Agave Nectar Extraction Process
- 1). Cut the leaves off of the plant. Sever them at their base (but do not cut through the bulbous pina) with a large knife or machete. Once you remove all the leaves, you will see the exposed and undamaged top-half of the large pina.
- 2). Dig the pina out of the ground with a shovel. Give the pina a wide berth as you dig to avoid damaging it as you dig.
- 3). Split the pina into quarters (or smaller pieces if necessary for your oven's size). Do this by taking your machete or blade and cracking it down on the pina. You can do this multiple times until you achieve the appropriate size. Aim carefully to prevent injury.
- 4). Preheat the oven to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pina sections on a deep baking tray or dish (they will produce a liquid as they bake). Bake the pinas for 50 to 72 hours (depending on their size) or until they are quite soft and brown and rust-orange in color. After the first three or four hours, pour off the liquid that collects at the bottom of the tray. This primary agave nectar is quite bitter.
- 5). Remove the agave pinas. Pour off the liquid into a bowl. This is the sweet agave nectar.
- 6). Allow the pina to return to room temperature.
- 7). Mince the pina and rinse the pieces with running water.
- 8). Mash the liquid out of the baked agave. Place the agave in a wire mesh strainer. Press them with a spoon to squeeze the nectar out and into a bowl.
- 9). Clarify the agave nectar by pouring it through a paper filter.
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