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Post by wahooboat on Apr 21, 2008 19:20:06 GMT -5
I have a small cacao farm (100 trees)and need suggestions on how to ferment small quantities of beans. Any suggestions out there? Do I need to build wooden boxes? etc
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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2008 19:28:28 GMT -5
Where is the farm?
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Post by reelchemist on Apr 22, 2008 18:01:55 GMT -5
Check the hot thread in 'Cocoa Beans' this discusses small scale fermenting in detail.
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Post by jamescary on Apr 22, 2008 22:05:48 GMT -5
Definitely.. sharkman is resident guru on the subject.. That thread was very useful when I gave it a pitiful go..
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Post by seneca on Apr 22, 2008 22:25:16 GMT -5
Alan's question above will make a big difference in the detail of the answer...local weather (temperature, rainfall, diurnal variation), local yeasts, bacters and the source varietal will all create a unique set of interactions that you'll have to manage and understand.
That said, I'd guess (really roughly!!) that with 100 mature (>10 years or so) trees you'll be looking at several hundred kilos of fruit and seed going into ferment. At that level you'll certainly need to build out something practical...anything from simple individual boxes (make sure not to use treated wood) to half wine barrels, to a small step box setup. There are lots of possible models, and some good books out there that can help.
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Post by wahooboat on Apr 23, 2008 13:23:03 GMT -5
My farm is on the Hamakua Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii. My 100 trees are only 3 years old, hence the small quantities of pods being produced at present. I have tried using styrafoam coolers and black garbage bags hung in 5 gallon buckets, but my fermentation usually seems incomplete due to the amount of purple color in the fermented beans.
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