As you sit
at Calabash Mountain Villa, the view you see is of the marvelous mountains; but
you do not see what is really on these mountains. The Fond St. Jacque area in the Soufriere
Quarter is known as the breadbasket of St. Lucia. This area is very green with the trees of all
sorts and the other plants, many of which feed the community; ergo, the
breadbasket. Being in the breadbasket
can be rewarding in more than one way.
The obvious benefit is that it provides an awesome backdrop for this
beautiful community. The practical
benefit is having a wide variety of food staples available in the area. And our guests benefit from the freshness and
variety of food items readily available in close proximity.
The gardens
and farms can be deceiving because the terrain is not flat. When driving through the area after the
roadside area gets trimmed you could be very surprised at what lies behind the
roadside growth. Sometimes, you see
well-tended farms with various crops growing.
Other times you will see homes surrounded by smaller gardens (some with
gorgeous flowers, some with edible items or both.) The breadbasket term fits both types of
farms/gardens that produce edibles – they feed people.
Sometimes on
larger plots you will also find livestock – cows, pigs, goats, chickens, and/or
sheep. While the livestock is not
“breadbasket”, it is the meat that provides sustenance for the people.
So, what
goodies will you find in the “breadbasket” farms/gardens? Some items are regular staples in the St.
Lucian diet, such as yams, dasheen, breadfruit (see below), plantain, calaloo greens, christophine,
black-eye peas, tomatoes, celery, soybeans, carrots, etc. There are fruits, such as bananas, avocado,
papaya, guava, oranges, grapefruit, ackee, star apple, pumpkin and more. 
You will also find spices such as allspice,
nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, cumin seed, and peppers, (sweet, hot or pungent,) and onions. Cashew, coffee and cocoa trees are also found
in this area. There are so many other
items found growing in the area, but this just gives you a sense of the variety
and how they are tailored to the ingredients of the typical St. Lucian diet.
While all of
these items make great traditional meals so tasty, they also make the area
beautiful, with all these plants growing.
The array of colors is splendid – reds, yellow, orange, green and more –
and provides an awesome backdrop for your Home Away From Home!
There is something special about realizing
that what is on your dinner plate came from surrounding gardens and farms. The feeling of being one with nature comes
into sharp focus when you take in the beauty of our surrounding area and
recognize it is also a source of sustenance.
Written by:
Sandra Emmanuel,
10/28/16
