Originally published at Bear Mountain Books. Please leave any comments there.

Was talking to Husband the other day. As you know, he roasts his own coffee from green beans. Husband wondered:

“So whose bright idea was it to pick these cherries (coffee beans), take the pits out, dry them, roast them, grind them and then run hot water over them?”

One does wonder. Some native Indian guy must have been really bored that day to start playing with the cherry pits trying to figure out a use for them.

Then friend April and I were discussing artichokes. Yes, we really were. We have lives, we just don’t always operate them at full potential. Anyway, April wondered, “Who was that first guy who decided to pluck one of its petals and gnaw on it? I wonder how hungry he was.” Yeah, you gotta wonder. I’m going with “Pretty dang hungry.”

I don’t know who decided to break open cocoa pods, ferment the pulp around the beans and then roast those nibs (seeds) to make chocolate from them, but I’m glad someone did. I think maybe the coffee guy was jealous of the cocoa guy. So he decided to make cocoa from the coffee plants only he ended up with coffee. Good thing they both figured out something, isn’t it?

The world would be stark and drab without coffee and cocoa. As for the artichokes, well. That could go either way, really.

Tags: gardening, home