Medicina de La Tierra

Saludos!  Bienvenida! You are welcome here and I hope you enjoy the photos and information I share here.  Peru has a wealth of natural resources, one of which has been the focus of our time in this beautiful country:  Medicinal plants.  The Amazon jungle is a place of rich biodiversity and has been the kitchen and pharmacy for indigenous people for millennia. In this post I will introduce you to a few of the plants we're learning about during our time here in Tarapoto. 

The world of Amazonian traditional medicine and medicinal plants is a fascinating one.  Some of the plants are beautiful or impressive.  Some are plain and innocuous.  All must be used with respect.  Some medicinal plants exert powerful effects and can be dangerous when used without the knowledge of dosing, side effects and interactions.   However, in the hands of those who are knowledgeable in their use, they can be effective for an amazing variety of ailments and health problems. There are many people here in Peru who recognize the benefits of these plants, and who use them in their daily lives. Infusions, plasters, salves, tinctures and aqueous extracts are some of the ways in which they deliver their benefits.  Much of the knowledge in their use has been passed from parent to child and from healer to apprentice. This practice continues today, and to speak with a person knowledgeable in traditional medicine is an intriguing experience. 

The use of plants in health and for food involves not just the body but also the mind and spirit.  Healing is a holistic process and in traditional Amazonian medicine there is a deep awareness of the mind-body-spirit link in the creation and alleviation of disease processes.  Plants themselves are seen not simply as matter to be used and consumed but as spirit also, intimately connected to spirit of the earth and through their respectful use, to the spirits of human beings as well.  Some plants are called "master plants" or maestros for their effects on the mind and our understanding of the world. Others exert a primarily physical or local effect such as anti-inflammatory action, preventing or dissolving kidney stones or promoting healing. In all cases, their use must be accompanied by respect for their powers.  In Peru, many people use traditional medicine and the healing powers of plants alongside occidental (a.k.a. Western) medicine.

Coca plant

One of the most famous (infamous) plants of Peru is the Coca plant.  This plant has been in use for millennia for the treatment of a multitude of health issues.  The leaves are chewed to alleviate hunger and as a stimulant, similar to the caffeine effects of coffee.  It is used to treat stomachache, headache, altitude sickness and diarrhea.  It is used to promote healing of broken bones, to control asthma and to treat colds and flu. In addition, it's a very good source of vital minerals.  It has been an important ingredient in the medical arsenal of natural healers.  Its benefits, sadly, have been overshadowed by its exploitation in the production of the illegal and addictive drug cocaine.  The demand for cocaine comes primarily from industrialized countries, but the painful effects of drug trafficking are felt most deeply by people in the countries where it is grown and has traditionally been used. Peru, certainly, is among those countries where this pain has been acutely experienced.

Ajo Sacha roots

Ajo Sacha (False Garlic)

Ajo Sacha is an interesting medicinal plant used to treat a wide variety of health problems.  It is a shrubby plant whose leaves, bark and roots have a marked odor of garlic.  In traditional Amazonian medicine it is used to treat broncho-pulmonary ailments, rheumatism and other muscle and joint problems.  It is a treatment for intestinal parasites, and for alleviation of fever and migraine headaches. It also has been employed as protection against magic such as hexes and spells. 

Jergon Sacha stems

  Jergon Sacha is a pretty plant
  that reaches 1 1/2 to 2 metres in
  height.  Its leaves are deeply
  lobed and its bark strongly
  patterned.  It is this patterned
  bark which gives it its name, as
  the pigmentation resembles the
  skin of the snake "jergon".  In
  fact, it is used as a treatment for
  snake bites and to repel snakes.
  As an anti-venom the corm
  (underground portion of the
  stem) is grated and used as a
  plaster over the snakebite, and
  at the same time it is mixed with
  water and taken internally.

