Making Chuchitos

I'll tell you what, this program is not very handy but I'm doing my best here! Making chuchitos is usually a two day affair but we did it all in one this time. We start by making the salsa. About 3 pounds of plum tomatoes, 3 dry chili paz and 3 dry chili huaque just barely covered with water are brought to a low simmer for about 1/2 hour.




Meanwhile there are pumpkin seeds (pepitos) that have been rinsed and cleaned and are set on low heat to toast lightly. This is about 1 1/4 cup of seeds. When they are done set them aside in a bowl to cool.When your pumpkin seeds are done toasting, clean an equal amount of sesame seed and toast lightly. These get blended to a smooth paste using some of the tomato water. Run through a sieve to make a smooth sauce.






The tomatoes and chilis are simmering gently to make the sauce. When they are nice and soft they are pureed in the blender to make a lovely rich sauce, save aside some of the tomato juice to use when the seeds get pureed. Run the tomato chili sauce through a colander to make sure it is very smooth. Return the tomato sauce to the heat and add the pureed seeds and then add chicken, about 4 large breasts that have been cut up into 1-2" pieces, the skin is removed but bones are left in for added flavor. Cook until the chicken is done, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside while everything is gathered for assembly!









In the meantime the corn husk wrappers are prepared by separating and washing in clean water.
Now comes the manual labor, for this recipe about 20 cups of masa is kneaded together with about 1 cup of safflower oil (some people use lard) and salt to taste (about 3-4 tablespoons), adding water as necessary to create a smooth, pliable dough.
































I give up trying to get the pictures in sequence!!
Take some of the masa and pat out a fat tortilla, place a good dollop of sauce and a piece of chicken and fold the dough over the filling. Place it in one or 2 corn husks for wrapping. Tie it up into a nice bundle and pile them into a large kettle which has been prepared by layering in about 2" of dry corn husks and water so the chuchitos steam gently for about 1-2 hours depending on your fire. Then get ready to eat a whole lot, for dinner, breakfast and then lunch again!

Our Big Adventure

I am somewhat recovered from our big adventure, a hike into the hills behind where I am staying. 4 of us set out at 8:00 am for a hike to go and see Miguel's milpa. A milpa is what the locals call their fields for growing corn for the coming year's tortillas. It was a gorgeous morning with a light wind coming from the south west, the temperature was just right for a hike, wearing jeans, tshirt and a cotton shirt. We packed up tortillas and fruit and water for snacking. This is the view from my front porch, volcanoes Toliman and Atitlan with little Cerro de Oro in the foreground.

Okay, I have to admit I am a wimp about these paths, the altitude makes me slightly dizzy so I have to be careful to maintain my equilibrium. We are climbing for about an hour on this bitty path at about 60 degrees or more of an incline. If I don't look down or around I am fine! This is Miguel, who walks up these paths at least once a week to keep the water ditch clear. Along for the adventure are Otilia and their daughter Nancy, who is also an old hand at this path. We came to a lovely waterfall and pool that used to be very pure water, now alas it is not, like so many streams around the lake.

We continued up to San Andres and walked through the little market there, it was lovely, clean and with just the right amount of mercado commotion. We looked at everything and bought some fresh lychee fruit. We continued along the road to the milpa and stopped to snack. Miguel spent some time digging up the tunnels from some moles that have been trying to move in this year. In this field he produces enough dry corn to supply his family for the whole year, about 1200 to 1500 pounds. He grows a very old variety which was a good thing this year because the old varieties can withstand the drought that happened early in the season this year. It takes almost 9 months for this crop to mature. The whole field is cultivated by hand, hand weeded 2 times in the season, mounding soil around the bases of the stalks to support it against the wind. Then it is all harvested by hand and carried by hand down to where he can get pick-up rides to transport it home. Bear in mind it takes him 2 hours to get to this field, hiking and catching pick-up rides. Let's talk about how precious these tortillas really are! This is a view of his milpa looking across the hill from the road we are walking on.

This is the view from the mirador at Santa Catarina, now looking across the lake at volcan San Pedro. Now we spend another 2-3 hours decending, with a snack stop and a stop at Miguel's father's land to pick a bunch of jocotes. Yum. By the time we got to the bottom of the hill in Sta. Catarina Otilia and I were spent, we got a pickup ride back to Jucanya, otherwise it would have been another 1/2 hour walking. Of course all in a days walk for Miguel and Nancy!

We had a quick stop at M's parent's home for some water and to check out the latest weavings from his mother and sister, Magdelena. Nancy gets a chance to visit with the new puppy!





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Delicious Tortillas

Each night when we make the nixtamal we are measuring the ingredients to get at least a framework for the recipe. So two nights in a row have met with successat the molina. Starting with the dried corn, in the states I had to locate organic dent corn which is different from the corn that is used here at Lake Atitlan. We started with 8 cups of water, 5 1/2 cups of dry corn and 2 tablespoons of cal/ pura crema (this is the lime soaked in water into which it dissolves and becomes a fine creamy paste.)

This next picture is the nixtamal almost ready, this is the corn that is cooked with the cal for about 30 minutes, depends on the fire and how dry the corn is. The kernels become whiter and the germ takes on a reddish brown color, the corn is fully swollen and cooked through. Now we rinse the corn and take it to the molina, the local grain mill.
Now,finally we get to the good part, making the tortillas and eating them. I like this the best of course.

Por Fin, estoy aqui! Tortilla obsession.

