Going Bananas in the Tropics   The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture.  Thomas Jefferson   Twenty years ago I was substantially more tranquilo in the act of smuggling than I would be today. With nary an afterthought as to the possible consequences, I waltzed unscathed through immigration and …

Residents of Pueblo Verde share a common interest in healthy, home-grown foods – especially those that come from our very own back yards. With our number of full and part time residents growing, the number of vegetables, fruit crops and, animals for eggs, milk, and meat is also steadily on the rise. Our sustainably-minded community …

Through the Looking Glass Oh what a wicked web we weave….. (Sir Walter Scott) It’s like déjà vu all over again. For anyone who wasn’t so drugged out and asleep at the wheel during the political and social ferment of the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s, these lyrics resonated deeply with your personal experiences. There’s …

Flowering trees are well-known throughout Guanacaste, the most famous of which is probably the Cortez Amarillo. A native dry-tropical forest tree, Cortez Amarillo spends a few, impressively synchronized days each year displaying fabulous yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers that attract animals from all over the forest. Typically this occurs at the end of the dry season; one …

Guess Who Came to Dinner? (Note: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is a 60’s era film about inter-racial marriage, historically illegal in most of the US and still outlawed in one out of three states, when the film was released.) It can be argued that musicians, athletes and actors such as Sidney Poitier helped, over …

A Season of Change A change in the weather is known to be extreme, But what’s the sense of changing horses in mid-stream.  -Bob Dylan Like most things in life, people who haven’t lived through it have a hard time believing it. I’m talking about the nearly overnight changes from seasonal Sahara to rumble through …

Pueblo Verde developers recently installed a new, welded gate to replace our old, wooden gates. The new gate will help keep cows and other wanderers out of Pueblo Verde and adds a sturdy and attractive feature at the entrance. Over the coming months, wood panels will be added to the gate and then flowering vines …

A recent gathering of Pueblo Verde neighbors included culinary contributions from residents and homeowners, including a fresh salad brought by lot 13 owners, Craig & Casey. This salad was special; all of the ingredients came from Casey’s home gardens. Various types of greens, tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers filled a giant bowl for the 14 or …

Until just a year ago, internet options on the Gold Coast were limited to cellphone tower-based “data-cards” and satellite dish service. When ICE announced that DSL was coming to our area, the mere thought of being able to watch videos, Skype with friends and family, and reliably check and send emails – from home! – …

Mi Tierra Productos de Guanacaste recently created a video slideshow of the products and producers that get food from farms to area residents’ fridges. Enjoy the video and buy local!