(New) Organic Sodas

Stop by the shop and have our new freshly made organic sodas. Refreshing syrup made in-house with organic fruit and herbs, and some sparkling water. First up, our two flavors: basil-hibiscus and dalandan.

(New) Pangasinan Salts, Tropical Granola, Eucalyptus Essential Oil

We have new sea salts at the shop. Both from Pangasinan, they are non-iodized, hand harvested, and natural. Both have a "firm" flavor (if you understand what we mean), that is briny and sweet at the tail. Use in everyday cooking, for finishing, and for sprinkling everything from eggs to chocolate.




















The finer one may be sprinkled onto your coffee grounds before brewing, to amplify the flavor.





















We also have what we call "tropical" granola. It is made with rolled oats, coconut syrup (with a lower glycemic and less cloying nature), cashew nuts, and dried guyabano. These are going fast, so we will try to catch up with production.




















Lastly, we have organic, local eucalyptus essential oil. It is perfect for the post-holidays, when we all have some stuffy noses and rooms to clear. We are quite excited to have a locally produced eucalyptus oil to add to our growing roster of locally farmed/harvested and distilled essential oil. More about this next time.

(Food) Oyster Mushroom Soup with Sea Salt and Truffle Oil

As the nights begin to get cold and rainy, we crave for soup. If you've ever tried your hand at growing oyster mushrooms, you know that they thrive with little care and attention. They are abundant and inexpensive. Don't let anyone tell you that you need expensive European fungi to make mushroom soup.

We're working on bottled soup at the shop. Here is one of our successful experiments.

Oyster Mushroom Soup with Sea Salt and Truffle Oil

6 heaping handsful of oyster mushrooms
3 onions
1 head of garlic
1 potato
6 sprigs of parsley
olive oil
4 leaves of oregano brujo or 2 sprigs of regular oregano
truffle oil
pepper
sea salt

First, make a light broth. Take two handsful of oyster mushrooms, two quartered and peeled onions, half a head of garlic sliced through, and two sprigs of parsley. Boil these in a liter of water. Throw a potato in midway. This potato should be peeled and cut across halfway, and broken the rest of the way, to release the starches. Season your broth with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, release a lot of olive oil into a medium-heated pan. Toss the rest of the mushrooms in, chopped. Add the rest of the onions, chopped. Add the rest of the head of garlic, but minced. Allow the mushrooms to simmer in their own liquid and oil. After about ten minutes, add the herbs (the rest of the parsley, plus chopped oregano). Cook a bit longer, then switch off your stove, and finish with salt and pepper.

See that your broth is tasty enough, adjust seasonings. Then throw in your sauteed mushrooms in a blender. Add half the broth and liquefy. Keep adding broth to the consistency you desire.

Return to the pan to heat, while you are toasting crusty bread. Put those in bowls, top with hot soup, drizzle with truffle oil. Garnish with parsley, if you are so inclined. Eat outside on a rainy day.

(New) Coconut Sugar, Pinipig, but first, the Holidays

So yes, we can feel that Christmas is coming. We have mixed feelings about how people celebrate Christmas these days. From the simple holiday we remember as kids, it has now turned into a super-commerical, credit-card-swiping frenzy. So, we encourage our clients and friends to spend only what they can afford, to keep it simple, and to focus on creating great spaces for gathering. Don't let media pressure you into stressing yourself our during the holidays. Enjoy a bibingka, go see old claymation cartoons, and sip salabat.















Nonetheless, we have are coming up with a few Christmas packages. No gross shiny wrapping paper, no plastic this-and-that. We put some of our organic food products in small jars for sets. Simple stuff, check back here or drop by the shop next week:




























In other news, we are beginning to stock bulk coconut sugar and pinipig at the shop! We also have a new "grab-and-go" section with our bulk goods packaged in 500 ml glass jars, for those in a hurry. You can take these back for refills next time.

Coconut sugar tastes wonderful, It is less cloying than cane sugar, and can be used in coffee, cacao, baking, and generally as a sugar substitute. It is better for diabetics, and adds a delicious coconut flavor to everything. We can't stop eating bits of it all day.

Undas, or the begining of November, kicks in pinipig season. Pinipig is pounded rice. This season yields the green sort, when the rice is immature. Regardless of color, when you toast them, you get puffed, crispy rice. Sprinkle liberally on your cacao, or use as cereal.















(We saw the man above selling some in Batangas. Here he is filling our cloth bag with some personal stash. The ones at the shop are from Ilocos, and not the green sort-- we are still working on that!)

(New) Abaca-Cotton-Silk Bags, Black Rice

Check out these beautiful new bags from Bin 'Al Kay! They are made in Palawan with an innovative weave of local fiber abaca, silk and cotton, and screenprinted with gorgeous designs. We're pretty excited about the incorporation of local textiles into products that are useful for everyday-- not just as token "ethnic" ornaments.
















We also have new roughly polished black rice from Nueva Ecija. This is a good starting point for those who can't have extremely fibrous rice, but want to make the switch to less processed grain. It's delicious stuff. Bring your own container!

Other new stuff on our shelves: Silly Sili organic chili flakes and chili pickled in cane vinegar and mascobado sugar.