From the book “Discover Chocolate” by Clay Gordon

   Forastero 

Origin:   Amazon River Basin; introduced into Western Africa via the island of Sao Tome

Tree:      Comparatively high yielding and disease resistant

Pod:       Lower Amazon (Amelonado): yellow pods with smooth outer skin

              Upper Amazon (UPA): yellow pods with variable shapes

              Comparatively disease resistant

Bean:     Size: large

              Interior Color: violet

Flavor:   Robust; not considered to be fine flavor cacao

Criollo 

Origin:  Central America, Mexico

Tree:     Comparatively low yielding and not as resistant to disease

Pod:      Red, orange or yellow pods; rough outer skin with longitudinal furrows

Bean:    Size: small to medium

             Interior Color: pale to white (which gave rise to the name Porcelana)

Flavor:  Delicate and nuanced; considered to be the finest flavor cacao

  Trinitario 

Origin:   Island of Trinidad (a natural hybrid between Forastero and Criollo);

              Introduced into Western Africa via the island of Fernando Po (Malabo)

Tree:      Intermediate yield and disease resistance between Forastero and Criollo

Pod:       Various Colors, often purple

Bean:     Size: medium to large

              Interior Color: ranges from violet to pale depending on predominance of

              Forastero or Criollo strains

Flavor:   Nuanced to robust; considered to be fine flavor cacao

 Nacional 

Origin:   Equador, technically considered to be Forastero sub-type exhibiting many

              Criollo characteristics

Tree:      Similar to Trinitario

Pod:       Similar to Trinitario

Bean:     Size: medium to large

              Interior Color: ranges from violet to pale

Flavor:   Nuanced and robust; considered to be fine flavor cacao

Inside of dried Cacao Pod with pale interior color:

   I thought I would do something fun for a change.  Here’s one dozen famous chocolate quotes:

#1 - “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” – Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) 

#2 - “I never met a chocolate I didn’t like.”  – Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) in Star Trek: The Next Generation

#3 - “All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt!” — Lucy Van Pelt in Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz

#4 - “Chocolate is cheaper than therapy and you don’t need an appointment.”
– Catherine Aitken

#5 - “There’s nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with CHOCOLATE.”
– Linda Grayson

#6 -”Exercise is a dirty word…every time I hear it, I wash my mouth out with chocolate.”
– Author Unknown

#7 - “Chocolate is a perfect food, as wholesome as it is delicious, a beneficent restorer of exhausted power. it is the best friend of those engaged in literary pursuits.”
– Baron Justus von Liebig

#8 - Chocolate is nature’s way of making up for Mondays.
– Anonymous

#9 - After about 20 years of marriage, I’m finally starting to scratch the surface of that one [what women want]. And I think the answer lies somewhere between conversation and chocolate.
– Mel Gibson

#10 - “Las cosas claras y el chocolate espeso.” (Ideas should be clear and chocolate thick.” — Spanish proverb

#11 - “The taste of chocolate is a sensual pleasure in itself, existing in the same world as sex.  For myself, I can enjoy the wicked pleasure of chocolate entirely by myself.  Furtiveness makes it better.” –Dr. Ruth Westheimer

#12 - “A day without chocolate is like a day without sunshine.” – Choco Mama, blog author

From Publishers Weekly

In a series of vignettes that span four centuries and are linked by their focus on chocolate, immortal protagonist Diego de Godoy presides over the discovery and refinement of the divine confection–but his concomitant reflections on life and love, too often trite, leave the reader hungering for more satisfying fare. In 1518, Diego, a young Spaniard anxious to prove his devotion to the lady Isabella, joins a ship of conquistadors bound for the Americas under the leadership of Cort‚s. His devotion to Isabella wanes, however, when, as a guest of Montezuma in Mexico, he meets the lovely Ignacia and tastes the smooth, bittersweet drink she serves him–cacahuatl, or chocolate. Diego and Ignacia spend an idyllic week together before his fellow Spaniards turn on Montezuma and raze his land. The lovers are forced to part, but not before Ignacia serves Diego a magical drink that makes him immortal and able to travel though time. In the centuries that follow, Diego charms Spanish nobility with his mole sauce, prepares chocolate creams with the Marquis de Sade in the Bastille, invents the Sacher torte, undergoes analysis with Sigmund Freud in Vienna and helps Hershey invent the Kiss–though he longs all the while for his Ignacia and resents the curse of his protracted existence. While Runcie, a BBC filmmaker, offers a clever conceit and meticulous, enticing descriptions of chocolate-making, Diego’s philosophizing falls short by comparison, and the plot relies to heavily upon contrivance and coincidence. Still, those willing to suspend disbelief and simply go along for the ride will be beguiled by Diego’s fanciful, sensual journey. Author tour.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In this winning blend of fiction and fact, a long-lived Spaniard serves as narrator and guide through the Old World discovery and development of one of life’s consuming passions. In 1518, young Diego de Godoy sets sail for the New World to find a rare treasure to win the heart and hand of Isabella. Joining Cortes, Diego journeys to Mexico, where he guards Montezuma; finds his true-love, Ignacia; and through her discovers the delight of the drink of the cacao bean. War parts the lovers, but Ignacia’s special chocolate elixir sustains them through the centuries, as Diego’s life centers on chocolate: he prepares confections with the Marquis de Sade in the Bastille, helps create the Sacher torte in Vienna (where Sigmund Freud treats him with cocaine and therapy), has a hand in shaping and naming the Hersey Kiss, and discusses life, love, and chocolate mousse with Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein. And he learns that even virtual immortality and chocolate do not bring happiness if love is lacking. A delicious literary debut. Michele Leber
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

