It was snowing when we left Manchester on Thursday.
Rich and Sophia are sitting at a casita in a tropical rain forest in Puerto Rico waiting for Donna. It is warm, but not hot, and the weather is fine. Rich’s fingers are sticky because he’s eating canistel (left. The fruit on the right is cacao, of course!), a brilliant yellow custardy fruit frequently used in breads, pies, and milkshakes. Nearby is a box of forastero and criollo cacao pods, corazon, and a few other items with names that escape me.
Donna has joined us. We’re soon heading into the town of Naguabo to pick up ingredients for dinner, which will obviously include an exotic fruit salad. Tomorrow, we’re off to Mayaguez on the island’s west coast, where we’ll visit the USDA ARS agricultural research center.
Beware the large geckos; listen for the coqui frogs.
~Rich