Coffee harvesting in Quindío

Ricardo of The Roasting Shed travels back to his Colombian homeland to explore the journey of his coffee beans from plant to cup

colombian farmer.JPG

The Roasting Shed is expanding this year – importing its own green coffee beans from coffee farms in Quindío in the west of Bogotà in Colombia. The area is perfect for growing coffee – rolling jungly hills with rich volcanic soils and bursting rivers, which rarely lose momentum. It also happens to be my home.

A little visit was necessary to see the production techniques, build relationships and of course sample some coffee. The harvesting of coffee beans is a relatively low-tech process. The ripe red cherries are picked off the coffee bushes by hand; experienced pickers only pick the red cherries at their optimum ripeness. Baskets full, they head back to the farm to begin the washing process. They remove the sweet pulp to reveal the bean, which is covered in a membrane. The beans are then soaked in concrete pools to allow this membrane to break down; a natural chemical process that enhances the flavours of the bean. They are then air and kiln dried. Finally, after being hulled and sorted for size, they are bagged in the classic hessian 60KG bags ready for export.

After a busy morning of harvesting, washing and drying we sat down to a delicious lunch of spicy salchichón (chorizo) and my favourite avocado on arepa (Colombian corn bread tortilla) washed down with a delicious freshly-roasted coffee. Simple pleasures are the best.

This coffee from Quindío isn't available yet (watch this space) but we have an amazing Colombian bean among our range called Agustino. This is a clean, bright- tasting coffee, with a buttery feel in the mouth and a delicious caramel sweetness with delicate orange citrus notes.

Discover more about The Roasting Shed in our online directory.

This is a sponsored blog post, created in collaboration with The Roasting Shed. For more information on partnerships and joining our directory please email advertise@ernestjournal.co.uk.

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Explore a lost village in East Sussex

In issue two, David Bramwell explores a handful of Britain’s 3,000 deserted settlements – the drowned village of Derwent beneath Ladybower Reservoir, the ancient port of Dunwich now reclaimed by the sea and Tyneham, which was appropriated by the MOD for firing practice during the Second World War. Now you can explore a ghost village beyond the printed page on this walk near Brighton.

Balsdean in East Sussex succumbed to the same fate as Tyneham in Dorset. Once a functioning village with a manor house, farms and even a lunatic asylum, it was taken over by the Ministry of Defence in 1939 and used for firing practice. In 2012 the band Grasscut released the album 1 inch: ½ mile and conceived a walk around the ghost village of Balsdean to accompany the album. Psychogeographical day trips don't get much better than this. 

1 Inch: 1/2 Mile was conceived on the South Downs of Sussex, near the band’s home city of Brighton. This map details a secluded, half-forgotten valley on the fringes of the city. From the edge of the suburban housing estate of Woodingdean, the route descends through rolling downland into what was once the village of Balsdean, evacuated and subsequently destroyed during the Second World War. Of the manor house, cricket pitch, farms, cottages and lunatic asylum, nothing is now visible save a few scattered foundations; the site of the Norman chapel is marked only by a plaque. Those of a curious and/or dogged disposition might also like to know that the band have secreted, in the environs of Balsdean, a single, utterly unique Grasscut artefact. Its location is hinted at in bonus track A Lost Village.

Transport: There is a small car park on the hill above Woodingdean, just to the east of Brighton, at the junction of Bexhill Road and Falmer Road. There are also buses to Bexhill Road: 52 (from Brighton Station) and 22A (from Brighton’s Churchill Square); the bus stop is called Sea View Way. The walk should take around 50 minutes.

Start point
Walk over the bank at the top corner of the car park, and turn right along the first path. You will see two phone masts. Head towards the larger one on the right, beyond the houses. (This path is Norton Drive, and old drovers’ route between Brighton and Lewes). Keeping the houses on your right, continue for five minutes. 250 yards before the phone mast, the path divides into three. Take the left path, signposted as ‘South Downs Circular Walks’, towards a wooden gate 50 yards ahead.

  1. High Down
    Begin High Down as you pass through the wooden gate, again signposted ‘South Downs Circular Walks’. Continue along the path ahead, past the burnt-out car to your left.
     
  2. Old Machines
    As the path bends slightly to the right, there is an old gate-post in the fence, and a gorse bush with a concrete post in it to your left. Begin the song Old Machines. The path starts to descend into the valley and, to your left, the views open up towards Castle Hill.
     