Jergon Sacha leaves

The leaves are employed as snake repellant by rubbing the feet and hands with them. In addition to these snake-related problems, it is used to treat gastric ulcers, to treat stings of stingrays and skin parasites.  It is also employed as an immunostimulant and antiviral agent.






Young Copaiba Tree



Copaiba leaves

Copaiba is a large tree that  can reach the height of 30 meters.  Its sap, or resin, has been used traditionally for the treatment of pneumonia and tuberculosis, as a urinary antiseptic and for treatment of gonorrhea.  The sap is harvested by drilling a hole in the trunk of the tree or the main underground tap root and collecting the sap that drips out.  It is also used in treatment of tonsillitis, nail mycosis, acne, cold sores and for a variety of intestinal problems.  It is  employed as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of HIV and cancer due to its powerful immunostimulant and antiviral activities. 

Sangre de Grado tree harvested

 

Sangre de Grado (also known as Dragon's Blood) is a large tree of the Croton species.  It can reach 15 meters in height, and has grey-white bark. When cut the bark exudes a wine-colored latex. Traditional healers have used it for treatment of diarrhea and other gastrointestinal diseases, post-partum hemorrhage, and treatment of wounds, burns and skin ulcers amongst other ailments.  In addition it has been used to treat scarring caused by smallpox and chicken pox.  It also makes a beautiful ink when mixed with water.  Immature trees do not produce good quantities of the resin, but reach maturity in 10-15 years.  When mature, the tree is harvested as early in the day as possible because the resin is difficult to extract when the sun has fully risen.  The tree is cut down, then the bark is cut with a machete and the resin collected as it drips freely from the cuts.

Collecting resin from cuts in the bark of Sangre de Grado





Young Chuchuwasi tree

  


   Chuchuwasi is a  
   master plant, one
   whose properties
   include both the
   physical and the 
   spiritual realms. 
  






The bark of the Chuchuwasi tree is cut into small pieces and then cooked in water.  The resulting mash or maceration is mixed with brandy or pisco and a small glass is drank daily for the treatment of arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.  It is also used for treatment of diarrhea, kidney inflammation, intestinal worms and to regulate menstruation.  The root is cooked and used for bronchitis and back pain as well as an aphrodisiac.  Chuchuwasi is an important plant in shamanism, and is referred to as the house of little people.  According to legend, the tree spirit presents itself in the form of an old dwarf that will appear in the dreams to pass on his secrets.  During the period of shamanic apprenticeship, a spiritual relationship is formed between the apprentice and the tree, one in which the apprentice approaches the Chuchuwasi spirit with great respect and makes offerings of prayers and tobacco.  These offerings and the ongoing respectful relationship allows the shaman to call upon the spirit to share the secrets of the curative properties of the tree.   He, in turn, uses the curative properties of the tree as he has been instructed.

In the world of medicinal plants and Amazonian traditional medicine, all things are connected and interdependent, all things are both physical and spiritual beings.  This concept of interconnectedness is vital in traditional medicine, and has much to teach all of us regarding respect for the natural world and for our own being.  In industrialized countries there is a growing awareness that we cannot treat the body without ignoring the importance of the mind and spirit in creating and alleviating illness.  This continues to bring traditional medicine to the consciousness of people around the world.  Only when we begin to use our world's natural resources and treat our own bodies with respect for both their power and their fragility, will we begin to reverse the damage we have done.  Nowhere is this more evident that in the Amazon.

 

I will return in the next post with more on the world of traditional medicine in Peru.  I hope you find this world of plants interesting and informative and that you look at yourself and the word around you a little bit differently as a result.  Consider it food (and medicine) for thought. 

Hasta luego mis amigos y amigas!

 







 
Hola from steamy Peru!  We're definitely into the rainy season here, but that hasn't kept us from pursuing "business as usual". We recently got back from a second trip out to Chirik Sacha and the surrounding areas where we added to our knowledge of the medicinal plants sector here in the San Martin region.  So as promised today is about a walk in the woods...

