Category Archives: How-To

Puerto Rico Grocery Shopping


In a Puerto Rican Grocery Store

Puerto Rico grocery shopping. Some people had asked me if there is much of a difference shopping in Puerto Rico than in the states. I would say yes and no. Here are some of the similarities and differences


One of the chains on the island. There’s also Econo, Mr. Special and Pueblo among a few others

Price: In Puerto Rico, food is pretty expensive, especially some items like dairy products and specialty items that need to have extra care to ship like produce (strawberries for instance). Other foods, though, are pretty cheap like rice and beans which is a favorite and staple in the Puerto Rican diet/cuisine. Many people in Puerto Rico use a La Familia food stamp card that you may notice when checking out. And often you will be asked about the “metodo de pago” or method of payment. To respond you can say “cash/efectivo” “targeta” (card) “ATH” (debit) or “Familia’. Food (usually) has a lower tax rate than other non-food items.


Sofrito! Most people have a receta casera (home recipe) but in a pinch store-bought will do

Types of Foods: Generally speaking you can find almost everything you would expect to find in the states, but the vast variety is lacking (except soda crackers; there are SOOO many saltines!). For instance, you can find Trisquits, but you won’t find Spicy Herb and Cheese Trisquits (I don’t even know if that’s a thing, but you get my point). Organic and “fine” or fancy foods are pretty hard to come by, so if you are a foody or vegetarian you will quickly learn the tiny hubs of these places (for instance Fresh Mart in Aguadilla, Natural Food Center in Mayaguez and the food section in any Marshalls believe it or not). There are of course a lot of Puerto Rican cuisine foods in the grocery stores. These include things like bacalao (salted/preserved cod fish), lots of tomato sauce, rice, beans, calabaza (Puerto Rican pumpkin), recao and cilantro, sofrito, sazon, plantains, ñame, canned meats, Malta, Medalla, Puerto Rican coffee (mmm que rico!) pique, and many other things.


Malta is an interesting non-alcoholic malt beverage. It is very sweet and carbonated. Basically a soda


Lots and lots of rice!

Many things in the Puerto Rican diet have evolved throughout time having to deal with hurricanes and lack of refrigeration like Ultra High Pasteurized box milk and many canned/dried goods. Because of that sometimes people get the impression that fresh food is not prized. Actually au contraire! There is a deep love for the IDEA of the jibaro slaving out in the hot tropical sun to bring fresh food from the campo. (Not that many still want to BE one, though that is changing a little with the food revolution on the island.) But much of THAT food is found at the small fruit tents, pulgueros/farmer’s markets and just randomly stopped trucks or cars with their trunks open filled to the brim with avocados, pineapples, bananas, plantains, breadfruit and more.


Get your groceries wherever you can find them! Pineapple man

Overall, though, grocery shopping in general is pretty much the same at you might find in the states. It’s a large warehouse with aisles labeled in Spanish. The periphery generally has the produce and cold items and the center has the more shelf-stable things. You can buy any type of alcohol and tobacco there, although the alcohol is sometimes behind a plexiglass wall and the tobacco nearly always is.


Full size “samples” of rum drinks in Pueblo grocery store

Sometimes there will be taste testings, especially with alcohol which doesn’t mean a sample, but usually a full serving of a drink or glass of wine! The music played inside is generally, but not always Puerto Rican current pop or old salsa music.  Sometimes there are ATMs inside. I have never seen people “couponing” with the cut out coupons that they have in the states, at least not in any store I’ve ever been to. The sales advertisement/insert is often found at the front of the store near the carts/baskets and is called a “shopper” (pronounced “choper”). Sometimes there is a cafeteria or deli to eat a hot meal.

I haven’t seen self check out at the grocery stores and some are even so old school they don’t have bar codes (small mom and pop colmados mostly) and have to type in the price. Most will accept any form of money, but it’s good to always have cash just in case the machines aren’t working. People are friendly while shopping and will often comment or make small talk while reaching for things. Lines (filas) can sometimes be long especially on the weekends, so we avoid shopping then even though everyone is very nice and polite while waiting.

One big difference is that for a few years now, there is a law that prohibits the single use plastic bags. So you either need to bring your own bags (or boxes, coolers, etc) or they will sell you a canvas one for about a $1 or a thicker plastic bag (that is intended to be re-used) for about ten cents. Also, if you are not going straight home from the grocery store (and even if you are) you should always bring a cooler in your car to keep cold things cold. Neveritas (portable coolers) are an all-time must item while living in Puerto Rico!

That’s about all I can think of regarding grocery shopping in Puerto Rico. Let me know if I missed anything and can try to answer it! Here’s a short video while out shopping!

