Book Reviews (No 3, I think)

I have read three books I want to talk about since I have last done a review.

 1.  Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
This is a book that was written by a woman who spent a lot of time in the slums of India writing about what she saw.  I heard an interview with the author on Fresh Air and learned that she lived there and tried to write about what she saw without changing the situation by being there.  The focus of the story is a family that lives in the slum and their main source of income is collecting and sorting garbage.  It is an interesting book if you want a look into the lives of people in a slum of India and I found it an interesting read.  I will say that it wasn't amazing, I tried to think about why I didn't think so and I think it had to do with the ending.  The book just sort of fizzles out and doesn't really create a lasting memory.  If you like slice of life books it is worth a read.

2.  Fifty Shades of Gray (don't make fun of me) by E.L. James
So I did it.  I read the dirty book that everyone is talking about.  I read it because I usually fall for pop culture trends, everyone was talking about it, and because it had a lot of sex in it (I am drawn to stuff like that, I am going to blame it on my sheltered childhood {my mom would fast forward the 'sex' scene in Titanic}).  I found the book highly addictive but all in all pretty bad.  I thought the writing was poor and very basic.  The sex scenes weren't that good and I didn't like how the main female character was betrayed.  It seemed she had never even been on a date before, then went on to have a varsity level S & M relationship with this extremely rich man.  It just seemed like an adult fairy tale.  That being said I will probably read the other two books :).

3.  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Okay, back to serious books again.  This book takes place in Nazi Germany during WWII.  The book is narrated by death and tells the story of a girl who is brought to a foster home because her mother can no longer afford to care for her and her brother.  It tells of her relationship with her new parents, the trials and triumphs of learning to read, a friendship slowly turning to romance with the boy next door, all with the backdrop of Nazi Germany.  The book is told in a really unique way because death is the narrator.  I think it would be a really good pick for the next book club (hint hint Olympia friends!!). 

Until next time - happy reading!!

Farm #6 and Lemon Honey Recipe

So where I left off last I had just gotten done with my first solo tramping trip.  Since then I have spent the last couple of weeks at a very lovely farm on the east coast of the North Island.  Farm #6 was a vineyard that also had a veggie garden, various fruit trees, olive trees, plenty of chooks (chickens), a turkey, some highland cattle, and some lovely pet dogs and cats.  I had a really good two weeks - it was fun to learn a little bit about growing grapes and it was really fun to drink wine every night.  Most of the time at the farm I was working on the veggie garden, which was nice.  We were getting ready for spring by digging beds and planting early veggies.  It is quite a warm climate that doesn't get any frosts so greens, peas, beans were already in the ground.  We were planting tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers.  I dug about four new beds.  There were four cows there that were supposedly pregnant and about to calve any day now.  But sadly they never had their babies while I was there.  For awhile now I have been saying that I want to milk something and I want to kill something.  I got to milk a cow at my last farm.  And I came really close to killing a chicken at this farm.  So I didn't actually kill a chicken.  I thought I was going to but I thought it would be a good idea to watch it first.  Then do it the next time.  We only ended up killing chickens once so I never got the chance.  Maybe next time.  I did get to see them skinned (one of them), plucked (the other one), and cleaned.  Which was a good thing to learn.  Now it might sound kind of morbid that I wanted to kill something but I want to be able to because I eat meat and because someday I want to have my own animals so I will need to know how to kill and clean them.  Spring has definitely sprung here in New Zealand.  All the animals are having babies and all the trees are flowering.  It is really beautiful.  On a hike I went on with my host we walked through a pasture and saw a cow that was in the middle of calving and one calf that took its first steps trying to get away from us.  As usually I have to apologize for my lack of pictures.  Sometimes I am just not in the mood for taking them.  I hope to make it up to you in recipes and book reviews - hope you enjoy.
I acquired a nice recipe that I really enjoyed while I was there.  It is lemon honey and if you like lemon desserts you will really like this.  I liked to just put it on toast but it would also be really good on pancakes, waffles, or ice cream.  I would recommend halving the recipe to try it your first time.