  3. Meltwater
    The side of the valley falls more steeply to your left, and you pass two trees with fallen trunks. 50 yards on, at the third and largest fallen trunk, begin Meltwater. The grassland opens up as you descend out of the gorse, and Balsdean’s ruined buildings come into view below you to the left.
     
  4. The Tin Man
    The path continues to bend to the right, parallel to a line of trees across the field to your left. As it bends more sharply, begin The Tin Man, rounding the field edge down into Standean Bottom.
     
  5. Muppet
    The path skirts the field edge and curves to the left, towards a gate at the western end of Standean Bottom. Begin Muppet as you go through the gate, and follow the path past the hawthorns and into an avenue of trees.
     
  6. 1946
    At the junction of paths at the end of the avenue of trees, you are in what was once the centre of Balsdean. Turn left towards the ruined farm buildings and begin 1946. After 100 yards, you pass half-buried foundations in a field to your right. After another 50 yards, turn left off the path, and walk 25 yards up to a small heap of stones. Here you will find a plaque marking the site of the chapel.
     
  7. The Door In The Wall
    Return to the path and continue to the farm buildings. Follow the path to the right of the barns and go through the gate. Begin The Door In The Wall. At the corned of the fence, turn left off the main path, at approximately 10 o’clock. Cross the grassland uphill towards a stile 200 yards away. Climb the stile and follow the steep track back up the side of the valley.
     
  8. Passing
    Rejoin the main path, taking a moment to regain your breath. Turn right and start Passing as you retrace your steps towards the start of the walk.
     
  9. In Her Pride
    As you ascend through the gorseland, begin In Her Pride.
     
  10. A Lost Village (bonus track)
    As the path continues to rise towards the head of the valley, begin bonus track A Lost Village.

Listen to Grasscut's album 1 Inch: 1/2 Mile on their website. Read the full feature on Ghost Villages in issue two of Ernest Journal.

David Bramwell is a regular contributor to Ernest Journal. His recent album, The Water Between Us by Oddfellow’s Casino, was inspired by the haunting memory of a drowned church in a Derbyshire reservoir reappearing during the great drought of 1976.

Edible seaweed

Head to the coast for a seaweed forage along our bountiful shorelines - Dan Scott of Fore Adventure is your guide...

Photos: Justin Glynn

Gutweed, Ulva intestinalis (top left)

This is a great seaweed to start with because if you get it wrong, you’re not going to make yourself ill. It’s the wild garlic of the seaweed world. You can find this green stringy weed in rock pools and salt marshes and it’s easy to spot because it has a passing resemblance to intestines, hence the name. You can bake it in bread or throw it into omelettes, but I like to trick my children into eating it by sneaking some into a stir fry or fajitas. Just chuck it in for the last 30 seconds of cooking.

Saw toothed wrack, Fucus serratus (top right)

Saw toothed wrack grows in heavy bunches on the lower shore, just above the low water mark on sheltered, rocky shores. It's often harvested for use in cosmetics rather than for food, but just like its cousin bladderwrack it makes a great tea or Japanese noodle soup. You can also use it to add flavour to a stew or to sauté your fish over (see bladderwrack, below). Alternatively, you can dry it then grind into a powder and use as a salty condiment.

Bladderwrack, Fucus vesiculosus (bottom left)

You’ll find this in shallow rocky areas. You can use the young tips to make a salad or lightly steam them as a side vegetable. For the ultimate seaweedy taste, sauté your fish over them. Simply place in the bottom of a heavy bottomed pan with some butter and cook your fish on top. The oil is also good for gnarly old sea hands – if you pop the bubbles and rub it into your hands, it’ll moisturise your skin a treat.

Pepper dulse, Osmundea pinnatifida (bottom right)

You can find pepper dulse growing in layers on rocks in intertidal zones. It’s not a commonly eaten seaweed but in small quantities it is a real treat with a unique salty, peppery flavour. Throw it into fish dishes as a seasoning or on top a salad to give it a powerful peppery taste. In Scotland it used to be gathered and dried as a substitute for pepper and is still a key ingredient in some traditional Highland soups.

Dan Scott is an outdoor adventure coach and guide at Fore Adventure on the Dorset coast. You can read more of his seashore foraging wisdoms in print issue 2 of Ernest Journal, on sale now.

