This is Judy. She is wonderful and has a cooking school that is on her farm on some land seeming somewhat in the middle of town. She is passionate about explaining plants and herbs and how they are used in the food of Thailand We got hats and baskets. And we saw the grasses used to make them. Morning glory is one of our favorite side dishes, or water spinach. it is cooked with garlic and soy sauce and is just right when you haven’t been getting enough veggies. Looking at the rice. Butterfly pea flower. She got an older water buffalo during Covid to help her grow rice since she wasn’t getting business in her hotel, her restaurant or her cooking school. Now she calls the buffalo the thai word for “diva” because she can rest all the time. Banana blossom is often used as a spoon to eat pad thai. Which was tasty. It is also given to new mothers to help the milk come in. Also, look at the tiny pre-bananas!How to open a coconut: look for the eyes and notice the line vertically between them. Hold the nut in one hand and hit hard crosswise to that line with the bunt side of a cleaver. It breaks in half pretty well that way! I remember getting one as a kid and I think it was so hard to figure out, we never did it again. We took turns using the traditional device for getting the meat out of the nut. Ok, now wash your hands and we will get ready to cook. We actually made green curry paste FROM SCRATCH! In the mortar and pestle: Dry roasted cumin and coriander seeds, green chili peppers, kefir lime zest, lemongrass, turmeric, ginger, coriander roots, garlic, shallot (last because they are more wet- I got some in my eye) you just keep pounding it all until it is a paste. Then you add shrimp paste (soy sauce if vegetarian) it was so so good!
We also made Tom Yum soup and phad thai that we ate with the banana leaves. Judy mentioned some classes where you show up and they have already cut up the ingredients and you literally just cook it. This was a much more educational experience! Oh and we had butterfly pea flower tea with lemon to make it change color. Anyone who wants me to cook for them when we get home or when we visit you, let me know.
Star fruit tree! I didn’t think it would look like that. This is her hotel name. If I went back to Phuket I would want to stay there. Mostly for the food.
It was a little disappointing that our grab somehow got lost or something and we sat and waiter FOR-EVER like an hour? Did I mention it is 95F and humid? That sucked.
Jessica Wandering 
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