The true heroes of the fifth annual Chocolate Fest over the weekend in the Garfield Park Conservatory got only a brief mention on a single chocolate-colored sign.
“Tiny insects known as midges are the pollinators,” said the placard, almost as an afterthought. The sign highlighted that a single cacao tree can have as many as 6,000 flowers yet fewer than 5 percent are successfully pollinated.
While the midge was underappreciated, the nearly 6,000 attendees to the two-day event did learn that Africa is the world’s largest producer of cocoa beans. They discovered that Americans eat an average of 11.7 pounds of chocolate each year. They also found out Hershey’s kisses are produced at the rate of 20 million to 25 million each day.
Attendees also potted chocolate mint plants, molded chocolate dinosaurs, heard chocolate stories, ate free samples and learned about the conservatory’s plants, trees and, until September, dinosaurs.
———-
Compiled from RedEye news services
