Tag Archives: Coconut

Let’S Get Crepuscular!

February 17, 2019 Munchkin

Last weekend was cloudy and wet. It was quite funny because I had been wingeing about the weather reports being all wrong and they had predicted “precipitation” last weekend. Of course, it was Sod’s law that they were actually correct for once. We were forced to stay in; here is a picture of the grey clouds with a double rainbow. In the picture, you can only see one distinctly…I assure you that I saw two!! It was not because I had double vision!!

Now, everything has abruptly dried up and it is dry, dry, dry. That means the hot, sunny Real Feel 45C (113F) days will be coming. Gnome says that we better get crepuscular soon. Crepuscular animals are those that are active only during the periods of dawn and dusk. That’s right…this means getting up at 4am and running out at 6am to get work down in the coolest part of the day. By 10am, the heat will be unbearable and we will have to run under the shade of a coconut tree to sleep and rest.

The weather was hot and sunny today so we went “off road” and drove to the back area. We collected some more wood to take to the charcoal area. Oh and we have sapodillas too…not so much this year because the sapodilla orchard was partially destroyed by an accidental fire. This will be a project for later in the year: replant sapodilla orchard. Anyway, we probably have enough to make a bucket of wine.

What else have we been doing? We have been thinning the coconut palms so we have a whole ton of water coconuts. Gnome emptied the water into a 5 gallon bucket…I think it ended up being about 50 coconuts. This is going to be wine…

Oh and I have good news. My Goosie…you know the first goosie that I looked after as Mama Goosie last year? I am such a proud parent and I don’t care that I am bragging about her…she is the most beautiful, voluptuous goosie on the farm! She has chosen a fine looking boyfriend and is laying eggs for us. I would love to see their goosie babies!! My Goosie is the grey one and the white Chiney goosie is her handsome young chap.

Okay, have a nice Sunday!!

Belize, Farming, Food, Saving Money

Ten Coconuts and Security.

February 21, 2017 Munchkin

One of the main reasons why I write posts on self-sustainable farming is to encourage others to do the same. I would like people to realise that yes, it is hard work (you can’t just sit around and talk all day) but also, you can use your brains to be innovative.

Spending the time doing things on the farm cuts down the need for money to buy things. Basically you are exchanging your physical labour in order to be less of a consumer.

Oh by the way, just in case you haven’t realised, we do all our own work on the farm. We do not hire anyone to do our work, in any aspect of our lives, because part of our philosophy is independence and healthy living.

The way that we process ten coconuts at a time is a perfect example of time well spent on the farm. Ideally, we would like to this every morning but life does get in the way, as it always does, and we are thwarted by weather, other pressing farm jobs, general maintenance, machinery that needs fixing, Apothecary orders and of course, medical call-outs.

If you sell 10 coconuts at the market, you will get $10 Belize Dollars. We have chosen not to do that because you can get so much more out from each coconut.

The husks and shells can be used for mulch on the farm:

Shells can be used as vessels to hold food for poultry:

When you crack open the coconuts, there is coconut water. You still get water from oil coconuts…of course, you get more from water coconuts. This can be consumed or it can actually be used as a highly nutritional plant irrigation water (contains sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium).

The coconuts are grated by hand by Gnome:

Coconut milk and coconut cream can be squeezed from this; Munchkin’s job:

Coconut milk has a high protein content; it can be added to stews, breads and anything really to boost protein content and flavour. In addition, coconut milk (and cream) can be used to make very nice desserts.

Coconut Haupia:

We bag the coconut cream to use in cooking; it can be used in stews, curries, desserts, anything really! At this point, the cream can be further processed into coconut oil to make our soaps and stuff. If we have excess, we sell these in Supaul’s in Punta Gorda.

Okay, still not done yet!! After squeezing out the cream and milk, you get the left over coconut meal. Once the fat has been extracted, it now becomes a very high protein product(12 to 14%…compare to corn which is between 9 to 11%). This can be sun-dried and then milled to make coconut flour:

Or, it also makes great animal feed. All manner of poultry like it and even our guinea pigs are quite partial to it too:

Go on then…plant a few coconuts in your back yard for food security…it’s great stuff!!

Belize, Farming, Our Products, Soap

Why We Started Making Coconut Soap.

October 22, 2016 Munchkin 2 Comments

walking-in-town-together

We started making soap because we were both fed up with the quality of shop-bought soap. The bars that we bought were a funny pink colour with an artificial rose scent. We didn’t think much of the well-known brands either because they all smelled of unnatural fragrances and dried out the skin. And so we decided to embark on the making of our own soap…at that time we did not have Internet on the farm and had to conduct our research at the Internet Cafe in town.

