Soursop

A well-known fruit throughout much of the world, the soursop's delicious white pulp, with tones of fruit candy and smooth cream is commonplace in tropical markets, but is rarely found fresh anywhere else.

Inside its thin, leathery, green flesh is a large mass of creamy pulp, usually intermixed with 50-100 black seeds.
 

Health Benefits of Soursop

- The seeds, which have emetic properties, can be used in the treatment of vomiting.

- The leaf decoction is effective for head lice and bedbugs.

- The crushed fresh leaves can be applied on skin eruptions to promote healing.

- The juice of the fruit can be taken orally as a remedy for urethritis, haematuria and liver ailments.

- The juice when taken when fasting, it is believed to relieve liver ailments and leprosy.

- To speed the healing of wounds, the flesh of the soursop is applied as a poultice unchanged for 3 days.

- A decoction of the young shoots or leaves is regarded as a remedy for gall bladder trouble, as well as coughs, catarrh, diarrhea, dysentery, fever and indigestion.

- Mashed leaves are used as a poultice to alleviate eczema and other skin problems and rheumatism.

- The root bark is use as an antidote for poisoning.

- Soursop flowers are believed to alleviate catarrh.

- Decoction of leaves used as compresses for inflammation and swollen feet.

How to make virgin coconut oil at home

Virgin coconut oil may be hard to find and are not readily available in some areas. Some would find it expensive. The good news is that you can produce your own virgin coconut oil at the comfort of your own home. This article will show you how.
Materials:
1 fresh coconut   blender
cheesecloth/coffee filter wide glass jar
Procedure:

1. Extract coconut milk from fresh coconut.

            a. To produce its milk, remove the meat from the shell.
            b. Cut the coconut into strips or chunks. Place them in the blender.
            c. Add a small amount of hot water.
            d. Blend it for a few minutes.
            e. Place the cheesecloth over the mouth of the glass jar.
            f. Pour a little of the mixture over it.
            g. Squeeze the cheesecloth to obtain the milk and separate the pulp.
            h. Repeat the process with the remaining mixture.
Tips:

• Put just enough water. Too much liquid will overly dilute the milk.
• You may opt to refrigerate the coconut strips before blending. Freezing them and then thawing will soften the coconut meat. This will enable you to extract more juice. Freezing does not alter the taste or nutrient content.

2. Now that you have your milk let it rest in an uncovered glass jar for 1- 2 days.
3. As effect of the fermentation process, the water and oil will separate. A layer of curd will form on top and the water settles down. The oil is to be found in the top two layers.
4. Refrigerate the jar to let the oil and the curd harden.
5. Remove the oil/curd from the jar after it has solidified. Throw away the liquid/water.
6. Heat the oil and curd in a saucepan 140 to 180 °F (50-60 °C) for about 12 hours.
7. Let it cool. You can now see oil and coconut solids in the pan.
8. Separate the solids from the oil.
9. Put cheesecloth over the mouth of the glass jar.
10. Pour the oil mixture into the cheesecloth. 
11. Let the oil drain for a couple of hours.
12. Squeeze the cheesecloth and discard remaining curd. 

Depending on the size of the coconut, this process will produce 3-4 tablespoons of virgin coconut oil.
Tips:

• Fermentation occurs best at temperatures of 85-105 degrees F. Place the oil in a slightly heated oven, if your room is not this warm.
• In draining the oil in the cheesecloth, make sure that the room temperature is 76 degrees F. This is to ensure that the oil will not solidify.

Saint Kitts & Nevis National Dish

Our National dish is Stewed saltfish served with spicy plantains, coconut dumplings and seasoned breadfruit. It is a tasty blend of locally available vegetables, spices, coconut and salted cod fish prepared with a distinct  St Kitts-Nevis flavor.

Stewed Saltfish

1 lb saltfish                                      2 tbsp margarine

1 green pepper diced                        6 scallions finely chopped

1 lb tomatoes chopped                     2 tbsp parsley chopped

5 cloves chopped garlic                    1 small onion chopped

4 tbsp vegetable oil                           salt and pepper to taste

Method

1.   Soak saltfish overnight then hot in fresh water until tender.

2. Drain fish, remove the bones and scales and flake.

3. Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan. Add pepper, scallions, onion and garlic. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occa­sionally. Add the tomatoes and simmer over moderate heat until heated through for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add flaked saltfish along with margarine, salt and pepper. Cover the stew and simmer over low heat until heated through for about five minutes.

4. Arrange the saltfish on a plate. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with dumplings, breadfruit and spicy plantains.