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Hurricane Season Life


Sept 10 is the zenith of hurricane probability

Ever since Hurricane Maria, hurricane season has become something different in our minds. We came to Puerto Rico very naive about hurricanes, and we lived here for 4 years with basically nothing ever happening. We had an occasional tropical storm, but we’ve had stronger aguaceros (downpours) come out of the blue. But Maria changed all of that optimism and surety. We have a deep underlying trauma associated with hurricanes now. On the surface, our logical brain tells us that if we can survive 2 + months of living like primitive people we can survive anything! But underneath, our subconscious says “Ah, hell no. I don’t want to do that again!” So we have our conscious and subconscious minds competing against each other.


This time last year I was 8 months pregnant going through hurricane season!

I was particularly nervous last year for a few reasons, most notably that I was pregnant with a due date right around the climatic probability of storms. After the birth my medical care turned out to be VERY lacking as it was without a storm, so I can only imagine how bad it would have had there been no electricity, water or medical supplies. I am SO grateful everything turned out ok. It was iffy there for a bit. My medical care nightmare is probably for another day, but suffice it to say, I don’t  ever want to be in another major medical emergency in Puerto Rico with or without a hurricane looming.


Last year in our tropical gardens

One of our neighbors is currently about as pregnant as I was, so we thought it would be fun to do a photoshoot in our gardens that we have finally named. Since Puerto Rico is La Isla del Encanto (The Isle of Enchantment), we named our farm/gardens The Garden of Enchantment. You can check out our new Facebook page and give it a like if you want. Julie is about as nervous as I was having her first baby in an unfamiliar land and so we thought it would be a nice de-stressor to take a little of that anxiety away and focus on the beauty that she is emanating! I gathered materials from all over the gardens and made her a flower crown to make her a jungle queen.


Finished flower crown

Here’s a “How-to” Video on the making of the crown.

It turned out so nice.


What a gorgeous mama-to-be


Even Aeden got to check out his jungle friend in making

When we heard a storm called Dorian was forming and heading straight for us, our nerves started to fray a little. We turned on the hurricane brain and started prepping. Extra gas, water, food, batteries, clean out the cistern, shut the windows, check, check, check.


There are always runs on water. We just rinse out and refill our jugs


Day of Dorian right outside Econo…wouldn’t think anything was abnormal!

Dorian thankfully turned anticlimactic and didn’t even really have any rain. But it did bring back lots of memories. We ended up going to a pool party for a friend who is moving away. We had even partied at Yukayeke a lot after Maria, so the recollections are stacked. Strange how much that period of time is embedded in our psyches now.


Fun at Yukayeke


Yukayeke Resort in Anasco from the road

Living in the tropics of Puerto Rico is 90% awesome. We get to live like we’re on vacation! But interspersed are moments of sheer panic and annoyance. I guess there’s nowhere on Earth that is 100% paradise all the time. But to me, this sure comes close. Even in hurricane season. It gives us all a little something to get worked up about I guess. No one would read a story if it didn’t have some complications to resolve.


Most days are wonderful


Calm, serene and peaceful on the farm

 
Fun family times

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Earthship PR on Earth Day


Earthship PR in Aguada, Puerto Rico

I have heard about the Earthship in Aguada for some time, but haven’t had the chance to check it out until now. It has been a working apiary (TainaSoy/Chaparro Apiaro) but recently has transformed into something magical. The Earthship PR has a lot of potential as it is still in its infancy, but it was great to see the results in the making. Based on the biotechture Earthships of Taos New Mexico, the goal is for it to be a sustainably built (using tires, cans, bottles and other “trash”) community center that is completely off grid -water, electricity and food. At this point it has a basic working rainwater system, and a very minimal solar set up (one panel) and a small garden.


Derek and Matt led the discussion

But the coolest thing to me was the structure style and re-use of the colored glass bottles to make a stain-glass effect in the dome-like huts. It felt like we were in a movie/art set. The soft edges made it seem like we were in a fairy tale setting dancing under mushroom caps. From the vision of Eco-sustainability to the community engagement (it was built nearly all from volunteer labor) and just the sheer “cool factor” this place was a true inspiration of what can be possible with a little dream and a lot of elbow grease! Check out the video below for a full tour. The Earth Day event was also a lot of fun with bomba music, local artisans and food, and just a really chill, good vibe to help us appreciate how awesome it is to live on planet Earth!


Inside the first hut


Beautiful art work


Down by the river area people were set up hanging out, playing music

Aeden checking out the glass cut outs


Me, Derek and Matt on the tour

My friend Missy with her homemade soap using goat milk and beeswax from there


They are small Dome-like structures (maybe 10×10). I enjoyed the art on the walls


Lovely heliconias in bloom


And a lot of pineapples everywhere we looked!


From the backside -a work in progress!


How the dome structures are built- tires and a rebar cage dome filled with refuse and concrete


Goat on a rope


Open every Saturday -bring food, bring support, volunteer in whatever manner you can!


