Hola Amigos!
It’s Caroline here once again. I’m writing from the beautiful Island of Ometepe, just outside the town of Belgue. For the past week we have living off the land at Finca Bona Fide, a permaculture teaching farm nestled on the side of Volcano Maderas. In the native Nahuatl language Ometepe means Island of two mountains. From the vantage point of our kitchen table here, we can look out and see the other rising out of the blue waters of Lake Nicaragua. It’s dark outline punctuates the pastel sunsets with a commanding presence.
At night we sleep on bamboo platforms surrounded by a grove of coconut palms open to the breeze. Above our tin roof the stars shine brighter than I knew possible. By all this I mean to say it is a beautiful place, part of that beauty comes from the farming practices used here which have restored the soil quality.
The farm was started in 2001 on land formerly used for mono-cropping plantains and for cattle grazing. There were three main goals in mind when it began; to provide education on permaculture practices, research beneficial plants that could thrive here, and engage with the community in a meaningful way by supporting and inspiring sustainable microbusiness.
Their research into plants means that there are beautiful friuts and veggies for the picking. We have been reveling in the abundance. (sun-ripened starfriut anyone?!)
We have also hugely benefited from their desire to educate. Every morning begins with experiential education in the practical application of permaculture. We wake up in time for our 6:40 meeting where the days farm chores are divided up. We haven’t had a shortage of things to learn to do. We keep busing chopping woods, hauling buckets of water, and harvesting fruit among other tasks. You won’t find a John Deer on this farm; every chore to keep us eating and living well is done by hand.
In the afternoons we learn in a more traditional fashion though workshops on everything from natural medicine to salsa dancing and basket weaving. Later today we will be learning to make chocolate from raw cacao. (Yum!)
‘Til next time,
Sunshine and Starfruit,
Caroline
P.S. Hi Momzies! KLC
Lucy says “Hi Fam!”