Sailing Micronesia 2018: March 2, 2018

March 2, 2018

Today was spent figuring out how to tether the internet to our computers. Pete and I enjoyed checking up on what's been happening in the world and I spent most of the day working on the blog and publishing 18 entries. Since I usually don't take the time to organize my photos and compile them by date from the phone and camera, that took quite some time, too.

In the afternoon, I take a break from sitting to take care of the pandanus Pete’s brought up from below as the rest of the knobs had fallen off and we didn’t want them to go to waste. He’s busy with one of his boat projects, so I decide I’ll do it this time. We don’t like to just chew on the ripe orange parts of the knob as the fibers get stuck in our teeth and even with flossing it seems to take forever to get them out. So, we make pandanus juice instead as it is an extremely healthy fruit. This is definitely a long process. First, the ripe orange part of the know is cut off and the rest put in a garbage bag to save and dump out at sea – at least three miles out - as the quarantine department does not want it dumped in the harbor or put in the garbage where it might grow and produce a non-native plant as the pandanus here do look different. Next, the ripe parts are put in the Ninja – our favorite and only electric kitchen tool – with some water and ground up. Still those nasty fibrous parts remain, so the mixture is put into a clean towel and the juice is squeezed out with the fibers going into the garbage bag for organic sea dump. After well over two hours, we have 2 liters of delicious, healthy juice and thankfully, the huge bunch we were given did not go to waste.

We had the last of the wahoo tonight, breaded with panko crumbs and sautéed Asian eggplant, zucchini and onion, plus fresh sliced cucumbers. The vegetable supply here is very limited, but they are fresh and delicious and the lady at the stand in Lelu across from the laundromat is so friendly and helpful with a lovely smile. The zucchini is very different and has a slightly bitter taste to it. Looking it up online, I find it is called star marrow in Australia and the British also call summer squash, marrow as well. We have only a carrot, head of cabbage, three potatoes and an onion left and I find myself looking forward to Pohnpei and the hope of an array of fresh veggies, but there is still much to explore here before we move on.

A long, but very productive day.