- Palm oil has become a largely produced product in Costa Rica being introduced to the area in the 1940s. Palm oil plantations on the Osa Peninsula contain hectares of African oil palms. These trees produce pods of palm oil kernels that are harvested and then the palm oil is extracted. Palm oil is an efficient crop due to it being cheaper to produce than many other types of commonly used vegetable oils as well as it being a reliable and year-long crop. Palm oil is used in an abundance of different products varying from lipstick to laundry detergent to pizza dough. Much of the oil produced in the Osa Peninsula is exported to foreign countries such as Mexico, the Netherlands, and Nicaragua.
Investigating Palm Oil in Costa Rica over J-Term
- Vanilla orchards consist of vines that take three years to reach maturity. The vanilla flowers are pollinated by hand and take six to nine months until the vanilla beans are ready to be harvested. The green vanilla beans are cured and dried and turned into the brown vanilla beans that are widely known. The process from flower to vanilla beans takes about one year and is almost entirely done by hand. Dried vanilla beans are exported out of Costa Rica and distributed globally. Some main destinations for Costa Rica’s vanilla beans are El Salvador, the United States, and Nicaragua.
- Banana plants are herbs that can grow up to 30 meters tall. These plants produce bulbs which after six or seven months produce flowers. After a few more months, the banana fruit that grows from the flower is ready to be harvested. Bananas production takes around nine months are the fruits are harvested while they are still green. Bananas are grown in humid environments and need to be carefully packaged while transported. The main countries Costa Rica exports of bananas to are the United States and the European Union.
https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/species/banana/
- Production of cacao begins on the cacao tree where pods full of beans are grown. These bitter pods have to be harvested at the correct time and cut open to reveal the beans. Cacao beans are then fermented for up to five days to transform the bitter taste into a flavorful sweetness. The beans are then dried for one to two weeks and roasted. Inside the beans are cacao nibs which are then ground up to paste and either left as cacao butter or mixed with other ingredients to produce chocolate. The main destinations for chocolate exported from Costa Rica are Guatemala, the United States, and Mexico.
- Pineapples are produced year-long in Costa Rica with an increase during the rainy fall season. A pineapple plant produces many flowers that cluster together to produce a pineapple fruit. A pineapple plant takes about two to three years to reach maturity and produce a fruit that is ready to be harvested. They are harvested while still green to ensure ripeness after being commercially transported. The main countries Costa Rica exports its pineapples to is the United States, Netherlands, and Belgium.
https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/how-do-pineapples-grow/
