Tag Archives: White Pitahaya

Some More Farm Pictures.

September 3, 2018 Munchkin

I have been starting to look a bit more into my Chinese heritage since my father passed away recently. To be honest, I never really thought that much about it and usually, if anyone asked, I would say I was Cantonese for easiness sake. Actually, I am not Cantonese and I don’t even speak Cantonese. I am Hakka….well, you are probably thinking that you are none the wiser being told this information…anyway, it is significant because Hakka people were traditionally farmers and within their social structure, it was the women that worked the fields (subsistence farming) whilst the men worked in the urban areas (for money). Interesting that the Hakka were the only Chinese that did not practice foot binding…probably because the women had to work outside.

Anyway…my convoluted introduction was just to add another layer of interest…maybe Munchkin is going full circle and getting in touch with her ancestral roots?!! 😉

Okay, more pictures:

Gnome has been pruning trees (probably about 3 to 4 times a week) and gathering the wood to make charcoal. The previous charcoal container was over-flowing so he had to make it larger and sloping to allow better access.

The tyre garden is working out well especially when the ground is so boggy right now. We are stashing taro in between the tyres in the hope that the geese overlook them…so far, so good. The geese have a very healthy appetite when it comes to roots like taro and we are careful to hide them from their plain sight.

We are also developing a grove of pitahaya (dragon fruit) on tyres. The cactus is trained to grow up the posts and once they reach the top and start dangling…which usually takes about 9 months…will produce fruit. So far, we have about twelve of these and I am aiming for about 20 or more plants.

The tyres are filled with seaweed (courtesy of Panda…thanks!). Right now, with full on rainy season, it takes about a week for the salt to wash out of the seaweed…once washed out, the cactus is planted and attached to the post with bindweed vine.

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, Our Products, Plants, Soap

Planting Pitahaya.

May 17, 2016 Munchkin

We are planting out some more Pitahaya (Dragonfruit) along our stone planting beds. Once the cactus start drooping down, they will start to flower. The most common variety in Belize and Central America is the one with red pulp. The more common type in Asia is the white pitahaya. These plants tend to prefer dry areas and have a hard time with wet feet. We have planted pitahaya in Toledo with some success on high, dry ground. We harvest the seeds to make our White Pitahaya Facial Soap:

These facial bars are made from coconut oil and are indicated for acne-prone skin. They are deeply cleansing and exfoliating.

We use this all the time; that’s why we have beautiful skin!!

If you are in Punta Gorda, you can purchase these soaps at Vance Vernon Pharmacy. Otherwise, check out The Apothecary for ordering details.

Bees, Our Products, Soap

Soaps At The Pharmacy!

April 28, 2016 Munchkin

Together.Horses We have just delivered a fresh batch of our medicinal soaps to Vance Vernon Pharmacy in Punta Gorda. You will find Copal Medicinal Soap for treatment of rash, itch and insect bites:

There is also Jackass Bitters and Neem Soap which is indicated for sensitive and irritated skin.

You will also find our popular White Pitahaya Soap which is a facial soap recommended for acne (here, they call it “bumps”) and oily skin.

If you do not live in Punta Gorda we can post within the country and internationally. Check out The Apothecary section of our website for more details.

Belize, Our Products, Soap

Casa Mascia Products in Placencia!

February 13, 2016 Munchkin

Munchkin.Feeling.Rightous

Hey Guys!! Just another quick reminder that you can buy our Casa Mascia products at the Placencia Sidewalk Festival this weekend. Annette Vernon (of Placencia Pop-Up Art) will be selling our stuff. She will have all the favourites including our Copal Medicinal Soap, Oil and Ointment. And there is much, much more!! Okay, I am not that good with the marketing jargon… it’s maximum velocity, awesome and out of this world (Ha-Ha)!!

Here are some pictures to entice you:

Have Fun at the Festival!!

Belize, Our Products, Soap

Placencia Sidewalk Festival 2016.

February 7, 2016 Munchkin

Standing.Together

Hi Everyone!! I am writing to let you know that Annette Vernon of Placencia Pop-Up Art will be selling our Casa Mascia Apothecary products at the Placencia Sidewalk Festival next weekend. She will have all the following goodies: Copal Medicinal Oil Vials, Copal Medicinal Ointment, Copal Medicinal Soap, Itch Done Gone, Lemongrass Insect Repellent Balm, Jackass Bitters and Neem Soap and White Pitahaya soap. Look out for all these products…

Sorry we won’t be there this year!! If there is anybody that wants something that is not on the list please email me. Cheers and have fun at the festival this year!!

Belize, Our Products, Soap

White Pitahaya Facial Soaps.

June 28, 2015 Munchkin

We made another round of soaps today; this time they are the White Pitahaya Soaps which are facial soaps for acne and oily-prone skin. The seeds are rich in nourishing oils; prior to making the soap, we lightly crush the seed and infuse them in coconut oil to allow diffusion of oils. The coconut oil is then used to make the soap.

Pitahaya is also called Pitaya (also, dragon fruit) and is of the Hylocereus sp. They can come in different colours namely red, white and yellow. They are highly esteemed in Belize, Central America and in Asian countries. The seeds, in our soaps, are obtained from the local variety which has a red flesh. Our soaps are called “White Pitahaya” because they are white in colour, not because the seeds are obtained from the white variety.

Here are some pictures:

These soaps are unscented so that they can be used for sensitive skin. They have a natural, subtle coconut smell to them and they produce a lovely creamy lather. The seeds are also mildly exfoliating.

Check out The Apothecary for our full range of coconut oil soaps. Also, if you live in Punta Gorda, you can find the White Pitahaya soap at Vance Vernon Pharmacy on Front Street.

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Everything Handmade in Belize.