Foraging on Vacation - Caye Caulker, Belize

Fresh caught Snapper, Sardines, Grouper and Foraged Plantain

Foraging on vacation can be an exciting endeavor, especially if you are near the ocean.  Recently 6 friends, including Michele and I traveled to Belize, specifically a small, isolated island called Caye Caulker.  If you ever decide to travel on a whim with no plans, Caye Caulker is your place.  We flew from San Francisco to Houston to Belize City, hopped on a ferry and arrived in Caye Caulker in about 6 hours.  To be honest the trip there was so smooth and so affordable, it enabled me to fantasize about owning a small home there.  In Belize, the primary language is English so that helped as well when traveling.  Caye Caulker is very small and doesn't have paved roads.  You can walk from one side to the other in 2 minutes.  When you arrive, men with golf carts are waiting to escort you to hotels.  We stayed at 2 amazing condos that each slept 6 for $150/night...so affordable.  They both had a pool, hot tub, air conditioning, fresh water, full kitchen, and fronted the ocean.  It was more luxury than we were used to.  Two can rent a small room for $20-$50 US a night as well.

One of our Hotels

On the plane we happened to be sitting next to a woman whose sister is married to the Prime Minister of Belize so we got the down low on all the best places to check out and the customs.  If you travel to Belize during the right time (summer) of the year, Mangoes are in season.  (Lobsters are in season then too) Apparently there are like 60 different varieties of Mangoes, some as small as an inch or two.



Conk Shells - Easy to find discarded on Island

 

Mango

While we were on Caye Caulker we did a lot of fishing and foraging.  We fly fished and dropped fishing lines from something called a fishing yo yo and caught Barracuda, bone fish and small perch from the piers. Barracuda is an absolutely delicious fish!  Later, Michele, our friend Ace and I went out on a small boat with a guide and a local woman and caught over 50 snapper and grouper fish.  For bait, we used a large drop net to catch hundreds of sardines.  The fish was so fresh and so delicious.  We cooked the Grouper fish topped with a caramelized coconut pineapple sauce in foraged banana leaves.

We also kept the super fresh Sardines we had leftover from bait.  The Sardines were gutted and scaled. We ate them mostly whole (minus head). They were so fresh and delicious with zero fishy taste.  Sooo different from canned sardines.

Later we foraged for coconuts, bananas and plantains.  We found many strange and beautiful plants and Mangoes that were not yet in season.  We also came upon a garden growing straight in sand that contained Tomatoes, Mint, Cilantro and a couple other plants.

Foraged Coconut

Bananas with Flower















Fishing (Cuban Style) Yo Yo





Tomatoes Growing in Sand

The snorkeling around the island is okay and amazing if you travel to the reef by boat.  Shark and Ray Alley is worth the trip!  I saw a Giant Grouper fish as big as a buffalo (okay, it looked that big underwater).  There is also a deep area there where you can see many feet down and see huge fish everywhere.

On Cauye Caulker the best snorkeling was at an area called the Split.  The split was created when a hurricane swept through the island and is dredged so boats can pass through.  It is very deep there and on calm days you can see straight to the bottom where huge rays, hundreds of fish, and nurse sharks swim through.  A local told us she was swimming there one day and a Manatee swam by, scaring her to death.

The Split

Michele and I had the best time swim fishing at the Split with a mask and snorkel and our fishing yo yo's (Hand Lines) with some squid attached.  Hundreds of fish went for our bait as we watched from above, even the rays!  When a ray came, we learned it's easy to lift the bait out of their way since they can't seem to turn quickly.  It was exciting when we caught a couple of fish.  To be honest, it was a bit dangerous but we kept an eye our for each other.  Please don't try it alone and if you are not a competent swimmer


Our Crew





On the other side of the island in a secret location, hundreds of huge Tarpon congregate waiting for the fisherman to come feed them leftover sardines.  It is truly a sight that would make fly fisher's mouth water. Fishing is prohibited at that spot in an attempt to protect these beautiful fish.  Finally, bring your own fishing gear if you want to fish with a fly rod or pole.  There was a fly shop / shack but it never opened the week we were there.  Fishing yo yo's, lines, sinkers and hooks are the only affordable gear that can be purchased on the island in the stores and at the one fishing shop.  Hope you get to visit Cauye Caulker soon.



