Anticipated gift on Monday

 When Anita had a shower last week, Juliet made a watermelon/mango drink to bring for the guests. Rebecca from the Area Office was there and told Juliet the next day that she appreciated the drink. Juliet told me about it and wondered if it would be possible to make up some more for her. I thought it would be a great idea to bring in juice drinks for all the ladies at the office. Of course I have no idea how many there are, but we decided to give out juice drinks to some of them that we know.

Juliet went shopping for fruit and some bottles to put it in, then came back to my apartment where we had fun making the juice bottles today. I put them in the freezer so that when we bring them on Monday they will be fresh. We didn't bring them in today as many choose to work from home on Fridays.

Sobolo

Dried flowers (a variety of hibiscus)

Pineapple

Ginger

Sugar (put in hot water to dissolve)

The dried flowers and pineapple rinds are set to boil and then seep for a bit for flavor

Juliet cut up all the pineapple and we blended it core and all

The ginger was soaked in water for awhile and then cut up and blended

After the flowers are seeped for awhile, the mixture is put through a strainer to collect all the pulp and seeds and the pineapple rind.

The ground up ginger is pushed through the strainer with some sugar in hot water. The pineapple is blended and pushed through the strainer with a little filtered water also. Then all three are mixed together, tasted, and filtered water is added when needed. Juliet thought maybe some would not want ginger in the sobolo so we set aside two bottles without ginger.

When I tasted a little of the finished product I couldn't help thinking that I knew that flavor. I had never heard of Sobolo and couldn't understand Juliet when she explained about the dried flowers. I had to laugh when I looked it up on google and found it was a hibiscus drink. I had been drinking hibiscus tea the few months before I left for Africa. I hadn't had it with pineapple or ginger before.

This article refers to it as a native drink from Ghana.

Watermelon/Mango drink

This drink is exactly what it says, Watermelon rind is cut off, chopped, blended and strained. The mango is cut up and blended. Both are mixed together and filtered water is added. Chill. Drink a yummy drink.

Mango juice

We had some extra mangos so Juliet cut and blended them up, added filtered water. Done!

Three juice drinks ready to go for Monday!