Hydroponics Costa Rica
Originally we had wanted to use our Tilapia fish ponds to create an Aquaponics project here at the farm, which we saw as more “organic” in nature than hydroponics. However, the opportunity to learn hydroponics came up when an extensive two-week, hands-on course was offered in Cobano to people who lived in the area. Yasmin […]
Icosahedron Treehouse Construction
Joseph had initially thought to build this sacred geometry structure on the ground, but then when checking out the tree’s in the area. These 4 lovely Malinia trees in a circle called out to him. One branched out in such a way that made a perfect 5 sided chalice if you will. A perfect holding spot […]
Orchid Thieves?
We found these beautiful orchids floating in our river, along with another species nearby. We surmised that an orchid thief had journeyed up the river to find orchids and poach them for his collection or to sell. Rivers are public property in Costa Rica so anyone can hike up them, which is fun to do, […]
Galangal – the Ginger of Thailand
Galangal is a rhizome of plants in the ginger family its roots stemming originally from Indonesia. Similar to it’s brother ginger, though lighter in colour and stronger in taste it is high in fiber, sodium, vitamin A and C. They are available as a whole rhizome, cut or powdered. The whole fresh rhizome is very […]
Making an Herb Garden – Herbaceous Goodness (Part IV)
And then there were herbs… With the rocks in place, the next step was to start building up the soil. I dug a hole and filled it up twice with water to check drainage and found that it wasn’t as bad as we thought it might be. Still, we dug about a foot down into […]
Gorilla Garbanzos: from Pea to Plant
One day I was innocently sprouting lentils and decided to add a few chickpeas. Chick, peas. Look what happened: Day 1: Bag of La Macarena brand garbanzo beans, from local “super maya” in Cobano. In a bowl, cover 1/4 cup beans with 2+ inches of water and soak in refrigerator for about two days. Cover […]
Duffy’s Summer Zucchini Soup
Our beautiful giant zucchinis in the experimental section of the garden called to mind this refreshing soup that my dad used to make (hint hint!) in the summertime. I discovered the original recipe belonged to Mickey, my mother’s stepmother. One of the few things I remember about Mickey was her commitment to healthy cooking and […]
Papaya Seeds: DIY Black Pepper
Papaya: low in calories, high in dietary fiber. Packed with vitamins and anti-inflammatory enzymes. Growing on the farm. Extra tasty with a squeeze of lime. Also nice unripe, shredded, in curries. Que bueno. But wait! Don’t forget the seeds: high in (“good”) fat and protein and a good source of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. (Source: […]
Jazzy Farm Pilaf
Alas, tonight a hankering for brown rice met a compulsion to take advantage of the farm in my backyard. I went out with a basket and came back with some yellow pear tomatoes, kale, pepper, parsley and basil. So I decided to add them to the rice in a pilaf-y sort of way, then […]
Green Farm Falafel
It just happened. Yours truly just transplanted six-inch plants, sprouted from store-bought chickpeas, less than two weeks ago. Their roots were even longer. There was only one way to celebrate. FALAFEL. One mad day last Fall I helped prepare hundreds of falafel balls to feed a farm crew of over 40. We used as many […]
