day one hundred & thirteen

"The Three Pigs". If there were a title for our day today, that would be it. 

Pig #1 entered our day bright and early this morning, at the gas station. As we were topping off the Mope, I noticed something unusual about a vehicle that had just parked near the station. It was very old (normal), the trunk was held down with rope (also normal) but something just wasn't right. Once the driver emerged in full camo, it became clear. Moments later it was confirmed. They had just shot a pig and sure enough, lovingly tied it on the trunk of their Corolla.(see photo below). 

After that tender moment and a good laugh, we headed to work. Today we volunteered at a new coffee farm for the first time. Not knowing what was in store, we expected to be working in the coffee fields all day. Maybe we would be processing coffee or cleaning the mill... What was our job for the day? Patch the fence where the pigs get in. Evidently pigs love coffee. Pig #2

Pig #3. Up to that point, it was kind of a normal day. Sure the pig theme had come up a few times but that was just a coincidence and we really didn't think anything of it. Things changed when at about 8:00pm we got an unusual knock on our door from our farm owner. With gun, knife and flashlight in hand he asks, "wanna go on a pig hunt"?!

So there ya have it. "The Three Pigs". Did I mention we ate pork for lunch?

"Hog on Trunk" 12/27/2012

"Pork Laulau" 12/27/2012

"Pig Fence" 12/27/2012

day one hundred & six

Tis the season…to pick coffee! As the hustle and bustle of the holidays are upon us, the final rounds of coffee are being harvested here on the farm. The green trees with their little red berries have helped get me in the Christmas spirit (O’ Coffee Tree, O’ Coffee Tree…) and Eric and I have been eager to help bring in the last of the harvest. This week we took an afternoon, set a goal of 100 pounds, strapped our belly buckets on and got to work.  Although for some reason the typical clouds didn’t roll in as we hoped, we managed to find a section of trees shaded by the leaves of a tall avocado tree.

With ‘Mele Kalikimaka’ ringing in my ears (there must be a million versions of that song played on the radio here) I started picking each little cherry and dropping it in my bucket. It’s funny to think that when Eric and I first started working out in the fields, such a repetitious job would have bored me to tears but as I continued on tree by tree, I found that I was actually enjoying myself. There I was in the cool breeze, getting exercise, working alongside my husband in a very peaceful setting, harvesting a product that people love. What more could you ask for?

That afternoon, we picked a total of 147 pounds and were so proud of ourselves. So proud, that we got up the next morning and picked another 50 pounds!

I have to say that spending the holidays farming in Hawaii is a little weird. I mean, seeing Christmas decorations on the way back from the beach is just strange to me. Other than the fact that our Christmas will be 'green and bright', we are keeping busy and are in good company here at Kona Earth. So just to get it out of my system already…Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say, on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day. That’s the island greeting that we send to you from the land where palm trees sway!

Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas!

"First Buckets Full" 12/14/2012

"147 Pounds Picked by Yours Truly" 12/14/2012

"Pickers Weighing In" 12/14/2012

"Christmas Celebration in Kona" 12/16/2012

"Eric in Storage Room" 12/19/2012

day ninety nine

I will never drink a cup of coffee the same way again. Drinking coffee is easy (if it's good) but producing coffee is actually incredibly complex! For those of you who think brewing coffee in the morning is a small fete in itself, you aint’ seen nothing yet. Here’s a simple run-through of all the steps that it takes to make that black gold and basically what Eric and I have done here in Kona for the past few months!

First of all, coffee has to be planted and grown. Coffee farming, I can assure you, is not easy. So much time, energy, and money is dedicated to maintaining the farm, ensuring that the needs of the crop (fertile soil, sunshine, and water) are met, and protecting the trees from pests (like CBB).

Next, assuming that all goes well with growing the crop, there is the labor intensive harvesting. Here in Kona, all coffee, every single cherry, is handpicked. Crews of pickers spend days on a farm going from tree to tree, selecting the ripe cherries.

Once the cherries are picked, the seeds need to be removed from the fruit. This begins the process of turning an otherwise forgettable fruit into a beloved product and a major commodity. The cherries are run through a wet mill or ‘pulper’, which removes the skins and a layer of mucilage before fermenting in water overnight.

After fermentation, the beans are laid out on a drying deck or ‘hoshidana’ to be dried by the sun. In order to evenly dry the beans they need to be raked all day sometimes every 15 minutes depending on the weather. Once the beans dry to a specific moisture percentage it is called ‘parchment coffee’.

Parchment coffee is then bagged and goes to a dry mill. At the dry mill the beans are run through a series of machines that remove the parchment skin and silver skin from the bean. The finished product is ‘green coffee’ and is sorted into different grades of quality and size.

The really exciting part of the whole process is when the green coffee gets roasted and becomes what we all know as coffee! Of course, roasting is a craft and should not be taken lightly (no pun intended).

