Forum Activity for @Wendy Buckner

Are "chocolate jams" shelf stable?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I recently made a "chocolate dipped strawberry jam" just as you would any other jam with the addition of some 72% dark chocolate and lots of lemon juice to increase acidity. It worked really nicely and it is very good, but I want to make sure that it is shelf stabile. I don't want to sell it unless I know it is safe. I know that chocolate sauces do not have a good shelf life and so I hope that that this jam will not have these same issues. Does anyone know how to find this information out? Thanks for any suggestions! ~Wendy
updated by @Wendy Buckner: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Hawaii

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

Hi Lowe,How have you been? Back to Hawaii anytime soon? Our newspaper the merged Honolulu Advertiser and Star Bulliten, now the Star Advertiser I think will be running a feature on Cacao June 30th.

Hawaii

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

Besides Steelgrass ,Koa Kahili is in Kauai and does a few chocolate bean to bar classes, His profile is on the Hawaii Cacao Page. I think overall what is happening in Kauai is small and probabl more focused on raw chocolate.

Hawaii

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

Hi Lowe,I've been trolling the group's page and will hit them up with a message/shout out today. Kaua'i will be my first island destination this July. I'm keen to see what's going on. Thank you!

Hawaii

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

Thanks, Melanie. Great tips!Looks like my venture to the islands is going to be to Kaua'i in July. If you have any ideas for that island I'm all ears.

Hawaii

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

Seneca Klassen would also be another good person to contact about cacao in Hawaii.

Hawaii

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

Melanie,I'm so glad to see you respond here. I was just getting ready to suggest to Vanessa that she should contact you.Cheers,Lowe

Hawaii

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

The Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory in Kona gives tours as does Tom Sharkey on the Hamakua Coast of the Big Island. His website isn't much but his farm is nice, with vanilla growing up the cacao trees and surrounded by coffee. He also has a vacation rental and does chocolate making classes. http://www.konasharkscoffee.com/ The Hilo Farmers market usually has cacao pods for sale. A third farm on the Hamakua coast will be offering tours in about another year.MAlie Kai does not own the trees- it is the Waialua Estate on the North Shore of Oahu and is owned by Dole. They do not give regular tours except to large groups.Let me know if I can answer any other questions- I live on the Big Island and have 2 chocolate shops. My production kitchen, Sweet Paradise Chocolatier, is located in Waimea on the Big Island, the main store is in Kailua, Oahu.

Hawaii

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

Vanessa,Have you checked out Clay's group Hawaii Cacao ? It has lots of information. For example, the directory of cacao farmers should help you.

Hawaii

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

Ps- Did you visit the group on here Hawaii Cacao?

Hawaii

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

HI, I was just in Hawaii and wished I would have done this! I was on Maui and there didn't seem to be any chocolate operations there. But I did have a bar from Malie Kai , Honolulu. I don't know if they do tours or not but they are a small company so it may be worth contacting them about it. As I was writing on my blog about my vacation and chocolate in Hawaii someone left a comment from Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory and stated that they do have tours, though I know nothing about this company but they are located on the big island. Good luck and have fun! Hope to hear about it and maybe see some pictures.

Hawaii

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

I'm researching a possible trip to Hawaii and would like it so that I can visit cacao operations while I'm there.

Can anyone offer advice on places to visit or even how to navigate the varius cacao growing operations on the different islands (I'm pretty clueless as to the possibility/efficiency of inter-island travel for short trips)?

Thanks in advance for your time.

updated by @Vanessa Chang: 04/15/15 21:43:10

Looking for monogram script molds.

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi there Kayla! I bought plain 2" x 2" square molds from CK Products and I pipe all of my monogrammed chocolate squares by hand. I always practice a few times on parchment paper before I pipe onto the squares. It really isn't hard to do at all. They can look very beautiful this way. I haven't seen monogrammed square molds anywhere. Good luck! ~Wendy

Looking for monogram script molds.

