Nutmeg Factory

At the spice factory that we had gone to, they had done most of the process for nutmegs, although I don't know whether, after the drying stage, they sold them to someone, or did the rest of the process themselves. We wanted to see the whole process being done, so after we had gone to the chocolate factory, we stopped at a big building and went in to the nutmeg factory. Taking pictures inside there wasn't allowed, so I'm afraid I'll have to write the whole process out without you viewing the steps.

This is where nutmegs are brought to be sorted and cracked open

"Green nutmegs" are brought in from farmers to the factory, with the mace still attached.
Drying and curing. The mace is separated from the nut, and sorted into three categories. Categories 1 & 2, the best, are put into big containers to cure for 3 months. The nuts are dried inside (in the dark) for two months, and turned twice a day
Cracking. Women take the dried nutmegs and crack the shells. The inside nuts go to the next step...
Sorting. All the nuts are put into water, to clean and sort. The better-quality grade 1 sank, and the not-as-good grade 2 floated.
Drying. Grades 1 & 2 are dried separately, indoors.
Grade 2 nutmegs are used to make nutmeg oil, soap, etc., and grade 1 nuts are sold to bigger companies for general consumption.

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