Fermenting Cacao Day 12

Ok only two days since last I checked them but they seem ready.  Rinsed the cacao off from the pulp and sorted out the beans.  It took a few times rinsing them off to get the  water to be mostly clear.

There were a few that were not really developed.  They were mostly just empty shell.  A couple were spotty but cleaned up nicely so I'm not worried about it affecting the finished product.  Tossed the empty ones of course and used a paper towel to clean off those that needed it.

Now I'm going to pat them with paper towels and spread them out.  I'm not going to completely dry them this way but just enough to get the majority of goo off.  Then placing them on a cooling rack I use for cookies and such.  Thoroughly cleaned of course to make sure none of the odors transfer into the beans.  As mentioned before they will soak up odor and flavors like sponges.  This also means no heavy cooking since the spices will get into the air.

Fermenting Cacao Day 10

Ten days in and the mass is getting more homogenous. The bubbles are getting smaller as they have more room to spread out.  Previously the mass was chunky and not entirely broken down yet.  Now there is more of a sauce consistency that the beans are fermenting in.

I took one of the beans out to check on the color.  They're supposed to get a purplish tint to them as the beans chemically change.  The middle was about there but nearer the edge it still wasn't quite the color I wanted.

The aroma still hits you when you enter the room but it's starting to change slightly.  I want to get it before it gets what some people call the "pork" scent.  While cacao and meat do go well together, you don't want your chocolate bar tasting faintly like a hotdog.

I will probably be fermenting for another four to five days, checking regularly on it and making sure it's still going.  After that I'll be drying it, possibly outside some if I'm going to be home, otherwise I guess I'll have to do it on the counter.  The cooling racks should be good for that with the fan going so they don't start to mold.  Then off to the air fryer with the drum attachment.  The whole reason for getting that particular model was so I could roast cacao beans.  Have to make sure it's spotless though since we also cook other foods in there.  Cacao will soak up any odors from foods you have near it.  Onion chocolate anyone?  Didn't think so.

Fermenting Cacao Day 5

The cacao is now bubbling and the pulp is breaking down.  It's at this point where I need to make sure it doesn't get too cold so the fermenting can continue.  To accomplish this I frequently pick it up and hold it for a while so the temperature can be higher than our apartment air conditioner says it should be.  There's not enough mass for it to hold any heat.  It's already getting an alcohol smell to it when I open the bag. 

My wife is already asking if I plan to strain the liquid and see if it's drinkable.  The answer is maybe.

We tried cacao juice at one of the Dallas Chocolate Festivals once but that is not the same thing.  That was merely juiced cacao pulp.  The fermented juice is alcohol and is still something cacao growers use as a drink in some areas.  I mean, why not if you have the byproduct already sitting there.  Why throw it out?

Fermenting Cacao

Went to the Dallas Chocolate Festival and got two pods and they already seemed to have started the process (still tasted good though).  So I decided to process them to see if I could get some chocolate out of them.

This is day one of the fermentation.  I'll need to add heat to it since it's not enough mass to maintain temperature while it processes.

Last time I did this it took almost two weeks but in the end it was just about right.  This time I'm documenting it better so that I can have a better idea of what happens and where I need to make adjustments.

Also this time I added a little sugar to the mix for the fermenting to have a little more to eat as it begins the process.

Basil Seeds

The basil plant has done really well this year.  Usually it flowers, makes seeds, and dies.  It's made seeds fairly well but has kept on growing despite the heat.  I've watered every day and sometimes twice so that probably helped keep it going.

The picture here is from after the flowers have pollinated and the seeds are forming.  It's not quite ready yet but soon there will be hundreds of seeds to save.  Basil has been consistent with how it produces and seeds so it's a no brainer that it would be one of the staple plants in the garden.

After the heat dies down and the green onion flowers again, it too is pretty much guaranteed to make seeds and possibly baby plants along side them.  This is in addition to splitting which they don't always seem to do.  Or if they do I don't realize it.  Of course only two green onion plants survived last winter's freezes.  Most of the new plants are either from seeds or new transplants from the store, a pretty reliable source for new plants.

The flowers have surprised me though.  We bought chrysanthemums and they have held on pretty well.  They have flowered throughout the summer, coming back when the weather cools a little from the 100's.  Of course that's been a few weeks but I already see new flowers forming and hope they bounce back hard with their color.

View of Maui from Big Island

We visited Big Island back when Mauna Loa erupted in December.  One of our friends took this picture of Maui for us from the top of a coconut tree. 

Fortunately all of his friends and family over there were safe.

When we were on Big Island we were able to go see the eruption at night from a rest stop on Saddle Road.  The one thing we were told about only after we were there and so close was the presence of fine threads of glass that eruptions kick up.  It was brought up so casually too.  Like, "Oh, look I have a cut. Must be Pele's hair (the aforementioned threads of glass floating in the air).

