Pulque Curado : Sangre de Conejo (Rabbits Blood)
Updated 16/06/22 The rabbit holds a special place in the mythological landscape of México. It plays a part in both the legend of the moon (1) and in the creation of pulque. The moon is itself represented in various codices by the image of a jar of pulque, the rabbit was used as a measuring stick of drunkenness (2) and the saying “Ye iuhqui itoch” … Continue reading Pulque Curado : Sangre de Conejo (Rabbits Blood)
Medicinal Qualities of Amaranth
Amaranthus species plants can be broken down into 3 basic categories, grain, leaf and ornamental. All varieties of the plant can be eaten as a green leafy vegetable when the plants are young enough and all will provide seed to one degree or another but only a few provide enough seed to be considered viable as a foodstuff. Species primarily used for their seeds are … Continue reading Medicinal Qualities of Amaranth
Pulque Curado : Tecolio
It is said that pulque is “sólo le falta un grado para ser carne” (one grade shy of being meat) and that the only thing pulque lacks for being meat are bones. Well this drink, tecolio, removes that difference. This drink takes its name from red maguey worms (1), larvae of the moth Comadia redtenbacheri (2) which are added to pulque to create a uniquely … Continue reading Pulque Curado : Tecolio
Chinchweed : Pectis papposa
(Pectis papposa) Syn. Pectis angustifolia Torr also called Fetid marigold, Pague, Limoncillo, Lemonscent, Crownseed Pectis, Lemon-scented Pectis, Lemonscent Pectis, Lemonweed, TshéGdannItc’iih (Navajo), manzanilla del coyote, ban mansani:ya, caasol heecto (small caasol), caasol ihasii quiipe (pleasant smelling caasol (Seri), ban manzani;ya I have recently come across this plant during my research into the porophyllums. I was initially drawn to the porophyllum species because of the impact … Continue reading Chinchweed : Pectis papposa
Papalo and Pipicha. Skunk Weed?
Hierba de Zorrillo Amongst the names papalo has accrued lies the not altogether unexpected moniker “skunk weed”, although I have never found the word “zorrillo” used and for some reason online translators always come back with “hierba mofeta”; the word used is mampuritu (1) and mampurite (2) (Morton 1968). My grasp of Spanish is rudimentary at best and there is no doubt I am missing … Continue reading Papalo and Pipicha. Skunk Weed?
The Botany of Papaloquelite
I have previously avoided going too much into the scholarly side of anything whilst creating this Blog. It is my intent to create information that can be accessible to anyone. There are some specifics that cannot be avoided when discussing the medicinal qualities of plants but they are necessary and I have included information that may be beyond some but will be relevant to those … Continue reading The Botany of Papaloquelite
Dandelion? Identifying Wild Plants
I recently came across a term that I had never heard before. Plant Blindness. The term was coined in 1999 by botanists James Wandersee and Elisabeth Schussler. They described it as “the inability to see or notice the plants in one’s own environment”. William (2003) puts a little more into it “Plant blindness is a form of cognitive bias, which in its broadest meaning, is … Continue reading Dandelion? Identifying Wild Plants
Chaya
Cnidoscolus chayamansa (Syn C.aconitifolius) Also called : Tree spinach Chaya or Chayamansa is originally from southern Mexico and is popular in Yucatecan Maya cuisine. Chaya grows in size from a large shrub to a small tree. It has edible leaves that are considered more nutritious than spinach that are rich in vitamin C, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and are an important source of protein. There are many … Continue reading Chaya
COVID 2020 : The Coronavirus Chronicles : Mexico and the Coronavirus.
*DISCLAIMER (There is no connection between Corona beer and the novel influenza virus COVID-19) I sit in strange times. It is the 15th of March 2020 and the World seems beset by fear (or at least the anticipation of it). It is several weeks into the outbreak of a previously unseen influenza virus in or near to the Wuhan province in China. Information given seems … Continue reading COVID 2020 : The Coronavirus Chronicles : Mexico and the Coronavirus.
Culantro : A Cilantro Mimic
Eryngium foetidum Also called : Eryngo, sawtooth Coriander, Mexican coriander, wild coriander, cilantro de hoja, cilantro de monte, ancha (broadleaf cilantro), long coriander, recao, chandon beni, perennial coriander, fitweed, Mexico: cilantron, cilantrillo, cilantro extranjero, Perejil de Tabasco (Mexico), Caribbean: Culantro de Monte, China: Jia Yuan Qian, Germany: Langer Koriander, Mexicanischer Koriander, Jamaica: Spiritweed, Laos: Hom Tay Malaysia: Daun Ketumbar Jawa, Ketumbar Java, Thailand: Pak Chi Farang, … Continue reading Culantro : A Cilantro Mimic
Masa Americana 