Palm Wine

Mmmmm.... delicious, sweet, yeasty palm wine. Fresh from the tap.



In this palm forest, it was time to harvest, and a couple dozen palm trees had been felled. A hole is made in the trunk and the juice drained out into a container.

The juice was then poured into a large drum and allowed to fermet naturally.




We paid money to push aside the foam and dead insects (mostly bees) and fill a jug of fresh palm wine.


The development chief of the village joined us in this national treat. He also showed me how to mix it with a Guinness. I know it sounds nasty, but it was really quite tasty.

Jessie and I had carried 1500 antibiotic tablets as a gift to Nana Kwakye Berko, who was born in Adanwomase, became a successful anesthesiologist in a New York City hospital for 30 years, and now has 'retired' back to the village. With his hectic schedule and constant stream of visitors, I think his life is probably busier now than it was in NYC.




Chocolate really does grow on trees. Cacao trees grow in a limited geographical zone, of approximately 10 degrees to the north and south of the Equator. Nearly 70% of the world crop is grown in West Africa.






This giant cotton tree was as tall as a redwood. The fluffs of cotton it produced were everywhere and could be gathered for use as cotton balls or gauze.