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Photo of the Month:
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As the sunny days return and we head into Costa Rica's summer, dry months, so does the tourist season. This year we have a lot of fun things planned for the house and our guests. We have also a new room for the single traveler which is as "cute as a button." |
Recipes, photos and more, so read on and enjoy!
| Casa Holanda's Upcoming 07/08 Concert Series
We pride ourselves by being Costa Rica's only musical B&B , so this year we have a brand new concert series planned for the summer months. Usually the months from April through early November are just too chancy to schedule afternoon concerts, but during our dry (and busiest time of the year) season, Sunday afternoon concerts are perfect for the garden. We will strive to have a concert every month from November to April this season. Our inaugural concert, celebrating Thanksgiving, begins with a detour from our regular classical music fare. On Sunday, November 25th, Casa Holanda will present blues singer and composer, Sam Desiato. Hailing from the Denver area, he most recently has been the lead singer with such Colorado bands as "RoughHouse", and "The Quirks". Sam has written or collaborated on a number of original songs, some of which will be performed. We are fortunate to him performing for us. J.N. Holland will accompany Sam with the piano. Along with some surprise additional musicians. It promises to be a powerful and emotional live show!For invitatees and registered guests, there will be a voluntary collaboration entrance of 2,000 colones ($4US). Dinner will be provided, bring your favorite drink. Please respond to james@casaholanda.com if you would like to be included. On February 13, straight from the USA, a group of young, talented musicians will give a one-night only concert to kick-off their Costa Rica tour. "Backside Pick" is a 5 piece band that knocks out great, original hits in the style of the late 70's funk movement. Entrance is $12 and includes dinner and drinks. In March, we return to classical music and our Sunday afternoon concerts with pianist, Dr. Paula Fan, and violinist, Steven Moeckel, who will perform on the 23rd. For April, we are in the process of enticing one of the well-known opera baritones of Costa Rica to give a concert. The rest of our season will be announced in following newsletters, so be watching!
Virtual Tour
of San Isidro de Heredia
This San Isidro should not to
be confused with the more well-known San Isidro de
General farther south. In fact, you probably won't find this little village in any
of the travel guide books. But that's not to say,
it isn't worth visiting. A sleepy little town that time has at
least slowed for, there's something
magical about this place, and, although not a
religious person, I like sometimes to just visit and meditate and
sit inside its cathedral. Afterwards, I stroll and view the
beautiful mountainous landscape and walk among the church's
scented roses.
The village is
just about 10 minutes north of Heredia, or 9 kilometers. It is a
sleepy burg with its cathedral and soccer field as its
centerpiece. The cathedral was built in 1892,
once again that magical period of when coffee exports were
bringing wealth into the country. Now, instead of coffee, Costa
Rica is raising condominiums for future, phantom buyers. But back to the cathedral. Most of the ceramic and statues were imported from Tirol, Italy. Removable for public processions and situated on pedestals with slots for meager donations, they are of various saints of the catholic faith. Interestingly enough, the saints correspond to many Hindu gods. From the misty, cold surroundings, the inside of the cathedral blazes warmly with yellow, gold and blue. There are devotee candles available to remember loved ones who have passed away. I think whatever religion you are, you can appreciate the beauty and peacefulness of this one, particular spot in the universe. Click here to take the
virtual tour of San Isidro de
Heredia.
Now that you know a little about the plant from our last newsletter, we will talk about how it is processed to become the coffee you know and buy.
Here in Costa Rica, when the red coffee berry, or "cherry", is picked by hand in the dry months, the good berries and the bad berries are sorted out by the "wet" method. This is where the berries are placed in vat of water and the bad berries float to the top and are discarded. They then head to a machine that bruises the outer skins and they are left to ferment. That is why sometimes you may be driving on the road and smell something like strong, dirty diapers. Those aren't diapers, that's your coffee! Fermentation helps with separation of the coffee from the fruit, and must be done at the right time. Don't worry nothing is left to waste. The pulp of the coffee fruit is used in everything from cosmetics to laxatives. Now we're left with a seed with a parchment-like hull, and these must be dried either by the sun or by commercial driers. It is possible to take tours where you can see them drying coffee in the sun and raking the seeds every so often.
Next, the hulls are separated from the raw seed, or "bean." This is the product you would probably recognize, but before you can brew it, we need to roast it first. The amount of roasting will give you the darkness of the bean, and adjust the caffeine content. The lighter the roast, the more flavor, but the more caffeine. The darker the roast, the less caffeine. Espresso is the darkest roast, and the reason why Espresso has the most caffeine is because of the quantity used in brewing. The terms French roast (dark), Viennese roast, Italian roast, American roast (medium), all come from which countries preferred that amount of roasting time. And as with wines, coffee has tenoir about them. So coffee grown in Java (a "cup of Java) will taste different from coffee grown here in Costa Rica.
If you remember, in a previous newsletter I gave you a picture of the blossoms, well those blossoms have been pollinated and turned into ripe fruit. Oranges and their tangy aroma always remind me of Christmas, because they usually come into season in North America around that time. Here in Costa Rica, at least for my tree, that harvest time is late September through October. The type of orange tree we have is called a Washington orange tree. I guess this term comes from the Washington apples, meaning they have been selectively combined to produce a sweet, large fruit. They don't "orange" up like the ones you're used to seeing in your supermarket in the North. By the time they yellow, they may be a little past peak. Although green, their inside is juicy and sweet and it is easy to pick about 3 for a fresh glass of orange juice in the morning. I'm originally from a farm in
Indiana, and I remember at harvest time, with an abundance of apples,
green beans, and tomatoes, it was customary for Mom and Grandma to start the
annual ritual of late-summer canning. In fact
"Ball"
Mason jars corporation is
headquartered in Indiana. I started from the 1909 recipe, but had to adjust it. Here it is for you: Casa Holanda's Orange Marmalade 7 cup (250ml) jars
(either bought or recycled from clean,
Real marmalade will not be like the hard, jelly kind you buy in the supermarket. Marmalades will have more "motion." I'll tell you later how to get the consistency you prefer later in the recipe. For now, combine all ingredients, except the sugar in the pot. Simmer for about 5 minutes and then cover and let it sit for about an afternoon and night. In the morning, measure what you have, measure a cup of sugar for every cup of this orange pulp "stew." Put the pot back on the stove and on high heat, letting the peel tenderize (about 10 min. when boiling). Now add the sugar, stirring constantly, and boil the heck out of it until the water steams out. It will become sticky and start to gel. (Now here's the trick, for assured thickness, dissolve about 1 to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch (or more as desired) in a 1/4 cup water. Add it to the boiling pot.) Now remove from the heat, stirring every once in while to prevent sticking. While hot, ladle this syrup into your jars, place on covers. To "can" these and create a vacuum, half-submerse tightly capped jars in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Remove. As they cool, they should "pop," which basically means they are sealed.
So
that's it for this edition. I hope to see you soon at Casa Holanda. It's
time to get in your reservations for this upcoming winter. New things are happening all the time
, so check
often the website to keep up-to-date, and if we don't see you, please tell your friends about us.
Chao! James 
"Casa Holanda, Bed and Breakfast" You
have been included on this e-mail because you have some connection |
*All photos in this newsletter, unless otherwise noted, are original and property
of Casa Holanda.
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