| Author | Content |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 06, 2009
10:52 PM Post #6652413
| Here is a view of the new chocolate orchard! 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 06, 2009
11:07 PM Post #6652467
| The new orchard will contain 21 'Criollo' trees (Theobroma cacao subsp. cacao); the chocolate with the richest flavor! 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 06, 2009
11:21 PM Post #6652509
| What's Chocolate without Vanilla!
This is a newly opened flower of Vanilla planifolia.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 06, 2009
11:39 PM Post #6652547
| Vanilla flowers only last one day. When they open in the morning and are receptive, it is time to fertilize / pollinate them. This is done by pinching off a grass culm (stem) and using it to go into the flower, grab the pollen sack, and put it behind into the receptacle.
If fertilization is successful, the ovary will become pendulous and begin to enlarge.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 06, 2009
11:55 PM Post #6652625
| Next to go in the ground will be Cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum! 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 07, 2009
12:13 AM Post #6652683
| Macadamia nuts are finally producing! 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 07, 2009
12:27 AM Post #6652725
| Mysore Raspberries, a Tropical black raspberry from India, are heavy producers, and a good reason to make breakfast everyday! 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 07, 2009
02:12 AM Post #6652859
| Here are Kea and Ku studying up for our next field trip to collect plants for the farm!
Aloha, Dave
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Dutchlady1
Naples, FL
(Zone 10a)
June 07, 2009
06:41 AM Post #6653096
| Very impressive. Where is the ice cream tree?
LOL |
Braveheartsmom
Kihei, HI
(Zone 11)
June 07, 2009
11:05 AM Post #6653840
| I'll bet Dave has ice cream banana!
Looks great Dave and very interesting about polinating the vanilla - do we not have the insect needed, or do you polinate to make sure you are going to get beans? What a smorgasbord of yummy things you are growing - do you have huge acreage like Carol does? |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 07, 2009
01:05 PM Post #6654275
| This is the Ice Cream bean, Inga feuillei. It is widely cultivated in South America for the sweet pulp in it's bean-pods.
This tree is just going into flowering stage; I'll post a photo when it is in full bloom.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 07, 2009
01:25 PM Post #6654337
| Here is the Ice Cream Banana!
Vanilla does not have it's pollinator moth in Hawai'i, so the flowers must be hand pollinated. If one does not fertilize the flowers they can still get some Vanilla beans, but my production increased ten-fold when I began to do so.
I have just three acres; Carol must have managed to get several lots side by side.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
tropicbreeze
noonamah
Australia
June 07, 2009
09:38 PM Post #6656298
| Is that 3 acres of vanilla, or of icecream banana?
I've got an Inga but it's never shown signs of wanting to flower. |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 07, 2009
10:16 PM Post #6656544
| Two acres in cultivation; several hundred species. |
Braveheartsmom
Kihei, HI
(Zone 11)
June 08, 2009
02:48 AM Post #6657316
| Wow - two acres - I have enough trouble with my small patch! What a delicious garden you have! |
ardesia
Saint Helena Island, SC
(Zone 9a)
June 08, 2009
09:19 AM Post #6657959
| I am thinking about chocolate covered mac nuts and a little vanilla always makes the chocolate flavor pop. Yum
I bought some mac nuts from some folks along side the road on the BI. They had set up some tables at a scenic overlook a bit below South Point and were selling local jewelery, baskets, etc.. The mac nuts were the best I have ever eaten and when I called to order some more (there was a name and re-order # on the bag) I found the number was disconnected. What a bummer.
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lourspolaire
Delray Beach, FL
(Zone 10a)
June 08, 2009
12:48 PM Post #6659028
| Truly, what an interesting garden with such delicious plants.
I acquired and planted vanilla orchids last November but they didn't take. I may try again if I ever see them for sale.
HHMMM, Macademia nuts... (drooling 'a la Homer). We went to visit the Mauna Loa plantation on the BI. In the store, there were smiling ladies in Aloha dresses offering samples. We tasted those nuts with every conceivable covering on them: dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, wasabi powder, tamari, sea salt and vinegar, etc. etc. etc. We bought about 15 pounds of candy while we were there. Of course, I'm about talking the sugarfree stuff. But, we did see the groves, the harvesting, the mangooses and had a great day. Such memories...
