Moringa Powder

Last week we produced Moringa leaf powder in earnest. It is amazing how few leaves it takes to a pound of powder. That powder is such concentrated nutrition. I suspect that the leaf powder from a large number of edible leafed plants will provide major nutritional benefits. We just haven't tried anything else yet.

Current Leaf Dryer System

I ground the first couple of batches in our maize grinding machine (what is used to make masa for tortillas). The last batches have been done by Santiago and his recruits. He somehow manages to recruit student boys to help with the turning. Happy for that. It is warm work ... even when the temperature is not in the mid 30's like it is these days.

 

Friday morning we tried two of the recipes that we obtained from Leaf for Life (they have a fascinating web site if you are interested). Atole - a thick drink made from rolled oats, milk, leaf powder and sugar (with some vanilla). It was a dark green but very drinkable. Everyone enjoyed it. When I gave it to some workers on another project, their two year old daughter attacked it with gusto (a huge surprise for me).

Pastelito

Maricela and I enjoying Atole

We also used some powder with flour to make a pasta base. Here in Honduras, one of the forms of pasta is marmahon - small round pellets of pasta (rather like large shot gun pellets). We just made a larger size of pellets and cooked them in some instant chicken soup mix. They had a dark green colour but were quite edible. If they had cooked longer in the sauce they would have been even tastier.

 

On Saturday, Yeni made pastelitos with ham and cheese filling. She said they were wonderful. She also tried using some of the "chaff" left over from grinding to make hot Moringa tea - with cinnamon and honey - which, she said was wonderful for sleeping.

Marmahon (extra large size)

The welder finished three small tables for drying leaves. He is working on the drying tables right now and so, tomorrow or Friday we should have a much more attractive system. We will use the same set up to test Solar Water Purification (SODIS).

Will stop the powdered leaf saga before you get too bored. Oh ... no one read this far? Sigh.

TTYL

BB

Two Adventures - One Weekend

Friday was pay day for the workers. It was also the day that they received an extra month's salary. This happens in June and December here in Honduras. Once you figure out the system you can budget accordingly ... but until then ... . We are organized now so this is not a problem.

Thursday I went to the bank to get the money needed for the salaries. For some reason, the bank has become most helpful the past couple of months. It is now "Don Bryan" from everyone. I am not complaining at all. In times past it was often difficult to get larger sums of money. But, Thursday thee was not even a blink when I asked for the amount we needed. Maybe cookies, seeds and candies have finally paid off.

Friday, as we were paying the salaries, Manuel received a phone call that his oldest daughter was in severe pain. I took him to the Las Flores junction so that he could catch both the Santa Cruz buses and the ones coming from Seguatepeca, Comayagua and/or Tegucigulpa. A bus pulled up just as we arrived so he was on his way in seconds.

In the end, Manuel's daughter was taken to the hospital for an appendectomy. His adventure lasted until yesterday when she came home. The hospital is two rapidito rides from his house (an hour's time). Supplies and medicines are not available in the hospital so a family member had to be on standby at all times to run for needed supplies.  I cannot begin to imagine the stress that this must have caused.

I have been in a number of hospitals in various countries of the world but never with my daughter being the patient. Manuel's adventure was more of a nightmare. Fortunately, the daughter is at home and recovering. The paperwork still continues as they book appointments for further exams as she recovers.

My adventure was more along the line of excitement and discovery ... without terror. It was time for me to leave the country in order to renew my visa. On Saturday morning, after planting some trees and getting some Moringa leaves ready to dry, I headed for the Guatemala border. Two years ago, I did the same trip by public transport. This time, I took my truck as far as the border ... rather quicker.

At the border, the official was looking for some cash I think and he took an endless amount of time and raised countless issues before stamping my passport allowing me to leave Honduras. Fortunately, the Hondurans behind me in line were also very confused and wondered what his problem was.

