Apologies for my lapse - the 60 degree difference in temperature between Kerala and Portland caught up with me in the form of larygitis and other upper respiratory symptoms - but thankfully, those have disappeared.
This brings me to our next stop on the journey, which was a spice farm owned by a Christian family. They also owned a goat and a cow, each of which greeted us on our way up the path from the water.
Thampi first showed us the local version of home-brew: the flower of a certain kind of coconut is bruised and a clay pot is placed over it to catch the ooze it begins to produce. After about a day this produces a “toddy” which is enjoyed, perhaps too regularly, by members of the villages. I guess the name of this drink is another of the many gifts which of British Imperialism, not the least of which is a penchant for unending red tape (but more on that later as well). In the photo you see the coconuts (yellow-orange) and the larger brown clay pot which is there to catch and store the liquor.
The next thing we saw was black pepper, which Thampi told us comes from the same plant as green, red and white pepper. It’s just that they are harvested at different times in the plant’s growth cycle. The black pepper is a vine and needs something sturdy to climb on so that it can be properly harvested. Here you see the green peppercorns growing on the vines.
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