Las Frutas de Paraíso

Paradise Lost

2011-01-20T14:23:00.001-06:00

Ok, that is a mournful sounding title.....but the truth is our Nicaragua days are over; for now.
Cultural friction, financial struggles, and a load of personal griefs eventually snowballed from challenging to uncomfortable to unacceptable.
With a heavy heart I packed up my brand new beautiful casita, stored away my garden tools, and hardest of all relocated my farm animal friends.
Sweet Lupita is now living on a goat dairy farm, surrounded by lots of girlie goat friends and will be expecting her own kids one of these days.

Luckily, we still keep track of Lucinda, who is living amongst a new herd at La Mariposa Eco-Hotel with Paulette and friends!

We all had a hard time saying goodbye to Daisy, though it might be Stella who suffers the most from missing her sister pup. Daisy is still in the family where she is top dog, gets loads of attention, and visits the farm every day!

Stella and Chia made the trek with us and are learning to transition from fancy farm free to domestic pets.

Life ain't always easy, as Chia learned the hard way; he lost a front leg since our move and is now a local tripod celebrity :)

*Our home will be available as a vacation rental if anyone is craving a tropical getaway on an organic coffee farm with scores of fresh lemons, oranges, mangoes, and guavas to eat. Be prepared to bike pump your water and take showers when the sun is high, fall asleep to a magnificent cricket chorus, and awaken at dawn to cheery birdsong. Send me a note if you or a friend are interested!*

Meanwhile, we are settling in to a USA life again, in a little town called Santa Fe where Spanish is more than a second language and tacos are sold on every corner. From here I hope to continue garden experiments, and maybe even blog about them. Thanks for coming along on the ride so far....

Hay Nacatamales

2010-10-11T15:56:00.000-06:00

Nacatamales are an almost religious culinary tradition in Nicaragua, a gigantic overstuffed tamale with a standard list of ingredients uniform throughout the country. Nacatamales are prepared fresh in locals' homes; in every pueblo there are several infamous residents who display the sign Hay Nacatamales, meaning they are available for sale on Saturday and Sunday.

The Nicaraguan version of the tamale, wrapped and cooked in a banana leaf rather than a corn husk, is large, undeniably a meal in itself. The key ingredient is either chicken or pork, accompanied by rice, potatoes, tomatoes, an olive or raisin, and a leaf of yerba buena. This is the tried and true recipe, delicious, and available for only $1 anywhere you go. Why mess with a good thing? the only reason I attempted my own was the vegetarian factor.

Based on hints from neighbors and friends, as well as gringo guidance from this online recipe, i set out to make my own vegetarian nacatamale.

First up, and arguably the most important ingredient: masa. Traditional nacatamale masa is made with lard, the ultimate cooking fat. When I asked around about vegetarian substitutions, I was met with chortles, smirks, and a couple of suggestions. Since I was making a large batch, I went with what I had the most of, sunflower oil.

Using a pre-packaged masa, I added a cup of oil and mixed until it was too thick to stir. Following a tip from an authentic nacatamale recipe, I squeezed a sour orange into the dough, and then a flavorful veggie-based broth and worked it in with my hands.

The masa is then left to sit for at least 30 minutes. Time to prepare my tasty fillings!

I flavored up a batch of red beans and potatoes,

and a soy meat with summer squash medley. These would be the savory protein-rich centerpieces of my tamales.

Assembly!

Wrapping the masa and filling into a banana leaf was the most fun and most challenging part. I am proud to announce that I myself went out on the farm to harvest nice long smooth leaves with few tears. In order to make the leaf pliable, I warmed each one over a gas burner. The leaves must bend and fold over to hold the tamale inside, and I found this method extremely effective.

A small circle of masa is patted out in the center of a leaf, and I learned after my first batch, a dollop of homemade hot sauce keeps the filling from drying out.

Upon this I heaped shredded cheese, a spoonful of either the bean or soy mixture, and a sprinkle of cilantro leaf. With a few, I also added cooked rice. Later, as I recounted this process to some veteran nacatamale chefs, raucous laughter erupted at the mention of the cilantro. Apparently I was breaking all kinds of culinary taboos.

Sorry, don't have any action shots. The wrapping process took a little practice, eventually I got it. My little banana packages came out cute, no?

These guys were all tossed into a pot which I first layered with bunched up banana leaves in the traditional method for steaming. Being somewhat of a modern chica, however, I did cook with my gas stove rather than over open fire.
Unlike the wood fire fueled kitchens of most Nicaraguans, in which a pot of nacatamales takes up to 6 hours to cook, mine were ready to unwrap and enjoy in about one hour.

Not too shabby!

Die hard fans of the original nacatamale may argue that my masa/veggie creation is only that, an inauthentic copycat of a cultural classic. at worst, I could be accused of culinary sacrilege.

Yet, despite altering the sacred recipe, tasters from the veggie as well as the meat-eating contigency report success!

pesto hummus

2010-09-29T09:04:00.000-06:00

Yet another delicious solution to a lack of ingredients!
On the pesto front, I have managed to whip up several alternative varieties, including using almonds, and more recently, cashews in replace of pine nuts. so yum and so easy.
Hummus is another favorite of mine whose ingredients are difficult to procure around here. one time i did locate tahini, the traditional basis of this Middle Eastern spread and days of hummus indulgence followed. otherwise, i have resorted to making a hummus-like dip with simply garbanzo beans and accompanying flavors.
Then finally, the obvious combination hit me:

Pesto Hummus!

Garbanzo beans provide the protein-rich foundation. i use dry beans, soaked overnight, then cooked until tender in the pressure cooker (only about 10 minutes).

The big flavor comes from as much fresh basil as you can get your hands on

Blend the garbanzos first, adding enough water and olive oil for a creamy consistency. then add your basil, a few cloves of garlic, a squeeze of lemon, and salt and pepper to taste.

There you have it! While not really a true version of either, my hybrid creation is a hearty hummus dip with rich pesto flavor, ready to smear onto a veggie sandwich or to serve as a chip dip.

¡Buen provecho!

Butterfly Eye

2010-09-17T10:15:00.004-06:00

I went for a garden stroll yesterday afternoon, just after a hard rain shower. in the post-storm stillness, the only sounds were my rainboots splashing in fresh puddles and the residual drippity drip from the trees. i had intended to photograph the leaf-cutter ants and their latest conquest amongst our coffee bushes, when i got the sense that someone was watching me. indeed, something had its "eye" on me!

Califo memnon

Owl butterflies thoroughly enchant me. They are not the type to flutter about and mingle in the garden sunshine, rather they prefer dark shady corners and dusk, thus magnifying the intensity of their camouflage. it is rare to see them rest for even a moment, so happening upon this one with camera in hand was a special treat!

A bit further along, I encountered one our most ubiquitous butterfly species, identifiable by its bright red on black wings. Crimson-patched Longwings have been a favorite of mine ever since I recognized them in the rainforest exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

Heliconius erato

I recently learned that Crimson-patched Longwing caterpillars feed exclusively on the leaves of passionflowers. que bueno that i've just planted two different varieties in the garden!

Still assuming I was on leaf-cutter ant hunt, I didn't scan the wildflowers along the trail for winged activity. Yet, directly in my path, hovering low over the wet earth, maybe dipping her probiscus to taste a fresh rain drop, this gorgeous creature beckoned my attention. it seemed i had inadvertently acquired butterfly eye!

Siproeta stelenes, commonly known as the Malachite

With this realization, I sharpened my gaze and noticed, they were everywhere! The quiet aftermath of rainstorm is exactly the time for butterfly chasing.

Not sure what type this one is....

Glasswing butterfly, Greta oto

yes! you can actually see THROUGH their wings!!

Banded Peacock or Fatima, Anartia fatima

See with your butterfly eye

Starfruit

2010-09-07T11:27:00.003-06:00

Introducing yet another fruta de paraíso: STARFRUIT! or carambola.
And again, it is one I happened to discover growing right here on the farm. what a great surprise!
Averrhoa carambola grow in tropical and semi-tropical regions all over the world, including Florida which is where I first encountered this mysterious star-shaped treat.

Nicaraguans call it melacoton, although by official english translation this word means peach. There are no fresh peaches here, so i guess it's a point not worth quibbling over. Melacoton are not a super common fruit here, and mainly make appearances in tangy fresh juices. The flavor is more sour than sweet, even when the fruit is ripe and yellow.

Luckily this nondescript little tree caught my eye the other day and I was drawn to investigate what interesting shapes dangled from its scraggly branches.

Though somewhat waxy in appearance, the outside skin of carambola is edible and quite tender. For juices the entire fruit is either mashed up or blended into a puree with water. and of course, Nicas add the usual "spoonful" of sugar to sweeten the deal.
If you are a fan of tart and sour, like me, you may also enjoy simply snacking on starfruit. I love its firm crunchy texture and snappy burst of juice inside, which consequently delivers a healthy dose of vitamin C and antioxidants.

Shine on!

mad chicken disease

2010-08-26T19:51:00.004-06:00

A bad case of it too, very very mad. and definitely contagious. It's not as commonly known as mad cow disease, but you better believe it's just as ugly.

If you're not familiar with this dreadful condition, allow me:
Mad Chicken Disease, short for Mad At Chickens Disease, aka Mad That I Feed Chickens Who Don't Even Lay Eggs! Disease.

ahem. this brings me to my point: an update on my beloved chix coop!
Forgive my bluntness but lately the chickens are pissing me off.

Who, us?

A brief history: These are my first ever chickens; I acquired the role as their caretaker almost one year ago during which time we have shared many ups and downs.
When Mama Canela began laying, I looked optimistically on our future egg producing/eating exhange. Her girls, the Chicklets, also started popping out a daily egg. happy days!
Sadly, a frustrating period commenced, as Canela became broody and refused to lay eggs. I tried every trick in the book, enduring her angry pecking and dramatic squawking as I attempted various anti-broody techniques. A stubborn hen, Canela refused to yield for many weeks.
Patiently I waited until the joyous day when she resumed egg laying service.
This brings us to recent incidents.
For about a week after our vacation, eggs were rolling in! then, one day instead of 3 eggs, I found only 2. the next day, only 1. eventually, you guessed it: 0 eggs.
The girls all seemed normal, eating well, no sign of broodiness. I beefed up their feed ration--maybe they were malnourished?? Still, no eggs.
Meanwhile, the coop was overtaken by a voracious ayote squash vine, a live decorative shade structure.

The squash leaves were so large and dense,, they were able to hide these from view:

aha!

Sneaky sneaky STRANGE chickens!! They had been laying eggs on the roof of their coop! which makes no sense. Are they doing this to upset me on purpose?? it's not cozy, private, safe, or any of the things a nesting box should be. but, there they were--a secret stash of perfect protein.
Well, now that the laying question was settled, we could get back to our previous arrangement, right?
not. so. fast.
Egg-laying ceased. from that day on, I have yet to find another egg. and i've looked, oh I'VE LOOKED! i've spent mucho tiempo in the coop this week, watching chicken tv.
what I did start to notice were the feathers. everywhere. fluffy down, long wing tips, you name it. all over the ground.
It appears my chickens are MOLTING. and during the 6-9 week molt, hens stop egg laying.
Seriously? because these girls have spent more time the past year off the nest than on.
is it any surprise that these chickens are making me MAD??

so for now, it is off to the mercado to BUY eggs, and stopping by the chicken coop each morning to gather squash ;)

"Starting" Over: a photo tour

2010-08-20T11:28:00.011-06:00

Since getting back a month ago I've had to re-start the garden. With warm tropical temperatures day and night and just enough sunshine in between rainstorms, my new seeds have been spoiled into sprouting! Here's a rundown of my recently-started starts:

the results of a mixed bag of bell peppers. i can't wait to find out which varieties i've got.

and turning over a new leaf: turnip top greens! Seven Top turnip greens are grown only for their leaves, with no edible root to speak of. their flavor is much like mustard greens, they lend a spicy zing to sandwiches.

Not sure what type of chile peppers I have here--a friend brought the seeds from Mexico. Its gorgeous red peppers have a light, fruity spice

Gulp, here i go AGAIN with the upside-down tomatoes. i am so determined to have a healthy tomato plant!! (If you are unfamiliar with the upside tomato technique, see my Last attempt which was not successful; I did actually cultivate fruit during my first time around.)

Out in the garden, heavy rains nonwithstanding, my bush beans sprouted and are growing with a ferocity that would impress old Jack. Beautiful violet blossoms just showed up.

Finally, I started new luffa seeds, as my first plants have all died off. Since the luffa grow along the fence, I also planted a few cucumber seeds thinking they may be a nice climbing pair. Now i am unsure which is which!
The old luffa harbored one last fruit, which was looking a little too brown by the time I went to pick it. Our frequent rains are great for growing plants, but don't allow much time for anything to dry out. Several of the final luffa fruits rotted on the vine. anyway, as I was leaning in to harvest this last one, I stopped short. Someone was taking advantage of its dark color!

do you see who i see?

I didn't want to disturb the speckled one, so the rotting luffa remains.

Platanos & Homemade Salsa

2010-08-17T09:57:00.011-06:00

A close relative to bananas, though larger, starchier, and generally less sweet, plantains are a staple of Nicaraguan cuisine. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner platanos are served in one form or another. If you don't like them at first, you will!
Most farms and quintas grow at least a few plantain trees, their gigantic green leaves and spectacular flowers making sure you don't forget this is the tropics. Plantain and banana trees flourish during our rainy season, and continue to produce fruit throughout the dry times. Every year new trees are planted amongst our coffee bushes to provide shade, guaranteeing me a constant supply of plantains in the kitchen.
Platanos require cooking in order to be palatable, and their form and flavor vary greatly depending on when and how they are cooked. Green unripe platanos are frequently fried up as a side dish, sliced in rounds or in the case of tajadas, in long thin strips. In the latter, plantains serve kind of as nachos, topped with meat or cheese or anything you want. As I inherited a local mandoline slicer over a year ago and have never used it, I decided it was time:

Tajada Time!

