How to get the pili kernels out of the hard shell?

Photo: http://pamughaton.wordpress.com/2012/11/23/parabuong/
Paratilad in Bulusan doing the deshelling job for a local pili nut trader in Poblacion Central 

'Lagting' is the local term for the pili sans the pulp. After 2 to 3 days of sun drying these pili seeds (stones in botanical parlance) can last for more than a year in storage. The precious kernels will remain protected by the stony hard shell during this period with the right amount of sun drying done. During this stage the kernels inside the hard shell shrink a little ('reseko') due to moisture loss allowing it to naturally detach from the shell while still inside the shell thus saving a lot of effort in retrieving the kernels for the next process.

A closer look of the 'lagting'

The next process will be the manual deshelling or 'pagtilad'. Most often the schedule of this post production process depends solely on the pili traders who usually follow the dictates of the market's most profitable time to sell the pili kernels locally known as 'ilog'.

The 'paratilad' or skilled pili nut sheller of Bulusan can open the shell in a split second separating the kernel whole and the shell cut into two perfect cone shaped half shells called binung-an. The kernels fall out automatically in the process unharmed.The technique lies in the positioning and angle of the bolo (shown in the above photo of a paratilad second from right) and the precise hitting of the shell. The paratilad knows this technique almost intuitively.

In the province of Sorsogon, it is commonly observed in the pili confectionery industry that the paratilad either came  from the district of Bacon or from Bulusan town.  Those from Bulusan are probably a lot since any day of the year the paratilad are always available for the  job.

Bulusan pili nuts are known to be stout with larger kernels

One anecdote from a local resident tells a story on how a local paratilad beat the pili deshelling  machine of  a government agency during a dry run test in a bid to mechanize the system. Hands down the winner was the paratilad the resident related with a big guffaw. No breaking news about that machine test incident in Bulusan  though it became a favorite pili industry story. The paratilad beating the machine* clearly demonstrates how an indigenous skill of 'pagtilad' is truly an indispensable factor in the pili industry as a whole. To this day the traders still rely on the paratilad for their deshelling process. Pagtilad is in fact an indigenous livelihood synonymous with the pili nut. Each paratilad could easily retrieve pili kernels from 2 sacks of pili nuts or 'lagting' in a day.  An average of 100 kilograms of pili nuts de-shelled in a day by one paratilad is a conservative estimate.
  

Pili nuts spread evenly for uniform drying 

Roam around Bulusan town and check for an on-going 'tiriladan' acitivity in a pili trader's bodega, you might be lucky to chance upon these skilled paratilad making precise mini samurai strokes on the pili shells quietly seated on the floor with only a tuktukan (a wooden hard board) so as to perfectly position the lagting and a dependable bolo as tools of their trade.It is fascinating to watch the pili kernels fall off from the half cone-shaped binung-an in perfect rhythm to the sound of the lagting deshelled one pili nut at a time.   


The post production process of 'pagtilad' is probably as old as the utilization of the pili nut itself. The traditional skill could only arise from the pili growing areas like Bulusan. It will not be a surprise if the local paratilad will service also emerging pili nut areas with cultivated pili crop.

Pili nut sun drying on the street in Poblacion Central (Photo: Alma P. Gamil)

 *Note: According to Trade Winds Bicol, a DTI 5 Quarterly publication the "Pili deshelling machines are not quite successful as they do crush the extremely hard, bony shell, but unfortunately tend to crush the precious kernel as well, in statistics too high for commercial viability. "


Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Tangkwa: Philippine native gourd in Bulusan's heritage recipe

Tangkwa from my garden temporarily functions as a living room accent while waiting for my non-busy days to turn the gourd into a dessert using a Bulusan recipe with pili and lemon de china.

The local "tangkwa" is a fruit in the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae family), a herbaceous tendril-bearing vine that includes the cucumber, melon, squash, and pumpkin.

Grown in the backyard garden of rural homes in the Philippines including Bulusan it is the main ingredient in a local dessert with pili nuts in marmalade-sugar mix accented by lemon de china.

This recipe can be considered a heritage recipe in this noted pili-riched town for this used to be a regular and popular dessert during fiestas in Bulusan. However this is seldom prepared now. The fruit brings memories of Lola Ingga and Lola Datay serving their guests with this well-loved 'dulsi na tangkwa' in my father's ancestral home in Poblacion Sabang in Bulusan.

Detailed instructions of this Bulusan heritage recipe of  Dulsi na Tangkwa (Sweetened Tangkwa) is documented excellently in a  Bulusanon web site :pamughaton.net


Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Kalunggay: Moringa oleifera a.k.a. Malunggay

I personally tested the oft-reproduced characterization made many years ago by the Trees for Life organization, that "ounce-for-ounce, Moringa leaves contain more Vitamin A than carrots, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, more Vitamin C than oranges, and more potassium than bananas," and that the protein quality of Moringa leaves rivals that of milk and eggs.

This is good news for many of us who do not have the capacity to buy the foods mentioned as comparison. Malunggay locally known as Kalunggay in Bulusan  is multivitamins available for free usually  from a neighbor's fence. But we did plant our own sustainable supply at the back of our house.