Our purpose was to make a good soap for us to use instead of having the buy the poor quality supermarket stuff. The properties that we sought for in our home-made soap was a good lather and a moisturising bar with natural scent.

Generally speaking, soap is made from oil/fat and lye. The oil/fat lends the qualities and properties to a soap bar and so we started off by experimenting with anything that we could find off the supermarket shelf. We tried everything from shortening, to lard and a whole plethora of vegetable oils.

These attempts were a great learning experience: shortening was actually okay but the lard soap actually smelled quite piggy!! We came out of the shower smelling like we had smothered ourselves in bacon!! The vegetable oil made a soft moisturising bar but disintegrated very quickly into bits.

At the time, we were also making coconut oil and selling it to the lady at Punta Gorda market. It was a slow, laborious process of grating, boiling and stirring. We spent many full days setting up a fire (with coconut husks) and stirring our pot of coconut oil together under the shade of the coconut palms. It was a very significant time, when we tried to seek meaning in our lives, after extricating ourselves from the rushing urgency and pressures of our previous lives as medical doctors.

I remember making a test batch of coconut oil soaps and eagerly waiting for the results. When soap is made in this way ie. not commercially, the soap needs time to “cure” and this can take anything from 3 months or longer. The longer you wait, the better…it is like a fine wine. Anyway, after waiting 3 months, we tried this soap and discovered that it had all the properties that we were looking far. It lathered well, did not dry out the skin and the natural scent was lovely. The skin felt so clean and smooth.

This was the perfect recipe and we were using our own coconuts from the farm!

Our soaps are still made from this original coconut oil recipe. In addition to this, we have created Medicinal Soaps and Chocolate Soaps.

Our Medicinal Soaps include Copal, Jackass Bitters and Neem and White Pitahaya.

Our Chocolate Soaps include Chocolate Artisan, Cacao Butter Soap and Chocolate scented soaps in four delicious scents: Chocolate-Mint, Chocolate-Orange, Chocolate-Mango and Chocolate-Vanilla.

To see all our soaps and apothecary items please go to casamascia.com.

Belize, Food, Our Products

Green Banana and Coconut Cream Lentils.

May 16, 2016 Munchkin

Here is a recipe straight from the farm using our own green bananas and coconut cream.

Remember that you can buy our freshly squeezed cream at Green Supaul’s in Punta Gorda.

This is a wholesome vegetarian dish made from green bananas and lentils cooked in creamy coconut cream. The green bananas taste like yam and so adds an interesting texture to the taste experience. If you would like to view the recipe, click on this link to Green Banana and Coconut Cream Lentils.

Amusing, Belize, Farming

Officially Crepuscular!

April 27, 2016 Munchkin

Together.Pointing Hello There!! We are officially Crepuscular!! I have been temporarily away from the keyboard, because it has been sooooo unbelievably hot. I can’t even sit next to the computer because anything that generates heat exacerbates the sweat fest. You are probably wondering what Crepuscular means….

Crepuscular (animals) are those that are active during the periods of dawn and dusk.

Basically, right now in Belize it is so hot (Real Feel of 45C or 113F!!) that we have to get up at the crack of dawn to run about do the farm duties. At dusk, it starts to cool down a little and again, we pack in our activities at this time of the day.

Anyway, Gnome came across the word “crepuscular” when he was looking at possible “farm animals” that he would never be allowed to bring into the country that could possibly help him farm more elegantly. Yes sometimes the pragmatic Gnome does let loose his imagination to fantasize (a little).

This was our conversation:

Munchkin: “I am guessing it’s a monkey to climb trees or maybe one of those big bulls for ploughing the fields…”

Munchkin.Bossie

Gnome: “Not quite. I would like a coconut crab actually.”

Gnome.at.Desk

Munchkin: “…a crab??”

Munchkin.Funny.Look.Yet.Another

Gnome: “Yes, these crabs are huge…about a metre (3 feet) wide. They collect coconuts on the ground, cut through the coconuts with their claws and then they climb up the coconut palm to drop the coconuts down to break the shell. I need a coconut sheller and these would be perfect!”

Munchkin: “Mmmmm…are they good to eat?”

Gnome: “Yes…but that’s not the point…”

Munchkin: “Ok, I’m in! Let’s get an import license for coconut crabs!”

Belize, Food, Plants

Let’s Do Some Foraging!

April 24, 2016 Munchkin

Munchkin.Bossie

Do you know that you can forage for greens in Belize? This is purslane…it’s a perfectly good vegetable to eat!

If you are really looking for “organic” one of the answers is foraging. There is plenty of this around…just get your shade hat on and start walking about…

It’s got all the usual good stuff that you would expect from a green vegetable: It is rich in vitamin A and C and has a high percentage of omega 3 which is usually only found in fish oils and flax seed. You can eat it raw in salads or you can cook it anyway which you want. Taste wise, it is mildly acidic with a crunchy texture; the flowers and stems are edible.

C’mon then…get out there and start picking your greens…I’m doing it!

For more information click on Purslane.

I also have some recipes:

Coconut Purslane Salad

Purslane Chicken Chow Mein

Belize, Food, Our Products

More Coconut Cream!

April 24, 2016 Munchkin

Munchkin.More.Eating Hi Guys, we have delivered a fresh batch of coconut cream to Green Supaul’s in Punta Gorda. This information might be useful to you:

Usage and Storage of Coconut Cream:

Our coconut cream is sold in the frozen state. Store in the freezer. When you are ready to use, simply use it in the frozen state. If you only require a small amount, cut off a chunk with a knife and store the remaining cream in the freezer. The shelf life of this product is 6 months if stored properly in the freezer.

Look at our beautiful coconuts:

The coconuts are grated and then squeezed by hand. All our own hard work to help maintain the coconut plantation.

Freshly Grated Coconuts.

Green Supaul’s; the coconut cream is still in the ice-cream freezer!

Belize, Food, Our Products

Coconut Cream And Haupia Recipe.

March 24, 2016 Munchkin

Munchkin.Froggie.Jumping For the people of Punta Gorda, we have a fresh batch of coconut cream at Green Supaul’s. You can’t miss it…it’s in the same freezer as the ice cream and the almond Snickers bars. Here is a snapshot to remind you!

You can use the coconut cream for soups, stews and curries. Also try making shakes and desserts with it. Here is a recipe for a cooling coconut dessert for the hot Easter weekend (well, it’s going to be hot here). Haupia is a Hawaiian dessert; if you are using our coconut cream in this recipe, just use half a coconut cream bag mixed in water to make 1 and 1/2 cups (as a substitute for the coconut milk). This is a great recipe for gluten-free people because it is a delicious recipe made from cornstarch.

The sun is back out and we didn’t get any rains the last few days despite the great promises from weather forecasts. I did hear that Punta Gorda and a few other villages got some rains…it is interesting (and infuriating!) that the weather is so regional. Anyway, we must press on and besides, no amount of whining on my part is going to bring the rains on!

Belize, Food, Our Products

It’s Curry Night!!

March 15, 2016 Munchkin

Munchkin.Another.Eating.Shot Tonight we have a Bengali style curry. Thank-you Rumpa for the priceless cooking lessons back in the good old days in Glasgow. This curry has our own coconut cream (which you can purchase at Green Supaul’s in Punta Gorda).

I love cooking up curries because the wonderful aromatic herbs pervade through the house. This is when the dogs and the cat start sniffing around because it smells so delicious! Even the cat gets curry sauce on his gizzard!

Herbs and Spices used; cardamom, star anise, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and bay leaves.

Plate.of.Spices

Powdered spices used; curry powder, yellow ginger (tumeric), green chili (home-made), cinnamon and clove.

Ooooh…look at this. A “quick” curry in 2 hours (most other curries take about 12 hours!) with fresh coconut cream!

Check out the recipe for Coconut Cream Chicken Curry in Belize Wild Recipes. Mmmmm…yum!!

Belize, Farming, Food, Our Products

Coconut Cream For Sale!

March 9, 2016 Munchkin 2 Comments

Munchkin.Shouting Hello Everyone!! We went into Punta Gorda today to deliver a fresh batch of coconut cream to Green Supaul’s. Just in case you are wondering, we make it by grating the coconut:

Next, we add some hot water to the grated coconut and squeeze the liquid out. The liquid is then left to sit for some time to allow the cream to separate and come up to the top (the coconut milk is at the bottom). The cream is skimmed off and sold in these bags. One coconut cream bag (about 4oz) is equivalent to one coconut.

This is fresh, organic, vegetarian, gluten-free, locally produced and politically correct in every way! 😉

!Sabor Natural! Ja-Ja!! 😉

Casa Mascia Apothecary

Tag Archives: Coconut

Let’S Get Crepuscular!

Ten Coconuts and Security.

Why We Started Making Coconut Soap.

Green Banana and Coconut Cream Lentils.

Officially Crepuscular!

Let’s Do Some Foraging!

More Coconut Cream!

Coconut Cream And Haupia Recipe.

It’s Curry Night!!

Coconut Cream For Sale!

Everything Handmade in Belize.