Ice Cream Bean, Thunderstorm and Brassia

What is an ice cream bean, you ask? Well, it’s proper name is Inga spectabilis. Here in Costa Rica, it is also know as guaba and pacay.

I first discovered this bean when I saw neighbours knocking down long brown beans from the tree in the vacant lot next to us and then carrying them home. So I went and picked some and identified them. Then I opened the pod and ate the yummy white fluffy stuff that surrounds the beans in the pod. It does taste somewhat like ice cream, a bit sweet.

They are in season now and I bought one at the grocery last week. It is a lot bigger then the vacant lot tree beans and the shell is a whole lot harder to open.

I tried cutting through the shell with a knife but it was hard going. The edges of the bean are iron hard so I couldn’t slice each piece open sideways.

I finally resorted to peeling off some of the outside skin and then smashing each piece with a hammer and then they started to split open. Here is what a guaba looks like inside. You pull out one of the fluffy white covered seeds, eat the fluff and spit out the seed. They tasted good.

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Such a strange looking legume. Here is some more information on guaba.

We had a very strong electrical storm last week. I made a video of it.

I have an orchid blooming right now - a Brassia. Here’s some information on this species from the American Orchid Society.

And finally, quite often when I buy a pineapple I plant the tops alongside our laneway. We are now being rewarded with two new young pineapples that will soon be reading for picking.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Covid-19, Costa Rica - Update

After not being able to drive our vehicle since Monday, April 6, because of Covid-19 control measures during Semana Santa (Holy Week/Easter), today we had no restrictions except a curfew of 5:00 pm. Restrictive days are based on the last number of our placa (licence plate).

So we decided to take advantage of PriceSmart’s (Latin America’s version of Costco) seniors only hours - 7:30 am to 8:30 am. We left home at 7:00 am and were at the Alajuela PriceSmart by 7:30 am. A very quick drive with minimal traffic. It was rather strange to see the almost empty roads. 

Hardly any vehicles in PriceSmart’s parking lot and no wait at all to get in. Carts are cleaned on entry and hand gel was available at the door. Staff were all wearing gloves and masks. This was the best shopping we’ve ever experienced at this store - no crowds at all (and they can be mega) - maybe six or so other senior shoppers. We breezed through our shopping list in no time. The usual - kitty litter, frozen berries, a big block of aged cheddar, mozzarella balls, olive oil, razor blades, a BBQ chicken, etc. - items that are sometimes hard to find in our usual groceries. Kitty litter is very pricy here and PriceSmart has the best price and it’s in bulk packaging so lasts a while. We also treated ourselves to a large box of Ferreo Rocher chocolates.

Checkout staff were protected behind plexiglass and wearing gloves and masks. We keep hand wipes in our vehicle so once we’ve loaded up our stash, we wipe down our hands. We have cleaning methods in place once we get home.

Starting tomorrow, the vehicle control measures have relaxed a bit until the end of the month. We can now drive from Monday, April 13 to Thursday, April 16, and also on Saturday, April 18. This continues until the end of April. Curfew is now from 7:00 pm to 5:00 am. We had cancelled dentist and doctor visits at the beginning of April. Today my dentist emailed me and said he can see me tomorrow so I took that appointment. Beaches, churches, parks, public gatherings, etc., are still off limits and being strictly enforced. Borders are closed.

Here is recent information from the Tico Times regarding our novel coronavirus figures: https://ticotimes.net/2020/04/11/costa-rica-confirms-health-measures-and-vehicular-restrictions-to-continue-all-month-coronavirus.

Totally unrelated to the virus and just to take a break from it all, here is a photo of one of my orchids presently flowering. It is of the Brassia genus and the flowers resemble spiders! It’s not the best of photos but the wind was blowing the very large basket around.