Healing aloe

My latest experiment in healthful smoothies, liquados as they are known here, is the inclusion of fresh aloe. It is delicious and very good for you. Aloe is well known for healing skin or epidermis, the lining of the stomach and the intestines has the same properties and for this reason aloe delivers great curative powers to the stomach. The important ingredient is the preparation of the aloe “filet”. After experimenting with a few methods this works best for me, take a lovely large and juicy leaf and clean and dry it. (Be prepared to get your hands all gooey, but the amazing thing is if you rub it in like a lotion it disappears and you get lovely soft hands. ) You'll need a sharp peeler, a sharp knife and a soup spoon. First of all the cautionary notes: at the base the leaf exudes a bitter yellow to bronze juice, DO NOT USE THIS! This bitter juice will cause severe diarrhea. What you want is the clear jelly inside. I like to have all my other fruit ready in the blender and add the aloe last.

A few pieces of pineapple, some papaya and fresh water is all that is needed. Additions such as other fruit or yogurt are also tasty. The curative effects come from the aloe, papaya and pineapple. The Pineapple and papaya both contain valuable enzymes that aid in digestion. Blend your fruit and if you like throw in a couple of ice cubes. The frothy mixture is a delight to the mouth and taste buds and your insides will thank you.

Bird Sounds, an explanation

After 3 fruitless hours trying to load the bird sounds I will have to find another way to share it. I guess my bandwidth doesn't have what it takes to get through! here it is finally!

ANYWAY, a photo of the delicious flowers we prepared for lunch on Saturday, up the hill in St. Cruz. Still having trouble narrowing down what it is, upon closer inspection the flower seems more like a bean, there are many wild vines here that are used. This one Miguel calls behuque or enrededora, in Caquchikel tzu re'k. Trouble is enrededora is a universal term for vine. I'll keep looking. The flower was prepared by removing only the petals to use lightly sauteed with onion and a dash of fresh tomato and added to noodles! Another way to eat them is a tamalito prepared with the cooked flower, tomato, onion and added to masa and steamed in a corn husk. I hope to get to make some of these since I love the tamales in any form!

A nice walk along the lake with the girls, Otilia, Delia, and Nancy gave them break from the daily work routine. It is hard to tear Otilia away from her work. Hmm, she reminds me of myself... Since it was Sunday there were more folks along the shores, at first the waves were ferocious and strong and then within an amazingly short span of minutes the lake calmed to a glossy, smooth sheen. Every day has so many different weather patterns. As you can see in the photo with the submerged willow the lake has risen at least 3-4 meters causing lots of changes. This water rise is due to all the rain in May during the deadly storm Agatha and also again heavy, destructive rains in September.

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!