Grow'n Crazy Down Here!

Our new friends Friday and Lawrence do breakfast with us before they send us off for a full day tour of their island!

Coffee just off the tree! Local coffee for local consumption- you gather the seeds and lay them in the sun to dry out the soft outer layer. Then you roast and grind them to make a very strong cup o java!

The largest export of Dominica is bananas. Before hurricanes took out a number of fields they were sending 200 tons annually to the European market. The blue bags are placed over the bunches when they are young to keep the birds and bugs away. One scratch on one banana means the entire bunch won't make it to market.

Carib Territory means local crafts and foods. This boy is showing us how they break down the Cassava root to make bread. Very labor intensive but a trade that has been passed down for generations.

Hiking through the rain forest offers a chance to find more interesting fruits and seeds-- this place is crawling with life! It is said on Dominica that if you stand still in bare feet too long, you'll grow a few inches!

It's got me!

Home made rum raisin ice cream! (not made by me)

The only way to get what you want at the Saturday market is to get there early-- between 5&6 am!! Locals usually stay out all night, then do the market, then go home and sleep. It's amazing what all grows here! Not including the usual tomatoes, carrots, herbs, cucumber, etc that people farm to round out their diet this island is packed with cool foods! Here's my list from one day of driving around: pineapple, coffee, cinnamon, avocado, bananas, tangerines, grapefruit, breadfruit, star fruit, sugar cane, callaloo, guava, passion fruit, papaya, vanilla, coconuts, almonds, nutmeg, plantains, lemongrass, cherries, bamboo, cassava, mango, sugar apples, genips, and dasheen. There have got to be more out there-- you almost feel like you are in Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory, but the slightly more healthy version! The most amazing thing is that most of these fruits are growing wild by the side of the road!