Slicing plantains so thin was time-consuming, not to mention a bit dangerous; bare hands near a wide blade required careful attention. I wish I had taken a picture of the uncooked strips to demonstrate how delicate they were.

Here I am frying them up in a generous pool of sunflower oil.

The ideal tajada is thin and crispy like a potato chip. After a few batches, I got the hang of it!

All the hard work paid off when the tajadas were served! We topped them with refried beans, soy "meat," shredded cabbage, and my new homemade hot sauce--see below for recipe. On the side I served cooked chayote squash.

I am always experimenting with new salsa recipes, this one is a favorite. and very easy! The recipe I found calls for jalapeños, for which I substituted our local chile pepper, congo. Congos are tiny so I used a whole handful--use your own discretion when choosing spiciness level. Hot peppers, along with several tomatoes and a few cloves of garlic are tossed with olive oil and then broiled.Once the tomatoes are blackened, remove from oven and cool. Peel off tomato skins, then blend it all up. Add cilantro, salt, and a squeeze of fresh lemon. that's it: roasty, flavorful, spicy sauce!

¡Buen provecho!

PASSIONFLOWERS

2010-08-08T19:45:00.008-06:00

At long last, I am so proud to brag that I am growing my all-time favorite flower!!! After many years of oohing and ahhing over its dramatic colors and showy displays, envying other gardens cascading with its tropical vine, even obsessing over its tangy fruit juice, I GREW IT! it is mine. and not just one, but TWO thriving plants!

Without further ado, allow me to introduce my garden's latest showstopper:
The family Passiflora is large and varied, so identifying specific species is a bit out of my league. Passionflowers stand out with their dazzling bold blossoms, typically pollinated by large bees and hummingbirds (both of which I have seen buzzing by this very flower).
Passionflower of course produces passionfruit, a baseball-sized fruit that Nicas call calala, which is popular in juice. In the market they are sold a ripe yellow color, so as of yet, the calala in the photo is not mature.

I can take a pretty good stab at this, my second vine, being the largest of all passionflower varieties, Passiflora quadrangularis.

Granadilla is a gigantic fruit, also containing a tart flesh used for refreshing drinks. It is especially large for growing on a vine, but sorry--I do not actually have any fruit on this guy yet.
isn't this blossom enough???!

The granadilla vine is part of my vision of a natural shade patio; an edible, ornamental, and also functional plant!

the flowers dangle straight down, as will the fruit

For now I am perfecting the art of passionfruit juice so that I'll be ready when my own crop is ripe ;)

Calalas contain dark colored seeds encased in a slimy pulp, which I know, does not look super tasty. but stay with me...

In Nica it is common practice to serve fruit juices with their pulp and/or seeds, leaving you with gulps of chunky beverage to enjoy, or if you're like me, with a tricky "straining of your own glass without looking too gross" technique. Therefore, in making my own batch, I press the pulp through a strainer, extracting as much of the tangy flavor without the actual globs.

Add water in the straining process, about 1 cup per fruit, and sugar to taste.

PASSION in a glass: ¡Deliciosa!

Homeopathy in the Garden

2010-08-05T10:25:00.004-06:00

I had heard of homeopathy for treating people, as an alternative form of health care. I don't pretend to fully understand the how, but I used to take a homeopathic remedy for poison oak, which typically gives me a horrendous rash, when hiking in California. The preventative results were remarkable!
Only recently did I learn that using the same logic, homeopathy can be used to treat plant plagues and diseases. Through a fortunate meeting in the Houston airport, our farm became a part of a homeopathic experiment. Presenting my debut in the homeopathy video world.....

La Gata Gorda on Homeopathy from Tamara Montenegro on Vimeo.

To learn more about homeopathy, check http://www.homeopathyworldcommunity.com/

Insectos: from creepy to copacetic

2010-07-25T19:01:00.005-06:00

Rainy season brings out all the best (and worst?) critters. Typically when I discover an uninvited guest of the creepy crawly variety in the house, it is quickly and carefully relegated outdoors (notable exceptions are cucarachas and scorpians, both killed on the spot).

I was prompted to do a bit more research recently in order to identify the following many-legged ones found in my bedroom. I had a strong suspicion one or both might be poisonous.

The first,

most likely a millipede though I didn't get a leg count before ushering it outside. Millipedes feed primarily on decaying plant matter, so no big threat there. They can, however, produce an "irritating fluid" when disturbed. gross.

Next, less leggy though slightly more menacing,

some kind of centipede, a carnivorous insect with a set of sharp claws that contain venom and can inflict a painful bite! The very large varieties can harm humans; I think this guy is small enough to be considered inoffensive; nonetheless he was removed to the outdoors as well.

A safer distance from my bed, on the exterior door of the house, I happened upon this gorgeous and unusual spider and her web.

Click on the image to get a closer look--it's worth it ;)

Undeniably elegant and cheery, the butterflies emerge in full force after a heavy rain, dipping in water droplets and nibbling on fruit.

Here they feast on a juicy opening in a mango still on the tree.

Below, they converge upon the mango pit I am sun-drying before planting.

Mamey Fruit

2010-07-20T10:26:00.002-06:00

I've discovered a new fruit, delicious for you and your goat!

Admittedly, it doesn't necessarily look so scrumptious from the outside...

This strange globe-shaped fruit with a surprising sweet flesh is known as "mamey" here in Nicaragua, and in more official circles as Mammea americana. When ripened, these huge, heavy fruits come crashing to the ground with a distinctive thud. Needless to say, loitering under the mamey trees would be foolish.
Last year at this time I was loitering under the mamey trees, scratching my head in wonder at the pumpkin-orange mess splattered and rotting in fermenting puddles around the farm. No one had mentioned that the magnolia-like trees lining the coffee rows produces an edible fruit. and they don't exactly have that fruit tree sort of look, do you think?
Even if I did notice the brown dinosaur eggs growing in the branches above, they closely resemble another "fruit" in the area, inedible, nicknamed "donkey balls" which secretes a white sticky milk that I was told can be used to repel flies. So fair enough, I managed to miss a whole season's mamey crop despite it growing, literally, in my own backyard.

NOT donkey balls

This year, as a more informed fruit eater, I was ready for mamey season (keeping a safe distance from the drop zone) and easily collected a wheelbarrow full of ripe specimens to sample.

Peeling a mamey is not easy, and once you get inside there is a bitter white membrane, like an orange, to pick through before reaching a thin layer of flesh surrounding a gigantic round seed. However it only took one taste to make it all worth it.

The flavor is tough to describe, much like mamey's fragrance: a deep, sweet, peachy perfume. Try it, you'll like it!

when the cat's away....

2010-07-15T18:12:00.001-06:00

Finally we are home!!! An extra long visit to the USA was fun-filled and relaxing, but now i am so ready to get my hands dirty again!
From the looks of things around here, a lot has been going on. In a word: OVERGROWTH, of both flora and fauna. I expected the long spiraling vines, extreme weed invasion, bolting basil, and even the moldy film layer on all clothing and textiles in the house. this is tropical living in all its glory.
Rainy season came early this year, so the 4-6 months of photosynthetic bliss began without me. Most days, the air is thick with impending rain, not a stifling humidity though; it is like a warm haze, the sun glowing dimly somewhere in the sky, making the air almost visibly green. Then suddenly, a wonderfully refreshing breeze heralds RAIN, RAIN, and more RAIN, drenching everybody and everything in tropical wetness. So the plant profusion I anticipated. the barrage of animal life is another story. more than one actually.

You leave a house with only screened windows and doors for 2.5 months, what do you expect, right? And it is fly season after all. However, it was still startling (to say the least) when I interupted the very settled-in ANT COLONY that had moved in to my PAJAMA DRAWER! Big gross ants with eggs and all. Escaping the heavy rains, my bedroom window must have offered ideal access into my closet, i.e. the perfect nesting space.
I had no problem eradicating the ant community. Ants and i go way back, this was only one more skirmish in our ongoing conflict of interests.

The situation in the coat rack is entirely different. here's an initial glance.
Hmm. sticks and junk inside a hanging baseball cap? How strange.
Closer inspection reveals oh-so-much more:

BABY BIRDS!!!

Yes, real live wild baby birds. Did i mention the coat rack is IN the house?!? Her beak stuffed with tasty morsels, Mama Bird slips under the crack of our front door several times a day. Three little chirpers wait patiently in their baseball cap nest. Life was certainly less perilous for this birdy family before Chia the cat moved back inside. There's only so long I can carefully moniter the cat's actions. Twice now I've found Chia face to face with a baby bird; by some miracle the tiny winged-ones seem fully intact. Hopefully they will be fast learners and fly out of here soon!

The animals I was most happy to see are thankfully alive and well, if a tad on the skinny side.

Chia

Stella & Daisy

farm-away-from-farm

2010-05-11T15:37:00.000-06:00

Faithful readers! Sorry for my absence. Even though I am away from my sweet little farm, I should and will document farmy stuff around me here in suburbia. Admittedly, it has felt a little painful to consider blogging when I am so removed from all of my beloved plants and animals. We are coming up on one month away, and I experience a stab in the chest whenever anyone mentions my pups. or my goats. or just chickens.
Enough!
Within the confines of your typical Californian suburban neighborhood, I am proud and inspired by the amazing and industrious projects of my favorite aspiring-farmer niece!

Paige's passion for animals led her to summer camps at Hidden Villa, an educational farm, and on to 4-H with whom she has undertaken an awesome and ambitious agricultural enterprise.

A surprise awaited me in the family garage,,,BABY CHICKENS!

The fluffy chicks were delivered into Paige's care in early April--she is a loving mother hen, refilling food and water and cleaning out their bedding with care and attention. The garage flock is growing fast! In even the few weeks since I met them, their fuzz has turned feathery.

Paige is responsible for rearing the market chickens to about 8 lbs, when they will be plump enough to be auctioned off at the 4-H fair. Chickens who weigh in at over 8 lbs do not qualify, so feeding and monitoring is a serious job. Generous donors have been known to pay HUNDREDS of dollars for a chicken (and to support 4-H of course)!

Luckily, Paige has chicken experience! In the backyard the family's very own egg-laying flock free ranges in the grass amongst bicycles, skateboards, and gardening tools. Here I find my antidote to farmsickness :)Pufflegeorge and her 2 hen-friends sleep soundly in a funky garden shed turned coop, safe from urban raccoons and possums. Like our hens on the farm, they contribute about 3 eggs a day to the human family's diet.

Good luck to Paige at the fair,

and Thank you for the farm fix!!

the Buzz

2010-04-20T13:07:00.000-06:00

Apologies! Just when I got myself fired up to really take on the dry season challenge, I was unexpectedly whisked away from the farm. and it's going to be for awhile :( The decision was so abrupt, I barely had time to transplant my cabbage, pepper, and kale starts to the garden. All animal and plant chores have been allocated to caregivers, a responsibility I did not hand over lightly. Leaving Stella was the toughest part, although at the last minute we found her a four-legged companion:

meet Daisy Abril!

Daisy is a 5 month old Boxer--she's small, but definitely a tough cookie.
Happily, the two pups hit it off immediately and it has been chases and wrestling ever since!

The other buzz on the farm is the real deal:

I wish I could take credit; alas, we are merely the landlords of a new industrious tenant family. A local beekeeper found our lemon orchard an ideal sublet for his bee colonies, who inhabit these drawer-like boxes along the perimeter of our farm.

From the day they first arrived, a marvelous humming filled the air around our house and garden. Obviously thirsty, the little guys crowd around water spigots and the animals' water buckets. Stella's curiosity got the best of her only once, with a swollen snout to remind her to buzz off ;)

I am still trying to sweet talk my way into some free honey, otherwise we are grateful enough for the summertime bee song, the widespread pollination, and the built-in security of bee hives guarding our property lines :)

Tree Crops

2010-04-01T08:55:00.000-06:00

Lucky for me, lots of yummy crops are well established on the farm; they come not from rows in the garden, but high up in tree branches. Now that I've observed a good year or so of farm progression, I am beginning to recognize which tree crops show up when.

Year round, banana and platano trees fruit and flower in a showy display of tropical abundance. As a Virginia native, i am continually impressed by this dramatically beautiful and nutritious plant.
I didn't know before that despite our warm climate, many fruit trees here are seasonal. It is the middle of the dry season and several of my favorites (mangoes, avocadoes, guavas) are just arriving. The mangoes on the farm are a smaller variety than i used to purchase in the States, but pack plenty of juicy flavor. Mangoes in general are phenomenal trees, living upward of 300 years and producing copious amounts of fruit. Right now the mangoes are green and tart, exactly how Nicas prefer them.
And apparently they are not alone. Unripe mangoes are popular in most Central American countries, as well as in Indian and Pakistani cuisine.

During mango months, the very popular salted slices are sold everywhere on streetcorners and in markets. Some also prefer to add spicy chile flavor. I found the tedious job of peeling the hard fruits worth it for a salty sour snack.

Moving right along, avocado season is also upon us!!! The grand old tree outside my kitchen window is heavy with growing fruit. The problem is how to reach the high branches. Often by the time an avocado ripens enough to fall, it is rotty or invaded by hungry insects. Even if it lands relatively edible, it turns out i am also competing with an avocado-loving dog!

If I beat Stella to it, or am able to knock down a ripe-looking specimen with a long stick, I am awarded with a nutrient dense, delicious prize. they might not be so beautiful on the outside, but as you can see, perfect inside!

Tree cheers for Tree Crops!

Landscaping take 2

2010-03-27T09:57:00.000-06:00

Still in the midst of dryness, but i am putting more effort into keeping things green around the casa. With enough tenacity and arm muscle, it is possible to grow in these thirsty days. I was inspired reading about the new finca at La Mariposa spanish school, where rows of crops are currently being planted and every drop of water is hauled in watering cans!

