Bermuda-Grown Produce at Its Salty, Nutritional Best 🌱
Some of our most enjoyable holiday moments are spent around tables, sampling local food and drink with family and friends.
As a small island with a rich seafaring history, Bermuda is famous for its fresh seafood and delicious rum cocktails. What Bermuda grows in the ground however, is also unique, because it soaks up the flavours from its distinct surroundings.
Anyone familiar with Bermudian history may know that in days gone by, our most famous export was onions. So much so, that we were even nicknamed “Onions”.
Bermuda’s onions owe their mild, sweet flavour to the island’s sandy soil and subtropical climate, however they are not the only vegetable to take on a unique Bermudian flavour.
Among the Hamilton Princess chefs’ favourite locally grown ingredients are their home-grown herbs. They harvest these on an almost daily basis from the raised beds which sit between the iconic Intrepid restaurant and the waters of Hamilton Harbour, soaking up the salt from the ocean along with other minerals from the organic soil.
These beds are the brainchild of local husband and wife team, Jason and Beth Hollis of Yard Farm Bermuda who have partnered up with the hotel to develop their herb beds and other vegetable gardens:
“Salt is actually a good thing for the garden. It’s a mineral and plants take up minerals,” explains Jason. “It will enhance the flavour.”
Like the Hamilton Princess’s culinary team, Yard Farm Bermuda is devoted to healthy living. They use their own blend of organic fertilizer, which is a mixture of animal feeds including bone, alfalfa and kelp meals, along with an organic vegetable and herb potting mix:
“We’re actually feeding the soil, which then promotes more colour and more flavour, so more nutrients,” he continues.
While appearance and flavour are important, the inspiration behind Yard Farm’s methods are medical: “I had a gut issue,” shares Jason. Tests showed he was deficient in 13 basic vitamins and minerals:
“I was eating healthily, but I wasn’t taking on the nutrients.”
This lead him not just to transform his diet, but also to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between the microorganisms in the soil and the nutrient density in food:
“This is one of the reasons why I started bringing in organic fertilizer,” he adds.
He tested his new fertiliser on some tomato plants and gave away the fruit. The response from his friends was: “How did you get your tomatoes to taste so good?” He can also tell what an herb might be deficient in just by looking at it, and can add amendments to keep it healthy:
“It might need more nitrogen, or phosphorus, or potassium, for example,” he says.
In total, he has around 15 different soil amendments.
So, which herbs are in demand from the hotel chefs?
To start with, there are three different types of basil—purple, cinnamon and Thai, along with oregano, thyme, sage, mint, parsley, chives, lemon balm and rosemary.
Alongside these, Jason has also planted some borage, known for its sky blue, edible flowers. But, that’s not the only reason he plants it:
“Borage brings the bees, which helps to pollinate everything,” he says.