The roasted coffee is then packaged, ground, and finally, brewed! 

There you have it. All coffee completes this long, complicated journey which I think is pretty impressive and makes the resulting product that much more special. It definitely gives you something to think about when you take your next sip!

Coffee Wet Mill or 'Pulper'

Parchment Coffee on Drying Deck

Green Coffee on Gravity Table 

in Dry Mill

Coffee Being Roasted

    

fresh start

After one month and eight days at our second farm, we have just arrived at our third Kona coffee farm! 

We are now at Kona Earth, which has been a favorite of ours since we toured it a few months ago. Located in the heart of the Kona coffee belt, Kona Earth is a beautiful family owned and operated farm. There are 3,500 coffee trees, a Macadamia nut orchard, a cute little dog, three rabbits, lots of chickens (fresh eggs!), and plenty of fruits and vegetables for the picking. We’re really excited to be here…and to drink their amazing coffee every day!

Our new living quarters include a sunny, studio apartment, with a kitchen, bathroom, closet, and, drum roll please…a queen size bed! We slept comfortably (by regular people standards), woke up to the sun shining and a blooming avocado tree right outside the window. It’s almost too good to be true.

Moving around definitely recharges us, keeps us on our toes and because coffee farming is not ‘one size fits all’, there is always something new to learn. Each and every farmer has their unique way of running their farm and they have different insights on techniques and processes to offer us.

Aloha to a fresh start and to a fresh supply of our favorite Kona coffee!

"Part of Coffee Land" 12/10/2012

"Pulper and Drying Deck" 12/10/2012

"Parchment & Sunshine on Drying Deck" 12/10/2012

"Casey Spraying Field" 12/10/2012

"Coffee Trees from Deck" 12/10/2012

day ninety two

This week's post is a thank you to our friends and family and to tell you something I learned about support in the past few months.

When Casey and I decided to do this “project”, it was seemingly out of the blue to most people. That’s partially because we had literally planned, scheduled and booked most of this trip a month before telling anyone but it’s also because it was a big change for us. In an effort to not freak out our families, we decided to somewhat strategically let people know… you know, “test” it out on a few friends first, gauge their reaction and warm up for the big calls home. If you think that sounds unnecessary and kind of crazy, go quit your job, arrange to live on a farm, book a one way flight to Hawaii and then let me know how you feel.

That said, it turns out none of that practice would matter because when we actually did make those calls home, from both of our families, we essentially got “go for it!”.

That’s when we realized what true support is. We learned that true support is when the people giving it don’t necessarily agree or understand or even have a say but show encouragement none the less. It’s easy to “support” your kid to go to college or to “support” your spouse who wants to get a higher paying job. It’s not as easy to support someone when they are doing something slightly out of the norm or a little risky. We are so thankful for the true support that we have received so far. We really appreciate it, a lot. Thanks guys. We won’t let you down. 

*BTW, if you haven't already checked it out, here is a link to part two of "Why are we WWOOFing?"*

"Thanks" 11/28/2012

why are we WWOOFing?: part two

The first time I told someone I was going to WWOOF their response was “are you barking at me?” If you’re not familiar with it, it does sound strange. WWOOF is an acronym for ‘Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms’.  It’s a network of farmers and volunteers all over the world on all different kinds of organic farms. It’s a perfect solution for anyone looking for an opportunity to volunteer, to learn about farming, to travel cheaply, or to have an experience outside of the typical resort vacation.

I had never heard of WWOOF. The only thing I knew was that Eric and I wanted to commit ourselves to something totally new and we wanted to learn all we could about coffee. We figured, the best way to achieve this was to go directly to the source. After reaching out to a friend, WWOOF sounded like the perfect way to get there. Considering our grand plan for the next few months, Hawaii sounded like the perfect coffee origin to start our expedition.

Emails were sent to every Kona coffee farmer in the WWOOF network and we began to put together a plan.

This plan was going to be life changing and tough…we knew that from the beginning. First off, besides flying to Las Vegas to elope (no big deal), Eric and I had never really travelled together. We were both so busy trying to build our careers that in the past four years a three-hour drive from Boston to upstate New York was a big trip. Second, we actually were really happy with our jobs. And third, we were trading our nice cushy lifestyle to do manual labor for free. That being said, it was actually a pretty easy decision.

Within a month we made arrangements with three different farmers, put in our notice at work, booked one-way flights to Kona, HI, broke the news to our family and friends, moved out of Boston and packed up all of our belongings in a 10X10 storage unit.

We were pretty damn motivated. For as long as Eric and I have known each other, we have had an itch to do something else, to leave the pack and go out on our own. Once we realized that there might never be a perfect time to pursue our passion, we knew it was the perfect time to go.