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

I am looking for square molds. Maybe 2"x2" with capital script letters. I've seen molds with Hebrew lettering and block lettering, but no script lettering. The monogrammed chocolate squares for weddings from Atlanta Chocolate Company are very similar to what I'm looking for. http://www.atlantachocolatecompany.com/custom-chocolates.htm Thanks in advance!Kayla
updated by @Kayla Holloway: 04/07/25 13:00:14

Antique equipment

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Thanks for the reply!! I looked all over and not sure how i missed that!

Antique equipment

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Check out the "Buy Sell group" and look for the April 15 post by Colin Gasko. Was sorely tempted myself but shipping to the UK would be expensive.

Antique equipment

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

I think there is one for sale in the classifieds here, but its pretty large.

Antique equipment

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi everyone,
If you were located in the U.S. and was looking for an antique stone melangeur, where would you look?
Does anyone know where I could start; I've been looking through the post but no success.

Thanks

updated by @Dimond Atkins: 04/07/25 13:00:14

Why is it so difficult to do? (some time ago a question from Joanna Miles)

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thanks, I think I am too scared to go high. I will try that.

Why is it so difficult to do? (some time ago a question from Joanna Miles)

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Very very important to melt to the higher temps of approx 55 Celcius. Make sure you follow the temp requirements on the bag. Valrhona has a high amount of cocoa butter in the chocolate.

Why is it so difficult to do? (some time ago a question from Joanna Miles)

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

O yes I have to add that Valrhona is still very scarce in South Africa and I do not have a lot of chocolate to use as seed if I keep on making a mess. I am not able to temper by any other method as I am still very new in the game. So, problem is, how do I learn to temper Valrhona without using too much chocolate!

Why is it so difficult to do? (some time ago a question from Joanna Miles)

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi, I am really having trouble with tempering Valrhona. I am able to get a reasonable result with Callebaut, but this Valrhona gets me down. I melt with a bain marie and use the seed method for tempering. We are now only going to use Valrhona and for dipping I have to temper the Equatoriale Lactee and it is a nightmare. The other day my chocolate was ice cold and still fluid, you could drink it, and today it is rubbery. I am in big trouble here as we have a BIG market next Saturday and we have already marketed our chocolates as the best and now I have to perform on short notice as we had problems with stock and I could not practice before.

I can control the temperature of the room I work in at the moment as it is not yet too hot and if needs be I can use a heater to make it warmer. I try and keep it at about 20C. Humidity I cannot control, at the moment it is 14%, but is set to go up as there is a little rain coming.

Anything I should be aware of with the Valrhona. I see it is very fluid and I love the thin coat it gives. Help Please!

Why is it so difficult to do? (some time ago a question from Joanna Miles)

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques


updated by @Vercruysse Geert: 04/11/25 09:27:36

"Cocoa and Chocolate Their History from Plantation to Consumer"

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Thank you Seneca, that is a subject I really want to study., although, thanks to The Chocolate Life i have learned a lot I didn't know!

"Cocoa and Chocolate Their History from Plantation to Consumer"

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Knapp's book on fermentation is especially worthwhile...I've haven't seen it digitized (yet), but you can sometimes find copies on abebooks or alibris.

"Cocoa and Chocolate Their History from Plantation to Consumer"

Posted in: Chocolate Education

sadly Amazon won't deliver to the West Indies.

"Cocoa and Chocolate Their History from Plantation to Consumer"

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Thanks Vercruysse, and yes, I thought so too.

"Cocoa and Chocolate Their History from Plantation to Consumer"

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Thanks Clay, will put it on my wish list, nothing like a hard copy to peruse.

"Cocoa and Chocolate Their History from Plantation to Consumer"

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Thanks Alan, I came across this by chance but am enjoying every page.

"Cocoa and Chocolate Their History from Plantation to Consumer"

Posted in: Chocolate Education

I have to agree with Alan here. I purchased a reprint of this book off of Amazon several years ago after finding it on Project Gutenberg. A really worthwhile addition to my reference library.

"Cocoa and Chocolate Their History from Plantation to Consumer"

Posted in: Chocolate Education

IMO all of Arthur Knapp's books on cacao/cocoa and chocolate are worth reading.

