Brazil Nut Processing Plant

[amazondk]

I was cruising down the street on the outskirts of Manaus today and came upon a small Brazil nut processing operation in front of a State Agricutural school.  The area has a pretty large area of Brazil nut tree plantation.  They are one of the symbols of our area and are very impressive.  I have been meaning to stop and take some pictures for a while.  Every time I pass I am too much of a hurry to stop.  So, today I stopped and bought some freshly shelled Brazil nuts and a bag of local oranges.

The sales stand for the operation.  The orange sales are related but seperate.

The Brazil nut has a shell as hard if not harder than a ripe coconut.  There is one specific spot that has to be hit with a knife to open it.  There is one species of monkey that knows how to crack them open.   They nut is an important food source for several rodents including the agouti or known locally as the cotia.

[amazondk]

This is the grove where the nuts come from.  It is important not to walk underneath the trees when the gourds are falling.  It can be fatal.

Off to the side is where the workers shell the nuts with a sharp knife.  This is not really an easy job, at least I am not so successful.

The sell them in the shell or shelled.  A fresh Brazil nut does not taste like the ones sold in the States at Christmas time.  I bought a few packs of shelled nuts.  The nuts are quite good for you from what I hear.  

[Tad]

Don, cool stuff two questions, what are the big round mummified pumkin looking things holding up the pile o nuts?

and second is homeboy with the jam box holding it up to obscure his identity?

keep it up, always love your photos

[amazondk]

Tad,

The fruit is what is known in Brazil as the briba, I think it is a soursop relative, I think it is Annona mucosa.  I don't know if the guy with the radio was hiding from the photo, or just listening to the music close up.  I had the same observation.

[Tad]

maybe he was on the trail of the rat and thought you were stalking him?!?!?

whatever they are those are big fruit!

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

Probably a holdover from the third reich...

[Josh]

I think those big brown fruit things are what the brazil nuts come out of. Theres usually about a couple dozen nuts in one of those woody husk things.

[amazondk]

Josh,

The brown balls are the Brazil nut gourds.  I thought Tad was asking about the yellow annona fruits called biriba.   The guy cutting the shell off of the fruit has real skill.  I have tried to do this numerous times and never come out too well.

dk

[JakeK]

Don,

Have you ever seen relatively fresh brazil nuts in the States? They're one of my favorite nuts and love to get my hands on some fresh ones.

Steve, I was almost going to post the same thing, dang.

[amazondk]

Jake,

No I have not seen any fresh Brazil nuts.  The ones sent to the States I believe get put in a drying chamber, a sort of kiln, before they are sent.  

dk

[palmsrgreat]

These are some of my favorite.

Hey I noticed the guy crackin' nuts is sportin' one of those Von Dutch trucker hats. Aren't those some kind of trendy expensive designer hat?

I always look forward to your posts Don, thanks for the photos.

[amazondk]

Michael,

I have no idea about his hat or if it is the real thing.  You never can tell what will pop up around here.

dk

[realarch]

Don, I think you ought to let the experts shell the nuts, you'll want to grow old with all of your fingers.

Tim