Organic Coffee in Costa Rica

Twenty minutes across the hills from Atenas is El Toledo organic coffee farm where the owner, Gabriel gave us a tour of his farm and shared with us his passion for organic farming.  This passion began about 20 years ago when Gabriel was sick.  He came to realize that the chemicals and fertilizers that he was using with his farm were causing the illness.  Sixteen years ago, he became certified organic and dutifully pays the $1500 annual fee in order to keep his certification.  He is no longer ill and is very enthusiastic about this way of farming.  He has joined 6 other coffee farms to marketing and sell organically grown Costa Rican coffee.

Learning what organic means to coffee farms

We got a tour of the farm, including a walk on the hillside around the coffee plants.  I have been wondering how the coffee is cared for and harvested since it is done manually, on very steep hillsides.  After walking part of those steep hillsides, I realize that the workers have the balance of mountain goats. And I had the balance of the Turk to help me.
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You can start to see the steepness of the hill

walking the coffee trail up the hill

On our walk - climb Gabriel pointed out interesting plants and insects which are all part of his ecosystem.  We saw a large beehive that is important because the bees pollinate the coffee to grow a bean.

stick bug

huge beatle

 I noticed several beautiful flowers at ground level that looked like the flowers of orchids. Gabriel said these are called 'resurrection flowers' because they bloom around Easter time each year. They are not orchids, but more similar to bromeliads. And I saw a cashew tree and fruit for the first time. Did you know that the nut hangs off the end of the fruit? No wonder cashews are so expensive - there is only 1 per fruit.  The cashew is poisonous until it is roasted, but you can eat the fruit.  It is slightly sweet, but it makes your mouth dry.

Resurrection flowers

see the grey think hanging from the end of the orange fruit - that's the cashew!

They have planted 15 cocao trees to see what happens and it looks like the pods are very healthy.

Cocao pods

The Turk had a chance to wear a picking basket to see how it would be to pick beans.  He signed up for next year's harvest - November through January.

The Turk gets ready for harvest

Because this farm is a microfarm, they can get by with small equipment to process the beans. We saw two machines - one separates the husk, fruit and bean while the other roasts the bean.  In between these steps, they must dry out the beans in the sun which takes 6 days if there is no rain.

machine that separates the bean from husk, fruit

Drying screens - beans are turned over every 2 hours for six days

Roaster

Gabriel's wife made us coffee using the traditional methods of pouring hot water into a cotton bag filled with coffee beans.  We tasted light, medium and dark roast.  Medium was everyone's favorite.  I found out that light has the highest caffeine because less is roasted out of it - who knew!

Time for tasting!

Sites From the Roads

Yes, a crocodile crossing

The iguana's got a crossing sign too!

Tells us to slow down, and be quiet! apparently there are parrots, monkeys and armadillos.

We have to be slow for this menagerie - short people, hummingbirds, dogs, some kind of creature, and monkeys

Everywhere there are roadside shops that sell fruit. and they will make you a fruit smoothie - with water or mild (con agua, con leche).  We found 6 in a row at times along the freeway.  One was called 'Fruitus Jesus'.  One called 'Fruitus Shalom'.   No telling what they thought they were saying

Sand, Sun, Crocodiles, Iguanas and Surfers

The Turk and I jumped in our travelmobile and headed west - to the Pacific coast, specifically to Manuel Antonia National Park, the busiest park in CR.  This area is an hour south of popular surf and party town Jaco, and is just as busy.  But the Turk and I figured out that partyers stay up late and get up late - so we hit our destinations early and were rewarded with private beach spots and critters getting their breakfasts.  This was a 3 day, 2 night excursion - our last before heading  back to Florida. We stayed at a cute hotel called  Mimo's between Quepos and Manuel Antonio town. The Turk liked their pool because it was WARM and sat next to the bar where we found ourselves during happy hour each day.  The only practical place to be since it was so hot and we had spent the morning hiking and playing in the ocean waves.

Surf's up!