Trinitaria, known widely as bougainvillea, are a ubiquitous ornamental in Nicaragua. Bursting in various colors and tolerant to our drought season, they are an ideal candidate for a beginner like myself. I planted an assortment of colors, including the purple above, pale pink, fuschia, and white.

I envision bright flowery walls to replace the outdated penitentiary look we have right now...

Another attempt at beautifying is an all-natural shade structure. A simple arbor (here a ramada, indicating a shelter built of sticks, ramas) awaits the rampantly vining granadilla, a large variety of passionfruit.

It seems a a gigantic space to fill, but local gardeners tell me that one plant will easily cover this area.

Granadilla produces gorgeous passionflowers and eventually a tangy tropical fruit. I look forward to a shady outdoor patio where I can escape the scalding sun, sip limonada, and listen to the buzzing cicadas' song.

we're having eggs now

2010-03-17T12:18:00.000-06:00

Rooster or no rooster, the hens are a' laying!

It took the Chicklets a good 6 months, and finally they are both laying regularly! Along with Mama Canela, that's three fresh eggs a day :) This is exactly the reason we got chickens, but after so many months without eggs, I sort of forgot and started to see them as feathery pets.

The young hens are not quite the size of their mom, and are still going through an awkward featherless neck stage. hopefully this is normal?

Way too many people are under the false assumption that hens require the presence of a rooster to lay eggs. Scientifically I knew this was not true, but I admit that after several eggless months, i began to wonder. As I swept out the coop and fed my chicken friends, the old camp song "The Rooster" played in my head. the only line i actually remembered was we're having eggs now, just like we used to, ever since that rooster came into our yard! Silly, and thoroughly incorrect.

Anyway, when a mini egg appeared in Canela's nest one morning, oh happy day! The girls take after their mother in refusing to utilize the handsome laying boxes we crafted just for that purpose, all three sharing a dug out dirt nest on the ground.

The first few eggs from the Chicklets were half the size of a normal egg, adorable! Mama Canela, chicken that she is, initially approached the new eggs as any cannibalistic grandmother would: pecking aggressively. Once chickens adopt the revolting habit of eating newly laid eggs, apparently it is difficult to "break." (the habit, that is). Luckily, Canela did not develop a taste for them and has shown no interest since. whew

And so, unless an undercover rooster is sneaking into the yard when i'm not looking, the myth is disproven, and i am enjoying fresh eggs for breakfast--my compliments to the lady chefs ;)

luffa harvest!

2010-03-10T10:02:00.000-06:00

Wondering how that whole luffa experiment went down? In a word, SUCCESS!
We watched as the luffa gourds grew and grew, eventually drying out to a yellowish-brown. They then received the shake test, listening for loose seeds. When I didn't hear much rattling, the luffa hung out in a sunny kitchen window to dry out more thoroughly.
Finally, feeling the time was right, I picked and peeled the skin, revealing a lacy sponge within and loads of seeds!The luffa has proven itself in the kitchen, serving to scrape clean our dinner plates and pots. I can already sense that it will outlive the crap sponges from the store.

Look at the intricate weave in there--this is Mother Nature at her finest.It does feel a big rough for human skin, but maybe that's exfoliating?

Even if the luffa couldn't hold its own as a sponge, Chia appreciates the homegrown kitty toys. The fine fibers get stuck in her claws, she bats like crazy, and seeds are shaken out all over.

I'm happiest when I'm making a mess

As this first luffa "harvest" was mostly experimental, there are not quite enough to take to market. yet. In the meantime, I will have to generate some creative packaging ideas. Here's my first one, a surefire hit:

Jar O' Luffa

WILD. Life

2010-03-08T19:39:00.000-06:00

Inspired by the conscious effort of Diana at Elephant's Eye to "garden for wildlife," I decided to take note of which wild creatures share our little chunk of Earth here in Nicaragua. Living in the paradise that is an organic coffee farm, one would expect to encounter loads of local wildlife. In the past few years, there have been reports of puma sightings in our area, which I find scary but also really exciting. As far as mammals go, all I've got so far is the ugly run-in with the possum; and frequently in the evenings we catch the notorious odor of skunk, whose existence was further confirmed when our kitten came home one night drenched in the very same tell-tail (ha?) essence.

We are blessed with an abundance of little critters, such as the gorgeous butterflies that visit the farm during the day and the exotic but elusive moths who arrive at dusk.

I caught these 2 lovers in the middle of my garden!

If we step outside in the evenings, it is not uncommon to interrupt a web spinner unwinding herself in front of a doorway, where the sensor lights are sure to attract plenty of tasty night time fare.

She is bigger than she appears...

Without a doubt, it is the birds whose constant chirpy and colorful presence best characterize our wild kingdom. Who knows how many different species nest and feed and swoop and sing amongst our lemon trees! A cacophonous dawn chorus is a pleasant alarm clock, and happy birdsong infuses the air until nightfall. Ornithologist I am not, my humble observations include woodpecker, mourning dove, whippoorwill, the white-throated magpie jay (hard to miss) and a winged beauty like no other,

Nicaragua's national bird, Guardabarranco

We have at least one pair of Guardabarranco, or turquoise-browed motmot, who you are sure to see if you stroll the lemon orchard around sunset. With good reason, most visitors are taken with Guardabarranco's exquisite colors and long elegant tail. In honor of our national (and local) bird, talented friend and artist Heather beautified our drying patio with its image:Thank you Heather J! My job now is to add woodsy surroundings and other local fauna. As my artistic skills are just about on par with my bird-watching abilities, you understand my fervent procrastination of this task. perhaps as we move into the bowels of the dry season...

what's growing on?

2010-03-07T11:05:00.000-06:00

Despite devastating dryness, the farm grows on! I am holding back on too much planting for a while, as I sharply ride the learning curve of dry season farming. However, with the creative assistance of our long term visitor and farming aficionado, Payita, the farm is not just a dust bowl!

Taking advantage of the shady chayotera, where dense chayote vines enthusiastically climb and twine, Paige established a beautiful bed of arugula, cabbage, carrots, and cilantro.
Protected from the fierce sunlight yet thriving on its nourishing warmth, the seedlings enjoy the ultimate natural greenhouse!

Perhaps you remember the papaya seedlings I started almost a YEAR AGO?? Standing tall at over 6 feet high, the papaya trees are now basking in tropical sun, flowering, and finally fruiting!

The papaya fruit emerges from a pollinated female flower. I was lucky to end up with at least one male plant, identified by the long skinny flower stalks, pictured below, and at least 2 hermaphrodite plants.

A hermaphrodite or "perfect" plant is the ideal papaya variety; although in severe weather conditions, a plant may change genders! Crazy.

The papayas grew fast with little attention, and now provide desperately-needed shade along the perimeter of the garden. Superstars!

The forever hardy congo chili pepper is at home on our farm, self propagating everywhere I turn around. This is the most common chili you will run into in Nicaragua-- and don't be fooled by its tiny size either. Once a congo ripens to fire engine red, hot DAMN!

Custom Made Dog Castle

2010-02-17T20:12:00.000-06:00

Castillo is spanish for castle, so in naming Stella's new home we think Castella captures the essence of our pup's lovingly constructed new abode!Her little castle sports a concrete foundation, providing a cool floor to nap upon during hot afternoons. A corrugated zinc roof deflects the blazing sun of the Dry Season, and later will protect her from the drenching rains of that's right, the Rainy Season.
Everybody, especially Stella, is grateful for the many helping hands that transformed a simple shelter into a doggy castle!
While Stella continues obedience education, we have the option of closing her in la castella when necessary,,though our guard-dog-in-training prefers to be outside, footloose and fancy free.

p.s. The "dog house" is also spacious and comfortable enough to function as a "getaway" for the guys when they get out of line.

Hand-Cranked Laundry

2010-02-17T10:38:00.000-06:00

yep, it's true. In addition to my bike water-pumping, I now enjoy daily arm workouts via this inventive contraption:
We borrowed the idea from the folks at Rancho Mastatal in Costa Rica. La Lavadura Manual consists of a simple 25 gallon plastic barrel in a rotating metal cage
filled with fresh water and bio-degradable soap, in which our dirty garments are sloshed and churned with the help of four smooth rocks. that's right, rocks. Things are getting more Flintstone around here by the minute. Would you be surprised to see Wilma cranking something like this, then maybe hanging the clothes with the talons of little prehistoric baby birds? neither would I.
Look out, Maytag. We went with a top loading model with simple settings--Water Temperature: cool; Speed: quick wash; Program: heavy soil.
After the initial spin cycle, the dirty water drains out (collected in a bucket to use in the yard),and the rinse cycle commences. I average about 40 rotations for each cycle.
So far I am thoroughly enjoying the system. awesome arm work-outs and "clean" clothes, not a bad combo. of course it has only been one week.....

While awaiting the official rating by the EU's energy grading system,
I'll rate it myself:
Energy Consumption: A+
Washing Performance: B
Spin drying Performance: C
Capacity Water Consumption: B+
Noise: A
suggested additions to the EU system:
Fun: A
Exercise: B+
Benefit to surrounding Flora & Fauna: A+

blood & feathers

2010-02-01T18:40:00.000-06:00

Home invasion, murder, and mourning: An update from The Coop

The chickens have had a rough start to the year. You may remember the unfortunate but necessary removal of Pimiento, the chicken who was a rooster, and how his absence traumatized the flock, ie. Mama Canela and 3 sisters. It was weeks before Canela was on the nest again; we sighed with relief and all was well. We were back to a regular egg-a-day schedule and the Chicklets (new nickname) seemed amiable. Imagine my surprise when awakened in the middle of the night to frantic squawking and frenzied clucking!
I stumbled out to the garden in my slippers, my fading flashlight beam illuminating inside the coop and the horrific cause of alarm: un zorro!
Neighbors and friends had warned me for weeks of a dreaded "zorro," a carnivorous nocturnal predator known to chomp chickens and who knows what else in the cover of darkness. Since zorro is spanish for FOX, I was only a little nervous and a lot thrilled. Cool, a fox! we have wildlife on the farm! I was confident that the coop was fox-proof.
Silly gringa. In Nicaragua, zorro means many things. Including skunk. and including POSSUM.
Slipping through a tiny gap in the chicken wire, a wimpy but vicious possum invaded, terrified, and grotesquely be-headed one of my Chicklets. Luckily I arrived in time to spare the others, but one of our girls was a goner.

Now they are three.

Don't worry--I won't post any gruesome headless chick pics, or even head-bashed-in possum photos. but you can imagine.
The Chicklets managed their grief by exercising more independence--they refused to come into the coop at night! Mama Canela was re-traumatized and egg production halted, again. The loss of a second chick triggered broodiness, when a hen instinctively stays on the nest to incubate her eggs. Except, there were no eggs. Our favorite chicken mama didn't eat or lay eggs for weeks.

Online research for my chicken troubles advised hands-on intervention. After daily prodding and shoving the poor girl off her nest, Canela finally began interacting with her flock again! We are happy to report that today she laid her first egg of the new year, and that the coop has been more extensively secured.

To encourage more adhesive flock dynamics (cooperation?), all of the hens are now cooped-up day and night. This will also establish the coop as a safe home base, and allow me to collect mass quantities of their nutrient-dense chicken poop for the garden.

chicken t.v: All in a day's work.

Landscaping, Take 1

2010-01-12T12:40:00.000-06:00

Even as the rain showers came less frequently and my plants displayed a thirsty look, I denied the reality of yet another long, hot Dry Season. I gazed hopefully at passing dark clouds, willing even a short downpour, a fly-by shower, a few measly drops??
Alas, observing the soil change from dark fudge to powdered cocoa I am face to face with my denial. Rainy season is OVER. Hot sun and strong winds parch the garden on a daily basis, leaving me (and the bike-powered water pump) responsible for all watering needs.
The winds are currently my most challenging natural foe. The charming screened doors we designed to encourage constant air flow are now ushering in more than just fresh breezes.

Each morning (and afternoon) fresh piles of dust, dirt, and loose plant matter remind me that my novice landscaping of the practically bare dirt area surrounding the house is, indeed, novice.

Note the whimsical lack of window pane

Scraggly weeds have sprouted up in unseemly patches amongst which I am attempting to grow more attractive ground cover, such as the clover-like maní,

whose hearty roots and cheery yellow flowers have no problem taking over my garden, but here display an uncharacteristic shyness.

Despite its green paint job, our chain link fence remains a monstrous metallic eyesore; AND fortunately, the ideal medium for climbing plants! While the luffa tackles one end, a strategically placed passionflower vine is winding its way along the opposite end.

I eagerly await its fantastic blooms and tangy fruit ;)

Other attempts at beautification include a nopal cactus wall:

Amazingly robust, nopal, or prickly-pear cactus, sprouts new "pads" when nestled into basically any soil; not to mention they are edible!
Nicaraguan cuisine, by the way, does not feature nopal cactus. It does grow well here, is touted as a therapeutic superfood, and with the help of a Mexican chef, tastes delicious!
So if nothing else, we'll be dining on farm fresh prickly pear. I am really hoping that the cashew, coconut, cacao, and guava trees will also prosper, growing to great shady heights & producing copious amounts of tasty fruit. [All of these are, at this point, tiny saplings braving the desert-like conditions of my backyard and worse, my fledgling landscaping abilities.]

curly-Q flowers

2010-01-04T13:18:00.000-06:00

Actually, the curliness is in the seed pod....
While passing this colorful flower in front of a neighbor's house, my friend Jenny grabbed a handful of seed pods from each of the pale pink, fuchsia, and purple blossoming stalks. After a couple of days in the sun, the fuzzy pods curled up all cute like, then released small black seeds.
Nonchalantly, I planted handfuls of the curly flower seeds next to my doorsteps, a half-hearted attempt to beautify the bare dirt entryways that tend to accumulate junk (coolers, buckets, bicycle tires, you name it). I know this is very bad feng shui, i'm working on it.