Easy to grow. Just ask from your neighbor a wrist-sized branch of Kalunggay and let it stand for a while in a sunny nook in your yard. When the shoots are starting to show in the standing branch, this is the right time to  plant. Be sure to pick a sunny spot in your garden or fence that is open to the sun the whole day.

That is my technique. Others plant the freshly cut branch  right at once. I tried this too with the same success.
Most important factor is the sun. These plants are sun loving and like to grow on their own after planting. No need to water. Natural rainfall is enough for them.

For an authentic Bulusan recipe of Kinunot using Kalunggay as vegetable you may visit this site :
pamughaton.net

Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Tuob as Indigenous Knowledge: Aligning with the Elements of Nature

As an apprentice for the bobo maker I listened to every word he says. After the weaving sessions that took around several days of 'chop-chop' (segmented) demonstration of  'bobo' weaving steps, Inggo, explained that the process of integrating the object to the sea has in fact not yet commenced.

"This is my old bobo and this one (lifting the other bobo)is the newly woven one. I cannot just immerse this new bobo fish trap into the sea. I have to follow my accustomed rituals as taught to me by an old parabolong (medicine man cum village shaman).

The same items used for the traditional tuob as commonly practiced, the 'kamanyang', 'oliva' palm leaves from the recent 'hosana' are to be utilized in the tuob ritual. The additional material and the most important in this particular tuob specifically done for my bobo fish traps are the pieces of pandan leaves gathered near the shore as the final ingredient in the 'tuob' explained Inggo. The numbers must be in the odd number never in the even. 3, 5 and 7 are odd numbers.

Tuob is a ritual of cleansing and blessing at the same time. It bestows the object a sense of invulnerability to bad luck and to shoo away unfriendly spirits that will cause it to not function properly in the tasks ahead. It aligns it to the good elements of nature and attracts the good chi and thus more fishes will lend itself to be caught in it. This is in sum the purpose of the ritual the way I understood  Inggo.

"I prepare these items when everyone is asleep and I see to it that there are no people in my route to the sea so as the remaining embers of  the tuob materials will be able to float freely to the sea unencumbered free from the prying eyes of curious onlookers. In a 'bagol' (half coconut shell) the materials are earlier made into a fire to produce the thick smoke so important for the tuob process. The smoke must bathe the newly woven bobo fish trap entirely for several minutes.

After the ritual, the remaining embers are brought to sea as quickly and secretly as possible to be floated unto the vast unending sea inside the same 'bagol' used in the tuob.. This I believe is a symbolic act that pays homage to the spirits of the sea.

"One must not look back after the tuob's remaining glowing fragment is set to float to the sea. You must go back as quickly as possible leaving the embers in the half coconut shell floating to the vastness of the ocean with its remaining smoke finally extinguished by the ocean breeze."


Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Optical Phenomena in Magical Mount Bulusan

Photo: realrica.com

Spectacular solar optic effects at the gaping mouth of Bulusan Volcano! Marvelous nature show.

A fog bow, solar glory, Brocken Spectre 3-in-1 phenomena caught in this one of a kind photograph by the team of Pinoy mountaineers with celebrity climber Ms Rica Peralejo last June 24 of this year.

These are actually three distinct phenomena : The fog bow appears here as a 360 degree white rainbow. The solar glory is a band of colored rings at the inner rim surrounding the shadowy  figure technically known as the Brocken Spectre at the center.

This seemingly supernatural optical phenomenon is rare. One must be at the right location at the right time with the right conditions to produce this atmospheric optical effects. The mountaineers were a lucky bunch to be present on the right spot at the right moment when the crater center was at the perfect moment for this nature spectacle to happen.

The mist of fog or cloud is needed to be at the center of the crater first and foremost. This will serve as the ‘screen’  (as in a movie) for the shadow of the observer standing near the rim of the crater. The sun must be at the back  just like a projector to the observer in whose shadow will be then projected at the thick fog located exactly at the mouth of the volcano.

The effect is optical magic. A marvelous  nature show. Colored rings known as solar glory appears around the head of the Brocken Spectre not unlike colored band of halos. It surely looks like a spiritual apparition for those not familiar with this rare nature phenomenon.

Adding up to the magic is the white rainbow commonly referred to as the fog bow forming the larger circumference--a  giant circular host-like apparition. It is as if the volcano’s crater is about to swallow a gigantic host from heaven.

Solar glories are formed by diffraction where light waves are scattered into a ring-like pattern as differentiated to a regular rainbow that usually appears as a colored arc in the sky which is formed by refraction and reflection. In this photo the glory forms inside the inner rings just above the head of the Brocken  Spectre. 

Do not be alarmed. The Brocken Specter is not a dark ghostly apparition. It is merely an elongated shadow casts into the clouds--the shadow of the observer and most of the time --the photographer/climber. The clouds and fog sort of distort the human shadow as it moves.

