enjoy the great out-doors.  Our enthusiasm was so great that we learned to forage for all our greens in the wild; we made nettle soup, dandelion salad, steamed burdock and not to mention a whole plethora of home-made wines from gooseberries to elderberries.  Anything that we read up on that was edible, we ranged the countryside in search for that delectable and I think we have tried every documented wild edible green in Scotland.  The foraging of edible mushrooms deserves a mention as I still have fond memories of wandering through birch forest with baskets of chanterelles and boletes.  One very memorable time for us involved secretly tapping maple trees in the centre of Glasgow; early in the morning, we would don our green hats and wellies and place tapping paraphernalia onto maple trees and covertly hide all this equipment with branches and leaves.  By the light of the morning, we would be whipping off our green hats, assuming the role of doctors again, and high-tailing it all the way to hospital.   And so this was the start of our discovery of the great outdoors and it became part of a neccessary way of life for us in between the stressful long working hours.

Read the rest here.

Belize, Food

Cassava Bread Hors D’oeuvres.

This article is mainly aimed for the reader in Belize who thinks that it is so difficult to find something yummy and convenient to make. Here in Belize (at least in the Southern Region), the Garifuna people make cassava bread which is a flattened, unleavened bread which they traditionally eat with fish.  It is not even something that is found on eating out and in fact, to get your paws on traditionally made cassava bread, you really have to befriend a Garifuna, stay in their village, and then you may be fortunate enough to have some of this cuisine.  Traditionally, cassava bread in Belize, is made manually and this involves a long, intensive process of grating cassava by hand (lots and lots of it…sacks and sacks), a system of poles and tree limbs (even with women standing on poles) and the eventual flattening and cooking of the bread on comals.  This is a project which my partner and I have long held off since it is a lot of work and you need people power.

Shop-bought Cassava Bread in Punta Gorda.
Shop-bought Cassava Bread in Punta Gorda.

So, you will realise my glee and absolute wonder to discover shop-bought Cassava Bread here in Punta Gorda, Toledo, Belize!  It is found in all the Chinese Supermarkets sold at approximately $6.75 Bz for just under a pound.  If you understand the effort and sheer man-power required in this bread, it is a snap at this price.  A quick look at Amazon.com shows that our international readers can buy cassava bread on-line (mostly imported from French Caribbean countries) if they are interested in trying out my suggestions.

Cassava Bread is sold in square packets and when you open up the pack, you will notice that they are scored into smaller squares. Ideally, you should be able to snap off these portions but I have found that, with its bendy-like consistency, it is actually easier to cut the squares out with scissors.

Here are some pictures of serving suggestions for shop-bought cassava bread.  You can basically use it as a base for hors d’oeuvres…with a difference since it is cassava bread.  Think of some important people paying you an impromptu visit in Belize and you whip this up in 5 minutes for them!  Its not your ubiquitous cracker…it is cassava bread, indigenous to Belize and it is also gluten-free.  I have used it also as a pizza base and as a quick snack.  The possibilities are endless.

Cassava.Bread.Snacks1
Cassava Bread Hors D’oeuvre with Tuna, Tomato, Olives and Basil.

 

Cassava Bread Snack with Mozzarella and Onions.
Cassava Bread Snack with Mozzarella and Onions.

The cassava bread can be eaten straight out of the packet or if you want to crisp it up a bit, it can placed in the oven for about 5 minutes.  This bread is a great discovery for me because it is only made with raw materials and no additives.  Since its original use was as a preservation method for cassava, you can stash lots of this at home as emergency food or for the impromptu visitor.

 

Belize

Nights are Getting Cold.

Avatar.GnomeThe weather is starting to change and it is starting to feel like winter even though the temperature is dropping only to 19-20C at night.  It feels, however like we are in Wick in Scotland when we were snowed in for two weeks!!!

Cold night but warm day so I have taken the opportunity to put another layer of paint in the bedroom.  One more to go after this and I will be finished; finally, after more than two years of messing around with not-squared, chainsaw lumber, not-square original house, no experience in building and a million other things to do.

I have to get the copal articles up today and make a new section in the library since copal is one of our main product categories.  Have to design some new labels as well.

Originally, getting the shop running was the main thing but now I want to make sure that there is plenty of material for people and our faithful followers to read.  My inexperience is showing again in trying to set something up that I don’t know too much about…would that it were as easy as putting in a central line or a chest drain!  Looking at the stats, it doesn’t look like we would be making a bundle if the shop was set up anyway but at least we have some followers which is gratifying…thank you neighbours for showing some interest, you are the reason that I haven’t messed around with the shop yet and have continued to upload our articles and other non-profit making material.

Have a good day.

Belize, Construction, Energy Saving, Saving Money

Making Paper Bricks.

Munchkin.Face.DarkWe bought a 4-in-1 Paper Log Maker from Amazon to make paper bricks which will be used as insulation for the inside wall of our house.  Right now, we are experimenting with different materials in order to find the best material combination for our purposes.  Our first go just consisted of scrap bits of paper, cardboard and newspaper; we basically stuffed a 5 gallon bucket full of paper and filled it with water up to the top.  After 24 hours, the paper was soft enough to be shredded coarsely by hand.  On searching through the Internet, we found that some people actually purchased paper shredders for this purpose and put shredded paper into buckets of water.  Our method is preferred because it doesn’t involve the need to purchase another piece of machinery.  As an interesting aside, the main use of this contraption is to produce paper logs for burning.  I have not found any one else trying to construct with it.

Paper Mashed Up by Paint Stirrer.
Paper Mashed Up by Paint Stirrer.

After 72 hours the paper was getting gummy and sticky.  Next, we buzzed the paper with a paint stirrer for about 3-5 minutes to get a uniform paste of paper and water.  The mixture was then packed into the brick log maker and then the handle was pushed down to squeeze water out of the bricks.  We noted that the mechanism did not entirely squeeze all the water out of the bricks and it required the adequate drying time after to remove all the water.  If you push the log-maker too hard down, the handles bend.

Brick Maker with Paper Mash.
Brick Maker with Paper Mash.

We made our first 4 bricks about one week ago; so far, they are still drying.  The weather down here in Toledo, Belize has been partially sunny but still interspersed with rains.  Our aim is to make the paper bricks in the dry season here so that the bricks will dry faster in the hot-baking sun.

First 4 Paper Bricks.
First 4 Paper Bricks.

In our next experiment, we will try more card-board (since this material is actually easier to find down here from all the Chinese grocery shops) and a bit of lime (calcium hydroxide) to act as a binder.

Belize, Farming

Challenging Routine and Boredom on a Farm.

 

Gathering Food For the Guinea Pigs.
Gathering Food For the Guinea Pigs.

Routine is difficult when you work for yourself on a farm and your responsibilties are minimised. This is when you ask yourself very important questions like:  Aside from providing food and shelter for my partner and I and keeping the animals fed and healthy, what else actually needs to be done? If my needs for survival are met and nobody is ‘on my back” administrating 8 to 24 hour shifts for me, how do I live in a practical way ensuring that I am doing life with reason.

If you are interested in reading more please go to:

Challenging Routine and Boredom on a Farm.

in Essays and Other Musings.

 

Everything Handmade in Belize.