Whistling Ducks Farm Belize: December 2005

Noni Tree

Noni Tree Info

I had some requests regarding the Noni juice, so I added a link and here I am copying some information from another website http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FKA/is_2_64/ai_83033013 (the Polynesian Power Plant) (Hier ein deutscher Link: http://www.noni-saft.cz/):

"The new noni

Noni is one of the most widely used herbs in Hawaii, second only to aloe vera, according to a 1999 survey on complementary medicine use in Hawaii carried out by researchers at the Department of Anthropology, University of Hawaii. Perhaps that is because noni is not a dietary supplement fad on the islands.

In Hawaii, noni is typically prepared by sealing the fruit in a glass jar and leaving it out in the sun for hours, or even weeks. During the fermentation process, it loses its odor and taste of the fresh-ripe fruits. The strained juice ferments into an alcoholic beverage and is taken as a general tonic.

The most common traditional use of noni in Hawaii is for treating cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. Its popularity in the 1990s led to its promotion for everything from kidney disorders to hypertension. This, in turn, led to a scarcity of trees -- even private yards were stripped of their fruits overnight."

Here in Belize I know one guy who grows and markets Noni juice; plus our friends Eva and Tobbi have a huge field full of them, and they will eventually process and sell the juice as well. We have one tree in the back yard, which will hopefully have fruit in a couple of years, too. Another plant we use medicinally is the Aloe plant in the front yard: for mosquito bites - against the itching, as a lotion for dry hands, for cuts or other little injuries. And it soothes the skin immediately when you get a sunburn. Great plant. The All Spice tree (here they call it pepper tree) in the front yard has huge leaves, which we cook in water; it tastes wonderful (has a little "bite" to it) and is great for colds and bronchial problems. Our neighbours drink it like or instead of coffee, with milk and sugar. Oh, there is still so much to learn! How wonderful!

Christmas Party 2005 Eddie and Tyson

Christmas Party 2005 Eddie, Tyson and Jana

Christmas Party 2005 - After the buffet!

Christmas Party 2005 - The kitchen ... after the buffet ...

Christmas Party 2005 Elly, Max, Karli, Joe, Tobbi

Christmas Party 2005 Katja, Hanna, John Acott, Daniel

Christmas Party 2005 Evi and Tobbi

Christmas Party 2005 Max and Elly!

Christmas 2005 for the Doggies! Yummy rawhide bones in the form of Christmas Cones!

Christmas 2005 for Robbie!

Christmas 2005 for David!

Christmas 2005 for Martina and Anette!

Christmas at the Whistling Ducks Farm

On Saturday, December 24, Robbie and I got up early and put on our funny Santa Hats, jumped (hah) in the truck and went to deliver Christmas surprises to our neighbours, most of who happen to be working with us. Only Emilia didn't get a present, because she was invited to the party next day, and John and Lennard couldn't be woken up so early in the morning, so John came over later (with a wonderful home made lasagna). First we went to Martina and gave her our little presents, then to Anette, and then David's house (who was already in town, so he came over later, too) and our neighbour Javier. Now, our little village of San Jorge (not on the maps, because it belongs to the village of Santa Familia) is all one huge family: Emilia is the aunt of David, Javier, Juan (Martina's husband) and Reuben (Anette's husband), who are all brothers. There is another brother living in the village, who we don't know that well, and Anette's sister with her husband is right there, too. We had John Denver Christmas songs blaring (German: schmettern) in the truck and it was a really nice little event.
Then I wanted to started cooking. OUR turkey had already been put to sleep by Anette a few days earlier and when I started washing him I noticed the fat breasts he had and I said to Robbie: NO way I can cook this bird, there is not enough meat on him for 12 to 16 people! All his weight is mostly breast fat! So Robbie was a darling and drove to town to try to get a frozen one. Remember, it was in the meantime 10 am on December 24 ... She got lucky at one store in town and we were just hoping it thawed in time (German: auftauen)... So I just cooked a side dish and we cleaned the house for the party on the next day.
The next day I got up at 4:30 am to check on the status of the turkey: still a bit frozen, so I went back to bed. 7 am was the right time! I made the stuffing, prepared the glaze (honey, brown sugar and lime juice) and the syringe (German: Spritze) with the melted butter. Off Mr Turkey went into the oven and we could relax.
Robbie got to open her present shortly afterwards, and the doggies got their Christmas treats, too! No present for me this time, as I had just gotten a laptop from Robbie for my birthday, so that was enough for one year!
The first guests on Sunday came at 12, just when I gave the turkey its last basting (German: to baste = mit Glasur bestreichen). I still gave myself a few minutes in the hammock to relax, before I took a shower to freshen up a bit. Everybody came almost on time and we started eating around two. The first guests were Max and Elly, then came Hanna, Karli, Joe and Helene, a little later Daniel and Dorothee with Katja (a German physiotherapist/Krankengymnastin), then John Acott (a Rotarian friend) and Tobbi and Eva, and finally Emilia.
The food was great, everybody brought a nice side dish, salad, or dessert and of course we had way too much too eat. So Robbie went over to John and Lennard to bring them a HUGE plate of food, Emilia took some home for her dad, and Max and Elly took their pan home for Guatemalan friends who were visiting. There is still a lot in the fridge ...
Everybody was gone between 5:30 and 6 pm, mostly because they had either animals to take care of (feed chicken, dogs or sheep), or because they had a longer drive and needed to get back home before dark.
It was a nice party with a lot of laughter and fun. Everybody had brought presents as requested, just small packages with a value of about 5$, and we tossed dice (German: Würfel) to pick packages from the big green tub. Robbie got a bottle of Noni juice (VERY healthy) (the website I am linking to is just for your information - Belize makes its very own Noni juice, but is just not promoting it that vigorously yet) and me a carved face which also functions as bottle.
Just when I was finishing up the dishes (which wasn't so bad, because some of the girlfriends helped cleaning up during the party), Tyson called and asked if he and Eddie could still come over. And those two were just the "icing on the cake" (German: Tüpfelchen auf dem "i"). We had some drinks (coconut rum with Sprite or Coke, lime juice and coffee with baileys) and sat outside and chatted. It was really great and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously, as we had all day.
Couple of more dishes around 10 pm and that was it: a GREAT CHRISTMAS DAY!
Thanks to all who made this day so special!