Homegrown Limes

One of the things I love about going to the jungle is the hospitality of the people. When we travel to the jungle, I know we will be invited to eat in people's homes where they do not expect anything in return. I know neighbors and friends will give us fruits and vegetables to try just because we are curious.

The day we were leaving the jungle, we were invited to someone's house for breakfast where we were served tamales (oh yeah, those *are* for breakfast!), chorizo, bread, and chile sauce. It was a delicious meal and we were stuffed! We headed to the church service, which was already half over and said our goodbyes once it finished. Someone showed me they had brought a bunch of plantains (not like an American "bunch," I am talking the branch with all the plantains clinging to it still!) and another American questioned why in the jungle people typically have the plantains and not the kind he ate growing up (which here they call platano seda, by the way). They explained that for storage purposes, the green plantains last much longer; for shipping purposes, the plantains are more durable; as for their preferences, they just like the plantains better. But what do you think happened next? One of the guys said he would go look for the seda bananas. The poor guy who asked the question wasn't looking to eat them, he was just curious! But I warned him to look very grateful upon receiving his seda banana. The kind guy brought back a whole tray filled with seda and manzanos (the small variety you may have seen in your store). I love how people in the jungle want to make sure you are happy, satisfied and content.

Goodbyes in the jungle are often full of gifts! As I said, I received a bunch of bananas and on our way out of town we were instructed to stop by a few other homes as they had things for us. We picked up some bottles of fresh honey which is so sweet and delicious! Then we were on to another home where they were packing a costal (a large produce sack) with limes and oranges.

I had already decided to make my quick bread entry based on limes and had failed on my first attempt since the bottom of the cake stuck miserably to the pan and the mix-ins were at a horrible proportion. So on my day between trips, I decided it would be even more appropriate to use homegrown limes for the Homegrown Gourmet event!

Yesterday, I set out to make a tangy tart lime quick bread as my entry for this round of Homegrown Gourmet. The batter was oh so delicious and I had high hopes for this loaf. When I peeked in on it about 30 minutes later, I realized I was experiencing yet another quick bread failure. Oh, this time it did not stick. It didn't rise properly and looked odd. The crunchy edges were yummy but the rest was tossed. Immediately, I opened a trustworthy cookbook and decided to follow the recipe as written, well, mostly.

At last, my entry for Homegrown Gourmet was complete! Speaking of which, the deadline is today! Don't forget to share something the represents your region or that uses products specific to your region baked into a quick bread. Oh, and I am traveling again today...so if you should get your entry in by, lets say, Sunday at noon (EST)...I will hardly know the difference!

Lime Poppyseed Quick Bread
From Better Homes and Gardens
Serves 16

1 3/4 cups of flour
3/4 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of poppy seeds
1 beaten egg
1 cup of milk
1/4 cup of Canola oil
1 tablespoon of shredded lime peel
1 tablespoon of lime juice

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and set aside.

2. In another medium bowl, combine the egg, milk, oil, lime peel, and lime juice. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into a loaf pan coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake in a 350F oven for 50-55 minutes or until done. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before serving.