How to butcher a rabbit

Skin it, chop it, mince it or stew it: Thom Hunt of 7th Rise demonstrates the simple and speedy art of rabbit butchery

For some people, the art of skinning and preparing a rabbit can look a little gruesome, which is the reason why I believe every person should try it at least once in their lives.Whereas many of us have become disconnected from the meat we eat, in many cultures around the world preparing meat on the bone is a perfectly normal part of everyday life.

The process is surprisingly simple. In fact my record for ‘speed butchery’ of a rabbit is 92 seconds.This includes gutting, skinning and jointing a whole carcass.The carcass can be split into three rough sections; the front (shoulder, neck and skirt), the middle (the loin and tenderloin) and the rear (the rump/hind legs).

The front end is great for mincing for rabbit bolognese or bunny burgers while the loin is fantastic for quick frying, quick roasting or hot smoking.The rear legs are ideal for diced dishes, such as stews or curries. Alternatively, place the whole rabbit in vegetable stock with carrot, celery, onion, peppercorns and bay leaves and poach it on a gentle simmer for three hours. Remove the rabbit and you can pull the meat from the bone, which you can use in fun dishes like crispy rabbit pancakes, rabbit pies (it holds the gravy really well) or Mexican pulled rabbit tacos.

1. Remove the skirt/belly (thin meat from the ribs to the hip) from each side of the rabbit and set aside for mincing.

2. Cut between ribs 3 and 4 on each side (counting from the smallest rib nearest the hips up towards the head), cutting all the way round so the incisions marry up on each side and then literally snap the spine – pull and the front end will detach. Any meat from this front section should be taken off the bone and minced with the belly meat.

3. Take a heavy cleaver and chop the middle section (the saddle) from the rear legs at the lowest part of the spine where it meets the hips. Cleaver the two back legs apart by chopping down the middle.

4. Remove the loin from the saddle by running a knife down the side of the spine on each side and then teasing open the cut. Use the tip of the knife to roll each long thin fillet of meat off the bone. Do not casserole the saddle once jointed – if you overcook it you will end up with lots of small vertebrae bones in the dish.

You can discover more wild food techniques in the second print edition of Ernest Journal on sale now. 

From growing up on his grandparents' farm to travelling the world as a diving instructor, Thom has always had an accute connection with the wild. He now runs 7th Rise, specialising in fishing, hunting and foraging.

 7thrise.co.uk

Capturing the Hebrides on a Fuji X-E2

For our 24-page special on the Hebrides in the second print edition of Ernest Journal we sent photographer Colin Nicholls and his trusty Fuji X-E2 up north to brave gale force winds and gargantuan seafood platters

Sligachan on the Isle of Skye; one of the days where the weather wasn't terrible. X-E2/ 18mm

Sligachan on the Isle of Skye; one of the days where the weather wasn't terrible. X-E2/ 18mm

When Ernest Journal contacted me with a request to head up to the west coast of Scotland, take on a few assignments and see some incredible sights, all for their Hebridean special and cover of their second print issue, I of course said yes.

I had four goals on my trip and a few places to visit – in short these were:

- Meet a prawn fisherman at Dunstaffnage Marina near Oban, head out on his boat and get some shots of him fishing. This was a great job but also rather difficult balancing on a small boat on choppy waters while taking photos.

- Visit an oyster farm. It was fascinating seeing how oysters are farmed, I met some ace people and was given a seafood platter fit for a party of four. 

- Travel to the Isle of Skye and meet photograph weavers who use a bicycle powered loom to make all sorts of awesome things. Such a welcoming couple living in a beautiful corner of the island.

- Cover shot. During my whole time in western Scotland I was conscious I had to shoot a good selection of images for Ernest's cover – in the end they went for a shot of Sligachan on the Isle of Skye.

I took with me the Fuji X-E2 and various lenses – this was the first major outing of the 56mm lens and I was really pleased with the results. The one body got a bit of a battering on the fisherman's boat but lasted through – these cameras can resist a bit of water. 

The trip wasn't without its setbacks – high winds forced me to stay on the mainland for a few hours while Skye was in sight but frustratingly out of reach, which meant I had less time to explore the island overall. But it wasn't all bad – I got to the bridge at about the only time of day there was any good light and bagged the cover shot. 

The 2nd print issue is out now so go grab yourself a copy for an epic Hebridean adventure.

Colin is a Hereford-based photographer specialising in weddings and editorial work with a keen passion for landscape and street photography. He shoots on a Fuji X-100, Fuji X-E1 and Fuji X-E2 

colinnichollsphotography.com