How to Make Genip Juice

Genip harvesting this year was short and sweet.  The tree anchoring our driveway bared fruit late this year and we are going away in a week's time.   If the genips aren't harvested, next year's fruit will turn out sour.  Luckily we have passer-byers who are more then willing to help...themselves.  But we don't mind in the least!  Our tree produces an abundant amount of fruit plenty to keep and plenty to share.  Genips are a good source of fiber, calcium and viatmin A.  Along with minerals such as iron, phosphorus and niacin.  And the genips this year are really goooooood!

Every year I make genip rum from our harvest but this year I also wanted to make a non-alcoholic version so that Milan could partake in the family tradition.  I also had a lot of mamoncillos (genips en español) to use up at one time.  Non-alcoholic Genip Juice was my solution, here's my recipe.

Genip Harvesting & How to Make Genip Rum

Over the weekend we harvested genips from our big, beautiful genip tree that welcomes you at the driveway.  Genips are a staple throughout these parts and fruit I've grown up with all my life.  In cuban español we call them mamoncillos.  This year the harvest came late, but it came producing an abounded amount of yummy sweet, sticky and slightly tart pulp.  

No Sew Halloween Cat Costumes & My New Craft Discovery

It was a sweet Halloween.  Never-mind the fact that my 23-month old barely gets the concept of Halloween and costumes.  This year we were a family of cats.  Milan & I's getup homemade, George's store bought from a zillion years ago.  FYI, I gave Milan a box of raisons before heading out.  It kept her so busy that she wasn't interested in eating any of the candy she collected. Hmmm...I wonder how long that trick will work for?

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Problem: Good-quality vanilla extract is hard to find & really expensive.  And did you know that it can be labeled "pure" but can contain corn syrup, caramel, colors and stabilizers?  YUCK!   

Solution: Make your own!

What I've learned about Halloween Costumes

Trick-or-Treating on our teeny tiny island is a small but sweet event for kids.  With our steep hills and neighborhoods absent of paved roads and sidewalks, you won't see ghosts and goblins going door-to-door.  Instead island families convene for candy and treats shared by local businesses and shops at Moongoose Junction, an outdoor mall / social center of sorts.  By 6 o'clock it's chaos with a sea of kids in costume on sugar highs, while parents and onlookers catch up with friends and enjoy a few cocktail treats of their own.  But I'm off subject...

The Little But Mighty Pool

The challenges of a second story deck renovation didn't give us the option to build a large pool at an affordable price.  We didn't want the expensive of constructing new footings (over 20 feet high on sloped terrain) to hold up a massive pool.  We minimized the expense by working with the existing walls and structure of the lower story, building only a couple of new footings just a few feet off the ground.  The results are what we affectionately refer to as the "little but mighty" pool.  It's small in size (approximately 12' x 7') but with big, bold details and packed full of features it creates quite an impression.

More Coco’-lanterns

This week Milan and I painted coconuts and created our own island style versions of Halloween jack-o-lanterns or coco'-lanterns.  We used the coconuts we found on the beach over the weekend and some non-toxic, washable finger paint.  It was a nice change to finger paint on something other then paper, and making a big mess on the deck was an added bonus!  The best part was watching the coconuts roll everywhere when she discovered that they were easier to roll then to carry.  Thankfully, it all washed away quite easily.  These are our masterpieces displayed in our dining room (it's outdoors).