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How to make Vanilla Sugar

6/25/2015

1 Comment

 
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Homemade Vanilla Sugar
Making your own Vanilla Sugar is a fast and simple exercise and allows you to always have some in the house to flavour your yogurt, cake and cookies or any kind of pudding. I also always whip some into my whipped cream for a delicious taste...

What you need...

500g sugar, preferably white or castor sugar

2-3 vanilla pods

a sharpe knife and and airtiight container
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Vanilla in airtight tube
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Vanilla pods
Vanilla pods are the fermented seed pods of an orchid plant that grows best in hot and humid areas like the DR Congo. It can also be grown in Western Kenya or along the coast, but needs certain moths to pollinate the flowers for seed pod production. Importing vanilla plants into Kenya is also strictly regulated and needs KEPHIS approval.
You should always buy fresh vanilla pods, which are still soft and pliable. Dry and hard ones are much more difficult to work with and will have lost some of their intense flavour. They are stored in airtight glass or plastic tubes to seal their freshness. Vanilla extract is an alcohol extract of the vanilla pods. It does not give the same pleasant aroma as the fresh vanilla pods steeped in sugar.
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Handpollinating a vanilla bloom


How to....

Pour the sugar into a bowl. Use a sharp knife to split open the vanilla pods lengthwise.

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Above: Splitting the vanilla pod open with a sharp knife

Right: The slit showing along the pod with the black seeds underneath
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Inside the vanilla pod you will see a black paste composed of millions of tiny seeds. Use the back of the knife to scrape them out off the pod.
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Inside the pod
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Scraping out the seeds
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The black seed paste
Mix the vanilla seed paste thoroughly with the white sugar.
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Mix in also the empty vanilla pods and fill everything in an airtight container.
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Empty pods mixed in
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Stored airtight
Homemade Vanilla Sugar can be stored for a long time, the aroma just keeps getting better over time!
1 Comment

How to make Yogurt

6/24/2015

18 Comments

 
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Yogurt is very healthy, especially if made with live cultures. It assist in keeping the digestive system healthy, reduces urinary tract infections, increases calcium uptake and stimulates the immune system. Yogurt is an essential part of my daily breakfast. Unfortunately I am one of the increasing number of people who are allergic to cows' milk. I can use goats' milk though and therefore decided to start making my own goats' milk yoghurt. For those who are allergic to any kind of lactose: you should give it a try with coconut milk.

What you need

1. Fresh cows', goat or sheep milk.
2. Live yoghurt cultures (100 ml plain yogurt or 1 pack of powdered culture per liter milk)
3. Thermometer that can measure to at least 50*C
4. Clean stainless steel pot with a heavy "sandwich" bottom
5. Whisk
6. Oven or other source of heat that can keep the yogurt warm for several hours
7. Yogurt containers (glass or food quality plastic)
8. Refrigerator

The Why....

Use only fresh milk to avoid infection with other bacteria. Also don't use longlife milk as it is basically "dead" and will be diffcult to activate.

You need live yogurt culture that can multiply in the milk and turn the milk into yogurt by turning milk sugar (lactose) into lactic acid. The lactic acid makes milk products more easible digestible, which is important as the stomach of adults doesn't provide for milk digestion any more (unlike the stomach of an infant). This live culture can be bought as a powder or in form of a live yogurt. I have tried the Togg's plain goatmilk yogurt and it works.
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Yogurt Culture
Yogurt cultures are most active at a temperature of 44*C. Therefore the milk must be heated to and kept at this temperature for several hours. Overheating would kill the yogurt culture and lower temperatures would inhibit the process. Normal fever thermometers only measure up to 42*C, therefore it is necessary to obtain a food thermometer. I prefer a digital one as it doesn't break as easily as a glass thermometer and also allows instant temperature readings.
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Digital Food Thermometer

When making yogurt you have to be very hygienic to avoid infection of the milk with foreign bacteria. Always wash your hands and equipment thoroughly. Equipment should always be rinsed with cold water first and then washed with hot water afterwards. Equipment can also be desinfected with a little JIK in the water. Avoid contact of the milk with strong smelling liquids or smoke as that will change the taste of the milk. The pot should have a thick bottom as milk will burn very easily in thin pots/sufurias. If milk burns the protein in the milk crumbles and the texture of the milk becomes unpleasant. It will also take on a burnt taste. 
After the yogurt is cultured (turned sour) it will still be quite liquid. It needs to set first. For this it needs to be cooled for several hours, best overnight. This will also stop the culturing process.

The How...

