The Aloe Vera farm is located near Mercedes, Texas. The plants are used for about 15 years. Each plant has leaves taken off every 6 weeks. The leaf grows back in one week. The big leaves on the outside of the plant are taken off. The new ones grow on the inside. It is all hand picked . The leaves are stood up with the point down in the field a couple days. It lets a yellow substance drain down that they don't want in there. Then the leaves go to be washed . The two ends are cut off. Then they are run through like a cheese slicer. It takes off all of the green --the sharp edges , then the flat surface, then the curved surface. The peice that is left is slimy, whitish, translucent, and looks like a raw fish fillet. It goes into a big bin and is stirred and broken up. Then into another bin where water is added and it becomes a liquid. From there citric acid and another preservative are added. Then it can be used for a liquid to drink or have a substance added to make it a gel . It can be used as hand lotion, body wash or for cuts and sunburn.
The farmer is worried about the freeze warning. It will kill the plants.
The papaya tree is in the avacado grove. There are several of them in by the avacado trees. They are from seeds that were dropped from the birds from one tree somebody has in a neighboring yard. The fruit is good.
If the temperature gets to 30 degrees, it will damage the avacado trees so that they will not produce any crop next year.
I also learned today that a star fruit is really a blossom off a cactus.
On the way , I saw a field with green cabbage and red cabbage ready to pick.
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