Aloha,
Sylvain. |
RachelLF
Rural Retreat, VA
June 09, 2009
08:03 PM Post #6665625
| What a "yummy" orchard.
Enjoyed.
|
goofybulb
El Paso, TX
(Zone 8a)
June 10, 2009
01:08 AM Post #6667182
| Wonderful, Dave! I'm waiting for the chocolate now! Definitely a yummy garden! |
Molamola
Christiansted, VI
(Zone 11)
June 10, 2009
09:26 AM Post #6667922
| WHATT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rasbberries, and black at that! Did you mail order them? |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 10, 2009
12:50 PM Post #6668815
| The Mysore Raspberry, Rubus niveus, has been getting spread from garden to garden here by shared cuttings. The plant grows very easy in tropical conditions, but needs to be managed as it can become invasive. |
Molamola
Christiansted, VI
(Zone 11)
June 10, 2009
01:18 PM Post #6668955
| Thanks! I think that's a variety that I found for sale in one Miami, Florida nursery, but they wrote back saying it's too much trouble to get the export papers. Scrouges!
They could take me over, I've never had my fill of raspberries!
Now off to google... |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 24, 2009
03:53 PM Post #6733127
| Magnolia grandiflora has got to be the best smelling flower in the garden! 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 24, 2009
04:04 PM Post #6733168
| This one is just opening. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 24, 2009
04:15 PM Post #6733199
| Here is the Ice Cream Bean, blooming! 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 24, 2009
04:49 PM Post #6733355
| Here are Cloves ready to harvest. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 24, 2009
05:02 PM Post #6733406
| These are the freshly harvested Cloves!
The scent is captivating! Much sweeter than store-bought Cloves.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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ardesia
Saint Helena Island, SC
(Zone 9a)
June 24, 2009
08:53 PM Post #6734326
| How cool! What is an ice cream bean plant? |
RachelLF
Rural Retreat, VA
June 24, 2009
08:57 PM Post #6734346
| Love your Magnolia bloom's! Thank's for sharing.
Rachel |
Braveheartsmom
Kihei, HI
(Zone 11)
June 25, 2009
12:58 AM Post #6735428
| That MAGnolia is MAGnificent! Lovely crop of cloves - I can almost smell them from here! |
ardesia
Saint Helena Island, SC
(Zone 9a)
June 25, 2009
06:07 AM Post #6735693
| Dave, does your magnolia bloom year round in HI? I noticed the azaleas and camellias were blooming in May and was told they bloom year round there. Now I am vurious about the magnolias. |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 26, 2009
12:53 PM Post #6741679
| The Ice Cream Bean is Inga feuillei a South American tree with bean-like pods that have a sweet pulp, similar to Tamarind, but it grows in a wet climate.
Magnolias and many other flowers have sporadic flowering times in Hawai'i, but it is generally sometime in spring. |
ardesia
Saint Helena Island, SC
(Zone 9a)
June 26, 2009
02:04 PM Post #6741886
| Thanks Dave, it looks like that Ice Cream Bean tree might grow here. Do you think it might be found growing wild around Waimea on Kauai? I remember picking up some seed pods from a plant that had feathery white flowers. Hoping, hoping hoping...
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tropicbreeze
noonamah
Australia
June 26, 2009
07:50 PM Post #6743084
| Ice Cream Bean can be invasive and can be hard to get rid of. But that comment "sweet pulp, similar to Tamarind"? Surely you mean the 'pulp is like tamarind', not 'sweet like tamarind'. |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 27, 2009
04:25 PM Post #6746318
| Hi Tropicbreeze, the Ice Cream Bean has a sweet white pulp. I was using Tamarind as an example as many folks are familiar with it, and unfamiliar Ice Cream Bean. Ice Cream Bean has no record of being invasive in Hawai'i, but I could imagine it's potential to become a weed. |
goofybulb
El Paso, TX
(Zone 8a)
June 27, 2009
07:16 PM Post #6746966
| Dave, I'm echoing everyone here: the magnoila is so graceful and gorgeous! You have to keep us posted with pics of the Ice Cream Beans beans! Are the cloves the unopened blooms? I had to go in my spice rack and sniff them a bit!... though I know it doesn't do justice to the real thing. I love cloves! |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 27, 2009
07:42 PM Post #6747050
| Hi Alexandra, the cloves are the unopened blooms! They seem to get more pungent as they dry. I'm going to let a few of the buds develop into flowers and show them here. Hopefully they will make seed. They could be a nice houseplant in your area! The leaves have a great scent too, and are a suitable substitute for Bay Leaves in any recipe!
