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Jaggery is boiled and produced from toddy juice, which are intercepted from both male and female toddy trees. In intercepting the juice, we have to gather and tie the spadix of the toddy plant, and these are then cut with a sharp knife. In this way, we intercept the toddy juice.
When we climb the toddy tree to collect the juice, we stick a portable ladder to the bottom of the tree and tie it to the tree. Earthen pots are used to collect the juice. The neck of the pot is tied in a noose.
Then, we have to heat the pots, so that the toddy juice will not become fermented. After we have the juice, we take it to the place, where it will be boiled into jaggery.
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First of all, we put the pans on the earth-dug stove, which are filled with paddy husks. When digging the earthen hole, it is important to dig exactly the size of the pan, which you will be using to boil the toddy juice, so that the flame from the stove will not rise above the stove. When we take down the toddy juice from the toddy tree, it is important not to let the juice settle down for more than 2 hours, because it will become fermented.
First, we heat the juice only to make, it warm. And, after that, we put the warm juice into the large mouthed pan, which is then heated intensely.
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Paddy husks are thrown into the furnace constantly, so that we get constant heat. After boiling for an hour, the juice will change colour and become froth. When the liquid become thick and sticky, the prepared coconuts are put into the pan. And then, we have to stir relentlessly with a big flat-wooden ladle. When the juice become solid, the pan is then taken down from the stove. Then, the solid jaggery is scrapped out to the rim of the pan and then removed with a short flat wooden ladle. From here, we can shape the jaggery into the shape we desire. The light brownish coloured jaggery with coconut scraps is very sweet and rich in taste. It also has a sweet aroma.
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