People on the tour during Earth Day


Me and Aeden down by the river/quebrada area


A special thanks to David White for filming this interview

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Ron y Cloro: 8 Ways to Solve Your Problems in PR

There is a joke people sometimes say here. What’s the solution to Puerto Rico’s problems? Ron y cloro. Rum and bleach. Rum, because well everything is just better with a little buzz and bleach because it will wipe everything clean again! So I thought I would write a little about how we use each of these to solve our daily problems in Puerto Rico.

Cassie drink (2)
¡Salud!

1) Things just break down and get so much dirtier here than it ever did in Colorado. We have to keep a cover over our washing machine because the dust settles so heavily over the course of a week and then makes the clothes or sheets dirtier than they started! So you must use more bleach! ¡Más cloro!

Washing machine cover
Washing machine cover

2) I always wondered why so many people had a broom in their hand whenever we would drive around Puerto Rico. Now I know! I must sweep the house at least 2-3 times a day. And it still gets grimy. So…then I need to mop! Más cloro!

3) Not only are we near the sea, but it is constantly humid and so anything metal starts rusting and corroding very quickly. We have learned to buy most metal things out of aluminum or galvanized steel because it is much more rust resistant. But, even still, never trust anything that is held together with metal. Here’s a case in point when the deck to the cabana completely broke!

Broken deck
¡Ay, bendito! The screws rusted out on the ledger!

So you learn that you need multiple back-ups. Especially because on this island you NEVER know if you’ll be able to find the part you’re looking for. Even if you buy online don’t expect it to arrive anytime soon. Britton ordered a part for the Mustang from Ebay and it took nearly a month to arrive because they put it on a ship rather than airplane! ¡Caramba! No wonder things take so long to get fixed, if ever! Island time…means you often have to wait and be patient, so why not go have a drink. Más ron!

Deck repair
To repair it we added two more legs to the wall and cross-braced. Must be prepared for the inevitable future breakdown

4) Even clothes break down faster here! The elastic in our underwear breaks down and the clasps on swimsuits rust out! When I was in Colorado I had clothes for 10+ years! Not here! Plus you have to clean clothes with bleach which breaks down the fibers even faster! But at least we don’t need to wear as much since it’s always warm out! Más ron =menos ropa! 🙂

Dirty windows
Even aluminum windows start breaking down after a while! And windows constantly need cleaned (Más cloro!)

5) Bugs! Of course there are bugs everywhere, but here there are a couple that most people who are not from the tropics are not as familiar with: termites and cockroaches. ANY wood you use here including for cabinets, furniture and of course structurally should be made with pressure treated wood! (Madera tratada). We bought some beautiful eucalyptus doors for the cabin, and it said they were insect resistant. What it should have said was that this wood was the most delicious food ever for a termite! Bleach will kill them, but you have to get to their main hive and so we had to take the whole door apart and put it back together again. Más ron!

termites
Termites in the doorframe

As for the cockroaches, unless you live completely sealed in an air conditioned house surrounded only by concrete (and even then), you will have some. They especially love any kind of fresh produce or old food. They poop and are just plain gross with those long antennae and I do not want them around! So this means you must keep your kitchen super clean and no dishes in the sink and everything must be organized and reorganized on the regular. Easier said than done!

Roach
Look, a paradise beetle! haha

6) But they do not like bleach! So bleach floors and counters often to keep cockroaches somewhat away. Another trick we learned with cockroaches is to grab the spray bleach bottle and spray the heck out of then. It slows them down enough that you can then smack them with your chancla (flipflop). (Haha, yes, this is part of our life!) Más cloro!

Spray cloro
Not just for toilets anymore!

7) Bleach also takes away most of the mold that will grow on all sorts of things. Even our pillows, behind framed pictures, anything leather and plastic trashcans! It is just amazing how much life there is here!

8) Rum or rather its boring cousin rubbing alcohol (as well as H2O2 and Neosporin) is the preferred method for all the infections and scrapes we get here. A simple splinter can cause a pus-infested swollen finger in a matter of days because there is just so much stuff always growing here. My skin always breaks out from the various forms of life -whether plant, bacteria, fungi, whatever! Alcohol neutralizes the poison in carrasco, it also helps clear up the stinging red ant bites. We also eat copious amounts of garlic since it is a natural anti-bacterial/anti-viral/anti-fungal agent. It’s no wonder garlic is the main seasoning in Puerto Rican cuisine!!

Haole Rot
In Hawaii they call it Haole Rot because it affects white people more I assume –tinea versicolor

Todo tiene solución. Everything has a solution. And for these problems, and more: Ron y cloro! But don’t forget a nice course of Vitamin Sea with a rum piña colada and a good sense of humor to help these problems and others just melt away!

Beach Sat
Ahhh…Rincón balneario

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