Hey Ardesia, the Ice Cream Bean is not naturalized in Hawai'i, and is a fairly modern introduction to gardens here. I don't think you would find a wild stand of it in the State of Hawai'i (Can you show a photo of the seed pods that you collected?). It is a tropical plant and does not do well in the upland cooler parts of this Island. But I think that if you give the young plants winter protection you might try to grow several and see if you can get one of the trees to adapt to your area (Zone 9a).
If my tree sets seed this year, I'll be glad to send some seed to who ever wishes. I'll keep a photographic update on it here |
ardesia
Saint Helena Island, SC
(Zone 9a)
June 27, 2009
08:12 PM Post #6747154
| Oh, how I wish I had been smart enough to photograph the seeds but I was so anxious to get them into pots and now I have mystery plants coming up.
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goofybulb
El Paso, TX
(Zone 8a)
June 27, 2009
10:07 PM Post #6747657
| Dave, that's so nice of you! I will patiently wait for the bloom pics, I love pics! I hope they set seed for you. I'd love such a houseplant, he-he-he! How do you use them? Did you grow yours from seed?
Hugs,
Alexandra
|
tropicbreeze
noonamah
Australia
June 27, 2009
10:14 PM Post #6747683
| Here Icecream Bean is controlled by our dry season, the seedlings don't seem to be able to survive if they don't get watered. There are apparently some varieties of "sweet tamarind". When I bought my place I was told that about 30 of my tamarinds were of a sweet variety from Vietnam. Since then they've started to fruit and they taste just as sour as all the others. Not that I mind, I like the look of the trees anyway. Now Icecream Bean fruit would be good, but I think the tree's too crowded out by some other larger ones. Plus a few weeks back it had a black wattle fall on it. Hasn't had a good life really. |
AlohaHoya
Keaau, HI
(Zone 11)
June 30, 2009
01:26 AM Post #6757316
| Dave...cloves at Keaau Health Foods sells for a fortune...you should dry yours and sell it there!!!! A year ago I met two ladies who were sick of spending a fortune for their Thanksgiving hams' cloves!!! |
ardesia
Saint Helena Island, SC
(Zone 9a)
June 30, 2009
05:29 AM Post #6757513
| Hmmmm, I can envision another crop for Carol and Bob's venture. For some reason I am not fond of the scent of dried cloves but I imagine the fresh is awesome. |
Bignonia
Atenas
Costa Rica
June 30, 2009
11:03 AM Post #6758518
| Metrosideros: I see that you are very busy gardening and doing field trips with Kea and Ku. From my nine dogs, two have Hawaian names: Koa, he is a German Shepperd mix and Lanai, also a mixed variety.
Here in Costa Rica cacao trees are always planted below taller trees for shade. Ah, about Ingas, The tree is very popular in Costa Rica. Since it belongs to the Leguminosae Family, it bears long pods, the seeds as you mentioned are covered with a white thin cover very sweet. So you just put the seed inside your mouth and with your teeth remove that sweet cover and the seed has to be discarded. Here Ingas are called guabas. So sometimes people that come from other countries believe that we are talking about Guayaba. There are 53 species of Inga in Costa Rica , 12 are endemics of this country.,
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Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
June 30, 2009
01:25 PM Post #6759156
| Hey Bignonia, do all of the Inga species contain a sweet pulp?
The cloves have a sweet scent when they are fresh; they get spicier / sharper scented as they dry.
I might have a hard time selling the cloves, as I love the scent so much! My mother will be the first recipient of some of them. Some will be used for baking, and some will be made into a Chai-like tea! |
AlohaHoya
Keaau, HI
(Zone 11)
July 01, 2009
10:48 PM Post #6766336
| Dave...I went to harvest my cloves, but found that all of the 'clumps of flowers' were in different stages of development...and even within the bunch of flowers they were immature and mature. Are they ready to harvest when the bottom of the bud has more pink in it. How do you dry yours in this humidity. I am having a ball! |
Bignonia
Atenas
Costa Rica
July 02, 2009
10:51 AM Post #6767938
| Metrosideros, The mayority of Ingas have sweet pulp but some species have seeds with a very thin cover that makes them not edible. |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 02, 2009
12:53 PM Post #6768436
| Carol, if the Cloves are in flower it's past the stage for spice. The Cloves must be picked before the flower opens. Any Cloves that are flowering will hopefully make seeds!