The regulars at the pool at Mimo's

Gotta love the shade

Our first day was spent traveling, quick exploration of the area and playing in the pool. We had to check out the restaurant El Avion because it was built around an airplane. The airplane was owned by the CIA and located in San Jose CR airport to be used against the Sandinista's in the Oliver North Iran-Contra project.  When its sister plane was shot down October 5, 1986, the public started to find out about the illegal CIA operation.  And, with the operation halted, this plane was never engaged.  It was purchased in 2000 (sitting at the airport all of this time) and shipped to Quepos port to be hauled up to Manuel Antonio town.  The views of the Pacific and surrounding islands and beaches were wonderful.  We were somewhat joined by a sloth - but he just hung out at the nearby tree.  Overall - restaurant was 'OK', and we'd recommend drinks only in the future.

The plane,C-123, is a bar, restaurant overlooking the ocean is behind it.

more amazing CR furniture!

Sloth hanging near our table on the balcony

We were saving our energy for the following day of hiking and exploring Manuel Antonio part.  Our objective? find monkeys!  Up to now, we've only heard them and seen fleeting shadows, but our hopes were high to see many at the park and on the beaches. And we werent disappointed!

Squirrel monkey

His buddies - you could watch them play for hours

The park!

view from our hike

Toward end of hike - in need of cooling down. Before the masses arrived

The Turk is always foraging for food - I dont complain because I like to eat - and he decided we needed to drink/eat coconuts. He had many on the beach to choose from, but the challenge became - how to open the coconut without man made tools.  He found a dried, pointed tree limb that did most of the work as he smashed the coconut down on it. We got to drink the coconut water, and then he took a rock and broke up the shell so we could eat the meat.  I realize clearly now why coconut is shredded.  Its  because that's how your teeth grab it so you can eat it.

cracking the shell on dried tree branch

tastes best when you open it yourself

YUM!

 When the masses of tourists started to invade 'our' private beach, we headed out past the crocodile pond and toward town where we had an amazing lunch at restaurant El Sol - ceviche and three seafood plate of tuna, jumbo shrimp and mahi mahi.  We sat upstairs overlooking the  beach and crazy tourists.  A nice way to spend the hot part of the day - before going  back to Mimo's to our pool and pool bar!

this is the croc pond - no swimming here!

Iguanas are everywhere - but I thought this one was particularly attractive

Sunset!  We are on the Pacific coast, so we have to 'do' sunset.  We went to Ronnies, a small restaurant on a very rough, dirt, rocky road that overlooks a cliff and, below, the ocean. I tried the local alcohol made of sugar cane called Guaro. I could see how this might result in a serious hangover, so one was enough for me!  We had a cloudy sunset, but it was still nice to watch from the cliff.

hopeful for  a 'sizzler'' sunset

this must be what I look like after a day hiking, swimming, and then drinking Guaro!

amazing clouds, but they prevented a 'sizzler' sunset

Next day, we got to a quiet part of the public beach early, so early that the Tico who collects parking fees wasnt there - so we didnt pay to park.  I suspect that he just shows up and tells tourists to pay him for parking which seems a bit typical here.  But then, he has to sit at the beach all day to 'watch' the vehicles, so I guess he earns his money.  We found a shaded area to hide out from the sun.
As the morning progressed, the waves got bigger and bigger.  I dragged the Turk to the water to show him how to play in the waves without drowning.  What he didnt listen to was my suggestion that he remove the hotel keys from his pocket.  That  became a $50 mistake!  We realized the waves were indeed getting big when the surfers started coming down to the beach. After a while, they owned one whole section of the beach - and were fun to watch.

Turk, wishing he had the hotel keys

cheesecake photo

a few of the surfers

On our way out, we tried another of the restaurants owned by the El Avion guy.  He found a Costa Rican train car and used it with his El Wagon restaurant.  The train system in Costa Rica was developed by a British guy who employed Jamaican and Chinese workers because they had resistance to malaria. As a results, you see blacks and asians as 'natives' of Costa Rica.  The train system was the lifeblood of  the banana industry.  We went here because of the train, but MOSTLY because they have a wood fire pizza oven. And that is what we had for lunch, and it was Great!
Notice the pizza oven is made with glass alcohol bottles - clever.  And the floor is mosaic tiles in the shapes of local animals.

the wood inside and outside is beautiful costa rican hardwood

these rocking chairs break down to be flat for storage

Delish!

Time to go! Too many people at the beach