when my blog becomes all about vacation photos and chocolate

 we spent 12 days in Costa Rica at the beginning of May.

People want photos I keep hearing, and I have stories to share,

so I shall blog. I am not sure that I am a vacation blogger but we shall see.

 let's talk about cacao first.

 

 i 

i had no idea

this is how it grows!

how cool is this to stumble upon in a jungle forest,

surrounded by sloths, toucans, howler monkeys, dripping humidity, lazy rivers and the occasional loud buzzing insect.

 

 

 and squirrels too. 

they are a nuisance to gardeners everywhere it would seem.

 

 here is a pod freshly cracked open filled with the seeds. they are coated in what is a rather unusually tasting slime. not what one would expect. 

but if you suck all that off, then you find the chocolate, 

he promised.

 
 

there! see it?

 if you love bitter chocolate, more bitter than you can imagine,

then this is for you. this is straight from the pod, to the drying table, to your mouth.

oh my. so very organic and farm to table:)

the smell was heavenly. 

and we could feel ourselves getting happier by the moment from all those endorphins being released.

i  have a fondness for woodstoves, thanks to my childhood

so was quite delighted to roast the cacao over the fire.

 the grinding into cocao powder was much harder than it might look.

 then it all got messy and cocao oil wonderful.

we made chocolate!

 and i smiled alot it would seem.

and the lady beside me. 

oh, i just wanted to take photos of her the whole time but that would have been rude

so i didn't.

she made me happy.

 she was from Spain and chatted at me the whole time in Spanish so I have no idea what she said but we laughed alot.

and she wore a flower in her hat.

there were bananas too.

 how cute is that!

i used to believe that the best way to save the rainforest was to stop eating bananas that came from

the big banana corporations..

and we were surrounded by them,

but that is another story.

now, i know that we can also help make a difference by supporting the tiny cacao permaculture farms that are scattered throughout Central, South America and Africa

by purchasing raw cacao.

and, it will make you happy as a bonus:)