Spicy Plantains

3 medium sized plantains                 1/4 asp of salt

 peeled and chopped into            1/4 asp of hot sauce or

 1/2" pieces                                                   finely chopped pepper

 2 tbsp fresh ginger peeled                    oil for frying

 and grated

1 small onion grated

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Toss until mixed. Fry in batches until golden brown and cooked. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve along side saltfish, dumplings and bread­fruit.

Coconut Dumplings

1/2 cup of grated coconut           1 tbsp oil

1 1/2 cups of flour                        1 tbsp margarine

1/4 tsp of salt                                 1/2 cup of water

Method

Place flour, coconut, salt, margarine and oil in a bowl. Gradually stir in the water to make a stiff dough. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead for about two minutes. Make dumplings in desired shape. Slide dumplings into boiling salted water. Cover  and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Seasoned breadfruit

3 cups full breadfruit chopped into 1” pieces        ½ cup of chicken broth or 1 cube                                                                    

2 tbsp oil                                                                           dissolved into ½ cup of water

1 tbsp unsalted butter or margarine                        ¼ tsp of salt

½ cup of red pepper diced                                         ¼ tsp of freshly ground pepper

1 medium onion chopped

4 garlic cloves crushed

2 tbsp of fresh parleys chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Method

Melt butter or margarine in a heavy saucepan over medium heat then add oil. Add onions and cook until golden about 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic, thyme, red pepper and parsley and sauté for 30 secs. Remove from heat and add breadfruit with chicken broth or other prepared liquid. Toss gently to blend and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with dumpling, saltfish and spicy plantain.

African Curry Plantain....

Can't wait to try this one and if you try it before I do, please let me know how it turned out. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

4 plantains
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 Tbsp curry leaves/powder
1 onion, finely chopped
1 3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
2-4 green chilies or 1 scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and chopped
pinch of ground tumeric
fresh cilantro leaves, chopped for garnish
lemon juice, to sharpen

Directions:

1. Put the unpeeled plantains in a steamer basket set over a pan of simmering water. Steam for 10 minutes. They should still be quite firm to the touch.
2. While the plantains are cooking, make the masala. Heat the oil in a wok or pan and toss in the mustard seeds, followed by the cumin seeds and curry leaves. As soon as the seeds begin to pop, add the onion, ginger & green chilies. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan, and cook for about 10 minutes (until the onion is softened)
3. When the plantains are cool enough to handle, strip off the peel with a sharp knife and grate them lengthwise into thick coarse shreds.
4. Add the turmeric to the masala while still on the heat, stir to combine. Add the grated plantains and fry for another 5-7 minutes. You want to make sure the plantain still has texture and bite. If it is sticking, add a little water.
5. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, and add a squeeze of lemon. Serve with rice. Good with pickled relishes, spiced chilies etc. YUMMM

Coconut Oil Benefits. Naturally....

Coconut Oil – An Overview

Photo Credit: Nature's Health Foods

Offering a myriad of health benefits, coconut oil is affordable, readily available and completely natural. I use it for EVERYTHING. Literally. I buy it in 5 gallon increments and keep it all over my house. I even have some in the car. So here is a little information to inspire you to check out this amazing oil!

Coconut Oil Is:

• Anti-bacterial (kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum diseases, and other bacterial infections)
• Anti-carcinogenic (coconut oil has antimicrobial properties so it effectively prevents the spread of cancer cells and enhances the immune system)
• Anti-fungal (kills fungi and yeast that lead to infection)
• Anti-inflammatory (appears to have a direct effect in suppressing inflammation and repairing tissue, and it may also contribute by inhibiting harmful intestinal microorganisms that cause chronic inflammation.)
• Anti-microbial/Infection Fighting (the medium-chain fatty acids and monoglycerides found in coconut oil are the same as those in human mother's milk, and they have extraordinary antimicrobial properties. By disrupting the lipid structures of microbes, they inactivate them. About half of coconut oil consists of lauric acid. Lauric acid, its metabolite monolaurin and other fatty acids in coconut oil are known to protect against infection from bacteria, viruses, yeast, fungi and parasites. While not having any negative effect on beneficial gut bacteria, coconut oil inactivates undesirable microbes.)
• An Antioxidant (protects against free-radical formation and damage)
• Anti-parasitic (fights to rid the body of tapeworms, lice and other parasites)
• Anti-protozoa (kills giardia, a common protozoan infection of the gut)
• Anti-retroviral (kills HIV and HLTV-1)
• Anti-viral (kills viruses that cause influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, SARS, AIDS, and other viruses)
• Infection fighting
• Has no harmful for discomforting side effects
• Known to improve nutrient absorption (easily digestible; makes vitamins and minerals more available to the body)
• Nontoxic to humans and animals