...Make granola to go with it. I´ll post my recipe next time. But here I am enjoying some homemade granola with the yogurt I made.
Friday, May 28, 2010
How to Make Yogurt in Paraguay
Fall is finally here. I couldn´t be happier about the change in weather except that the lack of sun makes it really difficult to make yogurt the way I did all summer long. I recently discovered a much easier and (more or less) error proof method.
First, gather your supplies. First you need a thermos (it doesn't have to be for hot water because you never heat the water too high), glass jar that fits in the thermos with room for water to surround it (I use a Belén instant coffee jar), two pots, thermometer (optional, but much easier and more reliable results), and of course a stove (with 2 burners is best). You also need milk (already pasturized or just pasturize it and wait for it to cool down) and yogurt without preservatives and unpasturized (Lactolanda, Doña Angela, and LP are great brands).
Now that you have your supplies, heat the milk and water to 45C (113F). Separately! You don´t know how many times I have had to emphasize this point. Next, remove from heat and slowly stir in 2 Tablespoons of yogurt per liter of milk.
Pour the milk and yogurt mixture into the jar and cap tightly.
Place the jar in the thermos and pour the heated water over it.
Screw the top on the thermos. Wait 3 hours. Refrigerate and enjoy. Sweeten and flavor to taste.
There's no need to buy more yogurt. Simply save enough from your first batch to use as starter for the next.
Too much lindo
May 25, 2010
I’ve mentioned before the liquid detergent making kits my Mother’s Committee has been making and selling. I might have even mentioned how color is a must have to increasing the lindo factor and thus the ability to sell it. Well, last time I was in Asuncion the committee asked me to buy the colorante in addition to the kit. Today, we all assembled for some chisme and soap making. When it came time to add the dye Ña Kike diluted the 5 grams of dark blue powder and then added it to the bucket of detergent. Wouldn’t you know 5 grams goes a long, long way. I watch with part amusement and part fear that my entire community is now going to have bright blue hands because it’s staining everything as they fill the empty Niko bottles with the detergent. I am surprised that no one seems to be worried that the soap is now an inky black with bright blue foam. I comment on how fuerte the dye is and then I can’t take it anymore. I just start laughing. Laughing because it reminds me of an April fool’s day prank my sister Carissa and I played many years ago and because there is nothing I can do about it. They laughed to and then assured me that the color did indeed wash off. What relief, but oh now I know it’s possible to have soap too lindo.
I’ve mentioned before the liquid detergent making kits my Mother’s Committee has been making and selling. I might have even mentioned how color is a must have to increasing the lindo factor and thus the ability to sell it. Well, last time I was in Asuncion the committee asked me to buy the colorante in addition to the kit. Today, we all assembled for some chisme and soap making. When it came time to add the dye Ña Kike diluted the 5 grams of dark blue powder and then added it to the bucket of detergent. Wouldn’t you know 5 grams goes a long, long way. I watch with part amusement and part fear that my entire community is now going to have bright blue hands because it’s staining everything as they fill the empty Niko bottles with the detergent. I am surprised that no one seems to be worried that the soap is now an inky black with bright blue foam. I comment on how fuerte the dye is and then I can’t take it anymore. I just start laughing. Laughing because it reminds me of an April fool’s day prank my sister Carissa and I played many years ago and because there is nothing I can do about it. They laughed to and then assured me that the color did indeed wash off. What relief, but oh now I know it’s possible to have soap too lindo.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Top to bottom:
1. Saraki is 5 Kilo´s now!! (in the background are my basil plants)
2. New play structure for the orchard? Haha
3. Party in the attic of Los Aples hotel. (we found blue cheese at the grocery store and Carlos had summer sausages some kind family member mailed him)
4. Amelia and I visited Amanda´s (far left) site. This is our pumpkin merengue creation! (thank you for the canned pumpkin!)
5. Amanda´s house. And her dog Rufio.
2. New play structure for the orchard? Haha
3. Party in the attic of Los Aples hotel. (we found blue cheese at the grocery store and Carlos had summer sausages some kind family member mailed him)
4. Amelia and I visited Amanda´s (far left) site. This is our pumpkin merengue creation! (thank you for the canned pumpkin!)
5. Amanda´s house. And her dog Rufio.
May 19, 2010
Tomorrow it is suppose to drop to 7. Thankfully that is in Celcius. So far the change in temperature has been wonderful. Even though I know colder weather is looming and my house is poorly insulated from the elements (my roof still leaks too) I just keep remembering how oppressively hot the summer was. (Now a professor is standing over my shoulder as I write. I’m jotting thoughts down in my planner as I wait for the 8th grade professor who I am working on the garden with).
