Ruby Treasure

Day 3: March 12, 2017 
Who needs an alarm clock when you have roasters? Breakfast was pineapple pancakes with strawberry jam, papaya, and cantaloupe. The only thing missing was more plantains! Today we got our hands dirty by following the coffee process from harvest to cup. I cannot describe how exhilarating it was to stand in the middle of Gabriel’s coffee field; we were surrounded by beautiful plants hiding little red treasures. Coffee cherries are deceptive little things… Each cherry must be picked when ruby red and not half yellow. However, only half the cherry can be seen before harvesting from the stem. By the end of the two hours, our fingers were covered in volcanic ash and our baskets were barely a third full of red cherries speckled with tiny touches of green and yellow. Gabriel carried our collective sack of cherries down the hill strapped to his forehead! A group our size usually collects around ten pounds of coffee cherries; we collected an impressive ninety pounds of coffee cherries! Gabriel’s wife showed us how to grind freshly roasted coffee beans with a mano de piedra, a beautiful lava stone. Experiencing the coffee industry first hand was humbling. Each farmer and his family go through backbreaking work to collect this delicate crop that is reduced to a tiny bean. One of the best decisions of the evening was adventuring off with Taya and Mariana into the Antiqua market before dinner. Walking through the booths of fresh fruit was Candy land for a horticulture major. I learned that cashews do not grow like peanuts but rather apples with a crooked rhino horn! 
   
An unforgettable experience! 
~ Kristen Foxworth 

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