How to Make Chocolate From Scratch (From Bean to Bar)
Take homemade to the next level with these treats!
Valentine’s day is right around the corner, and it’s not usually a holiday I think much about most years…except now I have kids. Like Halloween, valentines day is sacred to grade schoolers as another day of candy-filled merriment.
What if you can turn all that sugar-fueled excitement into a fun DIY project?
Ever wonder how chocolate is made? Follow the process from pod to bar, and you can make fresh chocolate right in your own kitchen!
Read More: How to Make Chocolate From Scratch (From Bean to Bar)
Years ago, when I was working for a friend at their greenhouse in New Hampshire, I tended all manner of tropical edibles. Vanilla orchids, black pepper plants, and even cacao trees.
When the cacao tree set fruit, I asked my friend if I could have the pod for an experiment. I wanted to grow my own cacao tree.
She was happy to contribute and literally wrote my name on the pod so everyone knew it was saved for me. It hung there in the greenhouse for weeks until it finally ripened, with every single visitor asking, "Who is Ashley? And what's she going to do with this Cacao pod!?!?!?"
I brought my pod home, harvested the seeds, and successfully grew my own cacao trees. I dutifully cleaned the seeds, and then tended them in between wet towels on a heat mat until they germinated. Yes, I did get them to germinate, even in Vermont in February.
I potted them up in soil, and they grew remarkably fast. They were 6+ inches tall in just a week or two, and about 2 feet tall inside of a year.
I gifted them to friends and saved one beautiful cacao tree for myself.
Everyone who saw my tree always asked, "How are you going to make chocolate from the pods when it fruits?"
At the time, I had no idea. One thing at a time I'd say, that beauty needs to be at least 6 to 10 years old before it'll set fruit.
Sadly, my tree only made it to a few years old before it died. I had a newborn, and I didn't notice when it got infested with mites.
My daughter's turning 7 soon, and with a true DIY spirit after my own heart, she asked, "Can we make our own chocolate for my birthday?"
Of course, we can!
I'd been meaning to get more cacao pods to try growing cacao again, and why not learn to make chocolate from scratch at the same time?
Everything you’ll need for this project is readily available online, and you can actually choose your own level of difficulty. Start with whole fresh cacao pods and process them start to finish, or skip to halfway done with roasted beans, or even fresh ground chocolate liqueur (chocolate paste) that’s only a few minutes away from being homemade chocolate.
Don’t worry, I’ll take you through all the options…from the 7 to 10-day version for the devoted DIYers, all the way to the quick version for casual fun.
Read More: How to Make Chocolate From Scratch (From Bean to Bar)
Things You Might Need This Week
8 Ways to Make an Extra $1000 a Month On a Small Homestead ~ We could all use a bit of extra income these days! (I wrote this before the inflation of the last few years, so be sure you mentally translate this into pre-2020 dollars.)
50+ Edible Wild Berries & Fruits (A Foragers Guide) ~ Read up on some of the tastiest wild foods (fruits, that is) before they’re in season.
Growing Strawberries from Seed ~ Many of the more interesting heirloom strawberry varieties are only available as seeds (rather than plants or divisions).
Seasonal Preserving
Recipes to keep your larder full all year round…in season now:
30+ Ways to Preserve Eggs ~ The ladies will be laying soon, and egg preservation will go into overdrive…make preservation your plan before that starts!
Homemade Cheddar Cheese ~ Not an easy one…but so worth the effort!
Canning Potatoes ~ By now, the smaller potatoes in your cellar are nearing the end of life. You could can them to keep them good, leaving the better storing large spuds for fresh use.
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Things I’m Loving
Generally, I like to make my own gift baskets, but a few years back, my mom sent me a Harry and David gift basket, which was spectacular. The pears were perfectly ripe, and of higher quality than anything you can find locally in January. The cheese was equally good, and I ended up making some copycat cheesemaking recipes out of that box too.
Anyhow, I’m sold. While it’s nice to make your own, sometimes it’s nice to have a quick out-of-the-box gift option too. (Especially mid-winter, when fresh fruit is such a treat!)
What are you harvesting, preserving, building, or exploring on your homestead this week? I’d love to hear about it!
Leave me a note in the comments…
(Comments only, please. Emails tend to get lost in my inbox, and as much as I’d love to get back to each and every one, my screen time is very limited…and things fall through the cracks, and emails get buried in my inbox. If you comment here, they’re all in one place, and it’s much easier to get back to every single one.)
Until Next Time,
Ashley at Practical Self Reliance
I am having trouble reading your publication on how to make chocolate from bean to bar. I read it online a few weeks ago and saved the link. I picked my cacao pods and fermented the beans and am now ready to make the chocolate. I was unable to access your publication from my original saved link but noticed you are also on the Substack App which I use. Now I am writing you on Substack to tell you, I have not been able to continue the instructions published in Substack beyond the last paragraph that says, "Don’t worry, I’ll take you through all the options…from the 7 to 10-day version for the devoted DIYers, all the way to the quick version for casual fun."
followed by the hyperlink:
"READ MORE, HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE FROM SCRATCH (FROM BEAN TO BAR)
The link doesn't work. I read many directions online but liked yours best. Is there any way I can read the rest of your instructions? Thank you, Annie Welch
Thank you. I'm going to give it a try. I want to see how it tastes ;)