Lemon Honey Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 and 1/4 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
zest of 1 lemon
220 grams of butter diced (2 sticks)
6 eggs beaten

Process:
Heat sugar, butter, lemon juice and zest over a double boiler until the butter has melted.  Then add the eggs.  Stir until the mixture thickens 3-5 mins (took me more like 8).  Pour into 3 or 4 medium sized sterilized jars.

A batch of lemon honey in front of the vineyard.

The prettiest cat I have ever seen - seriously it was a show cat. 

I never really knew why people liked boxers until I met this dog - so sweet!!

A view from a short hike in the area (east coast of the North Island)

A lovely cafe I stopped at on my way to a new farm.

    

Homemade Ice Cream (without an Ice Cream maker)

At my last farm I got this recipe from my host Sheryn.  We used the milk fresh from the cow and eggs right from the ducks.  It was awesome - I am sure it would work just was well with items from your local grocery.
When we made the ice cream we had a stand mixer which makes things faster because you can just let it mix and do something else - with a hand mixer be prepared to be beating for a long time.  You have to whip three things separately - egg white, egg yolks, and heavy cream.

Ingredients:
3 large eggs
10 tbs of white sugar
2 cups of heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
(flavors, optional)

Process
Separate into two mixing bowls:
three eggs (yolks in one, whites in the other)
add 5T of sugar to each bowl

-Whip egg whites until peaks are stiff (this will take awhile, so an automatic mixer is nice)
-Add 2T of boiling water to the egg yolks and beat until pale, think and ribbony (holds a figure eight)
-Pour yolks onto whites
-Beat two cups of cream to soft peaks (do not overwhip)
-Add 1 tsp of vanilla
-Fold cream gently into eggs - place in container and put in freezer

If you want a flavor, add while you are folding the cream into the eggs just lightly swirl through or you can just add as a topping which might be easier
can add desired flavors like:  cinnamon, coffee, berries, chocolate sauce, chocolate pieces

It's time to talk about oatmeal

I decided to do this post while I was out on my tramping trip.  I think one reason is because I had oatmeal everyday for breakfast, and to be honest - loved it!!  Now my parents are going to be pretty shocked at this post because as a child I hated oatmeal (I was a picky child).  But what I realized as an adult is that oatmeal is just a vehicle for other delicious things.  Here are a list of toppings:

-nuts (almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc)
-yogurt
-peanut butter
-maple syrup
-coconut
-nutella
-sugar
-salt
-dried fruit (apples, apricots, raisins, pears etc)
-spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, etc)
-milk (or cream? yum)
-berries (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc)
-chocolate chips or chunks 
-did I miss anything?

On my recent trip my oatmeal toppings included: almonds, sugar, powdered milk, dried apricots, peanut butter, and raisins.  It was so warm and delicious every morning, yum!!

And it looks like I need to invest in the titanium spork :(

Lady and the Tramp

 I, being the Lady (obviously), and the Lake Waikarimoana Great Walk, being the Tramp (tramping is what Kiwi's call backpacking).  I just returned from a four day, three night, 46 kilometer (28.5 mile) solo tramping trip.  It was around a lake on the north island of New Zealand.  I had a lot of fun, it snowed, it hailed, but for most of the time it was actually sunny.  I had booked my first night in a hut but was also carrying a tent, planning to camp the next two nights.  I camped the second night, then on the third night my campsite was right next to a hut and I couldn't resist a warm night next to a fire.  The beginning of the hike was up to a hut on top of a small mountain.  It started snowing soon after I got there.  I was glad to be in a hut!  Overnight it snowed a couple of centimeters and the walk down the mountain was beautiful!!  The dusting of snow on everything was amazing.  The rest of the hike was relatively flat and continued around the lake.  It reminded me a lot of Washington - all the green and blue colors, at one time it was hailing and sunny at the same time - maybe it was that part that reminded me of Washington.  There was a Kiwi couple doing the hike at the same time as me but we usually had different stopping points because they were doing some deer hunting while out there.  It was nice to be alone but also see some other people occasionally.  Here are some pictures that I took:

My poles and some lichen

Lunch - whole wheat wrap, hummus, salami, and cheese

View on Day 1

Catching up on some podcasts on my way up the mountain

View from the hut on the first night

It snowed!!

