Q. Where does Chocolate come from?
A. Chocolate comes to us courtesy of the cacao plant (pronounced ca-cow), Theobroma cacao. The name Theobroma is an appropriate one as its translation is “food of the gods.” The plant is believed to have originated in the Amazon area of South America at least 4,000 years ago. Most of today’s commercial production is in eastern Brazil in South America and the Ivory Coast and other countries of Africa.
Cacoa is an evergreen tree that grows up to 40 feet in height and is hardy only in moist, tropical climates. Each cacao plant produces 60-70 pods, which mature in about six months from bloom. The pods resemble an elongated acorn squash, about 10-14 inches long.
Each pod yields 20-40 white seeds (beans), which are fermented for several days until they develop a brown color and the chocolate flavor. The beans are then dried and shipped to processing plants. Here, the beans are cleaned, roasted and ground into a thick, dark-colored paste. This paste is the base for all chocolate and cocoa products.
The hardened paste becomes baking chocolate. If the paste is heated to high pressure, cocoa butter is extracted and the remaining cake-like mass is ground into cocoa powder. To make chocolate bars or other candy, additional cocoa butter is blended with the paste, along with sweeteners. To make white chocolate, Cocoa butter is used without the paste.
Q. I’m new to gardening and with spring just around the corner I want to know everything I need to know about gardening. Can you give me a few pointers?
A. Good planning is essential to successful gardening. Start your garden off right by selecting a location that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. Check the site for good drainage by making sure water doesn’t tend to stand after a rain or irrigation. Try to steer clear of trees and shrubs that would compete with your garden plants for water, light and nutrients. Walnut trees in particular produce a substance called juglone that is toxic to some garden plants.
Once you’ve selected your site, sketch your plans on paper. Decide how big the garden will be, what crops you want to grow and where to place them. Beginners have a tendency to go overboard, not realizing how much work lies ahead. It’s best to start out small and gradually add to your patch each year as needed.
It’s a good idea to have your soil tested as early as possible to learn how much of what kind of fertilizer to apply. Next, you should prepare a good planting bed, but make sure the soil has dried sufficiently before you work it. Working wet soil will damage the soil’s structure. Squeeze a handful of soil, and if it crumbles away easily, it’s ready. If it sticks together in a muddy ball, you’d better hold off. When it’s ready, work the soil at least 6 inches deep.
Most seed packages will list planting directions such as depth and spacing. When setting out transplants, be sure to dig a hole larger than the soil ball of the plant to aid root establishment. Most transplants are sold in containers. If roots are growing out of the bottom of the pot, it’s helpful to tear or tease the roots to allow for easier root penetration. Transplants dry out and wilt rapidly, so be sure to get those transplants watered thoroughly as soon as possible.
And then there are always weeds, insects and diseases to battle. There are numerous cultural types of controls and preventative measures along with chemicals. No one chemical will control all problems on all crops, so you’ll need to identify your problem correctly and then choose the proper control. A pesticide is not necessarily always the best method.
Remember, your county extension office will always be willing to help with any questions you might have.
Things to do in February:
Don’t wait for the groundhog to tell you spring is on the way. Many of the tasks this month will give you a running start when temperatures warm and the plants begin to emerge.
1. Cut branches of forsythia, pussy willow, crabapple, quince, honeysuckle and other early spring-flowering plants to force into bloom indoors. Place the branches in warm water, and set them in a cool location.
2. Prune landscape plants, except early spring bloomers, which should be pruned after flowers fade. Birches, maples, dogwoods and other heavy sap bleeders can be pruned in early summer to avoid the sap flow, although bleeding is not harmful to the tree.
3. Fruit trees also should be pruned now.
4. Get out your catalogs and visit your favorite online garden stores because it’s time to start placing plant and seed orders for spring.
5. Prepare or repair lawn and garden tools for the upcoming season.
6. Test the germination rate of seeds you saved from last year. Place approximately 10 seeds of the same variety on a damp paper towel. Roll up the paper towel and put it in a plastic bag – do not seal the bag. Keep the bag in a warm area. Check the seeds daily and keep the paper towel moist. After 2 or 3 days count the number of seeds that have sprouted. This will give you a pretty good idea of how the seeds will do in the garden. If half the test group germinated, then it is likely that half of the rest of the seeds will grow.
7. Get a jump start on spring. Check your seed packets to find out how long it takes the different varieties to sprout. Mark the last frost date for your area on the calendar and count back the number of weeks needed for sprouting. This is the date you should sow your seeds indoors.
8. Don’t fret over emerging spring flowering bulbs such as tulips and daffodils. The foliage contains an “antifreeze” that will protect the plants from cold. If the plant blooms, cut the flowers to enjoy indoors before freezing temperatures return.
