Dominica the Bountiful, Green Island

Bananas - blue plastic bags are to protect the fruit from bruising when the wind blows the leaves

Alexis told us "No one should ever go hungry on Dominica.  If someone asked you for money for food, there is no reason for that."

Christophene, mangoes, bread nuts, pumpkin, green beans

On our island tour we saw all of the following growing in one day!  Pineapple, bananas, coconuts, dasheen (taro root), coffee, coco, avocado, cinnamon, bay leaves, grapefruit, cashews, mangoes, corn (very small patch in some one's yard), breadfruit, papaya, sugar cane, guava, cassava, passion fruit and the Viagra tree (whose bark is used in a special tea).  We also saw oranges, limes, and sea grapes, christophene (chayote), tomatoes, pumpkins, cabage and spinach in the market.  Their spinach leaves are shaped slightly different and tougher.  The pumpkins are sold in big slices wrapped in plastic.  The pumpkins skin is green and white vs orange.   We had apricots at lunch for dessert but there were slightly different than American apricots.  They were much firmer with only a hint of apricot flavor.  Alexis sold us vanilla beans grown in his fathers garden.  We saw goats, chickens, and cows.  In the fresh rivers there are fresh water crayfish, mullet and catfish.  Land crabs line the banks.  Alexis told us there are wild pigs in the mountains but we never saw one.  I asked about the "mountain chicks" - large frogs the size of chickens but Alexis said those have been greatly reduced in number since he was a kid hunting them.  Of course with the ocean, there is also the standard fishing catch of snapper, tuna, kingfish and various reef fish.  Truly an abundance of produce is available on Dominica.  Amazing!