The snow in the trees was so beautiful

Swan babies!!

My campsite for night #2 - now that's a sexy tent!!

That's right - I know how to use the self-timer

I saw this purple mushroom - tried to google it but if anyone knows what it is...

Some up close lichen

This is from about the last mile - I am tired and ready for some fish and chips

At the end of the tramp we waited for the shuttle to pick us up at 3:30.  At around 5 we were really afraid the guy had forgot about us and started walking to the main road where it was 18K to our cars.  We thought we were going to have to spend another night out.  The guy did show up, thankfully.  I didn't have the time or energy to drive to the farm I was supposed to be at, so I am holed up in a little backpackers until tomorrow.  At least there is free wifi - rare in NZ!!

Farm #5 - Animal Farm

After three weeks of living at Wilderland - I was ready for something new.  It was sad leaving the friends I had made but I moved onto a good place.  I chose this farm because I wanted a farm with a lot of animals (and I found one!).  There are pigs, ducks, guinea fowl, sheep, cows, dogs, and one cat.  The farm also grows a lot of fruit trees, berries, and veggies.  I arrived at a good time for the animals because right now there is a baby pig, a calf, and a lamb.  I didn't arrive at a great time as far as berries and fruits, as it is still winter in New Zealand (slowly turning to spring).  The baby pig is kept as a pet in the house and it has so much character.  It usually just walks around grunting and scratching itself on stuff but will squeal if you do something it doesn't like, wants to be cuddled, or is hungry.  My yard work tasks while I am here is a lot of composting, mulching, and weeding, mainly because it is the season for that sort of stuff.  I have also spent a lot of time in the kitchen.  Sheryn likes to experiment in the kitchen and also likes WWOOFers to share what they know and things from their country.  Sheryn and her family are Kiwi's and that is fun because to honest, so far I haven't met a ton. 
I milked a cow for the first time.  It was something on me list of things I wanted to learn how to do.  It is a pretty cool thing to learn.  The actual milking isn't that complicated - you just have to pinch off the milk and squeeze the teat.  Getting fast at it is the hard part, and I would never really want to milk more than one animal in a sitting - it is a work out for your hands and forearms (probably good for climbing).  When I arrived they were getting about 7L of milk per day.  There was a calf that was feeding as well.  But everyday we had to figure out what we were going to do with all that milk.  Somedays it was just for drinking, somedays, we made butter or ice cream, some days it was for baking, and some days we made cheese.  Sheryn had just done a cheese making class and had tried out some cheeses, but was still experimenting with what worked and what didn't.  While here I made a feta, halloumi, ricotta, and cream cheese.  It was really fun to learn.  A few days after I arrived, another WWOOFer joined me.  Her name is Lorainne and she is from France.  She knew a bit about making cheese so we could ask her advice if we had questions.
Even when I wasn't making cheese, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen at this farm and that was really fun.  When you grow or produce a lot of food you also have to spend a lot of time preserving and cooking it.  Sheryn also asks each of the WWOOFers to make a dinner from their country.  At first I didn't know what to make but ended up doing chili, corn bread, and angel food cake.  Can't get much more American than that.
I also ended up celebrating my 28th birthday here.  It was really nice Sheryn's family made me feel like family.  Everyone wished me a Happy Birthday, I had a home made chocolate cake with lunch, and home made cheese and hard cider in the evening.  It made it nice even though I am not at home.  I am only here for a couple of more days, then I am going to spend a couple of days exploring Rotorua, and then I am planning on doing one of the Great Walks.  It is a tramp (backpacking trail) that goes around a lake and should be quite beautiful.  I am crossing my fingers for good weather.

Some peach blossoms

Overlooking the pastures

Here is the cat playing with the pig in front of the fire

This is the cow that a milked

Here I am milking the cow - the calf has the other side

MoooooOOOOooooo

Sheep and lamb - the lamb is so cute!!

