For the beginning of our first full day, we woke up at 2:30 because of a loud thunderstorm. Then we actually woke at 6:30-7 so we could get ready for the day. We had a traditional Costa Rican breakfast of eggs, rice and beans with fruit on the side and homemade yogurt for us to eat. Then we had our first lesson. For lunch we made a salad which include heart of palm, olive oil, onion, cilantro, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Then after a few of the students went to a mercadito which mean small market. While the guys did not buy anything on this trip, the girls who went along bought ice cream and water. Then dinner, which had a chicken and a chutney sauce on top, potatoes, carrots and zucchini. There was a pumpkin soup which Ms. Jaworski claimed was amazing. Then for dessert we had cake and ice cream because we were celebrating Mrs. Miller’s and Carina’s birthdays.
For the first lesson we discussed introductory questions about how the tropical weather patterns influence biodiversity that comes with it. Then we talked about the difference in species quantity and sizes between Minnesota and Costa Rica and how the average size may be similar but the number of species is significantly greater in Costa Rica due to the rainforest ecosystem. After lunch we had a second lesson on the scientific process, and went more in depth on the steps and substeps of the process. Then we did an experiment on the microbiomes based on the observation that microbes are everywhere. The question the students needed to answer was: Which factors affect the mIcrobiome?
Pablo is the owner of Finca La Anita, and he told us about his chocolate plantation and processing chocolate. During his introduction, he told us the difference between commercial and gourmet chocolate. The main difference is that gourmet chocolate has the original fat from the cacao bean in it while the commercial chocolate uses palm oil as a substitute. After learning this difference, he talked about the different kinds of cacao beans: Criollo ( the one that is grown in Finca la Anita, and is sweet), Forastero (commercial mainly, is bitter so a lot of sugar is added), Trinitario (which is the newest and a fusion between the other two). Then he took us on a tour of how the process is done, and we worked backwards in the process and we tried first roasted cacao beans, then we had a pure chocolate drink with some added flavors from chile pepper and sugar. Pablo brought us out 72% & 82% cacao dark chocolates and we tried different flavorings on it based on personal preference. For the two of us we liked the ground chili powder. It even caused Amanual to say, “I can’t feel my tongue”. Another thing Pablo told us is that process after the harvest takes 3 months to complete; about 42% of the cocoa bean becomes chocolate.
After dinner, the rain finally let up enough for us to go on a night walk. However, about five minutes after we left it really started to pour and we all got soaked. While we were on the walk in the pouring rain we saw a lot of animals like beetles, spiders and a few frogs and bullet ants . My favorite animal was the glass frog which was cool because you could see the inside of the frog. However, the downside to the hike was the path was muddy which made it really slippery.. It was a nice hike overall because we got to see really cool animals and an interesting experience.
Amanual and Nate
Pablo is the owner of Finca La Anita, and he told us about his chocolate plantation and processing chocolate. During his introduction, he told us the difference between commercial and gourmet chocolate. The main difference is that gourmet chocolate has the original fat from the cacao bean in it while the commercial chocolate uses palm oil as a substitute. After learning this difference, he talked about the different kinds of cacao beans: Criollo ( the one that is grown in Finca la Anita, and is sweet), Forastero (commercial mainly, is bitter so a lot of sugar is added), Trinitario (which is the newest and a fusion between the other two). Then he took us on a tour of how the process is done, and we worked backwards in the process and we tried first roasted cacao beans, then we had a pure chocolate drink with some added flavors from chile pepper and sugar. Pablo brought us out 72% & 82% cacao dark chocolates and we tried different flavorings on it based on personal preference. For the two of us we liked the ground chili powder. It even caused Amanual to say, “I can’t feel my tongue”. Another thing Pablo told us is that process after the harvest takes 3 months to complete; about 42% of the cocoa bean becomes chocolate.
After dinner, the rain finally let up enough for us to go on a night walk. However, about five minutes after we left it really started to pour and we all got soaked. While we were on the walk in the pouring rain we saw a lot of animals like beetles, spiders and a few frogs and bullet ants . My favorite animal was the glass frog which was cool because you could see the inside of the frog. However, the downside to the hike was the path was muddy which made it really slippery.. It was a nice hike overall because we got to see really cool animals and an interesting experience.
Amanual and Nate
Amanual and Nate
No comments:
Post a Comment