Field Trip through Pilgrim's Farm...

I would like to invite you on a field trip through
Pilgrim's Farm
it will not look like a typical American or Canadian farm
things are done here a bit differently on this tropical island
so, how about we start at the cottage

Pilgrim's Cottage
looking through the new bamboo fence from the road

as we walk down the road along the fence

up ahead you can see our cow, Ms. MooMoo

as we travel on down the hill from the road

we pass through a natural arbor of the grenadine fruit vine

we come to our river at the bottom of the farm

where the breeze is cool and there is plenty shade

in some places, the river is deep enough to go for a swim

as we go back up the land

we come to the cocoa grove

underneath the cocoa trees are what I call "forest pearls"

they are fungi that grow beneath the fallen cocoa leaves

as we amble along under the cocoa canopy

there are many cocoa pods ready to harvest

when the pods turn yellow or red

they are ready to be picked off the trees

as we go on our way from under the cocoa grove

we come upon the sweet potato patch...

it is a nine month growing season for these sweets before we can dig them out

going on

we pass banana trees, laden with their fruits

and stop to see how the plantains are doing

they are coming along nicely, showing promise

as we climb up the hill pass the bananas and plantains

we come to our two handy men, working hard to finish our bamboo fence as quickly as they can

after a friendly exchange, we continue on our way

pass the lemongrass - one of my favorite herbs...

easy to grow and great for making tea

we pause beside my bamboo "tree"

as tall as a four story building

during our pause, we take in a view of the cottage

and beside us, near the bamboo tree

is our wood pile for making our own charcoal

going on, we pass papaya trees full of their bounty

we pass by tania (a root) and sorrell (flower fruit) which will soon be ready to harvest

a closeup of the tania - a flavorful, tender root - a favorite of mine

to show you just how large the tania plants and their leaves grow

here you see me coaxing my Foxie into the shade

I am 5'2" and the plants are at least 2 feet taller...

the leaves can span up to 4 feet wide

we come to the corn field beneath the cottage

growing corn both for us and for our chickens

creeping through the corn, we get a closer view of the cottage

as we come back down the hill out of the corn

we come to the bottom of the field

and turn to look back at the bamboo tree we paused under

walking along a wall of large rocks at the bottom of the corn field

we look down into the emerald forest below our farm

where, at times, the cow and goat nestle in the trees

I just had to stop and give Foxie a squishie hug

something suddenly caught her attention

finally...

we come back up to the cottage to find a box of cocoa beans drying in the sun

we've only seen a part of the farm

but, as this blog journeys through the days of

farm and cottage living on Pilgrim's Farm...

there will be more to come

I hope you enjoyed the tour and thank you for coming along

May your day or night be full of God's grace