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Delicious & healthy homemade yogurt
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The milk at boiling point
Step 1: Boil the milk

I boil my milk to kill any unwanted bacteria as it comes from some neighbours cow in various containers and I can't be sure it isn't "a little bit dirty". If the milk comes from your own cow and you use it immediately and you are also sure about your hygiene standards, it is also fine to make raw milk joghurt. 
Step 2: Let the milk cool down to 44*C

Use a thermometer to ensure you introduce the culture at the right temperature. If you are using yogurt instead of powdered culture add it to the milk at a slightly higher temperature as it will cool the milk down.
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The sensor inserted into the milk
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The digital thermometr showing 44*C
Step 3: Add the culture

Use a whisk to stir in the powdered culture or the plain live yogurt.
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On he left: Adding live yogurt culture

Above: Stirring it into the milk with a whisk
Step 4: Pour the cultured yogurt into glass or plastic containers

The yogurt sets better if left to set in small containers than in one big bowl. I use small food-quality plastic containers with a screw lid. But you can use even used and washed yogurt pots or drinking glasses.
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Step 5: Close the containers and place them in a dish with warm water

The containers with the yoghurt should have a lid to avoid infection with bacteria and smells. The containers are then placed in a shallow dish holding warm water. It should be just enough water to reach up to where the yogurt is filed in the containers. This will help to keep the temperature stable and avoid burning.
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Fill the dish with warm water
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Above: The yogurt pots are closed with lids and placed in the dish filled with warm water so that the water reaches about the same level as the yogurt in the pots
Step 6: Keep the yogurt warm

Leave the yogurt in the oven for 1 - 4 hours at about 50*C until it is well cultured and has reached the taste you like. It will still be a bit too liquid at this state. It only sets properly after a few hours in the refrigerator.

If you don't have an oven wrap the yogurt container in some thick towles or keep it inside a styroform container or even a small cooler box (add warm water). This will maintain the temperature for long enough to culture the yogurt.
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Left: the water-filled dish with the ogurt pots in the oven.
Above: Keep the temperature at around 40*-50*C. The temperature does not have to be exact, as long as it does not get over 50*C or cools too much
Step 7: Cool the yogurt overnight

For the yogurt to properly set (get thick and stiff) it needs to be cooled. This will also stop the culturing process so that the yogurt does not continue to get more and more sour. For this a refrigerator is needed.
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The yogurt in the fridge
Step 8: Flavouring the yogurt

To add flavour you can stir in vanilla sugar (to make vanilla yogurt) or any fruit concentrate, like the passionfruit concentrate (check out my older posts). You can also use a tablespoon of your favourite jam or even honey. I personally just eat the plain yogurt with some fresh fruits.

Extra Hint...

Greek yogurt is mild, extra thick and creamy yogurt made from ewes' milk. Ewes' milk is richer than cows' milk and gives Greek yogurt it's wonderful texture. To make a yogurt similar to Greek yogurt you can let the yogurt culture at 44*C for a few more hours, but this will produce not only a thicker but also more sour yogurt. To make a thick and mild yogurt you have to add powdered milk to the fresh milk before boiling it. For 1 liter of milk you should add about 250g of powdered milk. Stir it in well so it dissolves completely, then continue as usual.
 
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18 Comments

How to grow Amaranth

6/10/2015

2 Comments

 

Different types of Amaranth

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Amaranthus tricolor
Amaratnthus tricolor is the typical leafy vegetable Amaranth used for spinach. Leaves should be harvested young for consumption.
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Amaranthus cruentus
Grain Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus) is a dual purpose crop. Its leaves are used for spinach while the seeds can be harvested as very healthy grains. The seeds are boiled as porridge or popped and milled as flour. It appears in a white and a purple form, often both together from the same seed source.
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purple form
Several different indeginous Amaranthus varieties exist in East Africa. They often regarded as weeds, but actually are very healthy traditional vegetables. In Kenya they are collectively called Terere but consist of Amaranthus blitum, Amarathus blitum ssp. polygonoides, Amaranthus dubius, Amaranthus graecizans and probably several hybrids.
Every region has its own variety, some growing in wetter others in more arid areas. It is advisable to collect seeds from varieties growing in your area for propagation. Most varieties grow in full sun only A. graecizans will prefer some shade.

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Amaranthus blitum

Soil Requirements

Light soil that has been manured for an earlier crop. pH 5.5-7.5. Terere can grow on a much wider pH range from 4-8.

Growing Advice

Seeds can be mixed with sands for uniform distribution of seeds. Sow broadcast in situ, lightly raking in the seeds. Needs full sunlight. Water in dry season.

Pull up plants before they self-seed!

Time of Sowing/Transplanting

Year-round. Succession sowing every 3 weeks. Seeds take 10-15 days to germinate.

Spacing

Broadcast

Growing Period

Leaf harvest starts 3 weeks after sowing and continues for 12 weeks. Seeds are usually ready for harvest as grains after about 3 months. Rub the seed heads between your hands. If the seeds fall out freely they are ready to be harvested.

Edible Parts

Leaves and young shoots, cooked. Seeds.

Pest & Diseases

African mole-cricket, cutworm, Spoladea recurvalis caterpillar, root-knot nematode, stem borer, variegated locust. Damping off, leaf spot, powdery mildew.

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S. recurvalis caterpillar
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Spoladea recurvalis
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How to grow Papaya/Pawpaw (Carica papaya)

6/4/2015

4 Comments

 
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On the digital farmer Kenya fb page we had several discussions on how to differentiate female and male pawpaw seeds and I promised to post something. Here we go. Pawpaw is one of my favourite fruits because it grows so easily and is very healthy. Hardly a day passes without me eating one for breakfast. Luckily here in East Africa it is available year round. There are several different varieties, of which the Hawaiian varieties ‘Sunrise Solo’ and ‘Solo’ are my favourites, they taste great, are the right size for one portion and are not genetically modified. GMO contamination is one of the biggest issues with papaya varieties from Hawaii. One Pawpaw that I personally don’t like is the Mountain Pawpaw (Vasconcellea pubescens), which is actually not a different variety but a completely different plant.