National Press Release from Fair Trade Resource Network website. 

IS THERE A SWEATSHOP IN YOUR HOME? HUNDREDS OF EVENTS PLANNED NATIONWIDE TO ENCOURAGE AMERICANS TO “FAIR TRADE YOUR HOME” Events to Provide Simple But Effective Tips For Creating a Fair Trade Home; Common Household Sweatshop Items That Can be Fairly Traded are Clothing, Home Goods and Chocolate. WASHINGTON, D.C.//April 29, 2010//Is there a sweatshop in your home?  For millions of Americans, the answer is an unwitting yes.  Americans across the country can find out how to replace goods made in sweatshops with Fair Trade products at hundreds of events taking place across the U.S. over the course of the next two weeks to mark World Fair Trade Day on May 8^th  (http://www.fairtraderesource.org/wftd-10/). They can also win great Fair Trade prizes by submitting pictures of fairly traded goods in their homes (http://www.fairtraderesource.org/wftd-10/fair-trade-my-home-contests/). Most Americans would be appalled to learn of the extent to which the everyday items that they use in their homes are produced in sweatshops or even by slave labor.  Widely used household items that fall into this category are all forms of clothing – from t-shirts to dress clothes to jewelry, home goods – including furniture and decorative items, and foods – including chocolate, coffee, sugar and spices.  World Fair Trade Day organizers are calling on Americans to get those sweatshop items out of their home and to instead “Fair Trade your home” to support farmers and artisans worldwide. World Fair Trade Day national campaign coordinator, and Executive Director, Fair Trade Resource Network Jeff Goldman, said:  “There are lots of reasons to celebrate Fair Trade as we bring dignity and justice to millions of vulnerable farmers and artisans around the world. By committing to use Fair Trade goods at home, we can enjoy high quality and take action to improve our world. The Fair Trade system helps producers and suppliers earn a living wage and take steps to protect the environment.  It also serves to empower individuals and communities, support women’s and children’s rights, promote dignity and respect, and connect developing nations with developed nations and markets. World Fair Trade Day is the largest Fair Trade event in North America, with over 65,000 people having participated in 2009.   In the U.S., small businesses, high schools, universities, churches, groups and individuals will be raising awareness about the benefits of buying Fair Trade products.  The theme of this year’s events is “Fair Trade My Home”.  Events across the country include: scavenger hunts, coffee tastings, dinner parties, arts and crafts festivals, and so much more.

Major co-sponsors of World Fair Trade Day include nonprofit and faith-based organizations, such as Green America, Catholic Relief Services, Fair Trade Towns and Fair for Life, as well as retail companies, such as Ben and Jerry’s, Wholesome Sweeteners, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, and Anti-Body.

5 TIPS TO “FAIR TRADE YOUR  HOME” Some of the best ways to get rid of sweatshop items in your home and to go Fair Trade are as follows: ·         Purchase Fair Trade Coffee, Tea, Sugar, and Cocoa:  When conventionally purchased, these popular food items are often grown in “sweatshops in the fields.”  Buying them Fair Trade Certified™ means that farmers are being paid a fair wage and communities are being supported.·         Purchase Fair Trade clothes – from t-shirts, to shoes to dresses, there is beautiful Fair Trade clothing from all over the world made by artisans who are paid a living wage.·         Buy Fair Trade Home goods – plates, tablecloths, and even furniture can be purchased Fair Trade.·         Buy Fair Trade handicrafts – from vases to sculptures to rugs – Fair Trade artisans produce beautiful crafts. And, when you purchase them from Fair Trade organizations, you know that no child labor or sweatshops were involved. ·         Gift Fair Trade – You can purchase Fair Trade toys for kids, sculptures for adults, and chocolate for everyone on your list.  When you gift Fair Trade, you are giving a high quality product and introducing someone to the value of purchasing Fair Trade every day. About World Fair Trade Day On and around May 8th, people in 80 countries worldwide will hold events to mark World Fair Trade Day in order to highlight the importance and benefits of Fair Trade. Across North America, participants are entering “Fair Trade My Home” contests. Both individuals, as well as organizations, will win Fair Trade prizes for bringing Fair Trade, or deepening Fair Trade, in their homes. Fair Trade supporters will host hundreds of events to encourage the public to take home many Fair Trade items, and enter the contests. Events such as festivals, fashion shows, speeches, food and drink tastings, film showings, sports games, neighborhood crawls, and concerts are being planned to help celebrate the day from May 1-15. CONTACT:   Leslie Anderson, (703) 276-3256 or landerson@hastingsgroup.com.  