What'd ya know???! A mere six weeks later:

Now i understand why so many others line their fences and patios with flor de China, as it is known around here, (no idea of its english name, though i'm fine with Curly-Q Flower.)

Dense green leaves and dazzling colors are sure to disguise, or at least draw the eye away from, our junky doorways. And according to the laws of feng shui, cheerful healthy flowers invite positive energy flow into the home.

There you have it, step 1 of my Landscaped Paradise in progress ;)

chicken tv

2009-12-28T09:54:00.000-06:00

With no cable television on the farm, we are frequently left to our own devices during our ample leisure time. No one offers better live entertainment than the chickens.

back in September

Recent coop drama has brought about big changes amongst our chicken familia. You might remember that since September, I've watched and waited to learn the gender of the four pollitos, crossing my fingers for at least 2 females. At around 4 months old, chicks begin to outwardly display their sexual maturity, but until then, they are physically identical. Keeping my hopes up, (and attempting to conjure some chicken voodoo), I gave each of them a girlie name.

Look how they've grown!

But, last week my little Pimienta, (now Pimiento), uttered his first croaky cock-a-doodle-doos!

As handsome a rooster I'm sure he will be, we decided way back to only keep gallinas--the coop can only accommodate four comfortably; hence, there is no need for an on-site sperm donor.
Upon learning Pimiento's true identity, he was abruptly removed from the coop as an impromptu christmas present for Don Chico. Little did we know what chicken stew pot we had stirred...

Up until now, Mama Canela has been an overprotective mother--call it empty nest if you will, this mother hen all but suffocated her adolescent chicks. She nudged the tastiest morsels into their beaks, and I caught her still trying to sit on them at night! With all of her attention focused on the big kids, Canela had yet to lay a SINGLE EGG.

The minute Pimiento's absence was felt, so was Mama Canela's grief. For days she clucked and puffed and keened, leaving her three young gals to fend for themselves. However cruel our intervention appeared, it also triggered the very act we'd been waiting for:

¡HUEVOS!

Coop dynamics have been overhauled. Gone is the sweet chicken family sitcom; today it is all HEN. Canela keeps her own company, usually pecking about the coop or resting in a dust bath until nature calls: with much squawking fanfare, she heads up to the laying boxes every day at noon!
Las muchachas are your typical teenagers--constant gossip and rustling feathers, cackling that can be heard throughout my garden.
Who will be our next layer? Will the threesome remain close once their eggs come in? Will Canela's lonely days in the coop incite her to become broody once again?
Stay tuned for more CHICKEN TV!

christmas coffee

2009-12-22T09:52:00.001-06:00

It is all about red and green on the farm right now, or more specifically red OR green, as we are in the midst of COFFEE HARVEST!
The ripeness, and ultimately the flavor, is determined by the color of the coffee's fruit, the cherry. Ideally you want to harvest only the reddest cherries, leaving the green ones more time to mature. This usually means harvesting more than once during the season, as the fruit does not all ripen at the same time.
As the veggies and fruits are my gardening project, I have had little to do with coffee farming. But this past year I did enjoy a dark rich blend derived from our very own local harvest for about six months, when our "year supply" ran out. Since then, I've had my eye on the coffee plants, keeping tabs on the growing green fruits. I have been excited to get in there hands-on to be a part of the process. Luckily for me, these ladies are patient and friendly teachers:
Traveling from farm to farm during coffee season, November through January, Marta and her family pick the cash crop for 8 to 10 hours a day, earning their wages based on pounds picked per day.
With a wide basket strapped around my waist, I accompanied Marta in the coffee field. The women chatted over the rows, invisible to each other but for rustling amongst the branches and occasional singing or humming. I struggled to keep up, scanning the bushes for red and clumsily yanking the ripe cherries into my basket. Within an hour Marta's basket was brimming with the multi-colored fruit, mine like so:

Nonetheless i was proud!

We sell the majority of our coffee wet, meaning the unprocessed raw cherries, to a local buyer. By next year we plan to invest in larger scale processing equipment; currently the farm has only manual-operated machinery, which we used to process my contribution to the harvest. Our de-pulper is a charming antique device that separates the fruit skin from the seed of the coffee.

The seeds retain a clear, slimy layer that aids in an overnight fermentation. The following day they are rinsed thoroughly and spread out on a screen to sun dry.
From here, there is yet another hulling procedure to remove a papery layer of skin; then roasting (locally this is done over an open fire); finally, grinding and brewing!

While these seeds dry, I await the call for the next harvest. Hopefully my picking fingers will gain speed and agility so that I can pull in enough for the coming year ;)

farm pup

2009-12-14T13:20:00.000-06:00

Yet another new animal en la finca: meet Stella!

A 10 week old German Shepherd, Stella is bursting with energy! She is currently learning basic obedience and a vital lesson for all pups: socialization, which around here includes a wild array of different creatures.

I dub her rapport with the goats "playful animosity."

Happily, she and Chia are a perfect match!

Prone to high-speed indoor chases and zealous wrestling matches, chairs are overturned and water bowls spilled on a daily basis as these two develop their friendship.

Who, us?

Although the plan is for Stella to be our security dog, it is important that she first learn basic obedience. And contrary to popular belief, a properly trained security dog is treated well, not abused. Once trust and loyalty are established, Stella will undergo more serious attack training. This isn't to say she will be vicious, rather that she will be able to follow specific attack commands and will keep an intruder at bay.

For now however, she is all about loving attention :)

La Purísima

2009-12-10T14:19:00.000-06:00

Last week I enjoyed yet another new cultural experience: a week long celebration of the Virgin Mary, La Purísima (The Most Pure). A uniquely Nica tradition, and rooted in catholic ideology, La Purísima ironically has a funky, halloween-like energy.
During the days leading up to the Immaculate Conception, Nicas set out statues of the Virgin, creatively decorated and lit up near the front of their homes.

Each evening, devotees of the Virgin crowd into neighbors and strangers' front rooms to admire and sing to the colorfully displayed icons.

After the requisite singing, this is where things get fun: the hosts pass out brindi: homemade goodies, snacks, small toys and prizes, free stuff! I enjoyed traditional foods such as a baked squash with honey, raw sugar cane, and a gingery beverage that I plan on concocting myself.
The final night of the celebration is La Gritería, or The Shouting (are you feeling the halloween vibe now?)
At precisely 6pm all over Nicaragua, fireworks are ignited and people flood the street to shout:
Quién causa tanta alegría?
La Concepción de María!

What is the cause of our happiness?
Mary's Conception!

The joyful noise is to thank Mary for the miracles she performs. A deluge of people, young and old, rich and poor, then parade through town to visit the literally HUNDREDS of altars.

Doors remain open as hordes of people pour in and out, leaving with sacks full of cookies, chips, even house ware items such as laundry soap and matches.

La Purísima is an opportunity for more affluent families to share their wealth and hospitality with others. In many homes, canvas tote bags and satchels were handed out to be filled with brindi!More fireworks and shouting occur at midnight and the following morning at 6am, after which a sacred silence is observed. This is a very holy day in the Catholic church, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Visiting homes, making new friends, and just cruising the streets at night amongst a boisterous crowd made the event for me. Not to mention coming home with all my brindi!

28 days later

2009-12-08T19:34:00.000-06:00

Ok, so it wasn't exactly apocalyptic, but 28 days is a long time to leave your garden, especially in a tropical climate. I felt a bit like Sleeping Beauty after that 100 yr stint when vines grew all up her castle....isn't that what happened?
All in all, i was pleasantly surprised. Having learned the hard way twice before, this Non-Sleeping, or rather Sleep-Deprived Up at Crack of Dawn Farmer Beauty was not going to siesta while the Voracious Vegetation Dragon devoured her garden. I was super diligent about leaving this time. A garden requires mucho preparation before abandonment: extra weeding, heavy mulching, pruning, etc. I even wrote out a numbered list for our caretaker to ensure that nothing would be overlooked.

Joyfully, this was the first time i didn't cry upon returning to my garden!
As usual, ayote squash sprawled like suburbia over garden paths, oregano plants, even the compost pile.

Humongous chayote was dripping off the vine: i filled this basket in seconds!

The chicken coop is shrouded in a weedy fortress!

Exciting surprises awaited me as well:

After 8 months, my gandul (pigeon pea) finally bloomed, and pods developed--

Aren't they gorgeous?!

For whatever reason, I've had a heck of a time getting cucumbers to survive, despite the cozy, shaded mounds and artful climbing fences I've constructed. However, I leave the farm for 3 weeks and a mysterious, hearty cucumber plant shoots up in an unfertilized rocky strip of soil along the concrete wall.it's already FRUITING!

Probably the most dramatic of all, the much-anticipated LUFFAS! these suckers are already an easy 12 inches long, the vine over 10 ft!!

Countdown to all-natural scrub-a-dub!

Los animales are a whole other post...stay tuned.

the incredible, edible.... luffa?

2009-11-11T18:07:00.000-06:00

Of how many plants can you say: it's EDIBLE, ORNAMENTAL, and.....

GIVES A GREAT BATH!
?

What appears to be your common vining squash is oh-so-much more.

I didn't believe it at first either.
Luffa sponge: in the tub.
Luffa squash? must be an unfortunate incident of coincidental nomenclature.

but no.

The luffa is widely renowned for its life post vine, after having matured into a fibrous seed pod, peeled, packaged, and marketed in your local pharmacy as an all-natural exfoliant.
Nobody talks much about the flavor, or the culinary uses of the reputed "sponge."

Luffa acutangula

In truth, luffa is also named Chinese okra, silk squash, and silk melon, amongst others and is a savored veggie in Asian cuisine.
I am also elated to report, after devastating failures with zucchini and yellow squash, that luffa is a tropical plant! It LOVES the heavy rain! thrives on relentless sun! i'm talking a vining potential of 20 ft and fruit up to 2 ft long!
In mere weeks, my luffa seeds sprouted, grew several inches, flowered, and have now produced fruit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Luffa connoisseurs recommend harvesting tiny 2'' long specimens in order to yield a tender, nutty flavor. As of today, i have only one developed squash, but i decided to give it a try as we are about to abandon the garden for a several week vacation. (By the time we return, i fear most squash will have become sponge-worthy!)

This is what i got:

Chopped, sauteed, and tossed in to my tortilla soup, I confess the elusive luffa evaded my taste buds. Hopefully in three weeks time there will still be delicate, edible squash to sample. if not, to scrub with?

Let them eat sponges!

A Medicine Woman, A Soybean Project, & little old me

2009-11-10T11:34:00.000-06:00

I was a lucky lady to spend a day with the knowledgeable and wise Doña Aura, a practiced natural healer and nutritionist, not to mention accomplished author, and director of the Ahualcatl Center of Natural Therapy. She hosts a series of hands-on medicinal plant/healthy foods workshops, (including the preparation of salves, soaps, teas, and foods) based on our local climate, crops, and culture--this was a Nutrition/Food Preparation class.

First Doña Aura revealed the unofficial four food groups of Latin America and which local foods fit into which category
We decided that my farm has a great start in each group! I was advised to plant yucca (a staple carbohydrate) and more sunflowers (with the intention to harvest and press the seeds into oil). Doña Aura was very impressed at my attempt to grow soybeans, a highly available plant protein source in Nicaragua AND the featured food in our workshop.

The Soybean Project

After an overnight soak, we rubbed the beans to remove the clear skins (which contribute to gas).

Next up, grinding the softened soybeans into a thick paste--Aura uses a hand grinder, a great arm workout, though a blender will also do the job.

Add the soy mash to a pot of boiling water and stir occasionally for about 15 minutes, until a froth forms on top.

Remove from heat. Once cool, squeeze the milky mixture through a cheese cloth, retaining the solids in the cloth and saving the liquid in the pot.

Said liquid IS your freshly made soy milk! Doña Aura prefers to add lemon leaves for flavor and also recommends vanilla, cinnamon, and a bit of sugar. yuuum!

On to those soy curds that were separated out from the milk.
Doña Aura actually makes this stuff on a regular basis and sells it as soy "chorizo" (sausage); it is that good!

We enjoyed each other's company over heavy chopping: feast your eyes on our rainbow of sliced and diced onions, peppers, cabbage, celery, tomatoes, and carrots.

The diced bits were mixed in with our soy "meat," along with a dash of salt, to create the coveted chorizo de soya:
Doña Aura's fresh soy sausage can be spread as is on bread or toast, or fried lightly in oil as a crispy patty.

As for our Homemade Four Food Group Luncheon Extravaganza, the larger veggies pieces were sauteed in a sumptuous stew topped with fried cheese. ¡Que rico!
It was an honor and a privilege to spend the day with a gardener and nutritionist of such enviable experience and delightful demeanor. ¡Muchas gracias Doña Aura!

Minding my Qs

2009-11-06T20:16:00.000-06:00

It's not a yam, it's not a sweet potato, it's....

Quequisque!

What? ( pronounce it as KAY-KEYS-KAY)
Well, that's the local name for this world-popular tuber, more commonly known as malanga, cousin to taro. Despite its rather unattractive outer skin (they resemble burnt chicken legs, no?), quequisque reveals a tender white flesh when peeled.

I hear that this hardy root crop is cooked up in every way imaginable in cuisines around the globe; in Nicaragua is it mostly commonly incorporated into soups and stews. The flavor is, hmm how to describe it...... bland? Much like a potato. but with a stickier texture, lending a thickening quality to said soups.

Personally I admire quequisque in the garden.

This beautiful plant could easily pass for an ornamental!

Once I learned to identify the bright green flaps of quesquisque, I started recognizing its "elephant ears" along roadsides, bordering fences, amongst coffee farms, and in urban patios. The locals already have it figured out! Plant one of these hairy monster eggs in the backyard, and enjoy its splendid green foliage until harvesting its bounty. Is there anything cooler than an attractive edible??Folks around here do not seem practiced in eating the leaves; however, in other lands they provide a nutrient-dense source of roughage. But be warned! The leaves are known to contain needle-like calcium oxalate crystals which irritate the mouth and throat. This irritation is avoided by boiling the leaves for an undetermined period of time before consuming. maybe i'll try them, no rush. I am told it could be up to six months before the tubers are ready to harvest. Let's reconvene in febrero.