I left my truck at a restaurant by the border and got in a rapidito to Puerto Barrios. Along the way, while chatting with other passengers, it was suggested I go further to Livingston. So, the rapidito dropped four of us off at the dock. There I bought a ticket for a boat holding 16 passengers. I was the last person needed so I got right in and we were off. Thirty minutes later we were in Livingston, a quiet, scenic seaside village.

Although I will miss the Vegreville Agricultural Fair, I will not miss the adrenaline rush of the amusement rides. Public transport provides all those thrills more cheaply, for much longer period of times and, to a certain extent, with a greater fear factor. The boat ride didn't provide any fear factor but it did provide excitement. The front seat is where the boat bounces the highest and where it slams into the waves with the most force. For some reason we were treated to a constant barrage of huge jolts on the trip. It was comforting to see that the other three people on the bench were suffering with even greater effect than I was.

The return trip to Honduras was uneventful. The same official was on duty and he stamped my passport without comment or delay. Happily he used the "3 calendar day" system rather than counting the actual hours. I was, in reality, gone less than 40 hours (rather than the requisite 72) but, much like the Church does with 3 days in the tomb, I was gone for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Hurrah.

Some of the students want to have a T-shirt with a school logo on it. So, we have three colours to choose from and are working on the logo. Next week I will go in to San Pedro Sula to order the T-shirts. It won't be a mandatory uniform ... but many want something to prove they are in school.

Lots of rain the last few days so the humidity levels prevent leaves from drying. We are trying to make some more Moringa powder to try in various recipes. Will also make some other leaf powder for trials.

TTYL

BB

Student Day - School Dance

Even the old man danced

June 11 is National Student day in Honduras. It marks a week's holidays after Mondays assemblies and marches. We are skipping the week's holidays and celebrated on Friday with a school dance.

The students arrived dressed in their best. They had contributed a few lempiras each so that there would be cakes and snacks. It was definitely not National Nutrition day ... but everyone was happy.

Yeni, Cake and Students

Checkers - for the two left feet crowd

Someone organized a set of speakers large enough to provide an adequate level of volume. The laptop connected to the speakers and so there were plenty of songs to choose from along with an array of DJ sounds to liven the proceedings.

For those who were not inclined to dancing, a couple of checkerboards circulated around the fringes. I took on a few students just to maintain top dog on the porch position. The rules are slightly different, especially for the kings (queens). That keeps me on my toes and changes the strategy considerably.

In addition to the dance ... can there be any other news talking about? We made moringa leaf powder on Friday morning after using a solar type dryer for the leaves. It turned out well and was the appropriate colour. We have more leaves drying as we pruned all the trees at the school and in my yard (one two year old tree was 9" in diameter (23 cm)).

This week we have been preparing some booklets on various topics for some seminars which we have been asked to give. The first booklet was on, unsurprisingly, Moringa. If any of you want a copy in English or Spanish let me know and I will email it to you. We are working on Hay Basket cooking and Soy Milk with various green leaves and Vetiver waiting in the wings. The staff are helping with the layout and translation. Google translate is only so good ... and we don't want to have the equivalent of "Made in China" assembly instructions.

We have also had a chance to 'harvest' some Vetiver grass clumps formed from slips we planted a year ago. Each slip that we harvested (3 of them) had increased to 75 - 95 slips. There is a parable that talks about that kind of increase. We are waiting expectantly to see if the plant will also regenerate from the root system (so far nothing :(( ).  

Yesterday evening one of our board members arrived to look for Moringa leaves. Well ... I just happened to have a very instructive booklet, seeds, leaf powder, cuttings and leaves ... along with a bunch of other stuff. She is suffering from anemia as a result of chemotherapy treatment. It was so rewarding to be able to send her home with cuttings and seedlings of other plants that have high iron contents in their leaves and tell her about even more that she can access around her house. I so hope she benefits. It was obviously a serious matter as several family  members accompanied her. They all listened carefully and translated my Spanish to each other and added information from their own experience.

Enough for now. Will add some pictures so that this is ready to post when the power returns.

TTYL

Bryan