I better get out and pick more buds off my trees. |
AlohaHoya
Keaau, HI
(Zone 11)
July 02, 2009
01:53 PM Post #6768675
| I mispoke. The buds have NOT opened...they are in bud stage. |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 02, 2009
02:06 PM Post #6768704
| I let the buds get as large as possible before picking. They develop slowly and at different rates. I remove the buds once a week; they seem to take forever for that little bud to swell up! |
blueskyfd11
Harrison Valley, PA
(Zone 5a)
July 09, 2009
08:49 PM Post #6799739
| Metrosideros,
You truly need a full time security guard there...ummmm have i mentioned that umm I'm looking for a job?
Really, I am so happy for you! That is a dream for me and I get to see it through your eyes...thank you and happy growing! :) |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 09, 2009
09:43 PM Post #6799946
| Here is Kea and Ku. The security team! 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Braveheartsmom
Kihei, HI
(Zone 11)
July 09, 2009
10:42 PM Post #6800164
| I would like to apply for the job of chocolate taster - just to make sure you get the blend right...you really can't entrust Kea and Ku with that job  |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 09, 2009
11:52 PM Post #6800448
| First of all, the roasted cacao beans must have their papery covering removed. Then they are cracked and finely ground. Next some Sucanat (or honey) is added and the ingredients are blended and slowly heated and worked (with a spoon) till they are smooth and even. Flavors including Vanilla extract (mine is made with dark rum; in the Mezzetta jar at the top of the photo) are then added, and the mass is thoroughly mixed again. This is then formed into a bar or bite sized pieces. and cooled down.
The result is a crude, flavorful (strong and dark), yet very healthy, chocolate!
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 10, 2009
02:11 AM Post #6800719
| Here is the chocolate mid-process. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 10, 2009
02:21 AM Post #6800726
| This is the finished product! 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Braveheartsmom
Kihei, HI
(Zone 11)
July 10, 2009
03:42 AM Post #6800783
| Wonderful pictures showing the steps, thanks! I love that knife with it's sheath too - is it silver? Is it an old piece?
The finished chocolate looks so rich and yummy, but I bet you can't eat much at one sitting! |
Bignonia
Atenas
Costa Rica
July 10, 2009
09:45 AM Post #6801458
| Cacao was used by the Maya civilization as money. I found this info in internet:: "Chocolate was made from roasted cocoa beans, water and a little spice: and it was the most important use of cocoa beans, although they were also valued as a currency. An early explorer visiting Guatemala found that": for example 100 cacao beans could buy a rabbit.. "Cacao beans were worth transporting for long distances because they were luxury items. In Maya times, one of the privilege of the elite (the royal house, nobles, shamans, artist, merchants, and warriors) was to drink chocolate. although it was not used as currency like in the Postclassic, it surely was a good trade foodstuff". Here in Costa Rica our tribes used cacao as money in the northern part of the country or for exchanging products. |
lourspolaire
Delray Beach, FL
(Zone 10a)
July 10, 2009
10:58 AM Post #6801831
| Aloha, everyone.
That does it! My day is officially going nowhere after reading this chocolate-making process. I'll dream of that and nothing will get done today, that's for sure. Tomorrow is still a maybe.
Being a very dark chocolate addict, I was practically drooling over myself while I read. Thank you for sharing this with us and illustrating the process with those great pictures. I also loved the security team.
Mahalo & Aloha.,
Pu'ole, a.k.a. Sylvain. |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 10, 2009
12:43 PM Post #6802388
| I make the chocolate to be about 75% cacao. Being diabetic (type 1) I can't eat things with lots of sugar, and the sugar needs to be unrefined. I don't even like most of the stuff sold in stores anymore, as there is little flavor in it.
The knife is a gaucho knife from Brazil, depicting Yerba Mate, the handle and sheath are silver. |
AlohaHoya
Keaau, HI
(Zone 11)
July 10, 2009
01:19 PM Post #6802548
| Hey Dave...great information, thanks! There is that new Asian Food store, across from the Chevy Dealership on Kiluea...next to Helco... They sell raw Palm Sugar... Great flavor!! There are two kinds...I like the darker one the best!!!