The anti-solar point is the exact spot where the solar glory and the Brocken Spectre appear. It is directly opposite the sun from the observer’s perspective.

This atmospheric spectacle is the first time ever recorded inside the crater of  Bulusan Volcano—probably  the only one of its kind in the world.

Written by: Alma P. Gamil
Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

On Why MBRLC is on Top of my List as My Most Admired NGO

Photo:MBRLC

It is not only because MBRLC (Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center) was featured in the website of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 2004. It is not also because of its many awards and recognitions:

Awards/Recognitions

*Achievement Award in Technology (1984) from Crop Science Society of the Philippines         

* Ramon Magsaysay Award
(1985) for International Understanding
*DOST-PPM Award in Science and Technology for Private Enterprise (1987) from the Department of Science and Technology
*Presidential Citation (1989) from Her Excellency Madame Philippine President Corazon C. Aquino
*World Food Day Silver Medal (1991) from the regional office of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization
*Regional Likas Yaman Award (1997) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resource

It is mainly because it has given us the hope that abundance is within reach to us ordinary farmers living in the countryside.

By giving us a workable template for appropriate farm technologies and sustainable farming systems that  they themselves are using in their day to day needs, the doubts and fears of our own capabilities somehow lessens.

I t is worth noting that  they only teach what they practice--only technologies tested with recorded success are taught in their own farm classes. The teachers are all practising farmers around the NGO site complex.

Most notable is their version of FAITH (Faith Always in the Home) which when applied by an ordinary farmer with a meager 100 sq meters of  farm lot will secure food on the table for a family of six. This alone addresses the fundamental question of hunger- the most immediate issue and primal fear of anyone who depends on the natural elements (weather fluctuations included)  for food and day to day needs.

The rest of the modules of technology are all worth replicating SALT I, SALT 2 and many more which were all tried and tested with time. Luckily for us, these modules are already available on line for the use of anyone interested to test the method in his/her own small farm.

With the access of these farm technologies and techniques from MBRLC, a farmer will carry within himself an added confidence in his work. And will bring a brighter outlook and hope for every farmer tilling the land knowing that his work is based on a method tested by time and actual practice.

The useful and practical information on farming sytems being shared by the MBRLC were designed specifically for the small farm family.

by: Alma P. Gamil, Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines 

references:

MBRLC Profile

www2.mozcom.com/~mbrlc/profile.htm

Religion-Christianity-EP-Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC)

fore.research.yale.edu/religion/christianity/.../mindanao.html

Magical Mount Bulusan: Ms Rica and the white rainbow

Magical Mount Bulusan. This is not a cliche. This is real.

I saw the magic unravel in the photos of Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio and her fellow trekkers.

They might not know it but they have stumbled upon a very rare phenomenon known as a fog bow during their recent trek to Mount Bulusan.

A fog bow is a 'white rainbow'. White because the colors are so faint it appear whitish. Almost ghostly. But yes the colors are there. And to add to the magic: the white rainbow appeared in a 360 degree form-- meaning a circle. The gaping crater of  Bulusan Volcano appears like in the act of swallowing a  giant Holy host from heaven.

They always say that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But this one is not the end of the rainbow (as the photo shows). This one is right at the HEART of a rainbow with the faintest colors of pink, yellow and blue.

More than a pot of gold I am sure is in there-- though not literally.

Whereas a rainbow is the result of the optical effects caused by  droplets of rain meeting the rays of the sun at a specific angle (42 degrees according to scientific journals), the fog bow on the other hand is caused by a mist of fog smaller than rain droplets not strong enough to reflect and refract colors vivid enough to the eyes. Thus a whitish arc or in this case a circle is formed instead.

The sight is truly magical and almost spiritual. It looks like an apparition of nature.

I have checked the web for similar photos of a crater with a white rainbow but none so far yielded to my virtual search. Arctic white rainbow. Yes, sighted by an expedition team. Golden Gate Bridge white rainbow. Yes, as captured by a photographer. But not this kind of a gaping mouth of a volcano with a giant 'host', the Eucharistic bread from heaven in a suspended  freeze frame waiting to be swallowed by the magnificent Bulusan Volcano from the hands of the  holy sky.

To the trekkers and to the beautiful Ms. Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio:

All I can say is: wish I was there!         (Photos: realrica.com)

For the complete set of photos from Ms Rica Peralejo Bonifacio with the white rainbow: realrica.com

All Saints' Day Photography 101 in Bulusan

The cemetery never fails to yield dramatic photographs. This is true whether in its ordinary desolate days and during All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day celebrated November 1 and 2 when the cemetery is full of life.

For those living in the city a trip back home during these days to visit their loved ones (both the living and the dead) are customary. And the visit to the cemetery is the highlight of the trip.

But for some young ones who tugged along with their moms and dads this can be a boring activity. So a little creativity is needed to inject interest to my nieces for the obligatory visit.

My teenage niece Ging dubbed it as Photography 101, Subject: Todos Los Santos in Bulusan. The younger ones Yapa and cousin Angie acted as the models. Me and Ging as the photographers.

The above photos were some of the captured scenes.



Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines