Eating local challenge

Making Hudut without buying any of the main ingredients

(Hudut is mashed plantain served in a gravy made from coconut milk)

Let's look back at how communities used to live, and survived! 

I encourage you to take this on as a challenge. 

Below is a real scenario in Belize (April 2020) 

We are not asking for the impossible. We simply want you to reflect

- how are you living? 
- Is your lifestyle costing you more than you expect? 
- What lifestyle have you picked up that can be replaced by closer connections with family and friends?

We hope you will be willing to change your practice if you are finding yourself spending on things you can grow yourself or exchange with your neighbor, friend and family.

I give to you, you give to me...all of us save money, all of us benefit.

Materials needed

Green plantains (and ripe - optional). 

Dried coconuts

A source of protein (usually fish)

Mortar and pestle

Seasoning and condiment (of your choice)

I used whole hot peppers, local basil, garlic, salt. I also added okra.

 

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I got blogo plantain from my eldest sister. She grows this in her yard. I also got coconuts from her. I used these for the gravy.

                                               

My other sister makes coconut oil. I got the one I used for frying the fish from her.

                                                 

My eldest brother gave me fish. He is a fisherman and networks with other fishermen.

My other brother provided more plantains. He has a farm. He also practices backyard gardening. He gave me okra. I share with my neighbors. I also package and freeze some now and again.

I too practice urban gardening. I plant culinary herbs (including basil and garlic chives), peppers, ginger and a few vegetables and small fruit trees (including golden plum). I process crops (mostly by drying and pickling) to increase their shelf life. 

No chemical preservatives are added to any of our agro-processed goods. We simply follow traditional practices that make use of heat, salt, sugar, and acid (vinegar or lime).

 

Golden plum juice

Materials used

Ginger

Golden plum

Lime

Sugar

 

My niece has a lime tree in her yard. I get lime from her.

Additional challenge

*you can make your own sea salt - simply collect clean seawater and make it boil until the water evaporates.

*you can make your own sweetener using sugar cane (these are easy to grow) - collect the liquid and add to drinks.

 *For a colorful drink, you can blend in slices of beets to sweeten it (you can grow this in raised beds and containers if you have issue with space). 

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*you can also add stevia plant to your garden (this is easy to grow and propagate). This is a natural sweetener that is zero-calorie.

 

Always seek to limit your intake of processed sugar. 

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

2 Peter 1:3

Make sure to add your comments below 

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Dangriga Urban Farmers Market Day

Come join us and bring out your entire family. 

Invite all your friends. 

Kindly share the flyer below.  

We are going to sell and give away vegetable seedlings and young fruit trees. 

We will also have, for tasting and for buying, products made from local fruits and crops.

Come ready with your questions. 

We are willing to work with you to start your journey in eating local and making use of locally produced materials (know what you are eating and support local entrepreneurs).

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Some items that will be available:

vegetable seedlings

herbs

small fruit trees (dwarf)

decorative plants

Succulents

fruits

Local crops (plantains, cassava, banana, etc.) 

flour dough

jams and jellies

baked goods

natural fruit juices

gluten free flour (assorted)

locally produced meat

crafts (wooden)

black soil

among others

There will also be demonstrations (how to...) and tasting of products.

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Anybody who is interested in farming, gardening, 

agro-processing, crafts can participate. 

If you want to participate and have other ideas that will benefit the community, do contact us and let us know.

Contact us between now and July 10, 2020 and let us know what you would like to present or sell. 

Updates on Greenhouse Project - preparing the beds

Updates on Greenhouse Project

Preparing the Planting Beds 

Materials purchased for two beds (one on each side of the greenhouse)

Dimensions - L x W X H = 10 blocks x 2 blocks x 2 blocks

(each block is 16 in. long)

100 (4 in.) blocks (Z-Best)

4 bags cow manure (Prosser)

4 bags compost (Hummingbird Distributors)

4 bags black soil (Silk Grass Nursery)

1 bag organic matter (Silk Grass Nursery)

2 bags Pro Mix (Prosser)

The two DUF members (Derek and Sed) who have their own greenhouses advised me to use boards, sticks, leaves, and any decomposable materials to fill the beds; starting with the largest materials at the bottom.

I was wondering how I was going to get enough soil for this. Thanks DUF members - we continue to learn from each other. 

Materials used include left over lumber (boards) from other yard jobs, coconut shells and husks, grass and leaves, organic waste, sawdust, and back fill

 This is how the finished products looks at level one. The next level is to add the soil for planting. 

Seeds are germinated using paper towel method and potting soil.

I read up on companion planting and got some helpful tips. Not all plants like to be near each other. This is important to know especially when planting in small space.

We planted zucchini, radish, tomatoes and onions in one of the bed today (June 12, 2020)

We will plant peppers tomorrow.   

Feel free to add comments and give suggestions.

Low Budget Backyard Greenhouse

Building a Low Budget Backyard Greenhouse

By Kaydoc

SIZE: 10W x 20L

Materials used

PVC pipes (1/2 in. wide, 20 in. length)

Metal pipes - (3/4 in.) I had a couple of these lying around (these were cut to 2 ft. each)

Greenhouse screen (20ft. wide)

Construction plastic (20 ft. wide)

Treated lumber - (made into strips) 

Rough lumber

1 bucket back fill (to level ground)

Places where materials are purchased:

A&Ds - I spent $135.45

8 PVC pipes ($10.75 each length)

Screws and nails

PVC glue

Tying wire (to fasten ends of the screen and plastic to the PVC pipes)

3 yards construction plastic ($7 a yard). 

Prosser (in Hope Creek Village) - I spent $273.60

Greenhouse screen $5.70 a foot (width = 20 ft.)

I got 48 ft. (For the size, 38ft. will complete the job). I allowed some extra pieces to hang. I wanted to make sure NO pests will burrow their way into the greenhouse. 

Family City - I spent $141.00

3 pcs treated lumber

2 pcs rough lumber

Hinges, screws, staples

Sydney Ritchie - I spent $30 

1 bucket backfill

Total labour cost - $275

Total spent on materials is $855.05.

*You could round this off to no more than $1000BZ if you decide to add the metal poles to support the PVC pipes as I did. 

I received some advice from personnel from the Ministry of Agriculture. Field officers also visited to check that Reginald (the builder) was doing it right. I had challenged him to take on the task. This is his first time building a greenhouse. His number is 6075900.

Everything came out great. I am very excited. I am ready to start the next phase of my experiment - preparing my beds and soil.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a technical person. I will simply say what I saw happening. I know I got what I wanted😀.

The PVC pipes were installed into metal pipes that were buried 1 1/2 feet into the ground. 

The construction plastic was placed in the center of the structure (on top) to stop rain from getting into the greenhouse. 

The screen was measured to match the length of the greenhouse and cut into two equal parts.

Cutting the screen to length.

The stripped lumber is placed perpendicular to the pipes for support and to form an interface between the screen and plastic.

Joining plastic with screen. Staple gun, screw gun, and tying wire are used for this part of the project.

Sides finished.

View of the backside of the greenhouse.

Front view of the greenhouse.

The most excited person pretending to be busy in the greenhouse. She seemed more excited than me.

Preview of what will come. 

This is my first greenhouse. 

I will be searching for more information on how to maintain it and ensure the environment is conducive to plant growth. 

As you read, if you have ideas to share, I will be glad to listen.

Feel free to leave comments below. 

Soap Making at Home for Kids

Easy Soap Making at Home for Kids

ENCOURAGING FAMILIES TO STAY TOGETHER
(this is a nice way for families to bond and experiment together during lockdown) 

The product will be safe for everyone to use.

Materials

- Soap base (any unscented soap or glycerin soap base). Store bought baby soap can work as base. Castile soaps may also be sold at your local supermarket.

- Oats powder

- Olive oil or coconut oil

- Vitamin E oil (or capsule)

- Coloring

- Optional - honey or aloe vera

Instruction

1. Grate soap using a fine grater or shave using a knife

2. Blend oats in blender until powdered

3. Use extra virgin Olive oil or locally made coconut oil (can find at local market)

4. Vitamin E can be bought at the local pharmacy

5. Experiment with colors you can find at home (powder - annatto/recardo, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, cocoa, neem, sage, spinach, etc.) or a few drops of liquid coloring (that is safe to use on skin - read label). Beets and carrots can be used.

