This vein valve diseae is a common reason that people develop leg or ankle swelling. Vein valve disease can lead to varicose veins as well. Vein valve dysfunction can be an inherited condition or it can be caused by blood clot damage or trauma to the veins. Lymphedema is another cause of leg or foot swelling.
Cocoa Pods & Beans. The cocoa tree bears two harvests of cocoa pods per year. Around 20cm in length and 500gms in weight, the pods ripen to a rich, golden-orange colour. Within each pod there are 20-40 purple, 2cm long cocoa beans covered in a sweet white pulp. We buy quality cocoa beans from Indonesia, Malaysia and Ghana.
Cocoa is usually grown under remnant forest, planted shade trees or intercropped with other commercial crops that protect the cocoa. In Malaysia and Indonesia, cocoa is also grown in full sun, although shade is used during establishment. The height of cocoa is kept to about 3-5 m to make management and harvesting easier. Average yields are low, about 1 tonne/ha or less of dry beans.