On to another Q in my garden, also an eye-catching edible:

Can you guess?

Even if you are as big a fan of this South American GRAIN, as I am, odds are you are not familiar with the plant. Or maybe you've never heard of it: Quinoa! (pronounced KEEN-WA)

Quinoa is a tiny seed championed for its incredibly complete protein content. For vegetarians, quinoa provides all the goods that typically require a legume + grain formula for plant-based proteins. It cooks up into a fluffy, nutty dish that is delicious at breakfast with milk and fruit as well as a compliment to a stir-fry, as a substitute for rice.
I look forward to the day when I shall harvest, eat, (and display online) my Qs. Until then, I will work on keeping both my Ps and Qs in order.

FARM CATS?

2009-11-04T10:04:00.000-06:00

Cats seem like the perfect farm pet, no? Chasing rodents, communing picturesquely with the horse and cows...
Weeeeell, that's hardly the case over here. We LOVE our cats--I think it's obvious they provide much more in the realm of companionship and entertainment than in the maintenance of the farm.

Zaya did catch a mouse though (once):

we were so proud!

Granted, it was tiny :)
I chalk up her fat laziness to her american upbringing--in California, we only let her outside on a leash (how embarassing!)

I have greater hopes for Chia, born on the streets of Nicaragua.
She's not afraid of Lucinda, which is more than I can say for poor Zay, who flees at the mere sight of the horse.

Chia's more than healthy interest in the chickens makes me think she harbors tigress-like hunting instincts. But though she ambushes the chicks, really she is intimidated by Mama Canela!

It is tricky business training kitties to be farm cats. We encourage them to chase down the cucarachas and rodents, but interfere when they molest butterflies and stalk song birds.

It's ok to dig up soil in the yard, but bad bad bad when they tear up my potted plants!
What's a cat to do?

Chia takes cover in my lemongrass harvest

Zaya keeps watch over the internet connection

flowers for the dead

2009-11-02T11:09:00.000-06:00

Día de los Muertos

November 2nd is a day for honoring loved ones, friends and family, who have passed on. It is celebrated differently in many regions around the world, from Latin American to Africa; here is a glimpse of this special day in Nicaragua.

Here, flowers rule the holiday.

The front of the cemetery becomes an impromptu florist market.

Visitors purchase flower bouquets and bundles outside the cemetery gates, many prepared with vases, buckets of water, and ribbons.

It is a day for reconnecting with old friends, and remembering.

Goat Love

2009-10-30T10:58:00.000-06:00

The goats are such a big part of my life now, I think it is only appropriate they make occasional appearances here. and lucky you, you don't have to hear their incessant bleeeating while you admire their floppity ears and soulful eyes.
The girls will be receiving even more attention in the coming months as I prepare to breed them; now is the time for RESEARCH, as this will be my first time in charge of such a veterinary venture. I joined an online goat list serve where I am learning the nitty gritty on goat estrus cycles, breeding, kidding, and an assortment of medical advice from how to care for geriatric does to procedures for identifying and removing hoof parasites.

Currently we believe that Ezmeralda is 9 months old,

and Lupita Maria is about 7 months.

Appropriate breeding size/age is a matter of discrepancy amongst goat enthusiasts, but I have deduced the most important factor to be weight of at least 80 lbs. How will I weigh my goats? great question. We have no scale for humans, much less the clunky cloven-hoofed ones. Welcome to Nicaragua....

As for basic care, pre-expecting momma goats require the same as any mammal. With earnest, I strive to keep the girls in top shape by:

Providing an abundance of high quality forage

Goats are ruminants, meaning they have four stomachs! Digestion is a complicated process by which plant material is chewed, swallowed, regurgitated, chewed again, and finally rendered useful in the fourth stomach. Other ruminants include sheep, cows, deer, and the like.
Anyway,,,,,in addition to weeds and shrubs and the occasional bark of my lemon trees, the goats enjoy fruits such as mango, guava, and apparently banana flowers:

she ate the whole thing!

Our goats also receive a serving of fortified grain in the evening, as well as a vitamin/salt supplement.

and secondly,

Allowing them ample exercise

Goats are surprisingly fast. They LOVE running and jumping! Each morning when I open the gate of the Cabra Cabaña, the girls bound out at lightening speed, delighting in their freedom of space.
Ez, Lupita, and I have established a Goat Walk as a morning ritual, me enjoying a brisk walk around the farm and the goats alternating sprints with furious chomping of roadside weeds. it's a win-win situation.
These days, with the constant tropical rains, it is frustrating for all of us to be cooped up inside. Unlike sheep with their water-resistant wool, goats become soaked and chilled to the bone in wet conditions. On rainy mornings I don my raincoat & mud boots and scramble out to harvest fresh stalks and branches, which are hand-delivered to the cabaña. (If only we were so lucky!)
Things are only going to get more exciting (and maybe scary & weird), so stay tuned for the upcoming adventures of Ez & Pita!

Deep Fried Squash Blossoms: a spontaneous breakfast

2009-10-29T10:04:00.000-06:00

I got out to the garden early this morning and was beckoned by bright orange squash blossoms! They said " Eat us!" and so I endeavored to do just that.

First I picked 6 of the blooming beauties, all male blossoms, leaving several on the vine for pollination.
Rinse and remove stem, stamen, and any lurking insects.
Prepare filling: I chopped onion, garlic, tomato, chili pepper, cilantro, and baby spinach. and grated 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, plus a dash of salt and pepper.

Mix filling ingredients together (I chose to sautee the garlic and onion first, eliciting their ultimate flavor potential, which was brilliant as the cheese got nice and melty)
Gently stuff the awaiting squash blossoms full. I read that you should twist the petals to close the flower up, but they didn't stay shut for me.
Dip and roll each blossom into first, a slightly beaten egg; second, a mixture of 1/4 cup flour with 1/2 cup cornmeal + 1 tsp salt
Fry baby fry! (did i say this was healthy?) Allow all sides to become a crispy golden brown.

Optional scrambling of leftover egg--I added one more to make the meal complete.

Welcome to yum city! A hearty farm fresh breakfast to kick off the day!

TomatObession

2009-10-24T10:23:00.000-06:00

In the manner of all obsessions, I didn't realize it was happening until it was too late. A little spaghetti here, a bowl of chili there. A BLT for lunch, a zippy pico de gallo as a snack. Before I knew it, french fries, burgers, and dogs all were naked without ketchup; friday night was and is eternally Pizza Night; and every salad is incomplete without fresh sliced tomatoes.

Needless to say, when I prepped my first garden plot last year, tomatoes were at the top of my plant list. little did i know....

tomatoes are very sensitive. Factor in my severe wet and dry seasons and newbie gardener skills, bam: the perfect recipe for disaster.
In my desperation, I have gone so far as to grow tomatoes upside-down, hanging in a bucket. The latest of such experiments ended up with late blight, a yucky fungus that will ultimately destroy your plant and spread to others.

However, the reason i write today is not to whine, oh no. On the contrary, a pledge to persevere. Rest assured: this is not a passing fancy, a forgettable whim. Deliciously homegrown tomatoes remain my fixation and despite discouraging setbacks, I will not be deterred.

Selecting from an impressive assortment of tomato seeds that kind visitors smuggled in for me over the past year, i picked out disease-resistant varieties.
My latest crop has been fortified with preventative measures of every sort:

To reduce contact with soil, i.e. soil-born fungi, i have mulched with newspaper and cardboard.
Note that the plants are raised on mounds, allowing the heavy and frequent rains to run off rather than collect in moldy puddles.
The tomato bed is surrounded by beneficial plants: anti-fungal garlic, nematode-resisting marigolds, & pollinator-attracting borage
Branches are appropriately staked on string, & low hanging limbs and leaves are removed immediately to prevent mud saturation

My efforts are already paying off:

happily fruiting tomatoes!

To the early blight and late blight, blossom end rot, tomato hornworm, leafminers, and creepy red spider bugs: Gracias for humility & first hand experience; the tomato quest prevails!

an eclectic harvest

2009-10-21T19:50:00.000-06:00

No pumpkins, no squash. no corn cobs. It might say Octubre on the calendar, but in my garden the date is irrelevant.

Alternating heavy rains with brilliant sunshine keeps mi jardin abundantly fruitful with not so usual autumn crops. My horn of plenty is filled with an eclectic october harvest:

Lemongrass, pictured above in foreground, after its haircut. Instead of simply trimming the browning ends, i decided to preserve some of this lusciously fragrant herb for later use, or for gifting.
I chopped some into pieces to freeze, bundled others to dry.

Lemony blades were everywhere when my assistant showed up to taste test.

tangy, like a tropical catnip

Better than squash, a new favorito mio is chayote (rhymes with coyote). This beautiful fruta loca grows on long luxurious vines, dangling from an overhead ramada (in the background of my garden photo above).

A flavor comparable to a summer squash yet more nutty, we enjoy chayote cooked in casseroles, diced in omelets, or simply sauteed in garlic and olive oil.

In between rains while the garden is drying out, we find time to get out for a beach day, or a volcano hike, and soak up the October sun.

BREADFRUIT: weird & wonderful

2009-10-12T20:28:00.000-06:00

Breadfruit is a new food to me. that is to say, it's not big in Virginia (although as fruits go, is it ever!) We are fortunate to have two gigantic breadfruit trees on the farm and right now, they are producing like mad.

I have been pretty intimidated by this ostrich egg of a fruit, from its green iguana-like skin to its spongy mushroomy insides.

I was encouraged by Ancel over at Island Farm , who has impressive tropical fruit knowledge and claims a fondness for the bizarre but beautiful fruta de pan.

Attempt #1: Rolling up my sleeves, I approached the monstrous carbohydrate ball that would become dinner.

My recipe was simple: boil, stuff, bake.

After 15 minutes or so in a pot of boiling water, I removed the breadfruit and attempted to excavate the soft flesh. I was met with more resistance than expected, i don't think it was tender enough. Nevertheless, i diced the softer pieces and mixed them with chopped onions, carrots, and tofu cubes, then re-filled the breadfruit halves and drizzled with olive oil.
My hope was for edible baked boats, but though the filling was scrumptious, the inside of the breadfruit never tenderized enough.

Attempt #2 was more successful. After harvesting, it takes only a few days for breadfruit to soften; there's a fine line between ripe and rotten. I was lucky to catch this one at the perfect moment for a dessert.
It was easy to scoop the sticky sweet flesh out this time. I tossed it in a saucepan with milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar to create a creamy delicious tropical treat!

The hands down favorite style in this casa is pan-fried slices, breadfruit's incarnation of the french fry.
Crispy yet.....bready.

Next up I am excited to try a recipe for breadfruit pizza dough! that i found here. Tropical culinary adventures, keep 'em coming!

talkin' trash

2009-10-11T09:02:00.000-06:00

Gone are the days of "just trash it" and "throw it away." As my Culture and Ecology professor Dr. Boyer pointed out to an eager group of aspiring environmentalists some 10 years ago: There is no such thing as away. To which we all passionately nodded and agreed, but perhaps did not fully implement back then into our capricious college lifestyles.

There is an ugly, endless list of data corroborating Dr. Boyer's astute warning. to name a few:

Landfills are surprise! filling UP
Most landfills leak toxins into ground water
Nobody wants a landfill in their backyard (do you?)
Sending our trash into outer space is ridiculous and irresponsible.

In the face of this dilemma, there is some absurd percentage of landfill waste that could have otherwise been diverted. aha! this is where i focus attention on my dinky little farm in Nicaragua, where i am trying to follow the sage advice i received a decade ago.

Before we send our trash "away," it has several possible diversions:

Yummy raw tidbits like fruit and vegetable peelings are gobbled up by Mama Canela y hijos.

mmm, so much tastier covered with dirt!

Other organic waste, including coffee grounds, tea bags, and banana leaves are buried in here, our newly fashioned our worm bin!

Simple concrete bins with an aluminum lid house a prosperous community of both African and Californian worms.The roof/lid keeps the temperature cool and I water daily to maintain appropriate moisture. Note the drainage faucets for collecting compost tea!
We are counting on these slimy decomposers to transform our "garbage" into rich, fertile soil.

The trusty old Compost Bin receives primarily citrus peelings, known to be too strong for worms; avocado pits and large seeds; and egg shells, known to harbor potentially harmful bacteria (and even though they would probably eat them, it seems too gross to feed them to the chickens).

Lastly,,,,, o.k. yes, we are still consuming products packaged in plastic bags, wrappers, bottles, etc. So we make use of the municipal garbage service. Sadly, most folks living out of town burn their trash--yes, even the plastic-- in weekly toxic fires that are completely legal here. I did visit the local dump, and it makes me wonder which is the healthier option.

vulture paradise

Thank you Dr. Boyer! Majoring in anthropology wasn't such a "waste," after all ;)

Garden Rainbow

2009-10-08T14:25:00.000-06:00

For the sake of all the Nica farmers and of my own little garden plants, I have been grateful for the rains that characterize our wet season here. However, day after day of gray skies has left me feeling a little dull and gray myself. I am always cheered by a rainbow, so when the clouds cleared this morning I went out on a hunt.

this bright red blossom surprised me by popping up in a potted plant I inherited

Amongst my thriving nasturtium i discovered a plucky orange

Lots of gardeners scorn spiky thistle plants, but there's no denying these flowers radiate sunlight

(as if i even had to look), my red bean field is currently a carpet of green

I guess i'm out of luck in the blue plant category...

but what a finish with this splash of violet!

i trimmed a cutting of this from a store front garden in town ;) Not sure what it is.

