And, I continue on my 10-day wellness tour of Antigua and Barbuda. Story by Anne Dimon
The one “true blue” farmers’ market on the island of Antigua is Colesome Farmer’s Market complete with an online vegan restaurant that epitomized the Farm to Fork concept. You can’t miss the sign as you drive along the highway just 15 minutes from St. John’s,
About half of the five-acres property is farmed and supplies the onsite outdoor market and restaurant on a year-round basis. Plant chef consultant Jermaine Jonas gives me a quick tour and tells me there is no organic certification here in Antigua and Barbuda but the farm is pesticide-free. I learn that the flowering fruit called Soursop has been scientifically proven to have anti-cancer properties and is a natural pesticide. Over the seasons, the farm harvests a variety of produce including greens, herbs, root vegetables, gourds, papaya, mango, coconuts and other fruits and vegetables.
Colesome Farmers Market was opened eight years ago by owner/farmer Delrie Cole and, over lunch, he tells me he has seen a continuous “shift to healthy eating and there is a force behind it.” That force, he says, is compiled of the friends and family we see dying around us due to diseases that could have been prevented by making healthier food choices. There is simply greater awareness backed by science on the impact of food on illness. And, with this knowledge, he says “we are being forced to do what we need to do to live better longer.” I could not agree more. Healthy eating is the foundation of wellness living and one of the most significant factors when it comes to wellness tourism. Both Delrie and Jermaine enthusiastically endorse the plant-based diet and not just any plant-based ingredients but those that are naturally grown.
Another thing that Delrie and I agree upon is that the island should begin offering healthy food tours, limited to those local restaurants that offer foods made from local not imported ingredients. Wellness travelers not only want to eat farm to table, seasonally and healthfully, but we want to know where our food is coming from.
There is no set menu here – more “catch of the day” meaning whatever has been pulled from the garden that day. One of their offerings is plant-based burgers served on a gluten-free bun and with gluten-free dressings and toppings.
Photo: L to R, Jermaine Jones, Delrie’s son & vegan chef, Delrie Cole
You can also read about my visits to and with Wallings Nature Reserve, Colesome Farm to Table Experience, Sugar Ridge, Nicole’s Table Cooking Classes, Triflexcursions, Barbuda Belle and The Great House as we make our way around the twin-island country experiencing some of what is offered under the umbrella of Wellness.
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