Niche 2009

I spent last weekend in Nevis for the annual NICHE food festival. It's no secret that Nevis is one of my favourite places on Earth and it was great to get back and see everyone again. We visited Mansa, the organic farmer on Friday morning and had a wonderful tour of his farm. The flower of the guava reminds me a bit of the coffee flower. It is not as fragrant but is absolutely beautiful. I find it amazing that these pure, almost virginal flowers go on to produce big, sturdy fruit. They would be beautiful on a table.

Mansa's fruit juices and wines. Ross kept saying to Mansa, what's that extra flavour in the sorrel? Bois Bande, replied Mansa proudly, Bois Bande!!!! It seems that Bois Bande does not carry the same potent response in Nevis as it does here in Trinidad. Anyway we advised to use sparingly, just in case.

Our Niche pan man.

These tomatoes are straight off the land. They look it, don't they?

Mansa uses this fruit to make jewellery. Each pod is a slighly different shade. I'm did not get the name of the tree.