As an appetizer before lunch was served, a tasty treat of candied mango was served on a couple slices of palm leaf.

Crunchy rings of dough were were served. They looked odd, but were sweet and crisp, like doughnut shaped cookies.

Young sweet corn was served raw in a handsome arrangement on a palm lined plate.

Susan smiled as freshly made fruit juice was poured into a class carved from a gourd. The gourd was carved while still green, and the design remained after the gourd dried out and became hard.

Sliced mango was spread on palm leaves. A few tooth picks were sprinkled on top as an aid to eating.

A shallow bowl of black beans was on display at one end of the lunch table. These were actual examples of one kind of beans raised on the farm.

A Nicaraguan tamale is wrapped in palm leaves instead of corn husks. Vegetables and meat were wrapped in corn dough, the palm leaves, tied with string, and steamed. Here one was open and served with a gourd spoon.

Andrew from Canada and Eugenio from Costa Rica chowed down on a rich meaty tamale. Here the gourd glasses and gourd spoons could easily be seen.

A big ceramic pot of cooked red beans rested in the center of the table.