Avondale Market

What you're looking at in the header is Jeanne's patch of lemongrass. I thought that I'd start with it since today's post is about a place that is ALL about fruits and vegetables. 

Here are some big lemongrass stems.  I tug and pull the fattest stems out of the clump, and generaly they loosen with a bit of root attached.  The part that is used is the bottom center part; you have to cut each stem into 3 inch pieces and then peel away the fibrous layers until you get to the white center.  Lemongrass is very fragrant, very lemony.  It gives a bright flavor to Thai dishes and rice.  To use it, I crush up the peeled center and saute it with the spices, onion, garlic and so on when I'm cooking a curry sauce, or I add the crushed pieces to rice before I steam it.  I remove the pieces before serving.  And yes, the leaves are what lemongrass tea is made from. I also made some sweet chili jam with lemongrass, using apples and a big handful of long red chili peppers I bought at the Avondale Farmers Market. I was improvising, and added several pieces of lemongrass to the apples and peppers as they cooked. The jam is so delicious, we adults and Amiri love it on toast over a thin spread of cream cheese!  -  JF

Like Jeanne mentioned, I am going to take you to the farmers' market in Avondale. That's the suburb with the giant spider sculpture downtown. It's also the place with all the Samoan takeaway places that I like so much.

I had been told that this was a big market and that is true. It is huge. Come along and take a look. 

Overcast though it may be, the market was full of people when we arrived at about 11 a.m.

I'm sure there were at least 100 vendors. Jeanne is after chili peppers, and lots of them.  She intends to use them for that pepper jelly.

The prices were good, even very good. 

We both had trolleys and brought them home about 3/4's filled.

Some of these were on the too-ripe side of things, but I chose two that were perfect. 

Here is a food stand that I liked very much. If you look closely, you'll see that it sells Koko Samoa along with it's famous banana pancakes. I bought us some of each. The Koko was exactly like I expected it to be. That told me that I had made it correctly when I tried it at home. 

And here are the pancakes. I was surprised too with their shape. These are not quite the size of a tennis ball. The outer crust is crunchy and the inner part is springy. It's like a very dense giant donut hole I suppose. The banana taste is very mild. One of these and a cup of Koko Samoa is really satisfying. 

There were several musicians at work, adding to the mood of the place. 

I really tried to find out what this is. I was only partially successful. I asked it's name twice, but I just couldn't make out what they were saying. I learned that the white liquid is sweetened coconut milk, but the green stuff is still a mystery. It tastes very bland by itself. 

But put together, the combination is wonderful. I intend to buy some more next time we go to that market and I will get to the bottom of the 'green stuff' mystery. I think green food coloring must be involved. 

 I have had khao tom, that is, sticky rice, with either banana or taro, wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed, many times and love it, so I thought this might be along the same lines. I found out that it was quite different.

Instead of being very slightly sweet like khow tom is, this was something completely weird. I can't begin to describe the flavor. The red beans that are in it were not at fault. It's just that whatever spices were used are absolutely foreign to my definition of 'tasty.' 
 Now, I have tried hundreds of new foods since moving to NZ and most of them I've found to be at least 'agreeable'. This one was not on that list. But whether or not I personally find a new food to my liking, I value it for the experience of tasting it. I just don't want to taste this one again...ever...please don't make me... 

I have shown mainly photos of the vegetable, fruit and food stands in this post, but this market has everything imaginable in it. We'll go back sometime I'm sure.  

So, here is Jeanne's pepper jelly. Rather than just using an apple jelly base, as most people do who make pepper jelly, Jeanne has used apples, feijoas, and lemon grass, besides plenty of jalapenos and other peppers. You can see the pieces of pepper in it and the color of course comes from the peppers. The amount of heat in this is just right. I'm a lucky guy.  Btw, the bread slices come from what they call a 'pide' loaf at Zeki's in Henderson.      -djf

If God did not intend for us to eat animals, then why did he make them out of meat? John Cleese

Today's post is once again about food. Well, two of the three items I talk about are. The last one is a consumable, but it's not a food item. 

I talked about three treasures not long ago in a post. In reality, I am constantly finding treasures, practically every where I look. These three more items are definitely treasures. I have found delight in each. I hope you find some pleasure in reading about them.   

I love the feeling I get when I am in a grocery store, standing in front of a shelf, and I see an item that is totally unfamiliar. "What the heck is that," I say to myself, as I pick it up, feel it, turn it all around, probably smell it if it is appropriate to do so, and definitely, read the label. 

I had that experience recently when we stopped at Nola's Orchard store on our way back from Mass one Sunday morning. This little store, which is first and foremost a fruit and veggie place, also has lots of interesting grocery items. Things like mung bean fettuccine, wine jellies, and other things. The most interesting item I saw that day was the Fresh Koko Samoa.

I had to look up just what this stuff was. It seemed somewhat chocolaty, and somewhat smokey. Well, I found out that is because this is cocoa beans that have been roasted over an open fire and then pounded into a mold. Look---

Koko Samoa is Samoan Cocoa! 

The smokiness put me off a little until I understood why it's present. This Koko Samoa isn't being produced by a factory. Families are doing it over open fires and then pounding the beans into forms. 

This stuff isn't just another choice for making hot chocolate. This represents a completely natural, hand made and historic island method of producing chocolate. This is what evolved into the Nestle's Quick, etc. that we thought was the only way to drink cocoa. It's the ancestor of all chocolate drinks. And guess what?

After holding the cone of Koko Samoa  to shave off the powder, my left hand felt buttery. There's real cocoa butter in it after all. This is a very cool item, and one that I think even qualifies as a wild food. Discovering this made my day. 

I made a small batch to try. Three testers and three thumbs up. It tastes like very dark, very sweet hot chocolate, with some tiny crunchy bits. 

This is 'Koko Alaisa'
This is cooked rice with coconut milk, Koko Samoa and sugar added. I like it warm better than cold. The smokiness comes out when it's cold and is too strong. 
I think they use a lot of coconut husks and palm leaves for their fires. I think that some oak or apple wood would produce a better tasting smoke. -just my opinion

--And here is shot that shows some products of the cocoa bean that have been more processed than the Koko Samoa is. These are also available at Nola's. 

I much prefer the more natural Koko. 

Cacao = cocoa

The nibs are simply pieces of the cocoa bean.

*****

This year I got a couple of dozen figs on my tree. There are still a bunch out there, but they are so small that I doubt if they'll mature before the season ends. A bus friend, John, tells me they will not. 

The biggest problem with trying to grow figs here is dealing with the birds. They are out there on patrol for a meal from before first light to just after dark, and they love figs, as much or more than I do. I can't possibly compete with their schedule and hunger so I devised another solution. I would pick most of the figs when they are starting to get soft, but before they are fully ripe and stew them. The birds will have to go elsewhere. 

I went to Youtube and immediately found a great recipe for stewing them. It is easy and fast. And very tasty. 

Stewed Figs

Cut ends off the figs. Just cover with water and boil gently for 5 minutes. Discard water and boil again for an additional 5 minutes.
For the syrup, use 1:1 water and brown sugar, (about 3/4 cup of each) 6 to 8 dates, and a quarter (or more) tsp. of cardamon.
Gently boil the figs in the syrup for 5 minutes, let it cool, and store in fridge for at least 2 days before eating.

For minted figs.

Tear up a few fresh mint leaves and add to the figs. Let it sit overnight and enjoy.

*****

My pleasure in discovering Koko Samoa and trying Koko Alaisa reminded me of another island product that I tried a long time ago. It was just after arriving and I knew very little about it at the time. I'm no expert now, but I know that I want to try Kava again. 

Kava is a plant and a drink that is consumed throughout the Pacific Ocean cultures. It comes from the roots of the Piper methysticum plant. It is said to have sedative, anesthetic, euphoric and entheogenic properties. It is sold in many of the Indian and Island stores in my area. This bag cost $10. It is the smallest quantity I could buy. The store had bags that weighed a kilo. (2.2 lbs.) I didn't ask how much they cost. 

A lady at an island grocery/deli that sells Kava told me, when I asked about it some time back, "Tell your wife to make it for you. When you get home in the afternoon, she should have it ready. Drink it and relax. Then enjoy your dinner."

Hmm, I'd be more likely I suppose to have a beer or a scotch about 5 p.m., but this is worth looking in to.

I'm going to use about 4 TBS and wrap it up in that piece of cloth.

 I'll use about 10 oz. of water.

I have been soaking the powder and squeezing the cloth to release the kavalactones (the active ingredient) into the water for about 10 minutes.   

 It is normally drunk from a half coconut shell. Lacking that, I am using a bowl. There is a bit of ceremony that must be observed when drinking kava. The coconut shell is held in both hands and the contents drained without stopping. This bowl contains only 4 ounces so that won't be too difficult. The taste is very bitter. It may be ceremonial to down it quickly, but considering the taste, hardly surprising. I can't see myself slowly sipping this like a fine wine. 

Okay, I'm sure the question on your mind is, did it do anything to me? Was I sedated, anesthetized, euphoric or have an enthogenic experience? Well, I don't think so....

I have also read that on the islands, men would often sit around a fire during an evening, talking and drinking rounds of kava over several hours. I can imagine that scene and guess that such a gathering of friends could be very pleasant indeed. Even if kava has only a very mild affect, consuming several doses of it over a period of time in such pleasant surroundings may very well bring about a feeling of happiness and calm. 

What does make me happiest about this experience is that I had the chance to try it at all. My nose was to the grindstone as the old saying goes for about 38 years during my working career. And now, after all that, I'm being given a period of rest, relaxation and revitalisation. I'm seeing and doing things I never dreamed that I'd be doing. That's definitely enough to make an old codger like me a little euphoric. I don't really need any kava for that.  -djf  

Part 7...Home coming

It has long been my belief that when on a holiday, one should rise early and have a last walk and look-around on the day of departure for home. This custom is  especially important for someone like me who quickly forms strong attachments to places like holiday homes. And this h. h. most especially warranted such a tradition. It has been a corker.

Now, I'm quite sure that I have never, in my entire life, used the term corker before in reference to anything. To be fair, I suppose my very first use of it should have been to describe anything written by P. G. Wodehouse, since he is the writer that acquainted me with the term. 

Since I did not use it first for one of Plum's (nickname, P.G.W.) novels, and did so here instead, should serve to indicate in what high regard I hold our holiday house, Buffalo Beach and Whitianga as a whole. 

Further, I firmly believe that if one takes a walk on the last morning of a holiday, some special treasure will be found. I once took an early morning walk on the beach at Santa Monica, just a few hundred yards south of the pier, and was rewarded when a woven wood-strip basket in perfect condition was thrown to me by the waves. Jeanne used that basket for many years to pick and display her garden produce. 

I'll start today's final post of our holiday then with a walk along the beach. I walked away from town today for the first time and took some photos to share with you. And yes, as usual, I was rewarded for acting on my sentimental feelings with a partlng gift from the sea. 

I'm walking north and looking east by northeast.

I've come to a little steam. This is looking west.

And looking north east as it empties into the Pacific. 

Equestrians seem to be the 'bookends' to our visit. They have passed us coming and going. 

 There it is, my gift. I knew there'd be something. The ocean is my friend. 

I met a guy who had just adopted this retired racer. "Wasn't very fast," the guy said. 

One last look . I wonder if the guy with the metal detector is finding anything? 

I also passed a yoga class of about a dozen young (from my vantage point at 66, most people are young) and very fit-looking ladies on the sand, greeting the rising sun with what I think was the 'cobra' pose. I'd have taken a picture or two for this post, but they might have misinterperated my interest, not realizing that it was for 'cultural' purposes only that I seemed to be loitering.  

When I got back to Paradise, preparations were well underway to leave. Again, the weather looked great for our return trip. Before we left, the boys wanted one more session at the playground in town. We adults had another coffee and kept our eye on them from the cafe across the street. Here is the morning view of Whitianga on the day we left.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02SLiaE2ejY&feature=youtu.be

Instead of retracing our route, Allie decided this time to drive down the western side of the peninsula and to then cut back through the Coromandel Range. 

About an hour later...the beach showing the very low tide at Tairua

While there, Allie and Arram went crab hunting. (No crabs were injured or killed during the filming. They were momentarily inconvenienced at worst. ) And this one's expression and aggresive pose tells me he's totally over-reacting to getting his picture taken.  Remember, crabs got their name for a good reason. No sense of humor what-so-ever!

 New Zealand uses lots of one-way bridges on rural highways. The sign means that opposing traffic has the right of way. 

 Beautiful

 We didn't expect to find a helicoptor pad in this carpark. We took a short walk up a trail and had a nice view...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCNwpCgF0D8&feature=youtu.be

Lets see, we want Auckland.

Just about home. There is One Tree Hill, but without the one tree of course. 

Allie took the route that uses the new southern tunnel and it saved us a lot of time. The other route is longer and signs were advising that there was a traffic slow-down at Princess Street besides. 

We're home! And my new shell joins some of my other treasures. 

We had a blast but it's good to be home.  -djf

Treasures, from left to right...scallop shell, upper and lower jaws of a porcupine fish, a seal's vertebra (I think) and a jar of pebbles from the beach at Russel, NZ. 

Part 6...Maramaratotara Bay, aka (to us) 'Name-Game Bay'

I learned the Name Game Song in the summer of 1965 when my cousins came to visit. They were from Minneapolis and very much in touch with the tunes of the day. We were not. Very much in touch with anything that is, from our home in very rural Wakefield. 

Here is the original recording. I remember Gail singing this. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MJLi5_dyn0

We loved it. It's the kind of thing that a person remembers forever. 

Some time back, before we went on our holiday, I was looking over the itinerary that Allie had planned for it. I noticed that we would be spending one day on a bay of the Pacific Ocean with a long Maori name. The name of this bay was even longer and I liked it even better than my favorite Maori-named town, Kaukapakapa, which to me sounds like a fictitious Greek fraternity for dairy farmers. 

I said to Allie when she got home from work that day, "Hey hon, you didn't tell me that we would be seeing Mara-Mara-Totara Bay."  Without batting an eye she asked back, "You mean banana fanna fo fara, fee fi mo ara, Mara, Bay?"  I said, 'Exactly.'  I really love it when our different generations can interact that way. 

Where Allie learned the Name Game Song, I don't know, but what fun we had that night because of our shared knowledge. 

And what a good time we had spending several hours at the beach on Maramaratotara Bay. After a little drizzle in the early morning, the weather decided to cooperate, the surf was gentle, there were amazing shells to collect, and we all just laid back and relaxed. 

I have a load of photos for you today and, as you see them, some fascinating history to share. 

Getting aboard the ferry for the short ride across the harbour.

I don't know what the boys said, but Allie sure got a kick out of it. 

Our first steps on to Cook's Beach, named for Captain James Cook who landed here in 1769. 
You can see rain falling in the distance. We had been delayed a little this morning because of persistant drizzle so we killed time in a cafe until it moved on. 

This picture hints at how the rest of our day turned out. Although the clouds remained, and looked somewhat threatening much of the time, there were always bits of sun making their way through and brightening both the waves and our spirits. 

These cliffs are a mixture of volcanic ash and pumice, laid down by an eruption 7 million years ago. 

Captain Cook named this Shakespeare Cliff because he thought the rock face at some point resembled that writer. 

Here are a couple of short videos that pan along the Cook's Beach and Maramaratotara Bay. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAHMyQKnDxk&feature=youtu.be

https://youtu.be/cAPQZE60Xs4

Click on this next link...this is a replica of the Endeavour, Captain Cook's ship. He claimed this land that he 'discovered' for King George III. He then went ashore and met the Maori already living here, who showed him a river and allowed his men to fill their water barrels. 

http://www.theinformer.co.nz/images/content/endeavour-replica-to-visit-mercury-bay-in-2019.jpg

Some really exciting news is that this ship will be visiting Whitianga from October 21 through October 28, 2019, as part of the 250 year celebration of his arrival. 

You may notice that in the address of the pcture of the Endeavour, (just above) Mercury Bay is mentioned, and that has a story behind it. 

The bay, just off Cook's Beach has retained it's Maori name, but the larger Bay outside it, carries the name Captain Cook gave it, Mercury Bay. He named it to commemorate that on November 9, 1769, he and his astronomer, Charles Green, observed the transit of Mercury across the sun. He had also just observed the transit of Venus while in Tahiti. 

You know, when I think of the explorers of that era, I tend to think of how rudimentary their knowledge was. In truth however, they were actually advanced thinkers. By timing the transits of the planets across the sun from various locations on earth, they could compute the distance from the earth to the sun. There were amazing advances going on and the world's explorers were on the forefront of it all. 

 This beach was nearly deserted all day. We made ourselves at home on a driftwood log. About noon, Allie went off, found a cafe and brought us all savory pies for lunch. Mine was steak and cheese. Not a pasty, but still pretty good. 

 I walked down to that end of the beach and found that there were some swings hanging from tree branches. I thought the boys might like them.

 This is a closer look at that area. The swings are to the left of the picture. It appears that there is a little bit of beach beyond this first outcropping of rock. I'll go see. 

What a great little hidden beach. There weren't many shells on it, but there were countless pieces of shells that I collected. The next picture shows you some of them. I think you can see from the photo how very smooth they are.

 Although the boys never did come down here, I had one friend keeping me company. 

 Here we have two survivors of a shipwreck who have been tossed up on an uncharted beach. They are bravely clinging to life...What will they find when they find the strength to look around?  

 Well, they'll find mum of course, walking toward them. How lucky is that?

 While Jeanne and I had been watching over the castaways, Allie had taken a closer look at some of the rocks fallen from the cliff over time. This one shows wave action.

I love those hills.

 Those clouds look ominous...

 This is what the larger sky looked like though.

 He looks as happy as if he had dug that hole at Hot Water Beach.

 I dug it with this, Grandpa

The official picture for posterity.

 Heading home. We have climbed up from the beach and are walking down to the ferry landing at the end of this street. 

 Almost back to the dock.

(This might be my favourite photo of the post. This is the kind of picture I would have looked at in a book about the south sea islands as a kid. Never in my wildest imaginings would I have believed that I would be seeing this in person, and yet...)

A fishing boat captain (or crew) cleaning the day's catch for the fishermen.   -djf 

UPDATE: 

I published the post you've just read on my Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon, Jeanne spotted some visitors just beyond our back yard fence. I took some photos and sent the best of them to Jeanne and Allie, who suggested they might make a nice follow-up to my comment, just above, about reading and dreaming of the south seas as a kid. I agreed, so here they are. When they finally flew away, I realized that there were three of them.