Long Time Cocoa Tea

A GOOD TASTING COCOA TEA

As time passes process foods have replaced the real primary products which were once significant in the lives of man.

Local made cocoa tea was one such product; this tea was tasty and satisfying and contributed to the food stock of the rural community.

 Let us go back and get some cocoa tea 

All you need to do is

Make cocoa Bars

Then

Make Cocoa Tea

Make a cocoa Bar

1.Get ten ripe cocoa pods

 2. Allow seeds to remain in pod for seven days

3.Crack  pods and remove the seeds

4 Remove the seed string or guts

5. Place seeds to dry in the sun until it feels light

6 Place the beans in a pot on low heat until the shell starts to fall off

7. Take of the fire , allow to cool and remove the shell.

8.Grind the beans with a hand mill

9 Add spices, selement leaves, tonko beans .

10. Roll the oily cocoa substance into small almond shapes about six inches in length

11. You have made cocoa bars.

Make the Cocoa Tea

1 Place water in pot and allow coming to a rolling boil

2. Grate the cocoa bar on a grater approximately half ounce per cup of tea

3. Place the grated cocoa into the boiling water, allowing continuing boiling for another three minutes

4. Add milk and sugar to satisfy taste

Take of the fire and serve.

Traditional worm out

August Holidays are here

The kids are at home

Keep with Tradition,

WORM THEM OUT ,with the long time remedy Senna and Salts

 Back in the good old days Senna and Epsom salt replaced the famous cotton bush

 This potion was a very effective brand . The first weekend after school closed. The dried Senna leaves were placed in a pot of boiling water, It was allowed to boil for about five minutes then taken off the fire and allowed to cool, the leaves were strained out and the brownish looking liquid , poured into a waiting pot

 The Epson salt was mixed directly into water in another enamel pot, until the salt dissolved. It was time to consume the brand. The kids all in line moved toward Ma who deliver the potions.

Once you were in that line before you were aware of the very very unpleasant taste . There was no turning back because Pa always stood looking with the reassuring leather belt. The Epsom salt was delivered first, the instructions was drink don’t stop until it empty. After gulping down this miserable tasting fluid, a teaspoon of sugar was placed in your hand , to put into your mouth to kill the taste , then you were given the Senna  another nasty tasting potion. After that you were given a hot liquid soup. 

Then you went about doing your daily chores, within two hours it was action time, the toilets was busy with visits. After four or five visits to the toilets , you were back to normal, the worms were flushed out of the system. You were considered worm free until next August

Give the Children a                           Traditional Potion. GIVE THEM SENNA & SALTS

                                                       Have you ever tasted this product?

DAHIE

Have you ever tasted Dahie?

 Dahie is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk

Fermentation of lactose by these bacteria produces lactic acid which acts on milk protein to give Dahie its  texture . In Trinidad the milk is boiled for a long period under slow, constant heat, The oils and fats are separated from the milk and forms a layer on the top of the milk surface. This layer of fats known as the SARI is removed and the milk which is now reddish in color is removed and placed in a container and allowed to cool to about 45 degrees centigrade. A bacterial culture is added, and the temperature of 45 °C is maintained for 4 to 7 hours to allow fermentation

 After fermentation the milk turns into dahie.  Dahie can then be mixed with sugar to taste and served. It taste is enhanced by chilling.

 Dahi is said to be good for digestion problems and burning stomach.

Dahie was common in the good old days of the farm.

It is still a prized product.

Get some Today.

Farm Booster

Extra Booster

When you down and troubled and you need some loving care

Take a Guinness Booster, all you need is

1guinness

1fresh uncooked egg

1 cup of fresh cow’s milk

½ once nutmeg

Splash of Almond essence

Method :Crack egg in a mixing blender Jar and blend for one minute, then add the other listed ingredients and continue the blending for another minute, then add a quarter jar of crushed ice. Blend for another minute. Then serve in a Glass.(2 persons)

Alcohol Sales to person's under the age of 18 years is an offense in Trinidad & Tobago

Surprisingly Delicious

Barbadine, the Giant granadilla

A fruit with traditional medicinal properties

It makes a smooth tasty milky drink

Did you know it is used  to ease stomach issues and to prevent scurvy.?  

In Brazilian folk medicine, the fruit alleviates asthma, treats diarrhoea and dysentery, relieves insomnia and anxiety, acts as a sedative, treats skin issues and intestinal worms, and  reduce anxiety.

Barbadine is common in Trinidad and one can be bought from the market any day.

You can make pleasant tasting punch for you and your family or for occasional guest visit.

Get a ripe barbadine and try the punch

You only need

 1 ripe barbadine
2 cups full cream milk

2 cups evaporated milk
1 cup granulated sugar

The Five Easy Steps From Barbadine to Barbadine Punch

Step 1 Cut the ripe barbadine in half , remove the seeds and peel out the outer skin. Remove the pulp and place in a bowl.

 

Step 2  Blend half of the pulp together with one cup of full cream milk and one cup of evaporated milk.

Step 3

 Blend the other half of the pulp as stated in step 2

Step 4

Pour the mixtures into a container and add sugar to taste.