This trip was a two day adventure, including a trip to Huaja, a small village about two hours drive from Tarapoto. As we have found wherever we go here, we were warmly welcomed to the home and farm of a couple living in Huaja.

 Today's trek was all about harvesting one of the medicinal plants in this family's purma.  But first we shared some chicha maiz to refresh ourselves and had a sit together on the bench outside the house. I learned that a term of respect a woman can use for another woman is Nana (pronounced Nya-nya) and that which a woman uses for a man is Turi (pronounced Too-rree).  They mean sister, and brother respectively in Kichwa.  Different terms of respect are used when a man speaks to another man or to a woman.  There is something familiar and endearing yet respectful about these titles, and I enjoyed being referred to this way.  We talked about the problems this couple is having with a fungal infection in their Ajo Sacha (Garlic creeper) plants.  This is the first time they have experienced the problem, and there was a specialist accompanying us to examine the plants and to document their harvest process to see if there were clues as to the source and spread of the problem. We examined leaves from the affected plants, then accompanied them on a short trek to a purma where they harvest medicinal plants. 

We hiked through a clearing behind the house, then up into the bush.  I was immediately aware of how easily you could get lost, as we pushed our way along a near-invisible trail with vines and shrubs entangling our legs and slippery mud beneath the leaves underfoot.     

   
It was cloyingly hot in there where the breeze didn't reach, but the smell of dampness and foliage filled the air.  We hiked only for about 15 minutes or so, and suddenly came to a large clearing, the purma.  A purma is a second-growth forest, either naturally reseeding itself, or having been reseeded with trees and other plants by the owners.

At first glance purmas look like areas of devastation, but on closer examination the riches there are revealed.  In this area many of the medicinal plants grow wild or are planted by medicinal plant producers.

 



Plantain trees are a foundation plant in the purmas.  They are fast-growing trees, and even when small provide shade and the basis of a small micro-ecosystem for plants such as shade-lovers and vines that require support.  Many of these are medicinal plants. Plantain trees also provide their thick, leathery leaves, which the people here use as wraps to put the harvested plants into, and to tear strips off for tying bundles together. 

They can also be pressed into service as sombreros to cover your head from the blazing sun. 






    As we watched and asked questions, the couple harvested medicinal plants.  Nana plucked leaves individually from a different type of medicinal plant and tucked them into the large woven bag she carried with her.  Her husband used a large machete to dig out the plants he was harvesting, as the entire plant is used, roots to leaf tips.     

 


In the tangle of the undergrowth, I had difficulty differentiating one plant from another, but as the pile of harvested plants grew on its bed of plantain leaves, it was obvious the couple knew exactly what they were doing.  We spent the time in the purma taking photos and asking endless questions about the trees and plants.  We also had the opportunity to try Cana, which is a plant used to quench thirst.



It is a large sprawling plant with long narrow leathery leaves and cane-like stems.  The canes contain a slightly citrusy and vaguely sweet sap, which you suck out of the cane.  It's delicious and immediately refreshes. As an added bonus it has large exotic flowers, a feast for the eyes.



 

Within an hour, the harvest was finished, with a large bag full of leaves and a huge pile of harvested plants to show for their efforts.  Turi cut strips of dry plantain leaves and tied his harvest into two big bundles.
 











Nana carried a bundle nearly as large as his, as well as her bag of leaves, and neither of them would hear of being helped. As we picked our way back through the forest on the faint trail, I reflected on what my definition of "hard work" has been to this point. 



People work incredibly hard here to make a living, under difficult circumstances and with the most basic of equipment, yet they don't boast or complain, and are quick to share what they have with us, total strangers.  This cheerful hospitality is one of the things I have consistently found here in Peru, from people in the city of Tarapoto itself, and from the people we visit with in the communities surrounding it. It has caused me to rethink how I perceive hospitality, sharing, labor, and needs versus wants.  Every person I meet here and every experience adds to this renovation-in-progress.


