Due to the Corona situation many companies are experiencing a tough time. So are the small local farmers, producers and fishermen on the island. So we thought it would be great to support them a bit extra and create a three course ‘Farm to Fort’ menu for you to enjoy!
“From Farm to Table” a slogan that brings a smile to your face, right?
It makes words like “healthy”, “fresh” and “natural” pop up in your head and makes you think about how your ancestors used to eat. Produce fresh from the land on your plate, wouldn’t it be wonderful to enjoy food that way? Fort Nassau’s kitchen staff thinks so!
There are various farms on the island where people with a passion for agriculture grow the nicest veggies and herbs. Who are those idealists with green fingers, what moves them and what produce do they grow? We went “farm hopping” to see, smell, taste and touch and to listen to the interesting stories from the people who make it all happen.
Thank you to Claudia Sanches Photo for tagging along to make awesome photo’s for our Farm to Fort menu blog’s.
The first farm we visited:
Hofi Cas Cora
About five years ago Femi and Joshua started their plantation at ‘Hofi Cas Cora’. This week they showed chef Thomas and his right hand man Emerson around on the property… and needless to say there was lots of picking and tasting going on!
Farm science
What a variety! From your typical island papaya to a fancy fennel bulb and so much in between. Kale, spinach, pumpkin, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, spicy arugula and ‘string beans’ … the chefs enjoyed hand-picking fresh ingredients for Fort Nassau’s ‘Farm to Fort’ menu! That farming is not just ‘plant a seed, water it sufficiently and wait for it to grow and harvest’ soon became clear. It is way more interesting and more complicated. There is serious “planting planning” involved because we all want a continuous supply of greens and veggies. Then there is ‘intercropping’ and ‘crob rotation’. Oh yes! Which plant must be planted in which season, at what spot and between which other plants. It is a science! But the brilliant outcome of this science is that it makes for gorgeous, pesticide free veggies and thus a great ingredient for the chefs to cook with!
Twist and pull
The string beans Thomas and Emerson came to pick for our ‘Farm to Fort’ main course are originally crawling plants. But at hofi Cas Cora they created a fence structure, so the bean stalks grow up, are less vulnerable for crawling insects and it makes picking the beans easier. The string bean is a fast grower Femi tells us… from seed to the first blossom takes about 40 days and harvesting is possible a few weeks after, for about three bean cycles. After a quick demonstration it was ‘twist and pull’ till our basket was full!
See for your self
Did you know that Hofi Cas Cora also offers breakfast and lunch in their restaurant at the hofi? In addition, you can buy fresh produce and home-made delicacies. New and super fun is the ‘pick-nick’ they offer in the middle of the plantation. Order your basket and chill underneath the papaya trees.
What’s next…
To see where the vegetables for his culinary creations come from and to witness the farmers’ dedication for growing organic produce in Curacao is a wonderful experience for a chef. Though this is a first collaboration between Hofi Cas Cora and Fort Nassau, the chefs have already been inspired by other vegetables… we look forward to working more with this local farm in the future! Thank you Femi, for taking the time to show us around!
Be sure to follow us on facebook for our next farm visit! See the ‘Farm to Fort’ menu below.