This felt a little Mr. Rogers, but i admit it cheered me up!

rabbit food

2009-10-01T12:25:00.000-06:00

Leafy greens are not a big part of the diet here. A vinegary cabbage salad is fairly typical, often mixed with some carrot and onion. You can find iceberg lettuce in the markets, but rarely have i seen it served. While my tolerance for cabbage has developed into an almost fondness, I continually miss the deep green crunchiness of kale, collard greens, chard, and spinach. Most leafy greens prefer cooler temperatures, cooler than we ever get in my area. There are however, many non-traditional edible leaves that i'm learning to grow and love.

Nasturtium took to the dry tropical climate here immediately!

While a bit spicy, both the leaves and flowers of nasturtium are edible and add a crispy delicious zing to a salad.

This one is a little more unusual, a hibiscus relative known as roselle whose flowers are brewed in a popular refresco here, "Te Jamaica"
Turns out the leaves have a tart cranberry-like flavor as well.

And despite the odds, i made multiple attempts to cultivate salad greens:
under the shady eaves of the house I have successfully grown spinach!

Note the elongated horse-proof cage--Lucinda sniffs around my precious spinach every day or so but is unable to reach these well-guarded greens. I harvest the spinach regularly, which may explain why the plants stay so small? that's my guess, unless it is a result of the heat...
For comparison I've started another spinach inside on my kitchen windowsill. time will tell.

Probably the most successful salad supplement are my beet greens!

My beet beauties thrive in a box just outside the house where each day they receive a few hours of strong sun and many hours of cool shade. The greens have produced for several months now, kindly allowing me to snip snip about every other day for a salad, an omelet, taco filling, etc.

Eat your heart out, rabbits!

Garden 911

2009-09-29T14:06:00.000-06:00

I don't mean to alarm anyone, but some of my plants need HELP!!
Please pardon my departure from cheery pretty plant posts to lament some of the tough realities in my organic garden.
Maybe you've experienced one of these issues, or you are an accomplished gardener, or perhaps you are simply a nice person with an idea, please feel free to TELL ME WHAT TO DO!

First, have a looksie at my pipian--it is a local variety of squash, soft skin much like a zucchini. This is what keeps happening :(

The leaves develop a white moldy-looking hue, eventually yellow and die, as do any developing squashlings.

In the past my zucchini and yellow squash was decimated by several pests; for educational purposes i will relive these painful moments wherein my cucurbits were prey to striped cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and vine-borers. Yesterday i found evidence of vine-borers once again AND i caught this sneaky lady bug look-alike chomping away.

I am now wondering: Is it the pests causing an untimely demise to my pipian,,,,or is that white stuff a tell tale mold/fungus problem?

My garden, though pest-ful, is pesticide free ;) so spraying toxins is out. I do have a concentrated neem oil that i am more than willing to use. I have also employed companion planting and beneficial plants (nasturtium, mint, marigold, borage, garlic) to discourage pest infestations.
And here, with my pumpkin plantitas (probably started too late for Halloween), is a cute preventative method i read about:

shiny aluminum foil wrapped around the base of the stem, with the intention of foiling those vexatious vine-borers. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Next up in my Plagued Plant Tour, a disappearing leaf incident. Congo chiles are the spiciest type of local chile you'll find in Nicaragua. they are tiny but pack a punch. My congo bush was thriving, until......

one day it had NO MORE leaves! Nada. And this has happened before with another congo, which subsequently shriveled up and died. ¿que paso?

Finally, assuming you are not too depressed to keep going, may i submit one more sickling:

Scarlet Runner Bean

Again, not a new issue. The bright scarlet beans sprout and grow about this much before the leaves yellow, curl up a bit, and die. I have not seen any pests. and pole beans have done well in the same area. hmmmmm...

That's the sob story. FYI we are in the middle of the Wet Season, buckets of rain almost every day.

I appreciate any advice, suggestions, tips a kind reader might have! or commiseration, or just good-old fashioned pity....
con mucho gusto,
Liz

happy-go-clucky

2009-09-28T08:21:00.000-06:00

Thanks to the creativity and kindness of our latest industrious visitors, yet another micro-habitat has been built on the farm!

With drills, saws, nails, and screws, Michella and Jamie transformed our old pick-up truck's cab-over

into a deluxe two- story condo!

From the outside, an enormous yet unpretentious tortoise adds an eclectic and mysterious energy to the garden.

Who's living in there????

INTRODUCING:

¡Mama Canela y Familia!

La Señora and her four chicks seem pleased with their new residence. They've been busy scratching in the dirt, pecking at weeds, and nibbling table scraps since they arrived. We hope Canela will make good use of the laying boxes positioned conveniently at the rear of the structure,

where i plan to gather fresh eggs every morning!!!

and surprise, surprise: it looks like i've already got a volunteer to help me
You can't argue with the perfect protein of an egg. I do get grossed out by their slimy consistency, but that is easily amended with a well cooked scramble. Despite our eagerness to eat only our own local eggs, Canela is our sole layer for now. Hopefully a couple of those pollitos will be hens (supposedly 50%), though we have several months to make bets.
And no, we will not be eating any of our feathered friends; i am not against doing it, but my other half is ;)

p.s. farm work at our place isn't all work:
Muchismismas Gracias for work and play well done, mis amigos!

holy limones!

2009-09-22T20:36:00.000-06:00

If i were ever to have imagined or fantasized about living in an orchard, lemons would not have been my first pick. Most likely I would have chosen a tasty fruit, like peaches or cherries, a snack that i love to eat. and would probably be thoroughly sick and tired of by now. After living through a practically perpetual season of lemons, the supply is one i cannot live without!
On a daily basis i gather lemons as I walk across the farm--usually there are 2 or 3 in my pockets. In the kitchen, a full basket regularly awaits my attention. Limonada is a constant here. When things get boring i blend it with our favorite cactus fruit, pitaya,

for a gorgeous and zingy refresco:

A drop or two of lemon juice is squeezed into EVERYTHING, from fresh salads to soups to pasta. When my sweet tooth demands indulgence, i satisfy with a sweet yet tart dessert: a ridiculously simple batch of lemon bars!

And the limones are not only indispensable in the kitchen! The kitten now endures weekly lemon baths, a supposed natural flea repellent (can't hurt), and I whipped up a homemade lemon/vinegar cleaning productmaking use of lemon's antibacterial acidity and fresh scent. With our gray water system in place, all cleaning products must be non-toxic and plant-friendly.

With so many free lemons, and with so much cheap RUM, who wouldn't experiment!?
Supposedly a higher alcoholic content allows for greater flavor absorption, which explains the deeply delicious pungency of the Italians' limoncello, made with a high proof vodka. My version, (think more latin lemon fiesta) will feature none other than Nicaragua's legendary Flor de Caña!
Drowned in the clear liquid rum, my little homegrown lemon zests have been infused for almost a month now. one more month 'til tasting.
Cheers to a crop that doesn't cry for daily attention, provides shady relief from the blazing sun, sweetens the air with its fragrant blossoms, houses a myriad of bird life, cleans my house, cleans my pets, flavors my food, and makes me smile ;)

PEPPERS

2009-09-13T17:59:00.000-06:00

Saludos y Feliz septiembre!
Following the tragic end to two new cameras, I have been depressed (and apprehensive) about posting anything without photos. However! from the dusty confines of a storage box comes an archaic yet fully functioning Sony Cyber-Shot. HALLELUJAH!
Though it is September and the end of many planting seasons up north, another Nica season is only just beginning.
Without further ado, I must address the starlets in my garden: Bell Peppers!

Out of the eight hearty plants that i transplanted from seed boxes and are now tucked cozily in a garden bed, SIX have peppers! The seed packet, a mixed bag if you will, promises a certain percentage of 4 or 5 different varieties. I've been waiting eagerly for each plant to show off some distinct color or shape, an inkling to it being an Orange Sun? a Chardonnay?

a Diamond...

or a Big Red??

Personally I don't know what any of these varieties truly looks like, aside from the photo arrangement on the packet. Deducing the implication of a "bull's horn" from this nombre italiano, i'm fairly certain i've got a Sweet Corno di Toro

The peppers all start off green, regardless of their eventual hue, leaving the gardener the choice to harvest early or to allow the peppers to ripen on the vine. The dilemma, (there always is one), is that the plants are known to produce more heavily if they are harvested earlier. You can then ripen your peppers in a brown bag or other cool dark place. If you hope to save seeds however (which i do), it is important to leave the fruit adequate development on the plant so that the seeds fully ripen. ha! what to do?

Keeping with the mixed bag theme, I gently clipped a pepper or two from several of the plants, encouraging them to continue busting out blooms and fruit, and the others i am allowing to patiently develop their perfect pepper potential.

the line-up

After 2 days in a dark box:

In celebration, i featured the latest harvest in my favorite cuisine, pictured here along with the other homegrown ingredients (lemon, lemongrass, chiles)

And for comparison, a scene of the extranjero foods:

Thai Coconut Curry Soup!

*home-grown basil and beet greens added at finish

hooves,paws, & claws

2009-08-29T17:53:00.000-06:00

i love gardening and its challenges but i must admit that for me, it is a decided effort to focus on the flora and not the fauna.In the past year while i've warmed to seeds and saplings and soils, our animal clientele has grown--the furry ones deserve a post of their own!

Lucinda

We inherited Lucinda from another farm where she was a work horse, pulling heavy loads, maybe plowing. She was scrawny and timid back then--three months as a free-ranging "rescue" horse and she is chummier with us than i believed a horse could be! She follows our car as we leave and enter the property and every morning she greets us with a cheerful whinny at the front door! Affectionately referred to as our living lawnmower, Lucinda's main job is to keep the weeds down.

I don't have a saddle yet, but Luci is fine with bareback. she loves mangoes, stomps her feet in delight while eating grain, and has the sweetest horse-breath.

Future prospects for Lucinda: a horse buddy? plowing with me, and riding to town in sophisticated leather get-up!

Lupita Maria y Ezmeralda

Our goat gals continue to amuse and alarm. Because of their habit? ability? to eat all things green, i keep them tethered in various weedy spots around the farm. otherwise our coffee and lemon trees, not to mention my veggies, would be long gone. Inevitably, the two of them twist and tangle their ropes into insane knots, often within minutes.
Ezmeralda and i tend to butt heads (ha, actually her head butts my leg) as we vie for title of alpha female. i read that to show dominance, you should hold your goat on her back until she stops fighting. i've showed her 3 times now, but we still do not have an agreement.
Ez's favorite activity is running into open spaces and jumping for joy! Second favorite is probably roughing up Lupita.

Lupita Maria is the kid sister ;) and behaves as such. she's quieter than Ez, and always wants to be where her big sis is. i love her floppy ears and pink nose.

She loves fresh fruit and afternoon naps in the shade.
Up next for las cabras (in a year or so): babies, milk, goat cheese!

Zaya

Adjusting to farm life has been slightly traumatic, as Zaya is terrified of horses and dogs. you can sometimes catch her in a playful mood, but these days its rare.
The recent introduction of a new kitty has been the last straw for poor Zaya.

How could anyone not fall in love with this face?

Either of these faces! Thank you Jen for being a pedestal to our princesa: Chia
Chia makes up for her incessant mewing the second you pick her up by purrrring and nuzzling. she is a huge fan of the broom, piles of dirt, all insects, and being picked up.

Por las gatas: mediation, peace talks, friendship; more diligent insect control.

full of frijoles

2009-08-20T18:44:00.000-06:00

'Tis the season

for BEANS!

A rite of passage for any latin american farmer, this was my first 100% On-My-Own bean crop.

who's counting? me:
Seven pounds planted
twice the rows weeded
ninety days plants grew
20-something pounds harvested (thus far)
lessons learned: innumerable

May 26 i gently tossed the first 2 lbs into 4 shallow rows, the crookedness of said rows being my involuntary trademark design (regardless of how hard i try to plant in straight lines).
A local farmer told us you weed your beans twice during the growing season, ensuring that your beans crop is healthy and low maintenance

note the inescapable (yet groovy?) curves

I didn't know it at the time, but these rows are too CLOSE. once the bean plants thrived and climbed and stretched, i was left with a wild unnavigable tangle of vines.
Bean harvest Nica style consists of a few simple steps:

Yanking up the dried plants and leaving them to sun dry for 4 days. these homemade drying screens work PERFECTLY

Once the pods are thoroughly dry (brown & crackly), the entire plant is stuffed into a sack which is then beaten with a stick. then shook.
Beat,
shake.
Beat,
shake
until the majority of the dry beans are relinquished from their pods and drop to the bottom of the sack. A primitive process perhaps, but highly effective for releasing supressed energy and working your biceps.
The dirt/sticks/leaves must now be painstakingly picked out of the bountiful harvest. At this stage i flubbed up again and "cleaned" the beans in water, thus inciting the sprouting potential of the next generation of bean plants. can you eat red and black bean sprouts? never heard of it before but you sure as heck wouldn't store dry beans wet. hence, i was forced to plant out the sproutlings.

At this point the beans should be laid out in a safe sunny spot to DRY more. i learned this one the hard way when my first few pounds grew a fluffy white mold...

And, despite producing a beauteous visual effect, the colorful red + black combo was unintentional....another consequence of planting rows of frijoles negros too close to rows of frijoles rojos, not to mention culinary taboo in the eyes of red bean loyal Nicas.

seeds

2009-08-09T11:52:00.000-06:00

For the most part, every plant i'm growing i started from SEED: not always an easy task. There are several nurseries in the area, but they are typically ornamentals or fruit trees. Plus i've been attempting the monumental (or dim-witted?) enterprise of growing north american crops down here where i am learning that the two distinct seasons (wet and dry) are equally extreme and challenging in their completely opposite ways.
Por eso, it seems smart to save as many seeds as i can, which i'm still trying to get the knack of. some plants make it easier than others:

Scarlet Runner Beans, always an eye-catcher!
Sadly though, this is one of only 4 pods that I harvested from the 10 plants that i started! Transplanted in January, the little starts seemed happy enough...leaves were large and green, tendrils began to curl and climb. BUT, they were not destined for high places i suppose, as the leaves repeatedly began to yellow and eventually fall off. When red buds finally appeared on my one would-be show stopper, I cheered thinking it would grow and flourish.
Despite the hopeful blossoms, you can see the leaves continued to wither and die. I suppose i should count myself lucky that there were any beans at all? The question remains: what the heck was wrong with them??

