Week between 'teams'

Sparkly shoe strings + a fake rose in the hair...but smiling because they won!

Last week at this time we were heading home after the medical clinics. Tomorrow we will be running errands in Cap Haitian before heading to the airport to pick up my folks.



In between we: worked on school, visited the gardens, weeded, cleaned, worked on lessons, completed office work, read books, wrote thank-you notes, praticed volleyball, experimented with cooking,  communicated by e-mails and instant-message on Facebook, attended church, and lived life.

This week's winner of the most productive fruit tree is the Malay apple.

So some experimenting occurred.

Winners include: warm oatmeal malay apple crisp dessert with milk, malay apple sauce, and baked oatmeal with malay apples.

Second place goes to Malay apple chutney, mashed peach palm fruit and pickled palm heart.

Losers: pickled Malay apple and pickled mix of Malay apple and palm heart - using the same recipe as pickled beets.

The best Malay apples were saved to share with neighbors and friends. The skin is very tender so they are easily damaged by bugs, birds and rodents.

Baby goat is now tied up as her adventurous, ever expanding, curious appetite lead her to start eating the flowers and nibbling fruit trees.

The last few bunches of peach palm are ripening so it will be at least four months until the next harvest. A few trees look fat where blooms could emerge any time now.

The gardens are growing well, days are sunny now and a few light rains keep the area well watered.

Steamed Malay apple

Stovetop baked oatmeal with Malay apple

February fruits, first row left to right: Jujube (bird ate one to the pit) loquat,
'Ross' canister/egg fruit, cupusau seed and jam. 2nd row: Biriba, sapodilla,
3rd row: Malay apple, peach palm. Birds are eating the mulberries.