Some farmers where skirts.....

We now know many people who are coffee farmers. Most of our local economy revolves around the growing and selling of coffee. With that said, many of our members have connections to coffee fields too. Liliana, a member of our branch, lives in the mountains high above our house and she is a true coffee farmer. She has acres and acres of coffee fields and plenty of young men hired to work them. She hikes around the hillsides like she is still in her 20's, a very strong lady. She invited us to her home for lunch one day last week. We had fun seeing her land, eating a delicious meal, and getting to know her better. The coffee plants cover the hillsides......

Elder Munroe and Liliana looking at all of the plants. She explained to us that most of the plants have a specific purpose in helping produce great coffee. The banana leaves are large and help to shade the coffee plants from the intense sun. The avocado trees provide shade for the coffee as well. There are a couple of kinds of trees that are pruned each year and the leafy limbs fall on the ground after they hit them with a machete. They leave them where they fall and the leaves decompose and provide nutrients for the coffee plants. The bees buzz around and pollinate the coffee plants and avocado trees. Avocado trees......

Banana trees....

Bee houses for honey.......

Picking raspberries.....

We picked a few baskets of berries and then we took them back to her home to wash them up and make some fresh juice. It was delicious!

Some of the workers leaving the fields for the day........This is supposedly one (out of three) places that produces the best coffee in the world. Coffee growing is quite a tedious process and a lot is involved. Our area is known for having the perfect climate, soil, and expertise for growing coffee.This is Liliana's home....We had a very nice time visiting Liliana. We hope to be able to visit her again soon.