IF A TREE FALLS….

How does the saying go?  If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around, does it make a sound?  We are in the rainy season in Costa Rica which also means we are in the tree falling season.  That is, if there is such a thing.  The rain forest is an ever evolving entity and one of the most notable changes is when a large tree falls.  This happens more often in the rainy season. 

The rainy season means clear blue sunny skies in the morning with clouds building up in the early afternoon followed by a burst of rain in the late afternoon.   These bursts of heavy rain are quickly absorbed by the forest and an hour after a rain shower it is difficult to tell that it rained at all.  However, these heavy rains saturate the ground quickly and undermine the stability of many large trees because even though the rainforest trees are tall, they tend to have very shallow root systems.

One day last week the rains were accompanied by strong winds which is uncommon.  Usually the rain comes straight down.  The result was many fallen trees.  On the Forest Edge Trail near the Art Studio there was a very large tree that succumbed.  This tree‘s entire root ball pulled out of the ground and the tree leaned to the point of no return. It took everything around it down too. 

The trunk never hit the ground but crossed the trail approximately 5 feet above the trail.  Had it gone all the way to the ground, it would have taken out the bridge and hand rails  too.  We have cut out the section over the trail to make it passable.  The area is very open and sunny now.  This will give new plants and trees the sunlight needed to begin life anew.  In a few months all scars of this event will be unrecognizable with the exception of the tree truck which will take decades to decay. The rain forest never stops changing.  It is an amazing thing to watch.

NEW GOATS ARRIVE!

This week we are very excited to welcome 6 new goats to the Monte Azul family.  Carlos and I realized that we needed to add some new goats to the mix for two reasons.  First, we need to increase our milk production to keep up with the demand for our goat cheeses which includes, chevre, mozzarella, feta and camembert.  Second, we need to get some new blood into our gene pool.  As much as we love our “country” goats, the genetic stock is not up to the same standard as milk production goats.  Each of our plucky little goats gives around 1 liter of milk per day.  Production goats give 2 ½ to 4 liters per day. 

So, Carlos and I headed off in search of new goats.  Like most endeavors in Costa Rica, our search was a very winding and convoluted one.  It is all about asking around and getting phone numbers and lots of leg work.  Our journey led us to Santa Maria de Dota.  This area is famous for coffee and is approximately 2 hours north of Monte Azul.  Here we found a gentleman that has been raising goats for 40 years and had several females that he was willing to sell. 

We bought 2 young females and 4 females that were impregnated before making the trip to Monte Azul . The older females should have the kids at the end of October.  In a week or so, this goat herder will bring his stud goat down to impregnate our other  8 goats.    His stud goat is enormous and is the offspring of a champion.  We are told that it only takes one generation to see a marked improvement in genetics and milk production. 

I have attached a few photos of the new goats.  Like all Monte Azul animals we gave them names.  They are:  Pretty Bettina, Catalina, Trixie, Roxie, Patty and Selma. 

You might wonder why Bettina gets an adjective in her name.  Pretty Bettina is a La Mancha breed.  This breed of goat has very small ears.  Her look can be a bit disconcerting at first so we felt that she needed an extra special name.  Even though she is docile and sweet, her previous owner’s daughter thought that she was ugly and wanted to get rid of her.  We think that she is beautiful  and we are extremely happy to welcome her to our family.  

The other goats are Saanen, the 3 white ones (Catalina, Patty and Selma) and Toggenberg, the 2 brown ones (Trixie and Roxie).  Trixie and Roxie are much more curious than the other goats and have already become the "bad girls" that must constantly be watched.  

A BEAUTIFUL MOTH HAS LANDED

Today on our way back from walking the dogs, Carlos and I noticed a moth on the front gate.  This moth really stood out with its vibrant colors against the dark purple of the gate’s pillar.  We both loved the bright orange fuzzy head and the variety of patterns and colors on the wings.  The moth was about 1 ½ inches long and had a resting wing span of 3 inches.  You never know when you are going to discover an interesting and unusual creature in the rainforest. We wanted to share this one with everyone.  