"Cocoa and Chocolate Their History from Plantation to Consumer"

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Great and interesting,thanks for sharing,Geert Vercruysse

"Cocoa and Chocolate Their History from Plantation to Consumer"

Posted in: Chocolate Education

I just found this free online e book (Click to view)

 Cocoa and Chocolate
        Their History from Plantation to Consumer
 

 Arthur W. Knapp

and thought it may be of interest to those who have not read it before. Written in 1920, I would be interested to know how accurate this information is today. I live where there are not any books available to me on this subject. Thank you.
(All thanks go to The Project Gutenberg.)

Heather.

updated by @heather andall: 04/12/15 19:05:40

What relationship do high quality, non-artisanal chocolate makers have with the cacao farmers/plantations?

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Jim, i have been reading your post and i thank you for sharing your insights and experience. I am particualary interested in hearing more about you experiences production.I went through your numbers and had a question :you say you haveArea 10 hectaresProduction per area (kg) 2250So i just wanted to clarify your yield is 225 kg per hectare? So your breakeven is 320kg per hectare? Are there any major reason for the low yeild?In venezuela most of the old haciendas that are now run as small plots by farmers have a low yeild of around 250 - 300 kg / hectare, this coupled with economic issues, political issues in the country and a spiraling inflation is what makes venezuelan cacao much more expensive. But the main issue for low yield is that the idea of running a farm like a business is what is missing. small farmers do not invest in the land, they do not prune the trees for fear of loosing a producing branch today even though the output will most likely be greater the next harvest. You mentioned that farmers do not know the return of investment or profits margin of their land and from my experience working hands on with coops and small farmers i echo this oppinion. We hold workshops with local ngo to educate farmers but it is a slow road.look forward to hearing from you.

What relationship do high quality, non-artisanal chocolate makers have with the cacao farmers/plantations?

Posted in: Chocolate Education

I want to second this sentiment, this discussion is invaluable to me, especially since I have no experience growing cacao or making chocolate, but want to connect the people who EAT chocolate to the kinds of challenges that are being faced by cacao farmers and chocolate producers. Jim, thank you for sharing so much information on your farm and the struggles with efficiency and survival. This is exactly the kind of transparency I would like to see other producers sharing.Samantha, thank you for sharing your knowledge, both in this post and elsewhere on TCL. I appreciate how thoroughly you answer all questions you address. And the depth of your knowledge.Brian, thanks for your thoughts on direct relationships with the farmers and how this will perhaps automatically improve the results on both sides. You cited your company, what is your company? What kind of chocolate do you make?

What relationship do high quality, non-artisanal chocolate makers have with the cacao farmers/plantations?

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Correction, just rereading Clay's post, I see UTZ pays for the certification. Sorry about that.

What relationship do high quality, non-artisanal chocolate makers have with the cacao farmers/plantations?

Posted in: Chocolate Education

I agree that there is this notion that cheap food is a birthright. But, there seems to be a growing trend around paying more for food for intangible reasons. Whether it be organic, local, grown in a humane way, people are paying more to know that their food is healthier, happier, more ethically grown.The conundrum is that an organisation like UTZ is targetting large companies (Coca Cola, Danone, Cargill etc) and that is good. If we can start getting the large companies to make changes to their practises, the impact is very large. BUT, the hard thing is knowing how quickly we can reasonably expect these large companies to change. Of course the smaller players doing the right thing will eventually encourage the larger players to follow... so both are needed I think. Walmart is starting to sell organic products, and yes, there are controversies around industrial organic and the standards, but I think this is at least a move in the right direction. The big companies are hearing that there is a demand for this, now it is up to us to make sure that what is being claimed is actually what is being sold. Next we will develop more sophisticated refinements to what makes for healthy food for people and for our planet.Brings me back to my original question of how do we really know who is doing what? How do we get more transparency in the food chain. Let's stick to chocolate for now, just using organic food as an example.An anecdote: a few weekends ago I was asked by a customer upon telling him the bar he liked cost 8 USD: "Where is the gold in this bar?"I smiled and began to explain to him where the gold was... "it is in the cooperative farm that produced the cacao, it is in the solar powered machinery that is used to make it, it is in the careful fermentation and roasting of the beans, it is in the organic certification..."He insisted he was just joking.

