Organic dried fruit from Jiwa Damai

At Jiwa Damai we are producing many different kinds of dried fruit and vegetables. All produce is from our organic farm, harvested and freshly processed in our raw food drying oven.

Dried Bananas

In our

organic garden

we grow about 8 different varieties of bananas. Each taste is unique and they are best eaten when not too ripe and the skin is still greenish-yellow. They are gently and slowly air dried in our dehydrator to keep their extraordinary flavor.

banana-01

banana-02 Kopie

Dried Papaya

Harvested from trees spotting our garden, our papayas are plump and juicy. When dried, the flavor pops and they make a delicious snack for any time of day or a vitamin-packed addition to any meal.

papaya-01

papaya-02 Kopie

Dried Jackfruit

The jackfruit grows high up in the trees and can reach a weight of 10 -12 kg. Once the giant fruit is harvested, opened and its inner fruit compartments separated, the fresh fruit is available to be plucked out, its black stone removed, immediately sliced and gently air dried, thus keeping its fresh and aromatic flavor.

jackfruit-01

jackfruit-02 Kopie

Review: Permaculture Design Certification Course

From Febuary 24th to March 12th we held our first Permaculture Design Certification Course at Jiwa Damai.The group consisted of 30 participants coming from India, Australia, USA, Germany, Austria and Bali.

The internationally renowned teachers Rico Zook and Jeremiah Kidd did a great job in teaching the class.

One part of the PCD course was theoretical learning in the 'classroom'. Here the participants are introduced to the various flows in nature.

PDC class

The other part was practical hands-on-experience in the organic garden. Here our group is learning to measure the PH content of the soil.

PH soil

During the 16 days course the participants were instructed to create IMO, indigenous microorganisms, using bamboo, cooked rice and sugar. This mixture needs to ferment for 4 days and then this fungus can be used to fertilize compost to create a larger stock.

IMO

These are some hand-made measurement instruments to properly measure size and topography of a land.

measurement instrument

Expansion of the permaculture garden

We are in the process to integrate further areas into the permaculture garden. On the picture you see our team at work, building terraces by using bamboo poles to frame each terrace to hold the earth in place. Under the earth are palm leaves and wood pieces to improve the quality of the earth. It is planned to have the new growing  area ready in another two months.

farmwork

farm work

farm work

New fields

Farm work at Jiwa Damai

Field work

Our team and one of our volunteers, lovely Susann from Germany,  working in the permaculture gardens, and bringing bamboo leaves to the compost.

Volunteer work

After the work is done, we are all eating together with our team. The food was prepared by the wife of Wira on occasion of her sons coming of of age at 12 years ceremony.

Food

Two of our three Balinese dogs, Angrek and Blackie,  are looking on.

Lumbung and dogs

The raising of the seeds

Plant nursery_

The permaculture garden at Jiwa Damai features a plant nursery. This area is sheltered by a roof to protect the seeds from the heavy tropical rains.

One challenge we have is to raise the little seeds, grow them into small plants,  that can then be planted into the grounds.

Plant nursery

The ideal thing would be to grow the seeds in biodegradable pots. On Bali, unfortunately there are no biodegradable pots available. So once more we had to be inventive and develop our own devices: We use cut banana leaves, which are  folded into the shape of a pot.

Plant nursery (1)

This technique is working very well. The seeds develop beautifully. Once big enough they are planted in the organic garden.

Plant nursery (2)

Organic bananas from Bali

At Jiwa Damai we have about 150 banana plants, spread all throughout the permaculture garden. The bananas are harvested green and then covered in a box to ripen. We do have about 8 different kinds of bananas in our garden. Their taste is so incredibly aromatic and sweet.

Bananas

They ripen throughout the whole year and can be harvested at different times.

We also dry the banans in our food drying oven - these dried bananas are very delicious as well.

Dried bananas

Organic cooking: Kare Tofu

Today we want to share our favourite Balinese Tofu recipe with you. Tofu or bean curd is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. Tofu has very little flavor or smell on its own, so it can be used either in savory or sweet dishes, and it is often seasoned or marinated to suit the dish. Tofu contains a low amount of calories, relatively large amount of iron, and little fat. Depending on the coagulant used in manufacturing, the tofu may also be high in calcium and/or magnesium.

tofu

At Jiwa Damai we serve health-conscious cuisine for body and soul. We only use local fresh farm products, some grown on our land. In combining our ingredients, we pay attention to how the valuable substances in the food complement each other in order to create a balanced and vitalizing eating experience. Our talented cook Astri likes to prepare various Tofu dishes. This one is sooo yammi....

