Olingo!

olingo+costa+rica1
Originally uploaded by Pete Plass

The other day we went on a long, wet hike to a waterfall and I saw one of these (longer post to follow on this trip).

I didn't take this picture, but since I didn't have my camera I couldn't very well just post, "hey everyone! I saw an olingo!"

Or as Anna, a PCV friend of mine likes to call them - "kmonkeysquirels"

Black pepper

DSCN0219
Originally uploaded by Pete Plass

This is what it looks like when it's growing. It turns red when it's ready to harvest, much like coffee beans. This was the primary crop on the farm.

Farmer with ginger

Farmer with ginger
Originally uploaded by Pete Plass

Freshly dug up ginger...mmm, fresh ginger tea. I also buy worms from this man.

Maracuyá

maracuyá
Originally uploaded by Pete Plass

A passion fruit relative. These grow on vines and turn yellow when ripe. They have a pomegranate like interior but taste more acidic, like a tart orange. They're great in juice!

Pineapples!

Pineapples!
Originally uploaded by Pete Plass

Three stages of pineapple growth. Each plant produces a single fruit which is actually a cluster of buds that have merged together.

Corn

Corn
Originally uploaded by Pete Plass

Here's an example of a polyculture going on at the organic farm. This just means that different plants are grown on top of each other as opposed to a monoculture where only one type of plant is grown over a large area. The benefit to this is that the soil doesn't degrade and you get the benefits of multiple plants. This type of agriculture is also much more resistant to disease and pests.

Pineapple

Pineapple
Originally uploaded by Pete Plass

This is a pineapple.... they're strange, strange plants from the mind of Dr. Seuss. I... I can't even....

IT'S SO WEIRD!

Well, that's just rotten...

I’ve been falling behind on updates. So, this update comes from a few weeks ago. 

We have a bit of a garbage problem here at my site. It’s getting picked up by the local government, but it’s being dumped somewhere that is considered unsuitable by the ministry of health. So, short of having a new dump commissioned, Melana and I have been looking for ways to help out with this situation.

While we work on getting the whole recycling craze up and running, I’ve been working on getting our host family to begin composting their organic waste.

For those of you who may not know, composting is a process where organic material is reintegrated into the soil through an aided decomposition process. In the case of our home here, I dug a big hole and piled yard clippings and food scraps into it.

In order to aid the process, I decided that we should take a look at vermiculture, or the use of worms to aid in the soil enrichment process. So, today I’m setting forth to bring back 1kg of worms from an organic farm that’s some ways up the road. 

Oh, the errands I run…

Below (or above, who can tell with the internet here) are some pictures of the organic farm that I took when I visited a few weeks ago to get a feel for the composting process. 

V-Day!

V-Day!
Originally uploaded by Pete Plass

I went ahead and baked Melana a carrot/pineapple cake for Valentine's Day. Her favorite! (well, carrot anyway) It turned out really well, this was my first cake!

Giant Scrabble!

Melana playing giant scrabble at our hostel


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Terror!

The only dish soap not allowed on commercial airlines.