From day one, sunflowers have had a presence in the garden. Braving a thirsty dry season, the first batch never grew over 4 ft (though the package claims that Mammoths will reach 12 feet high!) Being a favorite decoration as well as healthy snack, I was eager to harvest the tasty seeds.Supposedly an heirloom variety, these seeds should be viable. however....
most every single one is shell with a dried up carcass inside. Maybe they needed more fertilization??

Moving on, borage, a lovely edible flower as well as butterfly attractor, is a fun flower to harvest seeds from.

Little green pods open to reveal four round seeds, which when dried, turn brown and are released.

i am waiting to plant these guys, as i read that borage is an avid self-seeder. But if not, i've got seed stock ;)

Maybe i've mentioned them before, but i am continually proud of the bell pepper plants i nursed from seed to start and now FRUIT!

Because it was a mixed bag of bell pepper seeds, (and i just discovered that all pepper plants start out green regardless of their end color), the identity of my eight pepper plants remains secret!

Glutton for punishment?

you tell me. i couldn't resist trying again, this time with a supposed heat resistant variety. Upside-down Tomato Experiment : take 2

the little things

2009-08-08T17:56:00.000-06:00

, c

First post FROM THE FARM: we finally live here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (and we have a new kitty: meet Chia!)
Despite the presence of a seemingly miraculous internet connection (cryptically referred to as 3G), life out here in el campo has been a significant step away from mainstream technology and a huge leap into the welcoming arms of alternative energy. Which ironically isn't as simple as the so-called simple life implies.
Miles from city lights and telephone connections, amidst coffee plantations and avocado trees, our sweet little casa houses a myriad of complex new/old technology.

First step was the use of a handy device called the Kill-A-Watt. seriously.

This handy gauge measures the amount of wattage your electricity-guzzling appliances are guzzling. After measuring each and every plug-in item in our old place, I was forced to cut out some of my favorite guzzlers (notably my toaster oven). Our hope is that our lightened electrical load will be a more feasible burden for la systema solar.

voila!

One week down powered 100% by our six 200 watt panels. and this is the rainy season! Lucky for me, my live-in engineer knows exactly what's happening in the "solar closet," pictured below:

My department has been finding low-energy alternatives....

such as the simple switch from our auto-drip coffee maker to
the french press, supposedly the best cup of joe out there. ¡que simple!

Rather than burning electricity, breakfast en la casa presents a perfect opportunity to burn some calories: remember this blast from the past??

Our buddy Rich putting an egg-beater to appropriate use

And in an impressive attempt at resurrecting a lost culinary art, a grinding stone sits prominently on my new counter-top, awaiting its chance to pulverize dry corn....or something?

I admit I haven't employed this one yet.....but i will ;)

Lluvia

2009-07-23T17:08:00.000-06:00

Time for a serious update! Apologies to anyone who has been following our crazy farm adventures, and a public apology to all the flora and fauna i have neglected the past few weeks :) Now i know: "dry" tropical forest don't mean nothin during the rainy season, AND it's a very bad time to leave garden plants unattended. Just like with kids, you leave 'em alone for long enough, they go WILD:

As I could have predicted, the ayote squash once again claimed reign over the garden. Squash is a hearty plant in general, and here in our "dry tropical" climate, ayote demonstrates a supreme level of prowess. This time, however, I was prepared. Instead of planting 3 seeds to a mound 2 ft apart, as dictated by standard squash cultivation, I planted a total of only four seedlings, and several feet apart at that, so the voracious monsters have been unable to dominate completely.

Many fruit have already formed!

Thanks to my newly-acquired curcubit experience, this time around ample space was available for my sandía (watermelon) to finally spread her vines!

(Last fall during my first go-round in the garden, squash ended up obliterating all trace of my precious sandías. i cried.)

Other exciting developments include:

arbolitos!

Front and center is a cashew baby, started from a fruit i harvested (and ate) on the farm. Behind, do you recognize these two? The Jane Doe sisters! Unidentified saplings that i started from an unknown seed.

Espinaca!

While I transplanted my original espinaca (Basella alba) to the farm, seeds from the mother plant continue to sprout, providing us with fresh greens daily.

I think i finally got the hang of my favorite flavor of all, jenhibre (ginger),

though i'm not sure how to know when they are ready to harvest?

And.....

for the first time ever i am growing bell peppers!

Because of all the blight issues with the tomatoes, i am taking every precaution to protect the peppers from fungus. They will be transplanted to the ground in mounds where HOPEFULLY the daily downpours will run off rather than pool up.

This is only a small taste of the delicious overgrowth happening during our Epoca de Lluvia. Here, when it rains it really does pour. i am spending most non-rain hours, usually mornings, pulling a jungle of weeds which then re-grow during the afternoon. i love it! Recently i've found that getting down on my hands and knees and pulling weeds as i crawl makes me feel like a jungle cat. anyway....

While the weeds grow, i'm doing my own growing indoors--the kombucha keeps comin'!
Two new flavor discoveries, Zacate Limón (lemongrass) y Fresa (Strawbery).

yum!

At this point, i have more SCOBYs than i know what to do with!

and my real jungle cat, napping to the sound of rain on the garage roof

La Cabra Cabaña

2009-07-04T19:03:00.000-06:00

Recently it has been more and more obvious that Ezmeralda needs more sufficient shelter.

the poor dear has been out in the rain, alone, tethered to a tree.

Lucky for her, it was Gansers to the rescue!!!!

Taking a break from volcano hikes, island boating, and sumptious seafood feasts, our dedicated visitors donated their own sweat and tears into the creation of a happy home for our Ez.

The ultimate product, La Cabra Cabaña, was a complete success!!!!!

Since the construction of la cabaña, we have added a newbie to the family:

Meet Lupita Maria!

Despite the bizarre fact that Ezmeralda is a (human) momma's girl, Lupita took to her right away and follows her every move. The girls can usually be found chomping grass and shrubs in various areas around the farm, or during a downpour, shacking up in their tropical luxurious goat accomodations.

Muchas gracias Adam y Alissa!!!!

hiAtus

2009-06-27T14:51:00.000-06:00

Although i've been something of an absentee farmer,on the farm growing must grow on! The rains have come and all plants are growing like cRaZy, whether i'm there to watch or not. Probably the most satisfying crop has been BEANS

For about $2 i buy several pounds of beans at the market, toss them into the awaiting fertile ground, and before my very eyes they spring out of the earth!

Here in Nicaragua RED beans rule, as a rule. The Nicaragua national dish, gallo pinto, is a red beans + rice combo; no other bean will suffice. Our neighbors to the south, Costa Rica, tout a gallo pinto of their own, more commonly with black beans. Nicas tend to be overly-possessive with the red bean thing and the Who-created-gallo pinto-issue is very sensitive. i personally will eat any and all beans, because they're ALL good. However in this household, our on-site cook has blatantly ignored the black beans i buy, even complaining to me that "there are NO beans," meaning no red beans. And my favorite Nica adamantly prefers los frijoles rojos over all others, going so far to claim that gallo pinto with black beans is not gallo pinto.

Needless to say, we go through a LOT of beans. The bean return is supposedly 7lb to every 1lb planted; our goal is to grow a year's supply. This has been tricky to figure out, as gallo pinto is served with every meal.

I have many more updates, stay tuned!
and to provide some explanation for my absence, i plead monkey business :)

the good, the bad, and the ugly

2009-06-12T18:27:00.000-06:00

Good: flowers are blooming!Calendula, Calendula officinalis

Borage, Borago officinalis

African Marigolds, Tagetes erecta

Girasol, Helianthus giganteus

well, the squash/zucchini situation has gone from Bad to Worse. i should have taken some photos to share, but a passionate burst of rage has rendered that an impossibility. Upon realizing that the poor dears were not only infested with Squash Bugs and Striped Cucumber Beetles but also a despicable pest called the Squash Vine Borer, i tore their ravaged carcasses from the earth to spare them any further humiliation. In my hunt for the aforementioned bugs, i had dismissed the presence of the interesting buzzing black and orange "bee" in my garden, who meanwhile was busy (as a you know what) injecting its caterpillar eggs into the stalks of my squash plants.
Apparently it's possible to salvage your plant if the worm is removed early; in my Three Sisters Garden, it was too late.
On the upswing, while the zucchini plants were of no further use to me, they were a special treat for a new friend....
more Good: Introducing EZMERALDA!
A voracious eater, Ezzie was happy to obliterate every last trace of my squash plants,
not to mention, EVERY last piece of greenery in our backyard. Goats! there's no stopping 'em!

Finalamente, the Ugly

All three varieties of the tomatoes i planted are exhibiting classic signs of the fungus Early Blight. note the yellowed to brown circular spots.
Tomatoes have been the thorn in my side since the beginning (remember the UC-82s??) so maybe i'm not even surprised. Early Blight feeds on moisture, and unfortunately thrives in areas with heavy WEEDS. oooops. so much for my pro-weedy garden campaign.
The other huge mistake i made was planting tomatoes in the same darn garden plot--the fungus was most likely living in the soil since the first tomato crop. arrrgh.
still, the grape tomatoes continue to produce fruit.

¿fruta fea?

fruity

2009-06-05T14:34:00.001-06:00

Cool fruits you don't see every day (that i do):

Inga edulis

Inside the massive green pods of the guaba tree, seeds are encased in a velvety white EDIBLE flesh! One taste and you'll understand why it is nicknamed the "cotton candy fruit."
There is huge confusion around the name of this fruit. According to the books it is guaba, but is referred to here in Nicaragua as guayaba.
However, guayaba is translated as the spanish word for guava, a distinctly different fruit with juicy pink fruit and green skin.
Luckily, i enjoy both fruits so whatever i call it, or they call it, i'll eat it!

This might be the weirdest one yet:

Anacardium occidentale

Would you have guessed that this is the fruit and nut we call cashew??! Although the nut has gained international popularity, Nicas rave about cashew fruit and frequently grow the tree for the fruit only.It gets weirder: the nut, or seed, of a cashew is protected in the brownish cashew-shaped shell; inside the shell is a dangerous liquid containing the chemical urushiol, the same irritant in poison oak and ivy: cuidado! The common allergen may seriously injure your skin, not to mention your mouth. For this reason cashews are opened by roasting, steaming, or boiling, a process that should not be undertaken lightly.

Personally, i don't love cashew fruit. the flesh is pulpy, too smooshy for me and not sweet enough.

This one ain't so strange, though you might not recognize it so close up:

how about now?

Cucumis melo reticulatus is regular old canteloupe, and my plant is finally fruiting!!!!!

And, your everyday banana tree, in all its splendor:

out of the garden, into the frying pan

2009-06-04T08:47:00.000-06:00

The past few months of gardening I've been testing different seeds, various varieties of my favorite vegetables, most of which i purchased in the U.S. For this reason i've planted sparingly, noting which plants are adaptable to the hot tropical climate, which are pest-resistant, which are tasty, etc. Later i will know which varieties i want to plant in great quantities.
i came home the other day with my latest harvest, eager to cook up a farm-fresh meal!
except,
this was my bountiful cornucopia:

Succotash?

Luckily, i have access to an excellent local market where other farmers regularly bring in diverse harvests! So with a little help from my friends,

and this friend,

dinner began to take shape.

My corn and zucchini, plus broccoli, peppers, onion, carrots, and cabbage quickly fried in olive oil, tossed with a garlic, ginger, and soy sauce combo, toasted cashews on top, all served over brown rice:
One day i hope to grow such a gorgeous array myself!
I tried garlic earlier this year; somehow it all disappeared. rabbits? And ginger grows here as well, though i haven't been able to get its watering needs right. keep on keeping on, eh?

I am bringing in a larger percentage of this delicious Italian favorite:

BASIL ALMOND PESTO

1 large bunch of basil
1 head garlic
1/4 cup almonds
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

1) Separate basil leaves from stems and rinse well; peel garlic
2) Toast almonds (if raw) in an ungreased skillet over high heat, stirring CONSTANTLY, until golden brown

3) Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor (sorry i have no photos of this, but i'm sure you can picture it), adding salt and pepper to taste
4) Spread pesto onto homemade carrot bread

and find a taste-tester

Success!

I used almonds because pine nuts are unknown in these parts, as is fresh parmesan. i've also heard of using walnuts, but you don't see those around here either.

natural born killer?

2009-05-31T20:21:00.000-06:00

Organic Farming is a concept that, for me, has always conjured up associations like healthy, natural, ecologically-friendly, for the most part peaceful images. Well, I'm only a few months into this, but i'm learning fast: organic gardening is BRUTAL. by brutal i mean bloody. If you want plants to grow, other things have to DIE, it's cut-throat, people!
This is coming from a gal who consciously avoids ants on the sidewalk; who painstakingly removes spiders from inside the house in a jar in order to release them outdoors; a firm believer in karma!

Everything changed when i met Enemy #1

Anasa tristis

Enter the aptly if not creatively named Squash Bug: a pest who lives to suck the juices out of poor innocent squash, cucumber, and melon plants, reducing them to shriveled yellow shells of their former selves. In larger more-developed plants, the squash bug may only cause minor damage. However smaller, weaker plants are lambs to the slaughter, which i fear is the case with my yellow saffron summer squash, pictured here:
At first hesitant to blame the colorful cheery little buggers, internet research left no doubt: my squash was under attack. And the squash bugs were not acting alone. oh no.