MURTAS ARE IN SEASON

It is that time of year that the murtas are in season.  I had never heard of murtas until I moved to Chimirol.  It is a fruit that is only available directly from the tree.  You cannot buy them in markets or stores but must be lucky enough to have a tree in your yard.  We are that fortunate.  There are 2 of them near Café Blue – one near the front gate and one near the side entrance. 

The tree grows erect and is very bushy.  It has lots of dark glossy leaves.  Once a year it produces an abundance of fruit.  The fruit is about the size of a blueberry and is dark purple in color.  The meat of the fruit has the taste and texture of a cherry and has a large seed inside, also like a cherry.  It is great to eat the murtas right off the tree.  This year, like last, we are using this fruit to make ice cream and sorbet.  These desserts are delicious and refreshing. 

If you are in the Southern Zone of Costa Rica, stop by Café Blue and try the murta ice cream and sorbet.  Like most of our seasonal fruits and desserts made from them, they won’t last long.  

COSTA RICAN EDELWEISS?????

Is there such a thing as Costa Rican Edelweiss?  I doubt it but I am not sure how else to describe the small flowering plant that our next door neighbors have in front of their house.   It is a small short plant with long thin leaves.  About every 3 months the plant will produce a pinkish white flower on a thin stem.   This plant has a bulb and reproduces quite rapidly.  There is one flower per bulb.  They all flower at the same time and it is very beautiful to see a large group of them.

Our neighbor, Sonia, has planted many of these bulbs in the planters just inside the Monte Azul gate.  Like other bulbs, you simply dig them up and separate the bulbs and replant them.  Unlike other well known bulbs like tulips and crocus, they do not need a cold dormant period and bloom several times a year  They have already started to spread and to flower in our plnaters.  It is very exciting. 

Obviously this plant is not in the edelweiss family because edelweiss is not a bulb and grows at high cold altitudes.  However the look of it and the thought of running through a field of these flowers with our flock of goats brings to mind the movie the Sound of Music and the song Edelweiss.  Maybe I have been out in the country a bit too long. 

COFFEE BLOSSOMS

It is that time of year when the coffee plants at Monte Azul begin to bloom. This flowering season varies by type of coffee plant, altitude and weather. For our small coffee patch, I am not calling it a plantation because this would be a grand exaggeration, we picked the last of our coffee bean about a month ago. This harvest was later this year than in previous years because the rains lasted longer, well into December, and we had a very dry summer season.

But the spring rains have started appearing late in the afternoons and with it has come the waves of coffee blossoms. It is a beautiful site to see the dark green leaves of the coffee branches covered with clusters of white flowers. Then there is the fragrance, the entire area is filled with the sweet scent of these flowers. This aroma is a cross between jasmine and gardenias.

Unfortunately these flowers only last a few days. Then a few days later another wave of flowers appears on different plants. It is amazing to think that it will then take 9-10 months for the small coffee beans to grow and ripen from these flowers. The end result will be another season of Monte Azul’s Organic Quick Monkey Coffee.

EGGS!

We have eggs! The chickens that we purchased the 1^st week of December 2011 have started to lay eggs. On our daily walk with the dogs on Monday, Carlos and I stopped at la granja to see the goats and chickens. Everyone was doing well. We kept walking up the hill and decided to stop on our way back down and get the dogs water.

I stuck my head in to say hello to the chickens again and to my surprise there were 3 eggs. We were both so excited. The eggs were quite small but they were a beautiful sight. I got back home and weighed them. They weighed 35g, 36g and 38g. Eggs in our refrigerator from local egg producers weighed around 72 g. I was told that when chickens begin to lay eggs the eggs start out small and get larger. I guess the chicken has to gradually work its way up to the larger eggs.

The next morning I was very excited to see the chickens and collect all the eggs. I packed a bag with an egg carton and the camera to commemorate the occasion. When I got to the coop there were no eggs and I was disappointed. I also felt a bit foolish to think that there would suddenly be this bounty of eggs.

During the week there have been 5 more eggs. Today there was 1 egg but it is noticably larger. It weighed 58g. Based on their behavior, I think that there are only 2 chickens laying these eggs. I am watching them closely and learning a great deal about them and their habits. I am also learning a bit about patience. I am also looking forward to see what tomorrow will bring.