Papayas come in a wide range of sizes, shapes and flesh colour, all depending on the variety grown, but fruits from a female plant are generally rounder and sweeter than those from a male plant. Papayas have three sexes, female, male and hermaphrodite, (meaning both sexes in one plant). Usually only female and hermaphrodite plants are grown for fruit. Hermaphrodite plants are self fertilizing, while in a plantation of female papayas every fifteenth plant should be male.

Sexing Papayas

It is assumed that Papayas can only be sexed once they started flowering. Female Papayas will have flowers which are single and and attached directly to the stem, while male flowers are clustered and grow on a long string dangling from the stem. Hermaphrodite plants can easily be confused with female plants as both flowers look very similar to female flowers, but often grow in small clusters.
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Single female flowers growing directly out of the stem on the left, and clusters of male flowers on long stalks in the right picture.
A papaya grower in DRC once told me that he differentiates male and female seeds by their colours. He claims that the darker seeds, which are not covered in a skin are the femals seeds, while the greyish-greenish seeds covered in the translucent skin are the male seeds. He didn't mention hermaphrodite seeds though. I use this method to choose seeds for papaya growing with quite good success, but could't find any scientific proof for this method.
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Black female seeds among grey male seeds
Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and seperate the black ones from the grey ones.
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The scooped out seeds.
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Black female seeds on the left.
Papaya can be easily grown from seeds. I usually simply choose a nice, ripe Papaya from a shop or market and if I like its taste and other qualities I use its seeds. The problem is that sometimes a Papaya seems to have many more male than female seeds. To prepare the seeds for planting I place them in a jar and cover them with water for 1 or 2 days until all remaining skin can easily be removed from the seeds. I rub the skins off and leave the seeds to dry for a day. Any seeds that float at the surface are discarded as they are immature and not fertile.
A source for quality, disease resistant seedlings is KALRO, Thika in case you want to grow a certain variety and not start from seed.

Soil Requirements

Any well-draining soil, rich in organic matter. Water-logging must be avoided. Heavy soils should be improved with good quality compost.  Regular mulching with compost is recommended throught the lifespan of the tree. After the first harvest chicken manure can be applied as well to provide enough nutrients for future crops. pH 5.5 - 7.5

Growing Advice

Papaya are warm-season plants and do best in the hotter lowland areas. For cooler highland areas Mountain Papayas are more suitable. Prepare a big planting hole for single trees or a ridge, on which the papaya can be planted in a row. Incorporate rockphosphate into the soil at a rate of 1 handfull per tree to induce flowering and improve fruit set. Plant the seeds 1 cm deep. If you use seedlings ensure to transplant with the roots undisturbed and the whole soil from the seedpot attached. Papaya have a taproot and suffer from transplanting if the roots are disturbed too much. Uproot weeds around the trees regularly. Mulching is highly recommended. Water regularly until well established. Afterwards irrigation is only needed under dry conditions at a rate of about 30mm per week (30 litres per squaremeter). Waterlogging must be avoided. If several plants were grown per planthole all but one female or hermaphrodite should be cut back at flowering stage.

Time of Sowing/Transplanting

Can be grown year round. If transplanting, which I avoid if possible, it should be done after 8-10 weeks. After that the taproot has become to large and the the trees will suffer from transplanting. Transplanting should be timed to coincide with the rainy season.

Spacing

1,5 m (between trees)  x 3-4 m (between rows)

Growing Period

The first harvest from a papaya can be expected after about 1 year and the tree can continue to bear fruits for 3-4 years before it becomes exhausted. The lower fruits are the first to ripen and harvesting can continue for several months. From fruit set to ripening it can take several agonising months, but it is best to wait until the fruits start changing their colour from green to yellow. Sugar content will not increase after harvest, it will only soften. If fruits are kept on the tree for too long they might be damaged by birds and fruit flies. A papaya is ready for consumption once the area around the petiole starts to soften. Fruits can be twisted or cut off.

Edible Parts

Fruits raw (green) or ripe. Leaves and unripe fruits can be used as meat tenderizer. Papain a commercial meat tenderizer is produced from the milky sap harvested from cuts in unripe fruits.

Pest & Dieseases

Anthracnose, black rust, black spot, damping-off, leaf spot, papaya ringspot potyvirus,  powdery mildew, fruit rot, root rot and stem rot. Aphids, fruit flies, mealybugs, Mites, root-knot nematodes, Systates weevil
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    Author

    Anja Weber is the chairperson of Mama Chakula Foundation, a members' organisation dedicated to rural transformation through education & exchange; honouring old principals while embracing new technologies. She came to East Africa in 1997, when she set up the food processing units at Irente Farm. She has since worked as manager for different companies in East Africa. 

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