What relationship do high quality, non-artisanal chocolate makers have with the cacao farmers/plantations?

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Thank you Sebastian for this post. And for helping to start what is turning into a very interesting and fruitful discussion. I was not aware of UTZ certification and after quickly reading the UTZ wikipedia entry it seems that it has some interesting points. One thing that is not clear to me was whether it is the farmers who have to pay for the certification (like in Fair Trade) or how exactly that works. Seems that a combination of the quality control, efficiency standards and training of UTZ would be an interesting addition to Fair Trade. I would agree with Clay's other posts that providing a premium price for beans regardless of quality is a bad idea at best and encourages low quality beans at worst. Fair Trade has a long way to go to get away from the perception that Fair Trade equals low quality. I find myself reluctant to say a bar is Fair Trade, because I feel the assumption is: good story, bad taste.I wholeheartedly agree that the problem needs to be addressed on multiple levels. Communities who are not thriving (or at least managing to do more than survive) are not going to continue growing good quality cacao.As background, my original reason for getting involved in chocolate was because I felt it was a way to address basic health and welfare issues in parts of the world where cacao is grown: clean water, access to basic health care, education, training. I was inspired by a model in Ecuador on the Napo River, run by Douglas McMeekin. Yachana Gourmet and Yachana Lodge were established as businesses to feed a non-profit organisation now called Yachana Foundation and to ensure that the communities working in these two businesses were reaping the benefits of the profits. A health clinic, a primary school and now a technical high school teaching relevant skills have been set up through this group. This to me is an example of good work.The problem is that this is not visible to the average person who is shopping for chocolate at the specialty shop or grocery shop. One of the criticisms of UTZ is that large companies are "greenwashing", or "ethical washing" by using these certifications that are not that effective. How do I know whether the Endangered Species bar is actually doing what they claim to be doing? Short of some serious research I can't know.Which brings me back to my original question: I want to be able to collect reliable data on various producers and how they treat the cacao growers with whom they work. Not everyone is transparent. I want to provide this data to my customers, I want to be able to talk to the folks who come in to do chocolate tastings, and tell them who are the people behind this bar. Who are the people behind growing the cacao, fermenting and drying the cacao, turning it into chocolate bars? I want to be able to tell my customers what the positive selling points of this bar are. Not just in terms of taste, which of course is important, but also, as I like to put it simply and maybe in a bit of a silly way, how happy is this chocolate bar? How much happiness does this bar pack?I would like to believe that on a small scale initially, if I can be reliable with the data I provide, people can have more access to the stories behind the bars. It is my hope that this will affect their purchasing choices.What I am starting to think is that I need to try to build relationships with all of the individual producers and try to suss out for myself who is doing what. This is a herculean task, which is why I was posting this in the first place. The problem with asking others for information is that I don't know how reliable the TCL members are. Not everyone posts who they are, what their background is, who they work for or why they are interested in chocolate or even what their last name is. As I write this I am fully aware that I still need to post more information and background on who I am. And be completely transparent about my involvement with chocolate. And I will as soon as I have some more time.So, I agree with what you are saying and I am wondering if you (or anyone else who is posting here or reading) have any tips on how we can perhaps start collecting this data. How do we make it somewhat objective? Maybe I should start a community database that compiles information on producers in a rigourous and transparent way? Because it seems that the third party certifiers that we currently have are seriously flawed and we need a new way to figure out which producers are doing the ethical thing.I have been running chocolate tastings now since 2004 in the San Francisco Bay Area. We are now taking it to the next level and have rented a space to host chocolate tastings, retail chocolate and serve as a place to educate people about chocolate. The next logical step would then be for my chocolate tasting members who are feeling more connected to the chocolate makers, to start building community with the cacao producers. Organise some trips like Clay has been organising. Go spend time seeing where their favorite bar originated. Get invested in the growers, connect a Palo Alto school to a farming community in a cacao growing community and work together to build a school, or whatever might be most needed by the cacao community. There are lots of possibilities.And lots of questions. Before I write a book, I will stop here and wait for some responses.Apologies to all for taking so long to respond, I have been reading all your responses with great pleasure. Thank you for all the information and for furthering my education. Have I mentioned how happy I am to be part of this great community called The Chocolate Life?

