We learned a great many things while we were in the Interior (areas out of the city). The smaller the community, the "harder" life seemed. People live a day to day existence. While in the village of Ajara, we were introduced to many things and how much work can go into making those things happen.
Farinha is one of the main staples here in Brasil. This is a grain that is made from the manioc plant. Manioc is a root plant that needs a lot of processing to become edible.
The light green plants are the manioc plants.
The root is harvested and the processing begins.
After peeling the root, the manioc is grated.
Once grated, the manioc is put into a press for a long period of time. This is to squeeze out the poisonous juice. Here is a hand-made press. You can see the poison that has dripped out below the press.
Once it has been pressed long enough, it is roasted in a large "pan" over a fire.
This roasting pan has been used for over 100 years by this family. The fire must be kept at a constant, low heat for the roasting to occur properly.
Once the grain has been roasted for an hour, with constant stirring and movement, it is then placed in a trough to cool. Once cool, it is bagged to be used or sold.
~~~
Brazil Nuts are another fascinating thing to see in "the wild." In the States, we only know Brazil Nuts from the "mixed nuts" that we crack open around Christmas time. That is only a tiny part of a true Brazil Nut, and tastes very little like a fresh Brazil nut.
The Brazil Nut tree is a HUGE tree. One can barely see the nuts from the ground.
The thing we know as a Brazil nut is actually only a section of the whole.
The whole "nut" looks a lot like a small cannon ball.
About as hard as a coconut, the tops are then cut off, creating access to the nuts inside.
These nuts lay inside like the sections of an orange. You can then take the sections out and remove the shell, revealing the white flesh of the nut. The nut is sweet and almost juicy...nothing like ones I have had in the States.
~~~
Coffee Beans
The people of this village also had coffee bean plants. They would harvest the coffee and process it for use. After harvesting the beans, they would soak them for 3 days. Once soaked, they were then pounded in a mortar. This process removed the outer shell of the bean from the coffee bean that we know. The "inner" bean is then roasted. These are the beans that are then ground to make coffee.
~~~
Ford Tough
There was a giant, OLD truck in the village. I'm not sure how long it has been there, but the people said it does run (if you put two wires together under the steering column). It looks like it's seen better days. Things are used for a LOT longer when they can't be replaced.
~~~
God's Creatures
Nathanael is holding a unique nest made by a type of weaver bird. God certainly has some fascinating creatures in His world.
Other cool creatures, that we saw many of, were river dolphins. The ones we saw were your common bottle-nosed variety, only these prefer fresh water. There is another type of dolphin/porpoise that lives further up the river. It is what we know in English as the Pink River Dolphin. We didn't see any of those.
~~~
The houses in this village had outdoor bathrooms. The house I stayed in actually had a flush toilet in a small room with a curtain for privacy behind the house. However, most of the others only had the non-flushing variety.
Kim and Bethany showed me the "bathroom" with two holes and no door. This gives new meaning to the term "public restrooms."
The river is a fascinating place, filled with wonders and beauty untold.
I took this picture before we went around a bend in the river. The water was like glass, although about 5 seconds later, the breeze changed that. It was beautiful!
Farinha is one of the main staples here in Brasil. This is a grain that is made from the manioc plant. Manioc is a root plant that needs a lot of processing to become edible.The light green plants are the manioc plants.
The root is harvested and the processing begins.After peeling the root, the manioc is grated.
Once grated, the manioc is put into a press for a long period of time. This is to squeeze out the poisonous juice. Here is a hand-made press. You can see the poison that has dripped out below the press.
Once it has been pressed long enough, it is roasted in a large "pan" over a fire.This roasting pan has been used for over 100 years by this family. The fire must be kept at a constant, low heat for the roasting to occur properly.
Once the grain has been roasted for an hour, with constant stirring and movement, it is then placed in a trough to cool. Once cool, it is bagged to be used or sold.~~~
Brazil Nuts are another fascinating thing to see in "the wild." In the States, we only know Brazil Nuts from the "mixed nuts" that we crack open around Christmas time. That is only a tiny part of a true Brazil Nut, and tastes very little like a fresh Brazil nut.
The Brazil Nut tree is a HUGE tree. One can barely see the nuts from the ground.The thing we know as a Brazil nut is actually only a section of the whole.
The whole "nut" looks a lot like a small cannon ball.
About as hard as a coconut, the tops are then cut off, creating access to the nuts inside.
These nuts lay inside like the sections of an orange. You can then take the sections out and remove the shell, revealing the white flesh of the nut. The nut is sweet and almost juicy...nothing like ones I have had in the States.~~~
Coffee Beans
The people of this village also had coffee bean plants. They would harvest the coffee and process it for use. After harvesting the beans, they would soak them for 3 days. Once soaked, they were then pounded in a mortar. This process removed the outer shell of the bean from the coffee bean that we know. The "inner" bean is then roasted. These are the beans that are then ground to make coffee.~~~
Ford Tough
There was a giant, OLD truck in the village. I'm not sure how long it has been there, but the people said it does run (if you put two wires together under the steering column). It looks like it's seen better days. Things are used for a LOT longer when they can't be replaced.~~~
God's Creatures
Nathanael is holding a unique nest made by a type of weaver bird. God certainly has some fascinating creatures in His world.
Other cool creatures, that we saw many of, were river dolphins. The ones we saw were your common bottle-nosed variety, only these prefer fresh water. There is another type of dolphin/porpoise that lives further up the river. It is what we know in English as the Pink River Dolphin. We didn't see any of those.~~~
The houses in this village had outdoor bathrooms. The house I stayed in actually had a flush toilet in a small room with a curtain for privacy behind the house. However, most of the others only had the non-flushing variety.
Kim and Bethany showed me the "bathroom" with two holes and no door. This gives new meaning to the term "public restrooms."
The river is a fascinating place, filled with wonders and beauty untold.I took this picture before we went around a bend in the river. The water was like glass, although about 5 seconds later, the breeze changed that. It was beautiful!
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