Medicinal plants in their raw, unprocessed form, are sold by weight, so the next stop in the business for today was the river.  We arrived back at the farm, then walked down through a pasture area to the river.  The cool shade and the sound of the water running over rocks was as welcome as an oasis for us, after the heat of the jungle.  The plant bundles were carefully opened on a large boulder, then handfuls of them taken into the water and all dirt washed away. 

Once this task was completed the water was shaken off them and the plants re-bundled to carry back up to the house.  Here they were weighed, then placed carefully into large plastic- coated burlap sacks for shipment. 

 The top is sewn shut by hand to keep out any road dust and the bags are labeled as to the weight, plant type and source.  This harvest was destined to travel the long road back to Tarapoto, where it would be inspected and purchased by Laboratorio Takiwasi for the production of natural medicinal and bath products. 

But that too, is another story.  Next time, I'll feature some of the beautiful and useful plants that are used here for food, medicine and in other aspects of daily life.  The jungle is an incredibly rich source of these necessities, there for the using by people who understand and respect it.  It is pantry, pharmacy, artist's studio and tool-shop to those who live in it.  There's something very right about that.
Until next time mis amigos y amigas, I wish you health and happiness, and hope that these reflections and adventures give you food for thought. It's a rich and lovely world we live in, when we stop long enough to look at it.  The next time you are out and about, do it on foot, and look around you.  Really look.  You will be blessed.

Hola Amigos y Amigas!  Welcome back to Peru, the land of biodiversity and warm-hearted people.  It's been a busy time of learning and teaching for us here, so the blog has been a little delayed. 

One of the incredible views we enjoyed on our trip to Chirik Sacha. 

Now that you've learned a little about cacao and chocolate, I thought I'd pass on a little of what I've learned here about the medicinal plants of Peru.  What I know is a drop in the bucket compared to the wealth of knowledge that exists here, but I am tickled to be able to pass on some of what I have learned. 

The use of medicinal plants in the maintenance of health and in treatment of a wide variety of ailments has been part of the Peruvian culture for millennia.  Most people know at least a little about traditional medicine here, and many are specialists with a profound knowledge of the plants and their relationship to health. This knowledge has been traditionally passed on from generation to generation, and prior to the advent of western medicine here was the source of healing and disease prevention. 



The exquisite bloom of Passion Flower

Medicinal plants, like many natural resources in countries around the world, have been threatened by deforestation and logging, climate change and over-harvesting.  Peru is no exception, but at this point there is a strong initiative here to prevent the ongoing loss of natural resources and to heal the forests.  Medicinal plants, in general, do not grow well in isolation or in cultivated plots like other crops such as corn, potatoes and wheat. They grow naturally in the forest, in clearings or beneath the shade of trees, and the symbiotic relationships within these ecosystems are essential in preserving each of the organisms within them. 

With time and the challenges that have been presented to the forests, many of the medicinal plants that have been used for generations have become increasingly difficult to find and people have had to travel longer distances and search harder to find them. This has resulted in disuse of the plants in daily life and loss of the traditional  knowledge associated with them. 

There has been a movement afoot over the last 20 years or so, to intervene and to preserve not only the forest resources but also cultural wisdom associated with them.  A non-profit organization named Takiwasi Laboratory has played a significant part in this movement, and I will be telling you a lot more about them in future posts.  People in villages in the San Martin region (and elsewhere in Peru) have begun to form associations and to organize in their efforts to preserve their forests and traditional knowledge.  One of these organizations is the Ampik Sacha Association of Medicinal Plants Producers, whose president you met in a previous post.  (See more here) 
We returned recently to visit her and her family again and to get more information on what the association is doing in her area and also to learn more about the plants themselves.