Recipe for Kare Tofu:

• 2 pieces of lemongrass, pounded with mortar & pestle
• 1 package firm tofu
• Approx. 4 leaves Daun Salam, an Indonesian Bay-Leaf. If you cannot attain Daun Salam you can substitute with ordinary bay-leaves, though the taste will be different.
• 4 pieces of Kemirie Nuts. This Indonesian nut looks like a large hazelnut. Astri uses it to thicken and flavor the Kare Tofu sauce. You can substitute with Macadamia or Brazil nuts.
• 2 red onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 small piece fresh turmeric (peeled an ground)
• A pinch of Ketumbar, or coriander spice.
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ block veggie stock
• 1 package of Santan Kelapa (65 ml) or Coconut milk, specifically the extract from the grated coconut flesh
• 1 cup water

Preparation: First, make the sauce. Add the Kemirie, chopped garlic, minced red onion, turmeric, Ketumbar and sugar together in blender (a bullet is useful here).

Cut tofu into triangles. Heat a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil in the wok enough to coat the pan and give partially cover tofu. Once hot, add tofu. Give the lemongrass a couple of pounds with mortar and pestle and then add the entire stalk into the skillet. Add Daun Salam. Let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Add sauce and stir. Next, add water. The mixture should look almost soupy. Add vegetable sock. Bring the tofu and sauce to a boil for about 15 minutes. Reduce heat, allow to continue cooking and reducing for 2 or 3 minutes. Take off heat and add Santan Kelapa. Stir and let stand. Give sauce adequate time to cool and thicken around the tofu.

Serve warm, with rice.

Kare Tofu_

Enjoy your meal!

Organic cooking: Fried Tempeh

Today we show you another traditional Balinese dish made from Tempeh. Tempeh is a traditional soy product originally from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form, similar to a very firm vegetarian burger patty. Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but tempeh is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins. It has a firm texture and strong flavor. Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian cuisine.

Sliced_tempeh

At Jiwa Damai we place a high value on sustainable food practices and organically grown produce. We grow and eat a fair amount from our permaculture garden. Astri, our very talented Balinese cook, prepares food with great care and love. Below is her recipe for Fried Tempe. Very yummy.....

Astri's recipe for Fried Tempeh: 

Ingredients:

• 1 block of Tempeh
• Add a dash of Merica Bubuk, Indonesian Pure Pepper Powder
• 1 block vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup water

Preparation:

First cut tempeh into flat squares. Combine with Merica Bubuk, vegetable stock, and salt. Add ½ cup water and allow to soak 20 minutes. Drain, vegetable oil in wok and fry tempeh. We enjoy tempeh with rice and sambal.

Other variations include cutting the tempe into thin rectangles and combining with peanuts and red peppers. This makes a great addition to stir fried bok choy, or added to a salad like croutons.

Fried Tempeh

Organic salad from the permaculture garden

We are lucky enough to enjoy salad from our organic garden on a daily basis. We currently grow two different types of lettuce, arugula, basil, cucumber, tomato, and carrot. All combine for a fantastic mixed greens salad.Astri makes a wonderful salad dressing to go with our fresh greens.

Astri picking salad

Astri’s Salad Dressing:

This dressing recipe is simple, quick, and easy to make at home.

• Juice from 4 to 5 limes.
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons mustard
• 4 tablespoons honey
• A small piece of ginger (to taste)

Combine all ingredients and stir until smooth and well blended. This light and flavorful dressing does not overstep its bounds and mask the many tastes of vegetables. It lends itself softly and combines nicely with any salad. Enjoy!

Organic salad

Organic Cooking: Balinese Sambal

At Jiwa Damai we place a high value on sustainable food practices and organically grown produce. We grow and eat a fair amount from our permaculture garden. Astri, our very talented Balinese cook, prepares food with great care and love. We eat mostly traditional Balinese dishes here.

In this blog, we want to share some of Astri’s amazing recipes with you. We start with a very important dish in the Balinese cuisine - Sambal.

Ingredients for one batch:

• 5 to 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 5 to 6 little red onions, minced
• Spicy: 3 red chilies, Mild: 1 red chili
• 7 medium sized tomatoes
• ½ block veggie stock (homemade is best)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon of sugar

Tomatoes

Preparation:

Peel and chop garlic, red onion, tomatoes and chilies. Combine in medium mixing bowl.

Heat skillet with around 3 tablespoons of oil. Add ingredients and allow to simmer. Stir occasionally, reducing the tomatoes down. Add the teaspoon of salt, continue to reduce until tomatoes are soft and juicy.

Remove from heat, add veggie stock and sugar. Put ingredients into blender, run until smooth. Most of the time at Jiwa Damai, we eat sambal with tempe and rice. It makes a delicious addition, however, to cooked vegetables or eggs.

Cooking Sambal

Note: There are many variations of sambal in Indonesia, used both as a sauce, a dip and a regular table condiment. Variations include those with Kaffir lime, peanuts, or shrimp paste.