It all starts out with this cinnamon tree
it went into bloom not long ago and is now fruiting
the leaves, which smell and taste like cinnamon, we use for making tea...
and flavoring stews and soups
a few selected branches are cut down...
and the rest of the tree is left to keep on growing
this is a sit down job where the harvesters get to socialize during work...
and you don't have to wear suit and tie...
or sit in an cold, air-conditioned room with no windows...
pushing pens or constantly typing the letters on a computer...
or being bored shuffling through papers piled up on the desk
here, we listen to the birds and talk whatever seems interesting...
while the warm sun glows and the breeze blows cool
well...this is how it is at Pilgrim's Farm
the outer skin of the bark is scraped off with a knife
and the pretty cinnamon color of the bark is revealed
the fragrance of the cinnamon bark is starting to make for a headiness in the senses...
as the scent rises to the windows and floats along with the breezes...
throughout the rooms of the cottage
once the thin outer skin is removed...
the bark is scored around the circumference top to bottom of the tree boughs
and the bark is now removed using a knife to separate it from the wood
sometimes, it helps to loosen the bark from the wood by tapping it gently with a hammer
which will make the job of removing the bark from the wood a little easier
really, that is all there is to it
the cinnamon is now ready to dry in the sun for a few days...
and then ready to store
if I need it in powder form...
I just use my mortar pestal to grind it down or let my coffee grinder do the job
fresh as can be
next week, Lord willing, I'll give a recipe, or two, for using cinnamon
you can look up more info on cinnamon at treepicturesonline.com for pictures
and, for history, cultivation, and uses...
Did you know that the songs of Solomon in the Bible are about Jesus Christ and His church?
The beautiful versus in this book describe the wonderful relationship between the Lord...
and His bride.
Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates,
with pleasant fruits;
camphire, with spikenard,
Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon,
with all the trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes,
with all the chief spices:
A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters,
and streams from Lebanon.
Awake, O north wind;
and come, thou south;
blow upon my garden,
that the spices thereof may flow out.
Let my Beloved come into His garden,
and eat His pleasant fruits.
Solomon's Song 4:16
May your day or night be fragrantly spiced in the grace of the Lord.