These past few days I have been experimenting with oranges. I have quite an abundance of them. I just wish my internet was fast enough to look up more ideas. If anyone has any suggestions let me know. At a store that sells used goods in Asuncion I found a muffin pan and promptly made some orange muffins. Those sure have been popular. I even had my first host grandmother, Ña Vinda give me eggs, flour, and sugar so I could make more. (My secret flavor enhancer has boiling the orange peels with water until it was highly concentrated. My purpose was to see if I could extract oil from the rind. That didn’t happen, but I used up all the concentrated orange flavoring anyway). I am also attempting to ferment it like I would apple cider.
Yesterday, I went to visit Don Ignicio to see if he had finished the bataea style beehive. He was in the process of making a chain-link fence. I was intrigued by the simple little hand-cranked machine and asked him for a demonstration. I wish I had a picture to explain better. It was just a simple set of gears that when cranked fed the wire around a flat piece of metal that would bend it and thread it along the previous row of bent wire. Crank. Cut. Bend. Reattach hooks. Repeat. I don’t know how many meters I ended up making I finally told myself it was time to leave after lunch. That’s when he showed me the hive. I was so impressed and happy I wanted to give him a hug. He had followed the directions I had given him down to the centimeter and it was just falta the bamboo for the top of the panals. Now if it would just warm up enough so we can do the wild hive capture.
These past few days I have been experimenting with oranges. I have quite an abundance of them. I just wish my internet was fast enough to look up more ideas. If anyone has any suggestions let me know. At a store that sells used goods in Asuncion I found a muffin pan and promptly made some orange muffins. Those sure have been popular. I even had my first host grandmother, Ña Vinda give me eggs, flour, and sugar so I could make more. (My secret flavor enhancer has boiling the orange peels with water until it was highly concentrated. My purpose was to see if I could extract oil from the rind. That didn’t happen, but I used up all the concentrated orange flavoring anyway). I am also attempting to ferment it like I would apple cider.
Yesterday, I went to visit Don Ignicio to see if he had finished the bataea style beehive. He was in the process of making a chain-link fence. I was intrigued by the simple little hand-cranked machine and asked him for a demonstration. I wish I had a picture to explain better. It was just a simple set of gears that when cranked fed the wire around a flat piece of metal that would bend it and thread it along the previous row of bent wire. Crank. Cut. Bend. Reattach hooks. Repeat. I don’t know how many meters I ended up making I finally told myself it was time to leave after lunch. That’s when he showed me the hive. I was so impressed and happy I wanted to give him a hug. He had followed the directions I had given him down to the centimeter and it was just falta the bamboo for the top of the panals. Now if it would just warm up enough so we can do the wild hive capture.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
More photos:
1. This is how I determined my dog weighs 2 kilos
2. Vaccinations!
3. and 4. More School garden photos. Muy lindo tablons!
5. Butternut squash plant from my garden
2. Vaccinations!
3. and 4. More School garden photos. Muy lindo tablons!
5. Butternut squash plant from my garden
Top to bottom:
1. Pumpkin seeds from my Dad. They’re just starting to sprout.
2. Fresh squeezed mandarin orange juice.
3. Making detergent with my Women’s Comite
4. The cow’s lung (cooked)
5. The cow’s lung (before cooking)
6. The elementary school and high school had a talent show to raise funds for new desks
7. The delicious chicken we volunteers cooked at Amelia’s site
8. Grosella flower (they’re edible and taste like cranberries)
9. homemade wall hanging
10. Amelia and I went horseback riding!
11. Another picture from the school dance
1. Pumpkin seeds from my Dad. They’re just starting to sprout.
2. Fresh squeezed mandarin orange juice.
3. Making detergent with my Women’s Comite
4. The cow’s lung (cooked)
5. The cow’s lung (before cooking)
6. The elementary school and high school had a talent show to raise funds for new desks
7. The delicious chicken we volunteers cooked at Amelia’s site
8. Grosella flower (they’re edible and taste like cranberries)
9. homemade wall hanging
10. Amelia and I went horseback riding!
11. Another picture from the school dance
Friday, May 7, 2010
reconnect
April 22, 2010
It’s been almost a week since I returned from our 4 month reconnect. Everyone in my group of volunteers returned to Guarambare for language training and other technical information. It was great to catch up with everyone (many who I hadn’t seen since swearing-in), but by the end of the week I was ready to return home. It’s been a whirlwind of activity since I got back.
Getting back was exciting (when is it not intense). Somehow, I managed take a bus that didn’t leave until after 8 even though I was there in plenty of time to catch a 7am bus. But that’s just how it is sometimes. I was hoping to buy a few groceries and check my mail before heading back to the campo, but I was lucky I didn’t miss my bus. I lugged my bags over to the appropriately nicknamed Rusty Butt bus and stashed my stuff in the back. I nearly fell thru the rusty steps in my hast to exit. I ran up to the grocery store and made quick work of grabbing everything on my list. I usually don’t buy from the Economia grocery store because they follow me around and I hate that, but today I took advantage of that by asking for things on my list while I grabbed the rest. As I was returning to the bus a women who I had spoken to earlier when I first stored my belongings in the bus was rushing towards me. She didn’t want me to get left behind since they were ready to pull out. I was grateful for the help. On the ride home I learned she was from Anne Kenney’s site that was a few K before mine. I took the steps as gingerly as possible with all the extra weight from my pack and campo bag. Thankfully, I didn’t have to carry my campo bag very long because a guy pulled up on a moto and asked where I lived. I handed him my bag, but told him I couldn’t ride when he told me to hop on. As I neared my house my contact’s 4 children all came out to great me since they knew I was close because the guy had dropped off my bag.
