Having an ancestrally-inspired kitchen is something I love. But it’s a lot of work. In order to stay sane and have time to get on with the rest of my life, I have several strategies. One of them is to involve my son wherever possible. It might take longer (especially the first few times!) but it shares the load and makes it more fun. . This morning, we’ve both been working on cacao processing. We roasted these beans at the temperature that has been shown to both preserve the medicinal qualities and create good flavour (much shorter than a ‘normal’ roast). Once cooled we poured them into a high-sided roasting tin and set about using gentle mallet strokes to crush them just enough to separate the shells. . Next will come the fun bit: going outside and using a hairdryer to blast off the shells. I put sunglasses on (the shells go everywhere) and my son has taken to wearing swimming goggles! . Then, after crushing the nibs, we might actually get to making some chocolate! . Tomorrow’s new podcast episode will be entitled ‘Kitchen Management and Avoiding Burnout’ – involving household members in tasks is one of the many things @farmandhearth and I will talk about. . And in more podcast and chocolate news, @nocturnalherbalist, who wrote the 700-page The Secret Life of Chocolate that is my cacao bible has agreed to an interview. I’m very excited about it.