Machete flower (Erythrina sp.).
Lunch was the next order of business as we arrived at El Trapiche. It was another sampling of Tico cuisine, with chicken and potatoes in a tomato sauce, a hash of arracache (a celery relative, the root is used in this case), salad, and the chilled version of aguadulce (a lemonade made of tangerine lemons and sugar cane juice). After lunch, the local guide, Jairo, led us through the farm discussing the ins-and-outs of coffee and sugar cane production, spotting a two-toed sloth along the way. It looked like a mop-head stuck in the foliage.
Machete flower (Erythrina sp.).
Another fabulous lunch spread.
Evidence.
Tilapia - on the 'hoof'.
Those are (L-R) bananas, tropical gourd, plantains, and another tropical gourd hanging on the side of the barn.
Arracache (Arracacia xanthorrhiza).
Trunk of a banana tree - I liked the rich pattern and color.
Looking at sugar cane.
The stalks of the cane were colorful - the ripe canes are yellow.
Pineapple is also a major agricultural output of Costa Rica.
Coffee beans are sown into the ground…
…producing a tight grouping of plants.
The plants are then separated and grown…
…to the size seen behind our guide Jairo.
As the plants age, they are cut back to keep them low as the harvest is done strictly by hand.
The beans do not ripen simultaneously and are only picked when they are deep red.
Jairo has popped open a ripe 'cherry' showing the casing and the beans inside.
The 'cherries' are loaded into the hopper of a machine that crushes the fruit releasing the beans.
This rotating drum with the barred sides allows the beans to drop through while the skins are retained.
Jairo operates the machine while Jonathan and Lin watch.
The discarded skins drop into this sump where they are collected…
…and used for compost on the farm.
The beans are collected…
…and placed on drying racks.
Once dry, the beans still have a papery membrane that needs to be removed before further processing.
These are the dried beans before removal of the membrane.
The hopper is loaded with the dried beans…
…and the dried membranes separated from the beans; local artisans often use it to make paper.
The beans are collected.
Showing the beans.
This sieving machine sorts the beans into various sizes.
Note that the right-most bucket is getting relatively few beans compared to the other two.
That's because it's collecting the peaberry coffee - the compact ovoid form shown in Jairo's hand.
The coffee is then roasted. The darker the roast, the less caffeine (Blond = buzz).
The output - roasted coffee beans!
Ox cart detail.
Ox cart.
Loading up the ox cart with the walkers.
Off to the races?
The old fashioned sugar cane press was driven by oxen. …
… These two oxen, old pros, knew the script so well, they would go around twice and stop, as that was all that was needed for the demo. Modern technology is more efficient, extracting the most juice with a single pass. …
… The solids are used to fire the boilers under the reduction vessels.
The sugar cane juice.
One of the several boilers used to reduce the juice to molasses.
When enough water is removed the molassses will crystallize when dunked in cold water.
The molasses is sieved before processing.
Judy takes a turn at prepping the candy.
Now Sean.
The bulk process - the constant stirring should create multiple nucleation sites for crystallization.
The mix is transferred to wooden molds, which have been soaked in water.