Grenada’s female farmers drive a beautiful ecosystem.
Sandals from Grenada’s Oceanside Fruit Buffet through lush hills and valleys, and the latest in the easy driveway and resort of Miss Escape from the farm. I know this must be the right place because of the scent that runs through the Caribbean winds. The herbs are in bloom. The spices are in their glory. When the island doors route, Van, the sister company of sandals and exclusive tour operator, opens. Lunch cultivated on the island It appears to be hanging down into the air.
Sandal Grenada
This is T’s Eco Garden And the woman greets guests with a sunny smile and refreshing coconut water straight from the tree is herself: Teresa Marie Shaw.
“Can I have some tea too?” Teresa rattles off several types of picks, including basil, mint, cinnamon, cocoa and moringa.
Owner of T’s Eco Garden and capital letters for Grenada Netowrk from Rurual Women Producers
Teresa exudes an enviable amount of energy and happiness. It’s all natural. She really loves all her work. The driving force behind this rich farm operator, the baker of coconut bakes she’s crossing, and the network of nearly 100 farmers around the island. Grenrop (Grenada Network of Rural Female Producers).
If you want a simple course in “independent farming,” take a look at Glenlop Farm. There is water surface, irrigation systems and shaded houses. Each is provided Sandal Foundation. There are all stages of plant growth, including seeds, seedlings, plants, and produce. Teresa’s location, for example, stays in a permanent season with arugula, kale, half a dozen lettuce, mango, starfruit and root vegetables. It is nearby, and outside the range of sensations is a pile of compost.
“Our farmers had Composting training from sandalsTeresa says. “Grenada fruits and vegetables grow organically and they taste better too.”
As Teresa speaks, the coconut shells burn open fire under a large pot of deliciousness. I’ll cook it in it Grenada’s eclectic national cuisine: Oil down. Today’s farm-to-table lunch recipe may have changed a few days ago. That’s how to oil down here. It all depends on which vegetables are in the season and are chosen and delivered at Glenlop Farm. Today, the pot is full of potpourri with calaroux, turmeric, bread, carrots, kale, yum, coconut milk, collard greens and sweet spices.
Oil down cooking pot at T’s Eco Garden.
“You can keep vegetarians, or add farm-raised chicken or salted fish from the ocean. She doesn’t hesitate when asked where her passion for farming came from. “My grandparents. They always told me, “When you eat and drink locally, you stay healthy.” Now my wish is to share what I know with others. ”
She is pleased to share it all with her wisdom, her story, and the fruits of her labor.
Before Glenlop was present, Teresa’s grandmother was there.
She showed Theresa how to grow, plant, weed and harvest. Teresa can smell the sweet potatoes of her grandparents roasting on the garden fire.
“The sweetest potatoes ever,” she says. “At a very young age, I have learned the importance of agriculture to survival. It doesn’t matter if you’re a lawyer, a doctor, or a teacher… you have to eat delicious food to live a good life.”
The lessons from Family Farms encouraged Teresa to study agriculture at university, and she successfully completed her 42-year career at Grenada’s Ministry of Agriculture. Every time she drives the island, conducts research and develops relationships, she will notice a woman working on the farm like her grandmother.
Glenlop members embrace Grenada’s rich agriculture.
Teresa understood agriculture as a path to women’s financial freedom. She also knew that there was a work ethic to make a living, become independent and grow fresh produce enough to reduce food insecurity across the island. In December 2000, she helped a small group of female farmers form Glenlop.
“I kept watching my grandmother and wanted to walk with these women,” says Teresa.
To get closer, Teresa retired from the Ministry of Agriculture a few years later. Full-time farmer and president of Glenlop. The women were still working hard with the resources available. They were selling fresh ingredients at the weekend market, but were unable to reach their biggest potential partner, the hotel.
“And…” Teresa pauses to highlight the dramatic change, “… I met a friend With sandals. When they opened the hotel on the island, they immediately showed interest in our farmers. ”
While touring the farm and meeting women working on the land,His Sandal Foundation recognized great potential. That’s why the foundation provided irrigation systems, seeds and nursery schools to the most rural farms. Each improvement allowed farmers to increase production until they followed the path to Sandal Grenada kitchens. When chefs from other hotels asked where the Sandal Food and Beverage team consistently found so many high quality foods, they heard a simple response: Glenlop.
“The people in sandals believed in us.” Teresa says. “So I say they put our farm network on the map.”
Sandal Grenada
It’s a growing network and a growing map. The farmers were so respected that they recently began to invite their husbands and boyfriends who wanted to learn about sustainable agriculture from them. Glenlop has four generations. These include girls under the age of 10 who have been registered by their parents. The network is currently partnering with hotels and restaurants in Grenada, as well as supermarkets far away on Carriac Island.
And twice a week, the reward, harvested by Glenlop, comes to this pot in Teresa’s garden.
The road from sandals to T’s Eco Garden runs in two ways.
Guests come to Teresa’s table Island route Tours, and she goes to theirs as well. In addition to planting, tilting, harvesting and host diets, several times a week she drives trucks filled in docks of sandals.
“I can assure you this,” she says with that constant smile, “The sandals guests are eating good healthy food.”
The crops are so rich that in April, Glenlop will open an agricultural treatment facility that will be fully provided by the Sandal Foundation. So they can convert fresh coconuts into flour, flakes, oils, or mash the sweetest potatoes they’ve tasted in vegan baking ingredients. Chillrooms expand storage for non-stop harvesting.
“Everyone will benefit,” says Teresa.
And she means everyone. Vacationers in sandals will cover pumpkin and nutmeg soup with spices from the resort’s restaurant, with more delivery planned while guests on the island’s route tour eyeballs. These go to nearby community tables and people of all ages from Glenlop Farm.
“To be resurrected will raise our morale,” says Teresa. “And like my grandparents said Delicious food. It makes a good life. ”
This is why she is happy to tell people at her table to “eat as much as you want.” That’s good, and she has a lot.
