It was a weekend of sensory overload at the 27th St. Thomas-St. John Agriculture and Food Fair on the grounds of the University of the Virgin Islands Reichhold Center.
"Looking sweet," someone said, gazing at the plentitude of jams, chutneys and tarts piled high in a tumbling array of reds, oranges and burgundies, the incredible bounty of produce, fruits, flowers, plants, brought even further to life by the music echoing over the grounds all day.
The event brings the community together in a spirit particular to the occasion. It virtually pulses with the energy of conviviality.
This year took a slightly more serious tone with the theme "Fresh Start, Grow Smart," putting the emphasis on the need for farmers to organize and modernize to increase profitability.
To this end, farmer Charlie "Sweetman Bordeaux" Leonard was recognized as 2009 Crop Farmer of the Year.
"Leonard has a model farm," said Agriculture Commissioner Louis Petersen in presenting Leonard with the award, which carries a $500 cash prize from Fintrac, one of the fair’s sponsors, an international agribusiness with St. Thomas headquarters.
Leonard has farmed his land over most of the last three decades. For the last four years he has worked closely with Fintrac to employ new farming methods.
Leonard, with the technological expertise of Fintrac agronomist Richard Pluke, produced a scotch bonnet pepper crop in 2008 that yielded spectacular results: 249 pepper plants that produced more than 10,000 peppers that year. He continues to grow his produce at a remarkable level, along with rich honey from his bee hives, and fresh eggs from his chickens. He is a busy man. Living off the land is Leonard’s gift and his joy.
Leonard has won so many prizes for his produce, he can’t remember them all. "I don’t know; I’ve stopped counting," he says. "I used to win all the time, once for five years in a row in the ’80s, but I’ve never won Farmer of the Year."
Nathaniel Tuitt, who was named Livestock Farmer of the Year, was not present at the ceremony.
Petersen announced three new awards this year.
"We want to honor those who have helped agriculture: Arthur Hartman and Myron "Buddy" Henneman who are always behind our efforts," Petersen said, "and Alton Adams Jr. who gave graciously of his time to help us engineer the cistern at Bordeaux."
None of the honorees, however, were in attendance to receive the surprise awards.
No matter. Everyone was excited just to be at the celebration. Blanche Mills and Caryl Johnson of the UVI family and consumer sciences program, handed out just-baked sorrel tarts, asking folks to give an opinion. Yum, no question.
Up the hill at the V.I. Energy Office tent, you could pull up a chair, watch the NOVA video "Dimming the Sun" on a wide-screen TV, drink an icy-cold cup of water from a dispenser, and be cooled by a stand-up fan, a nice respite, all powered by solar energy.
Energy Office specialists, including Don Buchanan, passed out information on rebate and grant programs available as well as tips on energy efficiency. Robert Dinion supplied the energy Saturday along with product tips and rebate offers for as low as $58 after rebates available from energyallover.com
You could drop in a tent to get a flu shot, a blood sugar or a cholesterol reading.
"Good Lord," one fairgoer exclaimed, "I can’t get my cholesterol tested here!"
The booths abounded with all manner of cholesterol-rich temptations, from kallaloo to carrot cake, pates, tofu, pies, tarts, maubi, vegetable drinks, stew pork, roast chicken, fry chicken, candied ginger, sweetbreads, whelks, popcorn johhnycake and jellies.
To say nothing of Lucien "Jambie" Samuel’s pumpkin soup and blue cornbread, or
St.Croix’s Armstrong guava, peanut or pumpkin Ice Cream.
Plants in profusion covered the hillside, draping it in yellows, reds, pinks, white and red poinsettias, roses, hibiscus. Vegetables and fruits proliferated. Farmers hawked everything fresh under the sun – eggplants, soursop, chervil, basil, pumpkins, oregano, thyme, basil, all manner of herbs. And bright round grape tomatoes from the St. Croix V.I. Farmers Cooperative make their second appearance at the Fair.
And animals. Everything from tiny black and white goats, to weird looking spotted fowl, and hoglets. What is a hoglet? Well, silly, it’s a baby hedgehog. There were two of the tiny balls of black and white spines for the kiddies to pet, which they did with wise trepidation.
Editor’s note: The Source reported that fair winners would be announced Sunday. However, Carlos Robles of the University of the Virgin Islands Extension Center later informed the Source there were no prizes awarded this year because there weren’t enough entrants.
