One more post from Cuba before I forget!
Ever been to an organic farm that’s also an art gallery and pottery production centre?
Well neither had I until this lovely little trip. This family run farm in the Cuban region of Jovellanos is home to it’s owners who have recently opened it up for tourist visits. The farm is also host to annual art galleries and events that attracts exhibitors from all around the globe.
All produce is organically grown, they make their own bricks, and pottery items, the eco-friendly lifestyle here is a great benchmark of an organic, holistic lifestyle.
Each year the family have to give a portion of everything the produce to the Cuban government.
There is a deep peacefulness on the farm, relaxing and tranquil as peacocks and chickens roam around going about their leisurely business.
There are countless varieties of trees, plants, flowers and crops which the family tend to with a little help from their friend Sindy, who helped to host our group during the visit.
Ripe fruit on every tree
Time for tea
On arrival, we took our seats and enjoyed the most delicious sweet herbal/fruit tea, piping hot in cute little farm made cups. The tea had a mix of ingredients including lemon and honey, I can’t remember the rest but it was ‘just’ divine!
Upcycled stones and rocks – a use is found for every available material on this farm
Yabadaba doo….
Delicious sweet tea
The farm is lush and green, thriving and growing fruitfully on every turn
Chained, cracked and broken
The family are hard at work in the pottery workshops, both young and old
Hand made pottery to sell
We were all offered the opportunity to sit and have a go at the pottery wheel, but no one wanted to get their hands dirty!!
Artistic exhibits strewn throughout the farm
the flower on the mango trees…..
This tractor is still proudly going strong today – and has been since the 1600s.
Our guide for the day pointing out the tree with an all seeing eye. These trees are thought to be spiritually sacred
The eye is not carved – but naturally occurring within some trees
The fruit on this tree looked like basketballs, but they are not edible
Standard bee hives
We stuck our fingers in a beehive!
That’s right, I kid you not. My most daring action of my entire Cuba trip lol. It may surprise you to hear that there are breeds of bees that do not sting, and we had the pleasure of meeting some of these at the farm and getting a taste of their honey straight from the hive with our own fingers!! The taste of the honey was like nothing I’ve tasted from any shop, I can only describe it as deliciously organic!
In memory of Martin Luther King
There was something a bit fishy about this piece….
Juice straight from the tree
Mine was a Papaya, banana, and mango juice – no words, just so good!
Lunch was a generous wholesome spread.
The old farm house
The family don’t live in this house, but they have preserved it as a impressive museum piece.
Héctor Correa, the owner of the farm and head of the family who made sure to come and greet us all personally, answer questions and shake hands thanking us wholeheartedly for coming to visit. We also met his son’s who were busy at work on the farm. Here he’s climbing out of the tractor that is still working since the 1600s. Hector and his wife could not have been any more hospitable, the warmth of their welcome alone, made the visit worthwhile
Left: our tour guide for the day Middle: Héctor Correa’s wife Right: Sindy, who also hosted on the farm.
Th hairiest tree I ever did see!!
We also had a mojito masterclass after lunch! Tip: grind your mint leaves, lemon juice and sugar a little before adding water/rum to get the flavours flowing
Banana plantations
Like a secret garden
A quick cuban percussion lesson on the way home
We looked at various interments used for salsa, rumba and cha cha cha percussion music, having a go on each one.
A few sights from earlier that day
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Dee of She Jaunts
How can I do this? My first trip to Cuba I only stayed in Havana. My next trip I want to venture out.
Cherryl
This was a bit of a quirky one, the farm visit was booked through the Virgin Holidays excursions on offer from a hotel I stayed in whilst in Varadero (Iberostar Bella Vista) you might be able to get in touch with the virgin rep there – via the hotel, to organise something – The Farm is at La Coincidencia near Jovellanos in Matanzas, Hector Luis Correa Almeida, his wife Odalys and their adult children run the farm together.
I hope you do get to venture out – Cuba has so many different cultural pockets – I’d highly recommend spending some time in Trinidad too (in Cuba). A ‘tour’ holiday might be worth considering as they cover a lot of ground, take you over a good stretch of the island with everything organised for you each day, including your accommodation – there seem to be quite a few companies offering them – (prices vary a lot) I did one of these as part of my first trip to Cuba and probably wouldn’t have seen a fraction of what I saw otherwise. I’d like to explore more of Cuba too, and funnily enough – I’d like to go back and see a bit more of Havana after only spending 2/3 nights there on my first Cuba trip 🔆
equinoxio21
Fantastic. Quite a journey. Muchas gracias.
(Just a note: you have material for ten posts. Maybe you can cut down the size and publish several times in a row. Better for traffic)
(If I may be so bold)
🙂
Cherryl
You are right, it was a long post, I have crammed quite a bit into this one – but I felt like I’d probably end up with too many and wanted to get off the subject of Cuba!! Hopefully anyone who is specifically interested in Cuba will find it useful. Have a lovely weekend!
equinoxio21
Thank you. (We did)
Have a lovely week.
manoloprofe
Wow…! After all this, I think a “mojito” is needed… Thanks for the “tour”! 🙂 🙂
Cherryl
Ha ha, you are absolutely right, thanks for looking ☺️
manoloprofe
Thanks to you for writing & picturing….! 🙂