The Mud Hole Road (The CoastWatcher: Caribbean West)
News from the Honduras Bay Islands and North Coast
27 October 2001
By Pierre Renaldo, The Coastwatcher©

Sometimes we associate a name with a particular thing or place, so when I say Mud Hole Road, the visions of many muddy holes in a variety of locations around the island pop into my mind. After all, our 'estimado' road building company is most accommodating when it comes to creating mud holes. I think these guys could cause a mud hole to develop in the middle of a desert.

They have already managed to set up at least six biggies on the Flowers Bay Road. So if you decided to name things after something like road conditions, there could be at least a dozen roads you could name the Mud Hole Road. But there is one particular Mud Hole Road I want to tell you about today, because something interesting and unusual is taking place there, in a pretty little spot along this particular byway and it will undoubtedly affect every one of you when you come to visit Roatan.

It is a very pleasant surprise that has been created by two very crafty and creative people; their names are Dr. Val and Jana Eylands. And they are growing some very tasty things for those of us who love salads.

Blue Harbor Plantation

The Eylands are hydroponic growers of very fancy lettuce and herbs, a process which does not utilize soils and lots of chemicals as in conventional growing. There are many advantages to the end users, but freshness and flavor are at the top of my list. It is the healthy way to eat salad, especially in Central America.

Remember the old warnings about traveling South of the Border? Never eat the fresh vegetables, especially salads, they told us. You will become ill if you do. Well my friends, you need not concern yourself about that old problem any more when you visit Roatan, because Blue Harbor Plantation and Jana and Val Eylands have come up with the solution.

This charming couple has traveled a long road to bring these wonderful delicacies to Roatan. Their success was not instantaneous, the journey marred by a few disappointing and unexpected twists of fate. Determined and undaunted they continued by trial and error, until they were able to market a highly acclaimed product.

Now they are the talk of the island. Imagine! Out here in the western Caribbean we are enjoying a salad mix, hydroponically grown, that rivals anything in the U.S.A. But the salad mix is not all they grow. As I mentioned earlier, they have brought fresh herbs to our kitchens. Basil, arugula, dill, thyme, mint, oregano, tarragon, garlic chives, and marjoram, are all sold in resealable bags as is the salad mix. My personal observation is the remarkable refrigerator life of these products. Because the products are in the stores and restaurants the same day they are harvested, you can be assured of freshness, and longevity. I squeeze the air out of the bag before resealing and it seems to help the products last longer.

Recently I was treated to another delightful surprise, courtesy of Jana and Dr. Val. Seedless, burpless, cucumbers. I am a cuke freak and one day recently I thought I thought it was a mirage (probably induced by the tropical heat) when I saw a familiar long green cylindrical vegetable on the cool shelf of the produce department. It was what I call a hothouse cucumber. Our local variety leaves much to be desired, being over mature with a core of large unpleasant seeds and a very mealy texture.

Dr. Val is experimenting with several new varieties of these cucumbers and I will be first in line when they are introduced in the markets here.

Blue Harbor Plantation, I salute your owners. Jana Eylands, MBA, University of California at Berkeley, and Val Eylands, Ph.D. Doctor of Agronomy, University of Florida. I am happy you picked Roatan as the place to do your thing.

Remember to address comments and questions to me at: elouis@globalnet.hn

That's it for this week. Stay tuned for more exciting news.

Ciao
Pierre

By Pierre Renaldo, Mountain Coastal S.A,. General Contractors, Construction Management and Construction Consultants.