|  | Our Organic Farm: Pantrepant | | |
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| Established in 1758, Pantrepant, is Island Outpost’s organic market garden. It occupies hundreds of acres in the far west of Jamaica on soil untouched by chemicals. Pantrepant nestles on the banks of the roaring Martha Brae River in the heart of what is known as ‘Cockpit Country’, so called because of the sinkholes that dot the area’s limestone escarpments. In addition to its own organic farm in Trewlany Parish, Island Outpost supports Jamaican farms and, in turn, the Jamaican economy through its purchase of fresh produce, meats and seafood. | |
| GOLDENEYE, Oracabessa
Eating local at the luscious GoldenEye in Oracabessa is about more than great taste and nurturing; it’s a serious commitment to community and environment. At least 80% of food consumed at GoldenEye is from local markets, as much as possible organic. Guests begin with GoldenEye breakfast, including island favorites ackee and codfish, liver and brown stewed chicken, served with “yard foods” yam, green banana, potatoes, pumpkin, plantain, dasheen and dumpling. “Yard Foods” are staple, sustaining foods grown in one’s own yard, now synonymous with the island of Jamaica. Next, daily menus are created after fresh items are purchased, not before. Yellow Tail Snapper appears with fisherman at the kitchen door. Once a week, produce is delivered from St. Elizabeth. From Pantrepant comes citrus, herbs, broccoli, arugula, beans and organic beef and lamb. Seasonal fresh fruits include: papaya, june plum, naseberry, starapple, soursop, sweetsop and passion fruit. Goldeneye sits in St. Mary, known as the ‘Banana Parish,’ while Oracabessa village was a major 19th century seaport town for shipping bananas. GoldenEye takes pride in real Jamaican cooks, like Chefs Pam and Glendon, who were taught by their mothers and grandmothers. It takes home-grown skill to cook scotch bonnet pepper and the best curried goat. | |
| THE CAVES, Negril
At stunning cliff-side property The Caves in Negril, nearly all fresh produce is a product of the surrounding community. Ripe local fruits and ground provisions are gown and delivered by farmers in surrounding communities. Minimal pesticides are used and farmers hold a commitment to using environmentally-friendly products. These methods help preserve the bold flavors of the island’s tastiest products.
For example, The Caves’ salad greens of water cress and romaine lettuce are grown at nearby farms using a Hydroponic system. This sterile controlled environment takes recycled water containing nutrients and adds it to potable water, which is fed to the lettuce, then taken back to a tank and treated to make potable once again. Lettuce is grown in Pearlites only, no dirt.
Herbs used at The Caves - parsley, cilantro, rosemary, dill, basil, chives – are grown to perfection on nearby farms. As for seafood: it's all local and fresh! The majority of meats are also local, including the Jamaican Tenderloin, which offers a pronounced Jamaican flavor, and the mouth-watering sirloin. | |
| STRAWBERRY HILL, Blue Mountains
With rolling green hills covered in mountain mists, Jamaica’s lush Blue Mountains are home to the peaceful sanctuary of Strawberry Hill Hotel & Spa, originally one of the first Blue Mountain coffee farms of the 19th century. Today, the architecture of the spa, restaurant and cottages are carefully nestled amongst the gardens and landscape now home to many varieties of trees, ferns, and shrubs.
All around Strawberry Hill, the mountains’ verdant landscapes give way to the famous Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee cultivated on the lower slopes (as the higher slopes are preserved forests). In these communities of Irish Town, Woodford and Settlement, the farmers rely on the area's fertile soil to grow the Blue Mountain Coffee, considered by many as the world’s finest gourmet coffee. Recently, Strawberry Hill has started to produce its own brand of Blue Mountain coffee in co-operation with these farmers, which you can now buy at the hotel. To learn more click here! Guests of Strawberry Hill indulge in the revered, rich beverage (as well as coffee-accented desserts)! Farmers also supply Strawberry Hill with carrots, onions, scallions, cho-cho, avacado pear, parsley, pineapples and tomatoes in rich abundance using environmentally sensitive sprays and manures.
A quantity of herbs and spices are grown on Strawberry Hill’s vegetable garden sited behind the Bamboo Room. Spearmint, lemon mint and English mint are grown to use as infusions in Spa waters; lemongrass and lemon basil are used for dressing and teas while dill, oregano and cilantro are used in seasoning and fresh garnishes. Down the lush hillsides are Robusta and Chinese Sweet Bananas both of which are picked green and boiled for our famous Jamaican breakfasts. Plantains will serve as shade trees for the small acreage of Blue Mountain coffee that will be grown organically in the next few years.
A tropical orchard has been planted which includes Blackie mangoes, ota heiti apples, naseberry, cherry, pomegranite, cherimoia, jack fruit, sweet sop and sour sop, all of which are being grown not only organically, but also for information and knowledge. Over the next year, portions of the 20 acres of slopes will be built up to include a small salad garden, pineapple grove and more species of tropical fruit and nuts. | |
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