Making Açaí Juice

The açaí grows in bunches at the top of the palm trees.

Jevon climbed up the tall, slim trunks with his pocket knife to cut the palm fruit down.

The other guys caught it all at the bottom.

Climbing down.  You can see the rope he tied around his feet to help him climb.

Throwing out the stalk and picking up the berries that fell.

Pouring hot water over the fruit and letting it sit for half an hour.  The water needs to be hot but NOT boiling.

Pounding the fruit so the softened outer husk gets beaten off into the water.  That’s the part you drink.  It is very flavorful

Pounding some more.

Straining the juice pulp through a sieve and throwing out the seeds.  This is Gilvan.  Making açaí is old hat for him and for Jevon.  To me it was a new cultural event.

The generator goes off and lights out at 10:30 here at PQQ.  So we finished by flashlights and headlamps.

Camera flash to show the spectators and flashlight holders that gathered.  🙂

Straining the seeds through one more time with a teeny bit more water to make sure we got all the good flavorful pulp, and then we put it in the fridge to chill.  Tomorrow, we will mix it with sugar and drink it…that it is IF we wake up and get to the kitchen before it mysteriously disappears.  🙂