Farm tours offer a multifaceted experience that benefits both individuals and communities. Among these benefits include: hands-on learning, community building, environmental awareness, cultural exchange, support for local agriculture and my favourite, a deepened connection to nature which promotes health and wellness. One place to experience a farm tour in Jamaica is at the Bluefields Organic Farm in Belmont, Westmoreland. This farm contains 2.3 acres of lush farmland and houses over 60 local and exotic fruit trees, herbs and vegetables. In turn, these trees provide refuge to dozens of birds, many of which are endemic species. Read on to learn why this farm tour deserves a spot on your Jamaican bucket list. To learn about Bluefields’ other offerings, such as their homestays and massages, click here.
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Getting There
Getting to the farm was quite easy. Coming from the direction of Black River, we took the second right turn after passing Belmont Academy and there was a sign to mark the turn off too. Shortly after, the road forks in two. While both roads carry you to the Bluefields farm, it’s best to keep left to avoid challenging road conditions. Overall drive time to the farm from the main road lasted 5 minutes or less.
The tour starts from the gate as beyond the welcoming bougainvillea bushes, you’ll notice beckoning banana trees and concrete steps leading downhill to the farm. Farm tours are led by Mr. Keith Wedderburn, owner of the Bluefields Organic Farm and a self-taught farmer. Keith’s primary goal is to provide valuable information about local fruits to the public in a fun and educational manner. As a result, he offers farm tours to schoolchildren and discerning travelers, showing them how farming can be done in simple container gardens to feed one’s household or how to use farming as an entrepreneur to liberate oneself.
Bluefields Organic Farm Tour
Jamaica enjoys a tropical maritime climate which means that it’s warm all year round, and our only seasons are wet and dry. As such, the island is able to grow a wide variety of tropical fruits, many of which were imported by various ethnic groups such as the Spanish and British to feed its slave labour force. In fact, many of these fruits have been grown here for so many centuries that it’s easy to forget they were imported! These include the ackee and breadfruit, which were brought to Jamaica by Captain Bligh in the 1700s from West Africa and Southeast Asia respectively.
Bluefields grows both ackee and breadfruit, as well as jackfruit, otaheite (Malay) apples, rose apples, lychee, Seville orange, coconut, avocado, starfruit and four varieties of mango, all of which are imported species which thrive in Jamaica. While citrus fruits are not native to Jamaica, the ortanique, a cross between an orange and tangerine was first grown in Jamaica and you can see the ortanique tree on a tour of the Bluefields Organic Farm.
Native Jamaican fruits which are grown at Bluefields include the pineapple, papaya, guava, star apple, naseberry, soursop, sweetsop and custard apple, the latter five of which have a distinct but sweet custardy taste and texture. The marvel of the show was the 100-year old naseberry tree which produces the sweetest naseberry I’ve ever tasted in my life! It was my first time seeing the trees for several of these fruits too, so this adventure was quite memorable. There were also fruits I’d never heard of before too like the cow okra and loquat which have been successfully grown at Bluefields, so there’s a lesson on the tour for everybody.
Best time to take the tour:
April to September when most fruits are in season.
Another highlight for me was the medicinal and culinary herb aspect of the tour. While I practice conventional medicine, I love learning about alternative medicine and how to utilize it safely. After all, modern medicine has only been around for one century which is a short period of time in human history. For centuries, our ancestors have used native plants and herbs for healing so respect must be shown to traditional healers. My favourite herbs from the tour are two I’ve used personally: lemongrass (known locally as fever grass) which makes a delicious tea with anti-inflammatory properties and serves as a repellant when applied topically, as well as leaf-of-life which clears up the common cold more quickly than any store-bought remedy. Another star was the Jamaican blue vervain which I heard about for the first time during the Covid-19 pandemic as it went into high demand locally from anecdotal evidence that it could cure the virus. It was fascinating to see these, among many other herbs, growing in abundance on the Bluefields Organic Farm.
Lastly, if Keith challenges you to a coconut water drinking contest on the farm tour, the only answer is YES! Let me know in the comments who you think won.
Organic Fruit Platter Sampling
We got nibbles of mulberries, naseberries and a refreshing coconut on the tour, but the real treat was this seasonal fruit platter at the end. Everything on the plate was grown at Bluefields except the pineapple. While Bluefields grows pineapples, none were currently ready to eat. Pictured above are papaya, star apple, Otaheite (Malay) apple, naseberry, soursop, pineapple and to the side was a custard apple. The naseberry from the century-old tree stole the show!
Wrap Up
The Bluefields Organic Farm tour was a great 2-hour experience, and one I highly recommend for locals and visitors alike. Book a day tour for US$25 per person, or spend the night in one of their luxurious oversized suites as I recapped last week here. Would you take a farm tour at Bluefields? Which aspect would you look forward to most? Let me know in the comments section below. Get in touch with Bluefields via:
- Their Website
- Phone: +18763736435
- Email: hi@bluefieldsorganic.com
- Social Media: Facebook and Instagram
Lastly, Keith has recently taken the bold move to document his life story of overcoming obstacles and emerging victorious, along with sharing nuggets of wisdom in his debut memoir: From Homelessness to a Healing Haven. It’s OUT NOW on Amazon, and his book launch is tentatively set for February 24 at the farm. Please check it out, tell a friend and leave a review.
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