It really is a beautiful place to visit though.  I would love to have been able to climb a tree myself for this view.  Even on the ground though, we had a great time.  There is so much fruit just driving or walking down the road I still don't know how people are going hungry there.  Folks in Texas would be picking up all the fruit and preserving it.  And the goat and chicken overpopulation would be under control in a matter of months.  The goats are so rampant I nearly hit one three separate times while driving down a road.  There's nearly a chicken on every corner.  The hogs too are everywhere.  We stayed at a macadamia farm and you could hear them running around and munching on the nuts on the ground.

I brought some fresh nuts home and planted one.  He sprouted and currently his name is Mac.  He grows in the study in a little pot.  Probably should repot him soon.

Garden Anole

Cute little baby anole climbing around in my patio garden.  In this picture he's in the lavender plant which has been flowering all summer long.  Just have to keep it happy.

When one of our friends from the Netherlands came to visit we had a much bigger anole hanging around.  She had named him Clouse. At least that's how I'd spell it.  No telling how she would have spelled it. Unfortunately Clouse didn't hang around for very long and there were none to be seen for quite a while.  When this guy appeared I knew that my little garden was still a fairly active place for critters to visit.

Another of the critters are the wasps that come drink from the pots and soil.  I never would have though about insects drinking from dirt but I guess they have more of an ability to pull out the water from different sources.  One wasp really liked the dirt around the moss rose and would come several times in just an hour and return to the exact same spot to refresh himself.

The toads haven't been seen in a while but I'm still hopeful that they will return once the heat lets up.  It's been too hot for many of the usual creatures to come out and play.  The bunnies as well haven't made their nightly appearances so often.  Before I'd see them just hanging out on the grass looking around.  Now I only see then moving across the lawn areas heading to either eat or go home.

Temps are showing a downward trend though and things should pick up for wildlife viewing.

Surprise of Color

Of all the things I have seen today, besides the cute baby anole I saw in the garden, this has to be one of the more cheery things.

It's a sight you can only see well in the middle of the day with all of the colors and shadows through this green space.  Unlike many other displays of vibrant color and light, this one just says be happy.

On another look it also keeps this space from getting as hot.  We were at a restaurant opening earlier today and, if it hadn't been for our umbrella, we may well have burnt to a crisp.  The heat out there is no joke and we really don't get out often enough to have any sort of resistance to the UV out there.

I mentioned that parasols just aren't a thing here in the states.  If you go out to other areas they will use them sometimes, or at least have other covering that keeps the sun off.

If you ever wondered why construction workers wore long sleeves in the over 100 degree weather, it's to keep the sun off.  They know that although it doesn't let the wind blow by as well, keeping the sun off of the skin is worth more than letting a little air cool you down.  Water will do so much better anyway.

Rustic Sphinx

This guy was just hanging out on the breezeway of the apartments.  I didn't see him when I went by later so he either flew away or one of the toads ate him.

I wasn't sure at first what kind of moth this was, not an expert on bugs, but a friend recently told me about the identify function on my iPhone.   If the picture is good enough the photos will have an "i" over the picture and when tapped on will do a search of similar images and can tell you even before that what it thinks it is. This works with bugs, plants, animals, and other objects.  As you can see in the image, I was pretty close when I took the picture. That's the shadow of my phone.

I did see a toad in the area as well, possibly eyeing him for dinner.  The toads are one more reason to water regularly.  They really like the humidity it makes.  Another resident in the area, wasps, also like it when the pots are watered and some of the water collects in the trays.  I've seen three at a time drinking from the water and coming back regularly.  Temps in the mid 100's will do that to any animal.

The plants of course also want regular water and it hasn't rained in weeks.  Maybe a sprinkle here or there but nothing to make the water gauges register anything.  Can't wait for cooler weather and more tomatoes.  The plants are still looking good.

Lavender Growth

The symmetry of plants never ceases to amaze me.  Our little lavender bush has leaves that line up perfectly along the stems.  

You can't see it in this pic but it's even flowering.  I must have done something right this time.

There are other plants too that are flowering but this is the one I'm happiest about.

Other flowers include:

Tomato

Basil

Squash

Poke

Moss Rose

Gerbera Daisies

Okra

Viceroy Butterfly

This little cutie was fluttering around the garden the other day.  Most people think these are monarchs but the black band across the back wings is an easy way to tell the difference.  I think people are used to monarchs as a name because they get so much of the news about butterflies and these guys really do look so similar.

Other visitors to the garden are toads.  We've had multiple toads at a time hopping around looking for bugs.  I keep the garden well watered and thus attract insects like mad.  The spiders know this too and often I have to knock down a web just so I can get to all of the plants.  Sorry, not sorry?

Maybe I'll get some toad pics up soon. 

Pot of Potatoes

One of the many pots I've used this year has potatoes, among other things growing in it.  As you may be able to tell from the picture, it also has mint, beans, and corn.

The potatoes are growing so fast though that the other plants, besides the mint, are not keeping up.

The pot is pretty deep though so I'm hoping that at least I'll have some nice potatoes after the season is over.  

They were started from a potato that I hadn't gotten around to cooking that had started forming eyes.