Hoarding Chocolates - 1

hand mill image from...


My paternal grandmother, Veronica Mitchell(whom we fondly called Dee)(many years deceased), used to grind cocoa beans which she would shape into cocoa logs and balls, to be used for making hot chocolate. Dee sold them, along with herbs and spices in the old Chaguanas market revisit Dee

out in the street-
the barking dog chasing
after passing cars
--gillena cox



Cocoa Pod image from

Lily Of The Valley

lily of the valley image from World Of Flowers

My grandmother was a market vendor. She sold in the Chaguanas Market - herbs and spices - chives, thyme, nutmegs, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon; and sweet broom for clothes cupboards. She also made chocolate logs to be used for making hot chocolate drinks. She used cocoa beans, which were washed and sun dried, then crushed to remove the shells, then cloves and cinnamon sticks were added, this was then ground in a hand mill; then shaped into small chocolate logs. She also made and sold sugar cakes (not a cake but a candy made from grated coconuts).
I never called her grandmother, i called her Dee, like most other folks did; but that was not her name. A few other grownups called her Janee, but that too, was not her name.

Lily of the valley;
The memory of my grandmother Dee
Scents my mind.



in response to email questions i've edited to include -- my grandmther's name Veronica; Veronica Mitchell