Peeling

The cinnamon peeling process.  Scroll down for pictures of the plantation tour, and cooking and eating! 

Cinnamon peelers move from land to land, peeling and then taking a pre-agreed share of the sale.

Cinnamon Bushes

New Shoots

Cutting a shoot mature enough for harvest

Taking the sticks to the hut to peel

1. Scrape off tough outer bark

2. Loosen the inner bark by rubbing with a brass rod.

2. Another cinnamon peeler, peeling the bark off the stick.  

2.  And another; learning the trade from Dad in school holidays.

3.  Layer and fill the stripped cinnamon bark.  (School holidays again!)

4.  Put the 'quills' up to dry for a few days.

5. Bundle the cinnamon quills when they are dry.

Bundles of cinnamon quills ready for market!

Off to market

At the market

Or let the market come to you!

Sticks with their bark peeled sold as fire wood.

Another labour is keeping the land clean.

Peeler on a day off.

Dogs inspecting the work.

Time for another harvest!

Cinnamon Experience

A group learn about cinnamon, and taste dishes made with the spice.

The history, economics and health benefits 

To the land

Cinnamon flowering

Planting a cinnamon sapling to fill a vacancy.

Scraping off outer bark (supervised!)

Demonstrating how to rub the bark

Making quills

Not only cinnamon comes from the land. This is screwpine (rampe), just outside the kitchen. (Along with curry leaves, lemon grass....)

All set, ready for cooking lesson. Note the coconut and coconut grinder top left.

Ashan explains today's menu.

Ashan recruits help for some chopping. Most is done in advance, though.

Having a laugh or paying close attention...

Taking notes, to try it back home...

Grating the coconut for the sambol is always a crowd pleaser!

Adding tumeric (more or less spicy, according to taste).

And it's all gone to build up an appetite!