Yes...the knife is beautiful!!! |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 10, 2009
01:39 PM Post #6802630
| Thanks for the tip Carol! I need that Palm Sugar (Jaggary). It is necessary in making Indian curries. I bet it would be great in chocolate! |
ardesia
Saint Helena Island, SC
(Zone 9a)
July 10, 2009
01:55 PM Post #6802709
| Carol & Dave, we were told the present sugar crop on Kauai is the last sugar to be raised over there. Do they still grow sugar on the BI? If not, it seems like there might be a market for something like palm sugar. Refined sugar will be outrageously expensive if it has to be imported. Actually that is the same reason it will no longer be grown on Kauai, the export costs were too high.
What kind of palms are used for sugar?
|
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 10, 2009
02:21 PM Post #6802810
| Alexander & Baldwin Co. are growing sugarcane successfully on a small scale on Maui. They use it to make raw sugar (turbinado) which they sell in 2 pound containers with a bunch of aloha jargon on it, which is sold as a tourist item. It is much more expensive than the bagged brands or getting it at a heath food store in bulk.
The Date Palm, Phoenix dactylifera is the principle plant from which Palm Sugar is gotten. Two other major sources are the Khajuri Palm, Phoenix sylvestris and The Sugar Palm, Arenga pinnata. |
ardesia
Saint Helena Island, SC
(Zone 9a)
July 10, 2009
02:36 PM Post #6802864
| Hmmmm, both P. dactylifera and sylvestris do well here (as does sugar cane.) Every fall we get cane from the farmers so the grandkids can chew on it. Now I'll have to figure out how to find the sweet spots in the palms. |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 10, 2009
04:25 PM Post #6803263
| In Phoenix dactylifera, the Dates are cooked down for sugar. In Phoenix sylvestris, the flower stalks are tapped for sap, which is cooked down into sugar. |
ardesia
Saint Helena Island, SC
(Zone 9a)
July 10, 2009
04:34 PM Post #6803292
| Interesting, seedlings are such a problem here, usually if I can reach the flower stalks, I cut them off. |
extranjera
Mérida
Mexico
(Zone 11)
July 10, 2009
04:43 PM Post #6803318
| Dave, do you ferment the beans before roasting? There are a couple of Belgians here in Merida that are making truly exquisite chocolate. Here's their web site http://www.ki-xocolatl.com/eng/
I toured their small factory, everything is done by the two of them and two other employees. They told us that they need to control the whole process from harvest on so that they can get the quality of chocolate they need. The beans are fermented for a set time, I wish I could remember but I believe it is around a week. Then they roast them and grind them many times. One of my favorite bars that they make is dark chocolate with chili and cardomom.
According to them, the fermentation is one of the most important steps in making fine chocolate. |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 10, 2009
04:58 PM Post #6803382
| The cacao beans must be fermented to get their classic flavor and aroma! 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
ardesia
Saint Helena Island, SC
(Zone 9a)
July 10, 2009
05:00 PM Post #6803395
| Is anyone else CRAVING chocolate??????? |
goofybulb
El Paso, TX
(Zone 8a)
July 21, 2009
12:26 AM Post #6844896
| I am!
Oh, I'm telling you: one day I'll go to Hawaii, just to eat Dave's chocolate, and visit his gardens! And Carol's! And Jenny's! |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
August 13, 2009
03:56 PM Post #6943124
| Clove trees are blooming!
Hopefully they will make seeds.
The flowers do smell like cloves!
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
AlohaHoya
Keaau, HI
(Zone 11)
August 13, 2009
06:33 PM Post #6943587
| I am getting blooms too...but with all our rain the bees haven't been as 'active'... Let's hope we get a bit of dry. |
goofybulb
El Paso, TX
(Zone 8a)
August 14, 2009
04:52 PM Post #6946731
| How beautiful! And how blessed you are to be able to grow such rare things outside in your gardens! I wish I could smell thru the computer screen... sniff, sniff. |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
August 14, 2009
04:57 PM Post #6946749
| Wasn't someone discussing "Smell O Vision" lately on TZG?
Wonder if they have that worked out yet! |
