A nice week meeting a reader of the blog, visiting a great farm and sharing a lovely dinner. The weather has been pretty vile of most of this week – very high winds and a lot of rain so we have felt bad for 2 lovely women that we met on Sunday.
Daphne from Montreal and her friend Lily from West Palm Beach were having lunch at Bacchus Fine Foods and we got talking to them as you do . It was their first visit to Eleuthera and they were staying at Pineapple Fields. Turns out that Daphne had been reading the blog prior to their visit and recognized me – we had a lovely chat with them and gave them some more recommendations to enhance their time here. Sunday was a lovely day – but from Monday on it has been grim ! Of course we are delighted with the rain filling up the cisterns and given all the parched plants and trees a good watering – but that is not what you want when you are on vacation. We have said every day – how awful for Daphne and Lily – all I can say is firstly that it is not always like this and secondly that I hope they brought a couple of good books with them ! Please come back again and enjoy some beautiful sunshine another time …..
We were taken to look around a great farm just south of Governors Harbour. It is not open to the public yet and I am not sure if it will be but Marcus Mitchell who owns and operates it is looking to produce fresh fruit and vegetables on a small commercial scale. The soil is very red and fertile and is producing some terrific results. It was originally owned by the Pyfrom family but the last time it was properly farmed was way back when Lorraine Pyfrom’s grandfather ran it. Apparently it was famous for its pineapples and Marcus is planning on reviving that tradition. At the moment there are many banana trees as well as abundant salad greens, pok choy and tomatoes about to come into their own. It was a beautiful day when we went there at the end of last week as you can see from the pictures. I am pretty sure it was called Springland Farm but excuse me if I have got that wrong. The selection that Marcus cut freshly for us to try were wonderful. We wish Marcus every success with this venture – this island needs as much encouragement to get back into agriculture as possible.
Along with the rain and high winds we have also inevitably had a few too many power outages. On Tuesday evening we were due to go out to dinner at the home of English friends Carolyn and Chris. They have a lovely home halfway up the up hill called Low Cay. Check it out if you are looking for an immaculate one bedroom rental.
Anyway we had a major power outage from the afternoon so we decided – thankfully – not to bank on the power being restored in time for dinner. Chris and Carolyn – being very organized – had prepared everything for the meal and so brought it all to our house and cooked it here. There were 5 of us and it turned into a really fun evening. The food was fabulous – salmon fillets wrapped in prosciutto and then baked , small cubes of roasted potatoes and a super fresh green salad. Delicious. Carolyn hade made a tasty bowl of guacamole and for desert a wonderful peach crumble – served warm with ice cream. It was a lovely evening with a new dimension to it – always good to know someone with a generator. It was a bit like having a private chef to come and cook for us – fun all round.
On the subject of food – surprise surprise – I have just bought my first rotisserie chicken from the Island Farm. How I got it home without tearing a few bits of it is beyond me – but I did ! Available on Wednesdays from about 11.30 they are a great idea for an easy dinner – they are $24.20 including tax – well worth it as far as I am concerned…….
Have a great weekend and wishing a very Happy Birthday to my nephew Sam next week on the 14th – yes a Valentine baby – and to my great friend Joy Agius – also in the UK – whose birthday is the 15th. She has been making the best curtains and blinds for me for over 37 years – I can’t believe it !! Have a great day to anyone celebrating their birthday in this coming week ……
5 thoughts on “Meeting a Reader, A Farm Visit and a Great Dinner”
Loved your blog – as always – taking us for a walk down memory lane! We were wondering if Marcus Mitchell is the son of Dave Mitchell who ran a dive centre in that stretch of the island across from the Workers Union building and near Lorraine and Joy Pyfrom’s beach cottage? – Ian and June Robb
Really not sure – I will try and find out. Glad you enjoy the blog ….
Yes, that is correct. I spent quite a few summers on Eleuthera with my family snorkeling and spear-fishing with Marcus in his dad’s Boston whalers. Glad to hear he is back.
My middle grandson also is a Valentine’s Day baby, turning 13 — a teenager!! I’d love to have your friend’s recipe for salmon wrapped in proscuitto!
So the recipe for the salmon in prosciutto is pretty simple. Put a thin slice of parmesan on the salmon fillet – top it with some shredded basil, wrap in the prosciutto then bake at 180C or 350F for 15 – 20 minutes. Easy peasy – but I haven’t actually cooked it yet myself ! Happy Birthday to your grandson …..