In order to preserve the genetic pool of plants as well as to rebuild the areas of the forests where they are naturally found, the associations work together to educate their communities on the importance of this preservation. They do this through participatory workshops and collective decision-making, facilitated in large part by Takiwasi Laboratory. From these workshops has come the idea of plant nurseries, established in several areas, to actively cultivate seedling medicinal plants to place into the forests.

Nursery demonstration plots

This brings the plants back within reach of those who use them in daily life, preserves the genetic pool of endangered plants and provides the potential for these people also to improve their livelihood through marketing of the plants in the form of quality end products.  We had an opportunity to visit one of these nurseries.  Plants are seeded into small plastic bags where they are nurtured out of direct sun at the nursery until mature enough to plant out into the forests or demonstration plots. 
 

All the work is performed on a volunteer basis by members of the association, and many tasks can be performed by the children or young people in the villages. 












One of many medicinal plants

This brings the knowledge of medicinal plants into the next generation and involves them in an activity important in preserving their environment and livelihood. This

multi-generational focus on these activities is essential in ensuring that the initiatives continue into the future and that knowledge is passed on intact to those future generations of decision-makers. Not only are the seeds of medicinal plants sown, but also the seeds of cultural identity.  There is a real sense of pride surrounding this small but important industry here.






This is but the beginning in the chain of activities involved in the production and marketing of medicinal plants.  Once the plants have been grown to a size where they can be planted out, they are planted in family gardens like this one

 

A family garden

 

and in purmas, which are secondary forest areas.  But more about that in the next post.  We'll take a little trek into the jungle to have a look at where these plants live, after seeding or as they grow wild.  I promise you, what we find there will knock your socks off.  Adios!
 

Ahhh... chocolate!

As promised, today I'm continuing on in the theme of cacao.  Last post was about the raw state, but today is about the finished product, and how a group of women is using it to make a difference in the lives of their families and in their community.

In the happening little town of Chazuta resides an interesting and delicious business called Mishky Cacao.  I have been told that this is Quechua for "Tasty Cocoa" and I can say with absolute certainty that the name suits very well.

Our visit took place at the same time as our visit to the Allima Cacao cooperative that I featured in the last post.  Indeed, they are linked closely.  After our educational and fascinating visit to Allima Cacao we stuffed ourselves into our mototaxis and headed off up the road back into town. On the way up the hill from the plantation, the lead mototaxi hit a deep hole and nearly tipped. 

Our host leaped off the back of the motorcycle he was riding on and heaved the mototaxi upright again, then helped it get up the hill by pushing on the back. The passengers leaned forward as far as they could and the machine managed to get up the remainder of the slope.  Crisis averted, we roared back to town, where we encountered another rocky slope.  Carrying three large Canucks in the machine was obviously more than either machine or driver were accustomed to.  He paused at the base of the hill, surveyed the rocky surface and then shouted and waved away the motorbike and pedestrians on the hill. They scurried for cover, he gunned the engine and we roared and bounced and rocked our way slowly up the hill.  Engine grinding and smoking, tires making popping noises on the rocks and with the three of us laughing hysterically in the back, the driver leaned forward and willed the machine up the slope.  I could see the veins in his neck stand out with the strain, and I am certain he was also grinding his teeth with the effort.  By the time we reached the top of the hill the machine was nearly at a standstill, but we finally bunny-hopped over the lip of the hill and hit the straight-away that took us to our destination. 

Mishky Cacao is housed in a tidy bright pink little building, and you can smell chocolate before you even open the door.  On stepping in, we were greeted like long lost friends by four women inside.  We were embraced heartily, and once introductions were made we were offered chairs to sit on for a presentation. The space was pristine clean, and had a variety of small machines in place for the processing of the cocoa beans.  One was a grinder that processed the perfectly aged beans to a fine powder.

This grinder was small but very effective, and apparently a huge improvement over the previous model in terms of its ability to produce the fine cocoa powder needed.  There was another machine containing a smooth pale brown liquid, in which large paddles constantly mixed and churned.

