#30 Sugar cane farm, #44 Picking coffee beans, #51 Pineapple plantation and Cocoa farm too!

We were blown away by an incredible day spent on the El Trapiche farm tour in Monteverde. We were shown sugar cane, coffee, pineapples, and cocoa - all growing and then learned how the products from each are processed. It was incredible! We got to taste test along the way too! 

Loaded up and ready to go!

Prepared for the rain... 

 Coffee

Coffee plant seedlings

Coffee fields 

Learning about the drying and peeling process

Traditional way of removing coffee bean layers

 

Picking coffee beans... they are ripe when they are red. 

Coffee beans!

The modern way beans are processed

Before and after outer layers are removed.

The kids held on to the bean sorter and enjoyed
being jiggled.

                                      

Sugar Cane

Sugar cane growing

Yum!

The traditional way of processing sugar cane.. with ox power.

The modern way..... with water power. 

We made fudge from the sugarcane...

And brown sugar....

These beautiful hydrangeas grew everywhere on the farm!
 They are moms favorite flower!

A ride on an ox cart through the farm

 Pineapple

Baby pineapple plant.

Cocoa 

Raw Cocoa plant

                                      

The seed fermentation process... done under banana leaves.

Grinding the dried cocoa seeds

ground...

Adding sugar and blending... the old fashion way

Julie says: This was an amazing tour where we were able to learn and taste!

Ethan says: The process to make chocolate is so crazy! It is long and complicated. For just one bit of chocolate it takes a lot of work! It was really neat to see how sugar grows. The farmer told us sugarcane is a vegetable! 

Maddie says: I agree with Mrs. Julie! My favorite part was tasting the chocolate. 

Joshua says: The raw sugarcane was addicting! But the chocolate tasted too rich for me. 

Amelia says: The coffee was very good and I loved the sugarcane and the fudge. We put fresh mint in our fudge. It was so good!