Blessed Rising, everyone!
We hope that when you find our vibe here, your day gets even better! Life is the greatest gift of all. Enjoy every moment you are given.
What is Veranda Vibes about? Why do you write Veranda Vibes?
Now that many of you are new to our Veranda, it seems appropriate to take a moment to introduce myself.
Over the past three months, I have been asked these questions multiple times. I searched for an answer.
The ground behind me…
I left the United States in 2018.
I was 68 years old.
I had been managing progressive Multiple Sclerosis for 20 years. I discovered a Holistic health process that used lifestyle, diet, and exercise. No pharmaceuticals for me. Unless I have a surgery staring me down.
I needed a place to heal from a major back surgery and a diagnosis of Osteoporosis.
Somewhere away from negative political chaos, close to a body of water, a clean food source, a welcoming culture, and a laid-back lifestyle.
I spent three and a half months traveling to places I’d never been before. I landed squarely back in Jamaica.
All that to say…
Veranda Vibes is a real-life health and wellness story I write each Sunday.
In Veranda Vibes:
• I cover the weather. I can’t endure cold. I don’t want to be unprepared for a Hurricane. Plus, you might want to visit someday.
• I write about the good Jamaican food we eat regularly. I generally include the nutritional value of the item. I try to give you a simple, healthy recipe to enjoy.
• We’re rebuilding a traditional Jamaican home. I often cover our progress.
• I write about our animals, cats, and a dog. I’m reminded that I haven’t written about our pigs. Soon we will have chickens too!
• I cover my learnings about gardening in an unfamiliar climate.
• I always include a splash of sunshine and my unflailing optimism. I don’t have time to waste on negative people or thoughts.
Jump in! The air is hot and heavy now!
Days are in the high 80s, leveling out to the mid-70s at night. As the tropical storms move off the coast of Africa, we experience spotty rainstorms and heavy air. Then the skies open up, rain hard, and everything cools.
Nights are delightful!
Hurricane season is in full swing. Tropical storms are popping off the coast of Africa like popcorn.
Fortunately for Jamaica, Hurricane Erin curved to the north this week.
A short year ago, we lived through Hurricane Beryl: a fascinating event to watch, but a difficult aftermath to manage. Jamaica has not fully recovered. Many houses still have not replaced roofs.
We send prayers for all in the path of hurricanes and on the edges of the heavy rain bands that create dangerous flooding.
Spotty rainstorms don’t fix a drought
The tiny storms that have passed through have not helped farmers in St Elizabeth Parish.
I’m not putting any of the seedlings you see in the opening picture into the ground. Marshall has cut some big plastic bottles in half. I’m saving plastic gallon bottles. Transferring my babies to containers so I can control the moisture. Which is still difficult. I discover the thirsty air here sucks water away as quickly as I put it in!
This ground has not been improved with water-loving mulch. It’s devastating to see your plants dry up, even with twice-a-day watering!
Breadfruit season
I’m always looking for foods that support my bone health. Since I’ve been in Jamaica, I’ve managed to move my Osteoporosis numbers into Osteopenia.
I work hard to maintain my progressive bone health.
Breadfruit is a good source of bone-healthy nutrients and an anti-inflammatory.
It’s a bland-tasting starch similar to white potatoes that absorbs the flavors of other vegetables or the sauce in which it’s cooked.
The Real Taste of Jamaica by Enid Donaldson attributes Breadfruit in Jamaica to “…Captain Bligh, as in Mutiny on the Bounty”. She elaborates on the “…starchy tubers, yams, sweet potatoes, coco, breadfruit, etc., as food kind. Meat kind goes with food kind.” The Real Taste of Jamaica is not only a cookbook but a repository of Jamaican food lore and lost traditions.
I can’t help but add here a quaint Jamaican rhyme she included when she introduced a recipe and process for using the dark red skin sweet potato we find here in St. Elizabeth. Don’t confuse this sweet potato with the orange ones Americans use at Thanksgiving with marshmallows and brown sugar. Not even close to the same!
Old time cooks grated sweet potato (food kind) in a Dutch pot to make a pudden’. All blended with coconut milk, brown sugar, rose water, and almond, nutmeg and vanilla. Then a bit of butter on top, all placed upon hot coals. On top of the pot, a sheet of tin, with more coals. The old time rhyme:
Hell a top, Hell a bottom
Hallelujah in the middle.