*This makes it more exciting.

You can add essential oil if you like (this can be found at the local pharmacy)

*if you do not have some of these (e.g. neem, spinach, sage) in dried form, simply leave them out in open sunlight for a day (you can speed this up by putting into oven on low heat)

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- Warm soap base on stove top or in microwave until melted. Be very careful.

- Quickly add in all the ingredients and stir constantly until all are mixed in completely.

- Pour mixture into a mold (preferably a silicone mold). If you do not have one, simply use a cupcake pan.

- Leave the soap to harden (castile base soap hardens quickly. If using glycerin base, you can put in refrigerator to solidify faster.

- If using a cupcake pan, you may need to heat the bottom of the pan to loosen the soap to enable it to come out (you can use a water bath). You will simply need to bend the silicone container to get the soap out. 

Recipe

1 cup grated soap base

1/4 cup oats powder

1 1/2 tablespoon olive or coconut oil

1/2 tsp vitamin E or 1 capsule

Coloring - you decide on this (don't go over 2 tbsp of powder or 5 drops of liquid)

2 tbsp. honey or 2 tbsp. aloe vera gel (optional)

You are free to experiment. 

All these materials are safe to use on the body. 

Most, if not all, can be found at home.

Enjoy a refreshing and moisturizing bath with the soap you made at home

Kaydoc's experiment

I made two kinds of soap using a castile soap base and a glycerin soap base. 

(Both unscented)

Picture #1 - Castile soap (white). Glycerin soap base (transparent) 

Picture #2 - materials I used (Top left to right: neem infused in coconut oil, grated castle soap, vitamin E oil. Bottom left to right: Oats powder, Glycerin shavings) 

I made my own neem oil that I used in the recipe. I got fresh neem leaves and blended these in a magic bullet. I added these into a bowl of coconut oil. 

Blended neem leaves in coconut oil

I warmed the oil in a water bath (added to a pot of boiling water). I strained off the liquid (using a cheesecloth to remove leaves) into a mason jar.

The only ingredients I did not use in my recipes were honey and aloe vera. I will include these next time.

I did not add coloring to my first soap (castile soap). I used a lot of oats powder 

(I plan to use this soap to exfoliate my skin, expecially my face)

I added pink soap coloring to the glycerin soap

(I will use this as a bath soap or to wash my hands)

 

❤❤❤

This surely can be a great gift for Mommy next month

 

Why not get started?

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We will learn to make soap from scratch together next time

DUF Flour Lab Challenge

DUF Flour Lab Challenge 

(Porridge from white or wheat flour)

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Traditional Pulali Making by Dolores

 Nothing beats cooking on the fire hearth. 

This takes us back to "home."

We can all remember waking up (as children) to bright 😄 from Mommy and Daddy as they call us for our warm bowl of Pulali.

Yummy!

Pulali is an excellent source of energy. 

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Our parents and grandparents did the best they could in their time. 

They trained us to grow up strong, self-sufficient, and resilient. 

*

They did the best they could with what they had.

*Let us not forget these wise teachings, especially during these trying times. 

Sharing the Love by Pastor Wayne and Family

Video done by Abi Lopez

Take time out to teach your children (and other family members and friends) how to appreciate their heritage in a warm and friendly environment.

Karen's Final Product

Using slightly parched flour and a combination of coconut milk and evaporated milk.


You can make variations of this porridge. 

• You can use the flour as is (white or wheat) or parch it lightly. If using white flour, you can also parch it until golden brown. 
• You can decide on the milk you want to use. Commonly used are evaporated milk and coconut milk (together or separately).
• You can add dumpling (flour dough made into small circles - or other shapes) to the porridge.
• You can top it with spices of your choice, nuts, or seeds.
• you can color it with syrup (e.g. chocolate, strawberry, cherry, etc.) 

          *options are endless.

Why not give this a try?

As you do, be sure to dance to the Pulali song by Adrian "the Doc" Martinez

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We will continue to take you back home. Enjoy.
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Next challenge will be to make home-made flour pancake or waffle.

Stay connected.