Within an hour of getting back into site Ña Lourdes showed me to soy beans she had soaking. I ate a quick bite and helped her process the soy. She was so excited to finally have the dish detergent kits and after the soy we made one of them. Because of the time flipping back, it was already dusk when we finished.
This past week I have spent nearly every day at the school helping with the school garden. With the 9th graders I did a tablon planning activity. I presented them with a chart of companion plants and plants that don’t go together. I showed them the seed packages that I got from ABC Color (newspaper) and in groups they drew the vegetables for their seed beds. Lastly, each group presented and talked about how they use the vegetables (Remolacha por jugo—beets for juice).
In spite of the soil being hateterei, the guapo 8th graders dug all 6 of their tablons. Today, it finally rained and next Wednesday we will plant.
Tomorrow, the 9th graders will plant in bottles the vegetables that need to be transplanted. And on Monday we will dig 6 tablons together.
I’m excited about using the garden to facilitate other topics: health, cooking, homemade pesticides, building a compost pile, planting green manures, etc.
Besides the school garden, I’ve been tutoring kids in English. I am trying to make it fun and free flowing like my language training was here. We played Simon Says to conclude the day. You know you made some progress when 4 year-old Dalilah asks you for the English word for the part of the cow intestine that they use to make cheese. I had no idea. Teaching English is great because I always pick up new guarani and Spanish words. Yesterday’s word was ronroneo. Purr. You just never know when you might need that word.
It’s been almost a week since I returned from our 4 month reconnect. Everyone in my group of volunteers returned to Guarambare for language training and other technical information. It was great to catch up with everyone (many who I hadn’t seen since swearing-in), but by the end of the week I was ready to return home. It’s been a whirlwind of activity since I got back.
Getting back was exciting (when is it not intense). Somehow, I managed take a bus that didn’t leave until after 8 even though I was there in plenty of time to catch a 7am bus. But that’s just how it is sometimes. I was hoping to buy a few groceries and check my mail before heading back to the campo, but I was lucky I didn’t miss my bus. I lugged my bags over to the appropriately nicknamed Rusty Butt bus and stashed my stuff in the back. I nearly fell thru the rusty steps in my hast to exit. I ran up to the grocery store and made quick work of grabbing everything on my list. I usually don’t buy from the Economia grocery store because they follow me around and I hate that, but today I took advantage of that by asking for things on my list while I grabbed the rest. As I was returning to the bus a women who I had spoken to earlier when I first stored my belongings in the bus was rushing towards me. She didn’t want me to get left behind since they were ready to pull out. I was grateful for the help. On the ride home I learned she was from Anne Kenney’s site that was a few K before mine. I took the steps as gingerly as possible with all the extra weight from my pack and campo bag. Thankfully, I didn’t have to carry my campo bag very long because a guy pulled up on a moto and asked where I lived. I handed him my bag, but told him I couldn’t ride when he told me to hop on. As I neared my house my contact’s 4 children all came out to great me since they knew I was close because the guy had dropped off my bag.
Within an hour of getting back into site Ña Lourdes showed me to soy beans she had soaking. I ate a quick bite and helped her process the soy. She was so excited to finally have the dish detergent kits and after the soy we made one of them. Because of the time flipping back, it was already dusk when we finished.
This past week I have spent nearly every day at the school helping with the school garden. With the 9th graders I did a tablon planning activity. I presented them with a chart of companion plants and plants that don’t go together. I showed them the seed packages that I got from ABC Color (newspaper) and in groups they drew the vegetables for their seed beds. Lastly, each group presented and talked about how they use the vegetables (Remolacha por jugo—beets for juice).
In spite of the soil being hateterei, the guapo 8th graders dug all 6 of their tablons. Today, it finally rained and next Wednesday we will plant.
Tomorrow, the 9th graders will plant in bottles the vegetables that need to be transplanted. And on Monday we will dig 6 tablons together.
I’m excited about using the garden to facilitate other topics: health, cooking, homemade pesticides, building a compost pile, planting green manures, etc.
Besides the school garden, I’ve been tutoring kids in English. I am trying to make it fun and free flowing like my language training was here. We played Simon Says to conclude the day. You know you made some progress when 4 year-old Dalilah asks you for the English word for the part of the cow intestine that they use to make cheese. I had no idea. Teaching English is great because I always pick up new guarani and Spanish words. Yesterday’s word was ronroneo. Purr. You just never know when you might need that word.
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