It smelled heavenly, and turned out to be liquid milk chocolate, being prepared for truffles and candies.  There were also some intact cocoa pods sitting on another machine, presumably for demonstration, along with a pair of greenish and deeply wrinkled large pods of some other type which at first I took to be a different type of cacoa. I was both right and wrong, as I was soon to discover.

 

After some hugging and visiting, one of the women seated us all on plastic chairs and began to tell us about Mishky Cacao.  It was born in 2009 when a group of thirteen women in Chazuta envisioned a business that produced artesanal chocolate products.  It had its humble beginnings in a back yard, without financing and with very few tools. Today it is housed in this small but efficient space, and is thriving.  It produces many types of chocolate products, and more are in the process of being created.

As I was to learn from our hosts, the large green wrinkly dinosaur of a fruit is the Majambo.  It apparently grows freely and with abandon in the same area as cacao.  In fact it is a wild relative of cacao, an ancient fruit that has been consumed by Peruvians since forever.  The fruit inside is yellow when ripe, and the seeds are covered with a sticky fibrous pulp.  The women in the Mishky Cacao cooperative came up with the idea of adding the Majambo fruit to chocolate and a delicacy was born.  The resulting  combination is smooth, buttery and rich, and there are tiny grains of coffee beans along with the delicious creamy majambo.  I have no photographs of this product, happily, because we ate it.  All of it, and quickly.  The seeds of the Majambo are also used, toasted, and have a crunchy nutty flavor, slightly bitter initially and completely addictive. We had an opportunity to ask questions about the processing of the chocolate, and were invited to sample more of the products.  We all purchased chocolate in various forms and types, from 100% pure cocoa to milk chocolate and drinking chocolate.  It is without a doubt the richest and most delicious I have ever tasted.

The women in this cooperative are obviously and understandably proud of what they have accomplished.  They have built a successful business from the ground up and are continuing to grow it.  Most importantly, this little business has improved the quality of life for these women and their families.  Entire families are involved in the process of growing, harvesting, processing and transforming the cacao, from tree to truffle.  It enables women to improve the income of their families, and still to raise their children and be present for them.  We were told that both the men and many of the older children work at the plantations which supply Mishky Cacao with its cocoa beans. It is truly a family affair.  It has also brought a sense of pride and accomplishment not only to the women and their families, but also to the community as a whole.  Somehow that just makes the chocolate taste so much better. 
 

And that is the sweet story I promised you.  Life is sweet, chocolate is one of the things that makes it sweeter.  But the next time you purchase chocolate, think about the work that goes into growing and processing this delicacy.  Instead of slamming any old chocolate bar, go out and choose some high quality, fair-trade chocolate, and savor it.  Let it melt in your mouth and think about the people who depend on it for their livelihood.  What you buy really does matter.


And so we come to the end of another post, another story.  I will be back soon.  Hasta luego, amigos y amigas.

Cacao - Food fit for the gods

One of the things we've had a chance to do while here in Tarapoto is to visit a cacao  (pronounced "ka-kow") plantation in Chazuta that CUSO has been partnered with. Being a farm girl this interested me anyway, but put chocolate on a farm and I AM THERE!  It was a great day in a very interesting little town, as well as another opportunity to see what CUSO is involved with here regarding economic development. 
 
We had an early breakfast and headed out to rent taxis, as it's almost a two hour drive to Chazuta.  Distances are deceiving here if you only look on a map.  Weather, road conditions and pit-stops on the journey can all contribute to a trip unlike the one you planned. 

 

At the taxi depot some mild negotiating took place, and we found ourselves hiring two cars with space for a woman, her rooster, and all of us.  We climbed aboard, rolled down the windows and along with our feathered companion, rumbled off down the road.

We had left early for Chazuta because we had a lot planned for the day, but as luck and Peruvian roads would have it, we were delayed halfway to our destination.

