These are the sugar cane sticks.....a pink variety...very different from the cane we used to have in Zambia when I was child. We'd never have thought of pressing the juice out of them in those days. We just used to chew and suck out the sweet nectar and then spit out the mangled, dry bits of cane. I loved it - it was a a real treat.
This was an even more wonderful gourmet treat. You feed the cane sticks through the machine, winding the wheel to press out the juice - we all had a turn as it was very hard going...well it was for me....
The residue spurts out of the shoot
and the juice remains ...on tap.
Served in a coconut shell with mint and lime, ice cubes and drop of something alcoholic it was a delicious aperitif before our fabulous homemade lunch..... a feast fit for the gods.
Nineteen different leaves in the salad all picked that morning on the plantation...
felafel ....
plantain salad...
chargrilled squash...
tomato and cream cheese frittata and hibiscus juice...
basil foccacia...
and two different green dressings. - garlicky and chilli hot.
It was a marvel of healthy freshness and flavour, yumminess and inspired creativity.
To help our meal go down, and to make room for dessert, we had another tour ... of the vegetable garden.....
unfamiliar
and
familiar vegetables...
ferns and
exotica...
and butterflies.
Matt led us down a steep hill to a ...
stream and
a waterfall.....the pool of which was a fascinating hunting ground for their dog.
Back at the ranch for more marvellous ice cold nectar...this one made from purple flowers from a vine the colour of gentian violets...
which changed colour when you squeezed in the juice of kumquats.
The dessert was a masterpiece of art and bananas, sorbets and flowers, berries and seeds and nuts all served in a fresh coconut...the prettiest thing I've ever tasted.
And then when I thought I couldn't eat another thing
Natasha brought out tea and coffee and these melt in the mouth ginger chocolate muffins with a passion fruit curd....to die for.
One member of our party- a young man- expressed an interest in trying the local drink called Kava which is made from a root, pounded with water and which has soporific and numbing effects if drunk in large quantities.
It was originally only used on ceremonial occasions but now it widely used by both men and women and causes a lot of problems on all the islands. Domestic abuse is also rife and opportunities for girls and women to have meaningful work are minimal. Which is why it was very inspiring to hear how Natasha and Matt are involved in all sorts of ways in the local community to provide alternatives but still within the Fijian culture....
I did have a sip of the Kava but it was mixed with alcohol and I wouldn't have wanted any more...even our young friend on the tour declined any more after a tiny glassful.
An utterly inspiring and memorable day.
You can find The Gaitree Sanctuary
Click on 'here at'!
Today
I was hoping I might see a robin on my way to the grave ....carrying my two red roses. And as I passed by the gardens in the cemetery suddenly there he was.... in the flower bed perched on a post....
as if he was waiting for me.
Although it would have been our 31st wedding anniversary today...and I thought it might be traumatic to remember this time last year....not the wonderful party we had for him... but the actual day when my sister and I went to see him in the home and he ate lots of chocolates...
but actually I just felt softly full of love and gratitude for all the years we did have.... all of it...the good and the bad times....but today I just wanted to remember the good times. So I did.
And when it started to rain...a light spattering....Grace rain they call it on the sacred island of Naituba......a blessing from the Divine.... I laid my roses on the Budleigh pebbles at the base of his cross and came home.
And baked a big apple tart using all the misshapen and left over bits of the fallen apples from my tree.
So although I couldn't make it look like a perfectly arranged in lines French apple tart, I layered it with ground almonds, and knobs of butter and a sprinkling of castor sugar and glazed it with marmalade.
When it came out of the oven, I cut myself a flakey, soggy, sweet appley corner. While it was still roof of the mouth burning hot I spooned my not quite yet frozen vanilla bean ice cream over the top.....
And let myself feel the loneliness of eating hot apple tart and ice-cream at home without my husband.
No comments:
Post a Comment