Marta and Michele



Mussel Muscle

Life is about the journey right? Not just point A to B but the spaces in between. Therefore, a Bay Area day trip from Oakland to Pescadero begins with the ride. Getting to Pescadero is one of my favorites. This trip can be made in a loop that offers spectacular ocean views from Highway 1, deep woods Redwoods off of Skyline the 35, and rolling hill and ranches off Pescadero Rd and the 84. I always opt for the loop option whether hiking or driving.
Stopping into Alice’s Restaurant for a local brew and a bite in Woodside is always interesting. It’s a good people and motorcycle watching area, since all the bikers stop around here to show off their stuff, and take a break from riding the twisty roads. This time we drove an old beater Toyota pickup that runs on biodiesel, but for motorcycle enthusiasts this is as good as it gets!
We arrived at Pescadero beach 3:05 in the afternoon for low tide. The waves were gigantic, there was great visibility and gentle winds. There were gorgeous rock outcroppings everywhere and finding the mussels was easy. After climbing out and around and being mindful to not to have my back to the ocean, I found a large clumping on mussels, several types of seaweed, and spotted several sea anemones. The biggest mussels were found in the cracks and crevices. 2-3 inch mussels we heard are best. Be sure to bring gloves and a knife as they can be hard to pull off otherwise. Within 15 minutes we had gathered our share which we kept in a cooler filled with seawater.
Another essential when at the beach is an Aerobie, a hollow disc Frisbee type (but better) disc. There is no hand propelled object on earth that flies further. Each of us a football field apart we enjoyed playing with a fun variation before the catch of striking a pose or performing an action while the disc is in flight. I highly recommend it!
My friend said she had never had better mussels and I plan to cook mine with friends this evening. Feel free to share your favorite mussel recipes with us.

Note: you need an ocean tag on your fishing license to gather mussels

Wheat Grass

Considered a superfood, wheatgrass is an easy addition to your garden. It is said to be a heavy metal detoxifier and widely believed to help prevent cancer. Containing more chlorophyll than even leafy greens, a shot a day is like consuming pure sunshine/ pure life. Wheatgrass is superior in b12, phosphorus, and vitamin e, and enzymes. To digest it however, it must be juiced or dehydrated at a low temperature and ground into a powder. It can be a bit too bitter and intense on an empty stomach (best absorption on empty stomach) and so sometimes juicing an apple along with it aids the flavor. Personally I love the taste of freshly juiced grasses! I generally start with a tray fill it 3/4 with soil, spread a thick, generous heap or organic wheatberries available in bulk at our local market, bury under 1/2 of soil or so, water and wait. Keep the soil moist. It’s a fast, easy grow with sprouts within 3-4 days and ready to consume within 8-14 days. The grass will quickly regrow after being cut and continued production is very possible. Note: if trays are placed on soil or ground it will quickly grow through the tray and become rooted. A shot a day keeps you healthy and gay

Michele

Chanterelles

A friend of mine likened chanterelles to flowers and from this photo, you can see why. Chanterelles fruited heavily this year and it was a great year for beginners to search for them. I was thrilled to find them for the first time on a foray sponsored by the Sonoma County Mycological Association in Salt Point State Park on the California coast. If you are a beginner mushroom hunter, be sure to go on as many local forays as you can. Although Salt Point State Park is amazingly beautiful and that is reason enough to go, Chanterelles and other edibles can be found right here in the East Bay. A foray is a way to make sure you understand how to identify mushrooms. It can take a few trips with a mycologist to feel secure about foraging and eating wild mushrooms. Forays give you time to get to know each edible and all its look alikes. I grew up collecting and eating wild mushrooms with my family on the East Coast but once I moved out here, I needed to learn the differences in edibles here.

Michele and I spent the past month foraging the East Bay for Chanterelles and found many pounds of mushrooms. We are busy now preparing them to last a few months by freezing and drying them. With all this rain, you may still find them out there. Chanterelles hold a lot of water, therefore; I've found they come out mushy unless I pan fry them in a little butter or olive oil until they release their water. Then I tip the pan towards the flame so the mushrooms are not sitting in the water. Reduce this water until it looks syrupy. Then add it back to the mushrooms, salt and simmer until they brown a little. They are ready to eat or add to pasta, etc. Good luck in your hunt.

Daluca