Lichen covered chair out in the orchard

The calf came to say hello - don't mind the cow ass

Farm #4 - I live in a van!!

It is actually a caravan, and it is called the Love Caravan.  I am not really sure why it has that name - maybe because it has such a romantic setting.  The van overlooks an estuary and it is facing east so the sunrises I have witnessed have been amazing.

The Love Caravan

My view from the caravan

One of the amazing sun rises from the caravan

Let me back up.  I am back in New Zealand!!  I went and picked up my car to discover that the front two tires were going flat.  I ended up having to replace them both then I drove to my new home for the next three weeks.  I am currently living at a sustainable farming community, called Wilderland, on the Coromandel Peninsula on the North Island.  It is a farm that produces fruits, vegetables, nuts, tea, craft jewelry, and honey.  Right now there are about 15 of us living here.  We work on the farm Monday through Friday from about 8:30 to 1 and do farm clean up on Saturday morning.  We eat breakfast and lunch communally and then are left to our own devices to cook dinner.  So far my tasks have included planting, weeding, harvesting, composting, cooking, and working in the shop where the farm sells some of it's products.  I have been curious for some time about community living situations, how they work and if I would like to live on one.  So now I live on one and trying to decide if I like it or not.  Turns out it is a lot like normal life - there are some things I like but some things that I don't.  I like that I get to garden everyday and learn more about it, I like that I get to eat fresh, healthy food everyday and don't have to always cook it,  and I like meeting cool, like minded people.  Some things I don't like, is feeling like not everyone puts in their fair share or wants to be living in the community for the correct reasons.  So far I have been in the community for two weeks and have another farm lined up at the start of next week.  I think at some point in the summer, when more gardening is happening, I will have to come back because I do like living in a community but also want to keep traveling around New Zealand.

Some orchards blooming

The store where we sell goods from the farm

The citrus orchard where I spent a day shoveling compost to the base of each tree

In other news, my friend Dominic was doing some traveling around New Zealand so last weekend I hitched my way to Auckland to visit him.  We did some drinking and some catching up, then he was headed down to the south island and I headed back to the farm.  It was so fun seeing someone from home and to hear about all the news from Olympia.  But this weekend Dom came to visit me on the farm and I got to show him around, the farm and to some beaches in the area which was fun. 

On a walk to one of the beaches on the peninsula

Dom on the beach

We also had some adventures.  First we went surfing, it was my first time surfing and it was awesome!  It was a really nice place to learn because the waves broke pretty close to shore and the water wasn't too cold.  We only had a couple of hours (I don't think I would've lasted much longer) but I managed to stand up about three times and am really excited to get some more practice in.  We only had a couple of hours to surf because that afternoon we planned to hike into a hut and stay the night.  It was Dom, me and a woman named Ffion from Whales who also lives at the farm.  It was my first tramping experience in New Zealand and it was a little bit rainy but really fun.  We left pretty late in the afternoon and had to hike about 5k, mostly up hill, so ended up doing a bit in the dark.  The trail was made of large rocky steps, made for a giant, so my knees didn't love it.  It was nice to hike to a hut because we had cooking facilities and didn't have to carry a tent.  We were the only ones there at a hut that sleeps 80.  We woke up early and walked up another 1/2 hour to a peak to a gorgeous view of the surrounding rock and distant ocean.  We hurried out because Dom had a flight to Fiji to catch later in the day.  It started to rain so I was soaked by the time we had gotten down.  It felt really good to be tired and challenged.  I am back at the farm and just moved into a different house that has it's own kitchen facilities.  I apologize for the time between this post and the last but wanted to make sure I had some good stories and photos to share.  I love and miss everyone back at home :)

Just for scale - you can see the 'hut' - this is from the top of the peak

Close up of the hut we hiked to - it sleeps 80.

View on the way up to the top - not great visibility but nice lighting

Dom on the top

Dom and I on the top

Ffion enjoying a victory smoke

Dom on the way down

Steep path

Cool dead tree