 

 

For those who might be tempted to think that a mere rope is never going to get between you and an open road, a word of warning: the road beyond just isn't.  Not only is it not an open road, it isn't a road.  At all.  In its place is a cratered moonscape of near epic proportions, apparently not an unusual occurrence in this area, especially in the rainy season. While horses and people on foot could and did pass through with impunity, we had to sit this one out, finding a scrap of shade where we could. 

 

 

A sweaty hour later we were on our way again. We bounced our way slowly through the mile-long construction zone, then, with the windows wide open, the remainder of the trip flew by and we arrived at Chazuta in short order. 


Our hosts greeted us at the town office where we were welcomed as the new CUSO voluntarios.  We then enjoyed a discussion on economic development initiatives, much of which could not be heard due to the ongoing excavation of the street outside.  I must admit, however, that with my primitive understanding of Spanish, hearing probably would not have helped significantly.  After sharing a massive bottle of Inca Kola, we stuffed ourselves into mototaxis and headed out of town towards the cacao plantation.

 

Allima Cacao is a cooperative, where the cacao is grown, harvested, processed and sold by members of the co-op. The science behind this process is surprisingly complex. At least to me it was, because I really had NO idea how chocolate came to be.  I was just happy it existed. 

 

Chocolate grows on trees.  Yes, it does.  They are pretty trees, on the squat side, and pruned extensively.  The blossoms are tiny and delicate, and grow directly from the main trunk and branches. 

 

The leaves are copper-colored when young, silky in texture and almost transparent. 
The mature leaves are leathery and dark green with heavy veins. The type of cocoa plant we saw on this plantation grows and produces all the time, while there are other cultivars with a more distinct time for production.

The fruits are oblong, about 8 inches long when mature, and have a thick deeply wrinkled skin, leathery in texture and a deep wine red in color. Some of the fruits can be orange or a lighter red.




                             

          





The fruit is heavy for its size and when mature has a duskiness to the skin, as if it were covered in wax or dust.  It is at this point that it is picked for processing. 

It is hand-harvested, the fruit cut off the tree with a type of pruning shears and placed in a jute bag which the harvester carries on his/her back with a long strap up and around the forehead.  The fruits are handled carefully to prevent bruising.  The harvest is taken as soon as possible to the co-op for processing.  This may in some cases involve a long boat journey and getting the bags down from the growing areas to the river. 
The next stage of harvest is where it gets even more interesting.  The pods are split with a dull machete to avoid damaging the internal seeds or grains.

The seeds and their accompanying jelly are checked to make sure they are healthy-looking and the whole "dough" as it is called, placed in wooden drawers lined with jute.






The dough is covered with plantain leaves and a layer of jute to favor fermentation. 

The seeds are
fermented in their dough for 48 hours in the first drawer, then every 24 hours they are moved to a new drawer, also lined in jute.  Moving is done quickly to avoid heat loss, as even fermentation is necessary for the best chocolate quality. 

                                                                                                   

Once properly fermented, the seeds are laid out in layers about 3" thick on mesh tarps laid over cement slabs.  They dry slowly in the sun.  They are stirred every hour for the first day, then every two hours for the next, to facilitate a slow drying process. 

On the third, fourth and fifth days, they are placed in thinner layers to continue drying, and once they reach a humidity of 7.5% they are ready to process.  They are also stable enough to store at this point.

The seeds are then collected and checked for impurities and defects, and bagged for storage in jute bags.  These are placed off the ground on wooden pallets and stored in warehouses where they are out of the rain but where air circulates freely around the bags. The seeds are quite porous and absorb odors easily so care must be taken in their storage.

From here the cocoa seeds go for processing to be made into cocoa powder and that delicious confection to which many of us are addicted-CHOCOLATE in its many forms... 



But, that is another whole story, and one I will be happy to share with you next time.  For now, my friends, may dreams of fermenting cacao beans fill your heads.  I will return with the rest of this sweet story in my next post. 

Hasta luega!