Hello All, I have made my way south to my beloved Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. I was surprised to find wireless internet in my bungalow so I will be able to make lots of updates here! I'll post some pictures later. I spent the evening with my friends having a focused lesson in the fine art of making nixtamal for tortillas.

Nixtamal is the preparation of the dry corn with cal/ lime rock that breaks down the outer skin of the corn makes the proteins digestible. Tortillas are the life blood of the Maya, and learning to prepare them at home has become my mission. I made several vain attempts last year. Usually the daughters work along side Mother and learn all the nuance of the operation. And so I have become the old daughter of my friend Otilia to learn as best I can.

There are many different types of dry corn, which I will delve into after I get some new pictures at the Solola market. The corn also varies from year to year as the growing seasons change. There are differences in the strength and purity of the cal. Then there is the cooking on a wood fire which varies according to types of wood and the levels of heat! Muy complicado.

This year was a very bad growing season. It was extremely dry at the early stage of growing the corn. My friend Miguel is using very old seed stock that has come down through his family, this corn takes almost 9 months to mature but it is very strong and resilient. Many other farmers had modernized for varieties that mature closer to 6 months, but therein lies the problem. This newer corn needs to sprout and grow very quickly in order to produce full corn, because it was so dry a large amount of the corn fields died. The ancient types can struggle along slowly, slowly until the weather cooperates and then it flourishes. This corn problem will cause difficulty this year for the people here eat tortillas 3 times a day, and sometimes tortillas are all you have for a meal. The corn prices are going up and it will be a challenge until the next planting season.

Stay tuned for nixtamal and the mercado!

Hello all you soggy campers! I'm off to Pig island with lots of rain gear and tarps and books. At this point I'm so exhausted I'll be sleeping most of the time anyway! We just finished planting the 4200 mums in the rain, okay we had 1 day of sun. It went fast with a team of capable young lads helping Kathleen and I. So if the sun ever comes out again they will be great!



We're hoping for some sun eventually. Mora is looking forward to some swimming. I'll be visiting with the fellow Piggers and baking the traditional double crunchers with hordes of children drooling in the cabin!

The Crew at Work

Just had to make a quick entry to show a bit of the goings on in a May week! Too funny, no matter where Hughie is he has to be at the end of the tether. Here he is guarding the trailer as we load up some orders!

Adam likes to play a different instrument each day at lunch time. This is his tailgate concert.



Here are Kathleen and Kathy setting up an order, and next is a batch of darn good looking plants!

Rainy May Sunday

I know it is bad for business, but one nice rainy morning can give me a lot of mileage! It has been very hectic, weather is breaking early and so orders are leaving at a break-neck speed. That is GREAT!

Check out this container, I just love the Dianthus red cascade and it has been blooming seriously since planted in early April. I don't understand why more people don't get into dianthus as an addition to the spring pansy theme.

One of my colleagues has some wonderful pottery pots in spectacular colors, I have re-purposed one as a fruit bowl on my counter, love that glaze! http://www.greenart.com is where to go to find out more.








There are many lovely options but you will need to make an appointment to see them due to the busy landscaping season!

More Snow Ding Dang It

More snow again. I hope this is the last of it, the chickens are upset, they don't like to walk on the snow so I shovel out a path for them to scratch on. It was decidedly spring-like on Friday. The pansies are all planted and so are the grasses. Opening the Eliot greenhouses went smoothly until Oscar the Grouch (our pet name for the alarm) wouldn't cooperate. We have been busy planting and propagating and a large order of unrooted cuttings came in last week, they look great. Here is the dream team in full cleaning mode last Wednesday. The ritual is satisfying, and a bit easier this year since I recovered all the big houses last October so all Katie and Kathy had to do was swab the decks again. I actually followed Katie's suggestion (photo right) and did a more thorough job of putting things to sleep last fall.

We did a side project for our menageries and planted up some wheat grass for the cats to graze on. Here is Minnow enjoying her treat last week before this snow hit!








Cuttings are filling the prop bench up and another 2500 to stick this week, the intricate choreography of my little greenhouse has already begun. The pansies went out for potting, the cool crop cuttings moved to that spot, the new cuttings were stuck and put on the mist. This constant rotation will continue until April when we are busting at the seams and taking risks by putting other crops outside under remay.

Seeds are germinating on time and for the moment we are on target! I just finished snow blowing all the paths for the fuel deliveries, chicken tending, and Mora's night time path off the back porch!

catalog, unusual plants, guatemala, greenhouse growing

Hi folks, I did my mailing a while ago so if you think you should be on my mailing list please go the the website and send me an email! I have pared the list down because it is so expensive. Thanks.

Back to work

What a wonderful time I had on my recent trip to Guatemala. I was able to see lots of lovely plants, cook amazing food with my friend Otilia and her family, work in the herb gardens at the Fundacion Tradiciones Mayas, swim in Lake Atitlan with the dogs, walk walk walk everywhere especially Panajachel, and study more spanish language.

I will be posting other details of the trip including some amazing cooking lessons. For now, it's back to work and getting things organized for another growing season. Pansies to be planted and some other ornamental spring crops growing nicely. So who has the crystal ball to see what we will be looking forward to this spring?

I'm trying to down size th plant list, we will be looking at utility, form and function and how that relates to the gardens here in New England. Simple elegance and reliability is the criteria.

I had some amazing walks in the hills around the lake and collected many interesting seeds to experiment with. This is my friend Miguel collecting some pods for me.