It's beginning to look a lot like....Chocolate!

It is cocoa harvesting time at Crescent Moon! Although we have only two cocoa trees on the property they bear twice a year and plenty. We are major consumers of cocoa through cocoa tea, cocoa chipolte ice cream, and cocoa espresso torte. There is a lot of talk lately about the health benefits of cocoa's flavonoids acting as antioxidants and blood pressure regulators but all studies will qualify that the closer to the source the better.

Our process starts with picking the pods from the tree. This is fun to watch as David bounces atop the rubbery boughs of the tree. He sends, his assistants, me and Leo, the pods and we catch (most) of them. Then we use our own preferred methods to open the red, orange and yellow, football shaped pods. I like to knock them on a sharp stone and David taps them three times with his cutlass like a magic wand and, voila, they open and expose creamy covered deep purple seeds. Next we scoop out the pulp and seeds which leaves our hands softened and smooth and collect them in a pail. We all can be seen sucking on a few seeds as we go along. The pulp is a special sweet yet tart taste, a sensation one wouldn't relate to cocoa unless you have been a harvester.

The cupped pods are given back to the tree's roots as fodder for the next generation and the seeds are spread out on a long sheet of metal in the greenhouse to dry and slightly ferment.
Once dried to the supervisor's satisfaction it is fire time. David stirs the seeds in a big pot over the open flames until they have been well cooked and the outer shell cracks (similar to coffee). They are pealed, once again, of the last shell layer. We then take turns grinding the seeds through the hand mill, transforming them into powder. Next is packing the grains into form. This takes an intuitive amount of pressure between two hands (David and Jolo have an innate sense of perfection!) as you use the natural oils to bind it all into the shape of a log or a ball. They are ready to grate as unsweetened baker's chocolate into cake recipes.

The way I make cocoa tea:

Boil 6 cups of water, grate into it a thick cocoa stick.
Add one big piece of cinnamon bark and a bay leaf
Simmer until all cocoa is melted and cinnamon and bay drawn
(a cured vanilla pod is also a decadent addition!)
Sweeten to taste
Add cow, goat, or coconut milk to desired creaminess

Sip, savor, and celebrate!

The Best of All Worlds

Sorrel and sun dried tomatoes? At the same time? In the same place? Ahhh, only at Crescent Moon.

Amid downpours of our seasonal December rains here we are savoring the succulence of a "sun dried" tomato. Thanks to our big umbrella (the greenhouse) and our rich composted soil, our first tomato crop of the season has been a dream come true.

But it is not as if we have too many tomatoes that we don't know what to do with them. Leo eats them whole like an apple. Mom drinks zesty tomato juice. Dad sauces them with mammoth basil and garlic. David does them sliced with arugula. My favorite is the classic tomato/mayo sandwich. The remaining ten pounds are slow baked in the dehydrator to condense and transform that juiciness into a sweet and tangy trip to the Med. So far these tiny bits of powerful flavor have made it into bread, salad dressing, and marinades. They also make a nice dried fruit snack.

Meanwhile, back a yard, Christmas is coming in the hue of deep maroon! In Dominica the beginning of the holiday spirit is heralded by the return of a seasonal favorite: the Sorrel or roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa). To those unfamiliar with the plant, it grows similar to okra and makes a small, soft hibiscus petal which then gives way to a waxy sepal. We steep the juice from these gorgeous flowers after our fingers have been stained purple from the de~seeding. We are making juice, jam, and sorbet from David's plentiful and timely plantation. My favorite sorrel drink is a warm tea with local spice and ginger.

Regardless of the little sympathy we get for the "cold season" here in Dominica, this month has been known to send our visitors from England to New England under multiple blankets! For us at Crescent Moon, it is that time of year that permits us to wear our reserved cozy sweaters, peal roasted bread-nuts, drink something festively red and cinnamon~y, feast on delicacies, and celebrate the peace in our rainbow laden valley.