For years I didn’t have any luck with homemade organic chocolate brownie recipes, they always came out hard and I had to resort to the nasty boxed mixes that still have trans fats, until I found this recipe at allrecipes.com. These are so soft and yummy! But I’ve adapted and tweaked it a little. Note: these are more of a cake-like brownie, but very moist and dreamy.

ORGANIC CREAM CHEESE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Ingredients:

(Use as many organic ingredients as you can find and are willing to pay extra for, I’ll make note below of where I do and do not use organic.)

photo by swruler9284

• 4 (1 ounce) squares German sweet chocolate (I didn’t have that on hand so instead used 4+ ounces of organic chocolate chips)
• 5 T. organic butter
• 1 (3 ounce) package organic cream cheese, softened – I make it myself with our fresh/”raw” milk (it’s SO easy to make, by the way)
• 1/4 c. sugar – I use organic evaporated cane juice sugar - (or equivalent Agave)
• 3 eggs – preferably from a local farm with pasture-fed chickens
• 1 T. all-purpose flour – I use half organic whole wheat pastry flour (which I grind in my grain mill) and half Bob’s Red Mill unbleached, unbromated white flour
• 1/2 t. organic vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. sugar (see note above)
• 1/2 t. no-aluminum baking powder
• 1/4 t. sea salt 
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (see note above)
• 1/2 c. chopped crispy pecans (optional)
• 1 t. vanilla extract (see note above)

1. Melt chocolate with 3 T. of the butter over very low heat. Stir constantly until smooth. Set aside to cool.
2. Cream remaining 2 T. butter with cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add 1/4 c. sugar. Cream until light and fluffy. Blend into this 1 of the eggs, 1 T. flour and 1/2 t. vanilla. Set aside.
3. Now beat the remaining 2 eggs until light and fluffy. Gradually beat into them 3/4 c. sugar. Continue beating until thickened. Stir in the baking powder, salt and 1/2 c. flour. Add to this the cooled chocolate mixture. Blend well. Stir in the nuts and 1 t. vanilla.
4. Spread half of the chocolate batter into an 8×8? buttered glass baking dish. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the top. Then drop the remaining chocolate batter by tablespoons over the top of the cream cheese mixture. Swirl through batter layers with a spatula or knife for a marbled effect.
5. Bake in a preheated 350* F (175* C) oven for 35-40 minutes. Cool in the pan. Cut into squares or bars.
6. Being the chocoholic I am, I then sprinkle more chocolate chips on the top after the brownies come out of the oven – they melt into a yummy frosting.
7. A few notes since I just made this again: I doubled the recipe for a 9×13, and it took about 45 minutes, but oven temps can vary, so keep an eye on it. (I pulled it out when it was soft on top and felt almost set, but not too firm – I don’t like them too done.) Lastly, the chocolate color is lighter than in the picture above, so don’t worry if yours don’t look just like that! (It has that swirled look to it, though.)

                                          

Why Use a Reusable Grocery Bag

There are countless reasons why you as an every day American should start to use a reusable bag. We have studied article after article, paper after paper, and blog after blog. Other than the fact that Reusethisbag.com makes the coolest reusable bags around, you are now on the cutting edge of a unique Grassroots movement that is sweeping the nation! It is our belief that within five years over 90% of the country will be using a reusable grocery bag! Its time to wake up and smell the coffee we say! Here are a few of our favorite facts in regards to why we are urging you to make the very important choice to put down your paper and plastic and protect your Earth today! It isn’t too late. In fact, we are just getting started!

• A Plastic bag takes 450 years to biodegrade. Imagine 10 billion of them!
• The production of Paper bags causes 70% more pollution than Plastic.
• When Plastic “photo degrades” it ends up in our oceans. Incidentally, it appears much like a plankton, and is then consumed by fish. Fish eat it, and it winds up on your dinner table. YUCK!!!
• The recipe for making paper bags starts with 1 part pulp, 400 parts WATER. What a waste of water!
• The recycling of plastic emits heavy metals into the air causing extreme air pollution
• An average person will use over 350 bags in a single year!
• In New York City, one less grocery bag per person would reduce waste by five million pounds and save $250,000 in disposal costs!
• In 1999 more than 14 million trees were cut down to produce 10 billion paper bags that were used by Americans that year!

The facts are staggering and we could go on and on as to why it is so imperative that you stop using paper and plastic now.

• Reusable bags save trees
• Reusable bags save water
• Reusable bags save gas and oil
• Reusable bags help air pollution
• Reusable bags help our oceans
• Reusable bags help our sea creatures
• Reusable bags save 700+ bags over the span of their lifetime!
• Reusable bags help our families!