There is a tiny farm on Isla Bastimentos, Panama (full story on the island), affectionately referred to as ‘On the Hill.’ Follow a path from town that winds through the jungle, spilling over hills, trees, rocks and rivers, before a final ascent to a rustic, charming abode on the top of a hill.
It’s not an easy hike, especially during the rainy season and all that mud, but the reward is fresh-pressed coffee from the mountains of Panama, and a choice of a brownie or truffles made with cacao beans organically grown and processed on the farm. Without question, we tried both the brownie and truffles:
After refreshments, we had a small tour of the farm, and learned more about the the cacao and coconut harvests. Here’s a quick peek:
Everything starts small. Baby plants gaining strength in recycled milk cartons.
A mature, fruit producing cacao tree. Owner and master gardener, Javiar, expertly plucking a ripe fruit from the high branches.
The inside of a cacao fruit – the white flesh is edible and sweet, leaving behind 20-50 small dark beans.
Cacao beans drying in the sun. Afterward, they will be toasted, hand-peeled and ground into chocolate bits to use in drinks and baked goods.
On this small island, the farm itself feels even smaller, with only a few vegetable gardens on the grounds, splattered with a variety of tropical fruit trees. It’s not easy to see how the farm survives with all the work and little if any financial gain, but it’s easy to see why. Happiness is evident in the creativity brimming from every edge of the farm – a living pine tree adorned with recycled plastic bottle ornaments, photography and beach-inspired art, and flavored balms and oils house-cured from coconuts and tropical flowers.
We took an order of frozen truffles to go, anxious for another taste of the coconut-rolled treats. The only recipe secret we flattered out of the baker was the use of small bits of cookie to add texture and sweetness to the dark cacao. We hiked back down the hill, storming the beach armed with truffles, quickly softening in the heat.
Earth Eats 