Love this! :-)
Back to breadfruit.
Breadfruit season is from July to February. We had one boiled with green bananas, sweet potatoes, and dumplings this week.
Checking the internet to see how good Breadfruit is for me, I found Very Well Fit, a website that uses USDA measures for nutrition content. The site also has lots of general information about Breadfruit.
In summary, “Breadfruit is a nutrient-dense source of carbohydrates that is high in fiber and low in fat. One cup of breadfruit contains a good dose of potassium, vitamin C, and calcium.” according to Malia Frey, M.A., ACE-CHC, CPT, writer for Very Well Fit.
Breadfruit:
• 227 calories (if you put oil or butter on it, you increase caloric content, of course!)
• 2.4 grams of protein
• 60 grams of carbohydrates
• 0.5 grams of fat
64 milligrams of Vitamin C (85% of daily intake for women/ 71% men)
37 milligrams of calcium
1080 milligrams of potassium (2,600 daily for women/3,400 for men)
You may not find Breadfruit in your local grocery store, but if you have a Caribbean market, you will likely find one there.
After purchase, you can keep it for a couple of days in a bucket of water or your refrigerator.
It can be scooped out, stuffed, and baked (be sure to cut an X in the bottom; otherwise, it may explode). It’s cooked when soft to the touch.
Roast it over an open fire. Cold roast breadfruit fries up nicely. If you keep the slices thin, they’re similar to potato chips with salt.
I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner of dry-fried chicken, boiled green bananas, breadfruit slices, red sweet potatoes, and sliced cucumbers.
Super nutritious dinner loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Great for maintaining my bone density.
Buff the magic bulldog
Buff is a wonderful addition to our yard.
I’m sure he grows a half inch each night. In less than five weeks since we brought him here, he’s radically different.
Routine play?
We have a routine morning and early evening. It’s not so much play as it is dog school.
It’s all about his language acquisition. He now knows toys, fetch, drop, tug, no, no bite, good dog, and ball.
I have to say I’m working with Marshall too. Problem enough, the dog must be fluent in two languages, Patois and King’s English. Jamaicans rarely speak in one-word commands. Other than “come,” most often it’s a litany of rapid, complex Patois.
Buff’s working on obedience. This is hard for him. He’s not yet five months old. He’s a Bulldog after all.
Our routine is also about his exercise regime and mine. It’s important for his growing bones to romp and tug. Just as important for my bones to move and pull.
Not to mention the importance of sunshine releasing that all-important Vitamin D.
The game begins.
You would laugh if you saw his favorite toys. While you may be familiar with rawhide bones, bright colored plastic balls, Frisbees, and more. The multi-million dollar industry of pet accessories doesn’t seem to exist in Jamaica. Maybe in Kingston, but not here in the farm country of St. Elizabeth.
Buff plays with sticks from his yard, mango seeds to chew on, a PVC pipe he’s dug up on the premises, and a pair of Nike slippers he’s destroyed.
I cut up and plaited two of Marshall’s marinas (Jamaican name for muscle man T-shirts). Perfect in bright yellow and navy blue. The two colors dogs mostly see. We use this toy for Tug of War and Fetch, and Drop.
I am amazed at how quickly he seems to learn.
He’s a good bodyguard.
When someone comes to the gate to talk to Marshall, he barks hesitantly, assumes a position between Marshall’s legs, and calms when Marshall reassures him that this is a friend.
He rarely barks. When he does, we have reason to take note.
The trauma of house training a dog has been made much easier by tile floors (all carpets are put up for now) and white vinegar.
Dogs hate the smell of vinegar. When you use it to clean up any mistakes, their sensitive nose picks up the scent. The smell is imperceptible to humans after it’s dried. It takes all dog odors out of the house.
I’m sure I’m ten years younger with our new addition!
I’ve kept you a while on our Veranda. We love to have you visit!
Thank you for reading until the end.
If you have a few minutes left and you like to hear a story read to you, check out this audio file. A Medium story about Buff our Magic Bulldog.
I have so many more stories to tell!
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If you want to become our Best Friend Forever, we will be eternally grateful. We will be checking your vibe over Zoom at your convenience each quarter. Connecting with you is important to us. We want you to be well and happy. Living your best life every moment you are given.
I love this. Please keep sharing your journey and your recipes. Buff is adorable. My two dogs are the lights of my life.