Touring the organic market

I am lucky that in the village where I live there is an organic market.  This is an organic farm kept right next to the home of a local family.  The whole family is involved, but the grandfather type runs the cash register and his son in law is the farmer.  The man who runs this was a conventional farmer, but decided to go organic.  The farm opens up on Saturdays as a market and anyone can stop by to purchase produce, bread and even honey.

Here are some shots of the greenhouses next to their house.

This is inside one of the greenhouses.  They grow many varieties of leafy greens here and even pick, wash and make an organic mixed salad right in front of you while you wait.  These salads are also sold at some restaurants on the island.  The owner took me, Ryan and Marie on a tour that lasted somewhere between 1-2 hours, and explained his whole process, concepts of farming, and the varieties of greens he was growing.  He even would explain one, pick some and give it to us.  I had no idea that arugla can produce flowers.  He gave Marie one of these flowers to try.

Here are some of the items they had for sale.  We got there late in the day so most things were already purchased.  I have seen this before but never tried it.  This is a cherimoya. 

If you are unfamiliar with this fruit, here is some info:

Cherimoyas have an unusual, multi-faceted, almost pre-historic appearance that belies their exquisite and sophisticated flavor. The velvety flesh is a delicious, custardy blend of banana, pineapple and strawberry notes.

Cherimoyas are like an avocado, in that they are quick to ripen at room temperature and are ready to eat when they are slightly soft to the touch. Check them frequently to avoid over-ripening. A ripe cherimoya that is not eaten immediately is best stored in the refrigerator. Ripe fruits are black-green and give to slight pressure, like an avocado or peach.

Cherimoyas are ripe to eat when they are slightly soft like a ripe avocado. Slice the fruit in wedges or in halves and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Some cherimoya aficionados add a few drops of lime to the flesh to embellish the sweetness. Do NOT eat the skin or the seeds.

http://www.calimoya.com/about/about-cherimoyas.html

Here is what it looked like inside.  It was fleshy like a pear in my opinion.  Yes, those are big seeds, and you don't want to accidently eat them.  They are apparently poisonous.

Other goods on the table for sale.

We saw these growing all over the place.  We were told they were not currently ripe or in season, but we could try them if we wanted.  They are in the guava family and are known here as lemon guavas.  The guy 

thought they have a different name, but when I searched online I can locate information on the lemon guava.

 

After tasting one I see why these are known as lemon guavas.  Wow, they were sour, and BOY OH BOY did I like these.  Ripe or not, they were tasty.

Here are some shots of a favorite island flower.  This is a bird of paradise flower.  They are Marie's favorite so I was glad she could enjoy them here.

They had roses too.

This may look like an ordinary bare tree...

but it is really a chesnut tree.

They had an orchard type area too on the other side of the greenhouses.  These are some orange trees.

I was not aware little hot peppers grow on little bushes.  But I guess they do.  I thought these were sooooo cute.

They even had a banana tree.

Close up with the nanners.

Yep, they offered us samples of these too.

Last up, I took some shots of the greens in the green house.  This was where he was letting us taste everything as we walked through.

This is an herb, but I really can't remember now which one.  I am so bad with recognizing herbs.

Well, that was it for our tour.  We did other things after that, but I will save those pictures for my next post.  Happy Friday everyone!

QUESTIONS:  Have you ever toured an organic farm?  What is your favorite exotic fruit (or veggie)?