Let's Get Crackin' - Learning about Brazil Nuts

After lunch, we went a little nuts... learning about Brazil nuts! A single, mature tree can produce 250 pounds of nuts a year and the trees can live between 500 and 1,000 years! Oh yeah, all the nuts are in pods that look like coconuts.

 

When the pods fall, they are collected by the local farmers. Hopefully before the agouti get to them. The agouti's teeth are strong enough to chew through the pod!

 

 

Next the pods are whacked open via machete. Okay, it is seriously hard. Like trying to whack open a coconut with a dull knife. 

 

Unless your guide doesn't think it is hilarious to watch you struggle and stands by laughing hysterically as you chop away at it. The other guide told his group the secret - you have to hit it along the vertical seam or it won't open.

Or just go at it like Rambo and Jason from Friday the 13th combined. I whacked it real good, but that nut still wouldn't crack!

Anyways, the next step is to pull out the individual seeds from the pod and collect them. Erin guessed there were 12 seeds in the pod, I guessed 20.

You're not at the nut yet though! You have to bring the seeds to (traditionally) the women. 

 

The women use a special device to crack the tough outer seed and finally reach the nut. 

 

We women were pretty bad at this part, but eventually got the hang of it enough to enjoy some fresh from the tree/pod/seed nuts!

 

Of course we left a few for Charlie and little Charlies - the resident agoutis. 

 

Om nom nom!