Enter Enemy #2:Acalymma vittatum

Besting any of James Bond's femme fatales, Striped Cucumber Beetles dazzle and distract with their showy good looks all the while eating to death beloved yellow squash and zucchinis.

According to online garden advice, both of these pests are formidable enemies. Though i advanced with chemical warfare (my homemade garlic/chile spray) it was apparent that hand-to-hand combat was in order.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING IMAGE MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR SENSITIVE VIEWERS

HA! with rapid response time and spot-on hand-eye coordination, a squash bug meets its demise
A once-timid bodhisattva, i am transformed into a bloodthirsty killing machine.

From what I understand, organic pest control is not hugely successful with either of these pests. In the squash foto above, see the wooden boards i set out as traps--if i get to the farm early enough in the morning, the squash bugs that were lured into my trap are an easy kill. Otherwise, i really am spraying a yummy garlic/chile mixture that is washed off every night in heavy rains :(

Anyone have advice? Is there any more i can do? In a climate where the season never really "ends," i'm nervous that the pest populations may continue ad nauseam....

friends in low places

2009-05-28T11:38:00.000-06:00

Weeds have such a bad name. as in, bad reputation. There is an entire industry bent on killing, removing, destroying, eradicating weeds, the unwelcome guests at every garden party. And i admit, i was amongst the ranks of such weed-haters not so long ago. Encroaching on my precious cultivated beds, pesky, sometimes spikey persistent invadors! i diligently plucked every eager weed that dare to sprout in my garden plot.

proof: me and my bare soil garden last fall

However, thanks to the kind advice of more experienced farmers than I, my eyes have been opened.
A weed by any other name, is MULCH:

Allowing weeds to sprout up around your crops creates a groundcover that holds in moisture (note: this applies to weeds of shorter stature than your desired crops) even if it does tend to look a little messy.
and when it is necessary to pull tall weeds, use them as regular MULCH, like i did here around mis melones:
All decomposing plant matter contains nutrients, so why not recycle unwanted plants?

And most impressively, weeds can act as CROP TRAPPINGS, as with my papaya sapling:
There are plants out there that are intended to bait pests, thus protecting the farmer's prized crops. in this case, a volunteer crop trapper showed up near my papaya--what a trooper! Not sure what plant it is, but i believe it's the same valiant fall guy pictured here with a baby tomato plant, again taking all the hits so that my cultivated baby can survive:
i guess it's tasty? The tiny round bites suggest an insect pest, though i have also found large jagged nibbles of the rabbit-mouth variety.
Keep up the good work, mis amigos!

Las Tres Hermanas

2009-05-26T20:11:00.000-06:00

As a gal with two brothers, perhaps i was especially drawn to the idyllic notion of a Three Sisters Garden. Or maybe it's remnant passion from my anthropology undergrad days--i was completely riveted for an entire semester of Native American "Indians," and to be honest i still maintain a fascination with any indigenous culture. OR just maybe, as i initiate myself into the cult of gardening, it is a right of passage to attempt this historical romantic and much-hyped traditional technique.
i did my research. many tout the awesome triad of responsibility that corn, squash, and beans share amongst each other in the garden:

CORN
the eldest sister, she provides strength and support,

SQUASH

with her wide-spreading vines and large leaves, squash acts as a living mulch, shading out potential weeds and holding in moisture for herself and her sisters,

and finally BEANS

the littlest sister winds her way up the corn stalk, and as a legume fixes nitrogen in the soil to feed her sisters.

SOUNDS groovy. however, lots of serious gardeners consider the three sisters gig to be an impractical, unproductive waste of space; they commonly argue these three (non-sisterly) points:
1) Corn is not always the sturdiest stake, and pole beans are an impressively aggressive climber. true story.
2) Scientific naysayers claim that the beans are technically not able to provide nitrogen to their sisters, as the nutritional benefit to the soil is reaped after the fact.
3) Lastly, the everyday farmer notes that tripping through tangled squash vines to harvest corn and beans is ANNOYING and UNNECESSARY.

Holding fast to my sister-less native-people-obsessed gullible-gardener persona, i embarked on the 3 sisters garden project regardless. the above fotos are MINE! after barely one month of transplanting the corn (golden bantam) and squash (saffron yellow), VOILA!
Different native american tribes reportedly grew the three sisters together, though in different patterns. I crafted my garden with interspersed mounds: corn and pole beans in one, squash in the other. i have also seen layouts with squash surrounding each corn/bean mound as well as a huge block of corn with beans and squash planted around the perimeter.
i unwittingly chose a non-spready squash variety, reducing treacherous foot trapping. the sweet corn got blown to heck in its early days, but gosh darnit if the lovely ladies aren't supporting pole beans AND sporting EARS already!!! mira:Without even having tasted the full bounty of el projecto de las tres hermanas, i am already hugely satisfied, pleased, and proud. Like all healthy sibling relationships, las tres no son perfectas...(the squash are bitter and full of seeds; the corn is way short; beans cannot grow to full height, etc) but that's family for ya. Does is it seem like somewhat of a pain in the ass? Yes. Do i LOVE the three sisters anyway? totally!
p.s. my rain dances are starting to pay off:

¡BIENVENIDOS A LA LLUVIA!

yerbas & spices

2009-05-11T13:40:00.000-06:00

Through a process i like to call taste and error, i have come to learn and identify many old favorite flavors amongst a sea of new and unusual looking plants. This process is an integral part of my cultural immersion as plants have become something of a medium in my communication. i love cooking, i love el mercado, i love gardens, and i love plant nurseries. For these loves, i frequently plunge myself into awkward partially-intelligible conversations in which i'm sure i come across as a gringa loca; HOWEVER, i usually emerge with new and valuable knowledge of the aforementioned heart throbs.
Case in point numero uno: my quest for CILANTRO
A favorite of mine, i came into Nicaragua confident that cilantro was as spanishy as a word can get, an herb requisite in mexican cuisine, certainly an EASY FIND throughout all Latin America! Imagine my dismay when i scoured the market, inquiring constantly cilantro? Hay cilantro? Busco cilantro? and the ladies kept showing me this plant:
obviously NOT cilantro, to which i shook my head and kept searching, oblivious to the identical cilantro scent of Eryngium foetidum, commonly known as culantro (with a hard c, like a k) or Puerto Rican coriander. the above plant grows abundantly in our backyard and has become essential in all my soups, sauces, and salads.

Happily, I made the connection between mentha and mint on my own. despite the lack of any apparent physical similarity, the nose knows While i'm content using mentha in my mojitos, we all know this woody plant with rounded leaves is not a member of the authentic square-stem Mint Family. so what is it?

They handed me this one on a plate: Oregano

Plectranthus amboinicus

Also known as Cuban Oregano, Mexican Mint, and Spanish Thyme. Call it what you will, these guys propagate beautifully from cuttings and do wonders for a spaghetti sauce.

My garden boasts two basil varieties--again, smelling is believing.
The purplish leaves are tiny but pungent, and somehow i got the idea that this one is of Thai basil descent, but i haven't made an official identification yet. It does provide a fantastic flavor in combination with coconut milk, garlic, hot chiles, and one final herbal wonder in mi jardin:

Zacate Limón

Andropogon citratum

Nothing beats the zing of lemongrass in a Thai coconut soup! Not to mention its presence as a grassy bed end plant. Stalks are always available and will propagate readily.

Bicycle Water Pump

2009-04-28T09:37:00.000-06:00

Since WATER is the biggest health issue in the world, it is no surprise that here in Nicaragua people, animals, and plants are all suffering from lack of this most vital nutrient. A brief study (5 minutes, by me) of recent water policy in the region revealed that somewhere between 50 and 80% of Nicaraguans have access to water, with the figures for sanitation of said water being much lower. I'm not about to try to understand the intricate web of bureaucracy and hypocrisy and politics that leaves so many people here without clean water. What i'm focusing on right now is our little town and my thirsty garden.
From what i am told, our water is derived from the ground, pumped and distributed by the water company who expects their bills paid in full and on time, regardless of how often water actually drips out of my sink and shower. Due to poorly functioning pumps, the municipal water supply is rationed--in town we usually have water 5 out of 7 days; however out at the farm, en el campo, water flows once every 7-15 days. muy malo. I assume people in this area store up water in whatever containers are at hand, partaking of their valuable resource sparingly. This time of year, dry season, everyone is especially parched, as is the land. No wonder i got so many bewildered faces when i zealously sowed vegetable seed back in March, in the midst of the Dry Hot No-Chance-Of-Rain Season.
Until now, my irrigation system has consisted of these simple tools, plus 2 girly biceps:
Slowly and methodically, sometimes meditatively, i bear water to mis plantitas.

While confident that lots of gardeners use watering cans so why can't i, the increasing heat and drying winds made my job harder and harder. i was haunted by the locals' voices: silly gringa, planting happens in June, the advent of the Wet Season.
Now, armed with almost a full year of weather watching, we are very much looking forward to the generous rains! Until then, and because we will still need potable water in la casita, a very cool project comes in:

BICYCLE WATER PUMP!

On the left under ground is a gigantic white 10,000 liter cistern, filled by the water company. A pipe will (soon) connect from the cistern up to the 2 black tanks on the tower--water will be pumped upward by sheer pedal power!

From there, good old gravity does its work to provide pressure for a beautiful new irrigation system (and from the other tank, water pressure into la casa!)

The inspiration for our crazy eco-bike pump came from here http://www.harvesth2o.com/pedaling.shtml
Huge thanks to our favorite farm interns, Bailey and Jocelyn, whose energy and time got this project off the ground, or rather out of the ground? ¡Muy amable, amigos!

busy bees

2009-04-25T08:38:00.000-06:00

With the onslought of talented, motivated, and absolutely PHENOMENAL guests, there has not been much time for computers.

there has been time for this:

and then some of this:

Very exciting! i will post details and explanations soon--promise! For now, it is my honor and pleasure to accompany our industrious guests on an off-the-beaten-path tour of Nicaragua.

critters

2009-04-18T13:10:00.000-06:00

i thought it might be refreshing to switch the focus for a bit off las plantas, and onto los animales. because of course, in every healthy ecosystem the animal kingdom exists and interacts with that of the plants, fungus, etc. Granted, we don't have any of the traditional farm animals YET. Once the house is finished and we are living on la finca, our friendly fauna wish list includes un burro, gallinas, una cabra, y 2 perros (a donkey, chickens, a goats, and two dogs).
However, i am not so arrogant as to assume that the farm is absent of animal life. on the contrary! the place is crawling (literally) with both welcomed and pesky critters. A recent arrival heralding the official beginning of the Dry Season are las chicharras whose music, for me, captures the nostalgia of hot muggy summers.

Annual cicada, Tibicen linnei

Above, see the exoskeleton of a chicharra, its crispy outer shell evidence of its final foray in the chicharra life cycle: molting into an winged adult, after anywhere between 2 to 15 years living underground.
These guys are not known to harm crops, save young fruit trees where females may prefer to lay eggs, so what's all the noise about?
HEAR it is! listen to this video clip, recorded at the farm around dusk. Apologies for the poor visual quality.

While i am eternally grateful that chicharras are not the biblical locust plague sent to descend upon my humble garden, and i recognize the VITAL importance of beneficial insects and pollinators, i admit that i am not a huge fan of bugs. That being said, if i had some pics of bees and butterflies i would be eager to celebrate them here, a small slice of internet fame in exchange for providing VIABILITY to my poor little forever-flowering cantaloupes:

Turns out, cantaloupe flowers require pollination for fruit set, otherwise all you get are cute yellow flowers. Sadly, i haven't seen much bee action en la finca, despite the attractive blooms of zillions of flowering "weeds" surrounding the garden. the next step would be something called hand pollination, in which one manually transfers pollen from a male to a female blossom. Call me squeamish, but i'm not sure i'm ok with that? i'm a first-year gardener for crying out loud!

And finally, not to be overlooked, our domesticated yet (occasionally) working farm animals:

You might remember Niña from the compost scandal a ways back, she's a little gal with a keen ear and a fierce bark.

Meet: Negro

a new addition to the farm, currently compost-forage apprentice to Niña, goofy, scrawny, energetic--this was the best i could do for his profile foto

¡y La Zaya!

Formerly a Californian house cat, Zaya spends 5-10 minutes a week honing her hunting skills in preparation for life on a farm. Pictured here with latest kill

You say: papaya, I say: papaya...

2009-04-14T12:07:00.000-06:00

Even the most gringo of gringos can pronounce papaya with the ease and elegance of well-spoken español. Try it: PAPAYA
So easy, si?
Papayas are tropical-loving plants all the way. Dr. Seuss has nothing on this tree--look at it! From their long giraffe-like trunks all the way to their enormous frog-fingery leaves, these guys make truffula trees look like your average joe oak. Not to mention those wild groovy fruits!!!

Carica papaya

If you had never seen the inside of a papaya, you might be startled by its vivid orangey innards, and even more so by the plethora of slimy black semillas. this is not the most flattering photo, but honestly papaya is a delicious fruit!

Like your other orangey-red fruits and veg, papaya contains antioxidants, as well as the digestive enzyme papain--which means that somehow, papaya is good for your digestion! The flesh isn't the only medicinal part, the SEED of papaya has also made a name for itself. Ground up maybe, or just nibbled, the seeds are reported to expel intestinal worms (around here, this is critical info, i should know),,,and others (raw foodists, who else) claim that the seeds' flavor mimics that of black pepper. i am currently drying some up to give it a try.

Over at the farm, i employed papaya seeds (from the tree shown above) to fulfill the One True Destiny of all seeds: PROPAGATION! Following the advice of friendly online tropical gardeners, i deposited somewhere between 50 and 100 seeds into a shallow, fertile bed with ample sunshine, the idea being to thin out the more scraggly guys after germination.

After almost 2 months of impatient watering, we've got papaya! In keeping with their bizarre atypical appearance, papayas are one fruit tree that will produce fruit within the first year--the countdown is on!

you can already recognize the frog-fingers on this one!