Coffee and Wine Production on our Farm

COFFEE PRODUCTION

Flowering Coffee shrubs.

Ripe Coffee berries ready to be harvested.

Soaking the berries in water allows the pulp to rupture and the seeds fall free to be collected on the bottom of the container.  After removing the seeds, they are allowed to soak longer until they begin fermenting and the outer coating disintegrates.  Next they are dried thoroughly.

After drying in the sun, the seeds are slow roasted on the stove top in a large Wok.

The seeds slowly change from a whitish color into golden brown.

Finally the seeds achieve an even dark color and amazing aroma, indicating they are ready to be ground and brewed for a caffeine rich and healthy beverage.

WINE PRODUCTION

Freshly harvested grapes are collected and put into a large container, along with a hearty yeast variety.

Within 36 hours the grapes are bubbling with activity and giving off a wonderful aroma.

After 2 weeks, the grapes are filtered and the new wine is put into glass containers to allow farther fermentation with a gas lock to prevent oxygen to enter while allowing the carbon dioxide to escape.

At this point, the young wine is already high in alcohol, but not too tasty yet.  When the fermentation stops completely it will be put into small bottles to age.

Springtime at Flores Permaculture

Spring is nearly ready to turn into Summer as the Solstice arrives.

The gardens are nearly all planted and soon construction on the house continues.

The Japanese Blue Sweet Potato flowers are blooming.  The cuttings are in the ground and hopefully will produce a bountiful harvest in the Autumn.

We are now harvesting Flores Yellow Sweet Potatoes that were planted last year, as well as Bananas and Taro.  These three crops are the staples that allow us to survive yearly.

"Cozido de Porco" is a house favorite using the Kale and Sweet Potatoes, alongside island raised Pork.  

Hopefully, we will keep our own pigs next year.  In theory we have enough surplus to feed two pigs, we only need to build the housing for them.

The Sugar Cane is growing very well in the Tropical Micro-climate.  In the future, it can be used to help the fruit wine achieve a higher ABV.  

The African Yams have sprouted and are now getting planted out in the Tropical Micro-Climate also.

Both the Apple and Pear trees are full of flowers, so we should get fruit this Autumn.  If not, they are still beautiful to gaze upon.

The Coffee Bushes are full of ripe yellow fruits and will soon be harvested and processed into a power packed brew!

This year, we took cuttings for rooting.

The Coffee Cuttings are placed into a heated humidity dome to help them grow roots before being planted out.  They should make an excellent edible hedge to stop the winter winds.

 

Our new lamb arrived.  The boys have named her LambyKins and she is very fuzzy and cute.

Our yearling goat arrived also for weed control and future meat production.  The boys have named him Goaty McGoatface 2.0.

Vernal Equinox 2018 Farm Update

Spring is upon us once again.  Time to shake off the cold and the cobwebs and get back to work.

The Guinea Fowl that were bred last year all survived the winter and are healthy and noisy as ever.  Watch the clip below for an earful of their amazing alarm system. 

Our first woofer for the new year arrived, Sofie.

We taught her how to catch trout in the front yard of our farm, along with many other skills.

We butchered our Sheep from the previous summer.  Very tasty mutton.

Our second woofer joined Sofie to help clear some jungle and plant new gardens.  Sofia and Sofie, what are the odds?  :)

As usual, Odin observes the work and offers helpful observations.

The strawberry patch overwintered well in the newly cleared jungle and is ready to explode with growth now.

Sofia and Mitra plant Kale in a sunny location that was jungle a few weeks earlier.  The large trees are left to decompose on the ground and provide fun walkways.

Sweet Potato slips are planted in the freshly dug soil.

We are STILL harvesting Sweet Potato from last years plantings.  We have steadily been feeding 4 adults and 2 children with last years crop since October.  Below is one of the areas that we have not harvested Sweet Potato from yet and their foliage is still lush and now is sprouting many new slips.

We grew 5 varieties last year, and this year we will try to grow 6 varieties.  Below is an assortment.

Sofie helps to harvest some ripe Bananas.

Citrus Season is upon us also.  We have more oranges, lemons, and limes than we can eat.  The orange trees are also great fun for climbing.

The Sugar Cane is sprouting new growth and soon will be able to spread into a huge Sugar Cane Patch.

One of the perks of jungle clearing is getting to make Bonfires from all the tree branches!

New Tropical Micro-Climate Garden

Magnus has been working diligently to remove the jungle and debris from a great location on our farm for several years.  

The first steps were taken in earnest last year and recorded at this blog post from 2016.

With the help of AviChai, Magnus managed to get the "Super-Bowl Garden" cleared of large trees that had accumulated over the years.

This year with the excellent help of Anne and Matts, the garden if functional and beautiful.

Above Anne uses cut Canna Rocha (Hedychium gardnerianum) to mulch around freshly planted Taro.

While Anne mulches, Matts pulls all the cut wood out of the stream bed and stacks it for future compost.

Above, the scope of the garden can be seen, with a beautiful spring fed stream running through the center.

Banana trees are planted near the mountainside, with Taro in the boggy areas and fig and avocado in the dry areas.

Young Taro transplants are growing their true leaves now and harvesting the solar energy.

The cool spring water creates an ideal climate for the Taro to thrive.

 Clearing a bed for the water to follow was a huge priority.  Before we cleared the channel, the water spilled over the entire area and created a boggy mess.

With Matts help, the stream runs free and clear now, allowing us to harvest water as needed.

The garden is located in a natural depression in the land, giving it amazing sun catching abilities.  As more stones and cliffs are uncovered, the area will retain the solar radiation and become more Tropical than the surrounding forest and gardens of our property.

Our Humble Sacrifice to Summon the Spirit of Dionysus

This year we had a great harvest season for Strawberry Guava.

Odin and Mitra were eager to lend a hand to gather berries, one for the bucket and one for the mouth.

We developed a good system with the boys relaying the full cups picked by our woofer helpers to the master bucket. Below Stan and Mitra team up to get the job done.

Vince also lent a hand to gather fruit on our family farm.

After a hard days work, Mitra puts his feet up to enjoy the biggest and best fruit gathered.

And when there are enough fruits to fill a large vessel, we engage in the ancient and sacred art of fermentation.

Late Summer Fruit Trees and Gardens

Our Zone 2 is steadily growing and improving as we clear more jungle from the adjoining  Zone 3 and replace it with edible plants.

Below Kristina transplants young seedlings around our newly established Golden Bamboo.

We added 7 new Tamarillo trees in addition to the 5 that are now producing fruits.

Below Konswan stands in a garden that was only underbrush earlier this year.  Already she has harvested from this land several times and now has freshly replanted it with Winter crops.

Below is the upgraded garden that we began clearing last April.  What was a scrubby mess a few months ago is now abundant in Eggplants.

Another newly created garden has just had the onions harvested and is now replanted with Red Mustard and Shiso.

Our Mulbeery Trees are thriving in the chicken enclosure along with the Strawberry Guava, both excellent for humans and foul alike to eat.

Konswan is tying up her plants in advance of the coming winds of autumn.

Our 3 lime trees are producing heavily this year, for the third year in a row.