What relationship do high quality, non-artisanal chocolate makers have with the cacao farmers/plantations?

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Clay,Great points and perspective you offer here. However, I would love to know what beans fetch $8/lb. As far as I know Chuao or Porcelana are the most expensive and can be had for $5.50/lb (making your point even stronger)!Thanks,Matt

What relationship do high quality, non-artisanal chocolate makers have with the cacao farmers/plantations?

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Clay,I have no experience with "wild" cacau and it's characteristics but I have a full sack of experience with "witches broom". The description you provided for trees in Volker's farm are a small part of the fungal life cycle. The whole problem begins when an single spore of dried witches broom is deposited on an area of the cacau that is in new growth stage. The spore attaches and propagates into a green shoot, normally at the tip of a branch or junction of two branches. This shoot increases in size at a rate ten times that of the cacau plant. In fact the growth rate is so violent, it outstrips the cacau plants ability to provide nutrients and it "dies". The vegetation dies but a remaining part of the broom, very similar to a mushroom, contains millions of spores. When they are fully dried, the spore pod disintegrates into a broadcast of millions of additional spores. Wind is the principal mechanism of transport and does a very good job of inoculation. Although the disease does very little damage to the tree, other than utilizing gross amounts of nutrients, it also has the capacity of inoculating cacau pods when they are initially formed. That pod will develop into a normal size but will be discolored, normally dark brown spots and the beans are completely useless. A typical maintenance program in cacau is to remove the witches broom while it is still vibrant. Diseased pods are cut off the tree and discarded. I think the idea that it dries and falls off without harm is a bit optimistic. I would take a close look at the dried sections for spore pods.Brazil cacau, particularly in the Bahia has been devastated by this disease. It arrived in the region in 1989 and since has been a billion $ headache to resolve. The most common solution for the problem has been the use of grafting techniques that utilize grafting material from trees that have endured the onslaught by natural selection. The Cacau Research Center (CEPLAC) and UNICAMP University have been working non-stop with DNA mapping to develop solutions. To date, there has been no silver bullet. If I could re-coup the costs I've experienced in the past 15 years of the "witches broom" battle, I would spend the remainder of my days writing books about Brazilian beaches and the merits of Brazilian bikinis.

What relationship do high quality, non-artisanal chocolate makers have with the cacao farmers/plantations?

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Samantha - I've been reading here for quite a while, but only recently participating. Hats off to all of you who are doing something, i certainly wasn't implying that you weren't, and apologize if that's how it came across.

What relationship do high quality, non-artisanal chocolate makers have with the cacao farmers/plantations?

Posted in: Chocolate Education

I can talk about this from personal experience from my trip to Bolivia a few months ago where I saw examples of the wild Bolivian cacao trees covered with brooms. According to Volker Lehmann, the brooms proliferated when the trees were under stress (e.g., very dry conditions) and when the conditions causing the stress eased, the brooms just withered and died without, apparently, negatively affecting the trees.This is just one example, but one that supports Samantha's assertion that wild cacaos are typically more resistant than their deliberately-bred relatives.From what I understand going on in Brazil, they are discovering broom resistant trees - growing "wild" that have adapted without human intervention over the past 20 years.I can also say, again from personal experience with the wild cacao in Bolivia that it's only necessary for the trees to get their start under shade. Once they've grown large enough to be productive they are hardy enough to withstand full sun. This work is being done, again, by Volker Lehmann, using seedlings grown from wild cacao harvested on the Hacienda Tranquilidad. Because Volker is not "breeding" the trees (just planting random seeds) he still considers them "wild" even though they're being deliberately planted. Just looking at them, the pods appears to be identical with untended trees growing in the chocolatale a couple of kilometers away.