Step 5

Serve with Crush Ice 

Macho Mango Wine

Mango season is here

All types of mangoes, starch, Doo-douse, Julie, calabash, 

cutlass, long ,  You name it , We have it in Trinidad & Tobago

The mango is a juicy stone fruit  consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees, cultivated mostly for edible fruit. The mango is native to South and Asia, or from where it has been distributed worldwide to become one of the most cultivated fruits in the tropics. The centre of diversity  is in India. It is the national fruit of India, Pakistan, and the Philippines, and the national tree of Bangladesh. It has been introduced in the Caribbean by indentured labourers

Make Mango wine

                                             Just get

                                                                                                                                         

 3-4 lbs fresh mango  2 1/2 lbs finely granulated sugar 
7 1/4 pts water 
1 1/2 tsp acid blend 
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme 
1 tsp yeast nutrient 
1/4 tsp tannin 
Wine yeast

Method: 

Bring water to a rolling boil,

·         Peel mangoes and remove the flesh from the see

·       Slice and dice the flesh. Pour diced flesh in nylon straining bag, tie bag and put in bucket,

·       pour in the water, mash the flesh with your hands or a sterilised potato masher.

·       . Add acid blend, tannin and yeast nutrient. 

·       Cover and allow to cool to room temperature.

·       Add pectic enzyme, cover bucket and set aside for 12 hours. 

·       Add yeast and recover the primary.

·        Squeeze bag two to three times daily for ten days.

·       Drip drain bag, squeeze gently to extract extra juice and discard pulp .

·       Allow wine to settle overnight, and then strain into fermenting vessel.

·        Top up and fit airlock.

·       Stabilise by placing in a cool place where it will not be disturbed.

·         Strain again after 30 days and again every two months for six months.

·         Stabilise, sweeten to taste, wait ten days, and strain into bottles.

 Age this wine a year before drinking.

 Serve chilled or over ice.


Alcohol Sales to person's under the age of 18 years is an offense in Trinidad & Tobago

Morning Sunrise

The Mango season is here , mangoes are falling every where.

Why not make a Mango Smoothie for breakfast?

All you need is

1 large ripe mango of your choice, peeled and the seed removed
1 ripe banana, peeled and sliced
1 cup yogurt
1 cup ice cubes
Pinch of cardamom
Mint, to garnish

Method

Place the ingredients except the mint in a blender and blend for two minutes with slow speed. Place one cup of ice cubes into blender and blend at high speed for 1minute. Garnish with mint and serve.

Drink immediately

Share with friends and Family

Wine from the fence

Sipping smooth taste of Hibiscus wine

Before the invention of wire and concrete fences , the hibiscus branches were planted into the ground on the land boundary or roadside. The shoots from these branches were trimmed into the shape of a wall. This did not only gave the appearance of a green wall it did in fact formed a barrier because of the close growth of branches. The hibiscus wall also bears flowers, the flowers can be collected and made into wine

Hibiscus Flower Wine 

It’s easy to make

Get the Ingredients it’s all local
1-2 oz dried hibiscus flowers 
2 1/2 lbs sugar 
7 pt water 
1 1/2 tsp acid blend 
1 tsp yeast nutrient 
1 pkg yeast 

Method: 
-Boil the water and sugar, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved.

·        Place hibiscus flowers into a cotton cloth tied over a container, with the centre of the cloth over the centre of the container in a basin shape.

·        Pour boiling sugar water over flowers add the acid blend  and stir in all ingredients except the yeast.

·        Cover until water cools to room temperature.

·        Squeeze flowers to extract maximum flavour and then discard flowers .

·        Add activated yeast, and stir.

·        Strain into fermenting vessel, top up with water and fit airlock.

·        Stabilise by placing in a cool place where it will not be disturbed.

·        Ferment 30 days then strain into clean fermenting vessel, Refit airlock

·        Strain again after additional 30 days.

·        Fill into clean sterilize bottle.

Serve with ice

Have you ever tasted it, taste it you might like it 


Alcohol Sales to person's under the age of 18 years is an offense in Trinidad & Tobago

OYSTER SHOT

Oysters the aphrodisiac

Oysters are found in the mangroves  It grows on the bark of the stilt sections of mangrove trees, which are exposed during low tides and covered during high tides. This oyster has evolved to survive exposed to the air during low tides. The mangrove oyster is found on Caribbean and Atlantic South American and West African shorelines.

No Cooking is necessary

All to be done is

     Remove the Shell

     Make the Sauce

     And Drink

Method

A seasoned bottle of sauce is made by mixing tomato ketchup , black pepper, garlic, onions, shado beni,  sugar, salt and pepper. These ingredients are placed in proportions to the desired taste of the user, e.g ,If there is a need to have a garlic taste more garlic is added. More bitter means more pepper

The meat of the oyster is removed from the shell washed in clean water and placed in a glass. The flesh of approximately twenty 0ysters would be in one serving. The glass is then three quarter filled with the sauce, approximately ten drops of lime is then squeezed into the glass, it is then stirred into the sauce and is ready for drinking

You must try it , it’s tasty, smooth, and has been around a very long time

Pommecythere wine

A Rural Christmas Gift

Great tasting wines

Taste the Pommecythere

In the rural areas fruits are in abundance, the population is united in agricultural pursuits.

In the festive time they display their skills to create Wines at cheap prices.

Pommecythere Wine a favorite
Easy to Make

Just take

3-4 lbs ripened Pommecythere 

2 1/2 lbs finely granulated sugar 

7 1/4 pts water 

1 1/2 tsp acid blend 

1 tsp yeast nutrient 

Method: 
Peel the pommecythere, cut the flesh away from the seeds, and slice and dice the flesh
Mash the flesh with your hands or a potato masher. Dissolve sugar in boiling water and pour over mashed fruit. Add acid blend, and yeast nutrient. Cover and allow to cool to room temperature.

 strain into fermenting vessel.

 Stabilise by placing in a cool place where it will not be disturbed

Strain  again after 30 days and again every two months for six months Stabilise, sweeten to taste,

 wait ten days, and  into bottles. 

Then add  ice and drink

Alcohol Sales to person's under the age of 18 years is an offense in Trinidad & Tobago