Local Food in Puerto Rico Finds Energy in Recovery

Just returned from a month in PR. We rented a house in Vega Baja, a barrio about 45 minutes west of San Juan. Needless to say the weather and physical beauty were unsurpassed. However one of the nicest parts of our stay was finding our way to Frutos del Guacabo, an organic farm mentioned here and in previous NYT articles. This is where we bought most of the produce we ate. They are also producing lamb, chicken, eggs and cheese. The owners are justifiably proud of their organic farm and along with other grassroots farms could certainly not only reverse the import dynamic but eventually with the right financial support even begin exporting their products. Mainland USA, are you listening? As others noted, most of the produce in the grocery stores was imported from Mexico, Central and South America and vastly inferior to what we purchased at the farm. While most American tourists flock to San Juan and other 'resorts' we'd encourage all to explore this wonderful island to both expand horizons but as importantly provide much needed financial support in the wake of Maria.

This is good news. The insect populations have taken a huge hit in Puerto Rico but there seem to be just enough to help produce crops for human consumption. https://www.popsci.com/temperature-rise-insect-populations#page-3 Everyone: start a garden, plant a tree, fly on planes less and drive less too, eat more plant based foods. Take action in your community to green things up and bring more self-sustainability. It's something positive to do instead of being paralyzed by the uncertain outcome of abrupt climate change.

No question that Puerto Rico's supermarkets have always been stocked with imported produce that could have been sourced locally. Even then, the choice was always to hit the nearest "Plaza del Mercado", where local growers sold their fresh, organic produce. Even the smallest towns usually had one or two "ventorrillos" where you may also find local produce. I for one am quite pleased and excited to read about this local produce awakening in Puerto Rico. Can't wait to visit and taste.

We could have a wonderful find an ally 90 miles off the Florida Keys if only we had a sane government. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Cuba, WE (and the Russians) have caused mass devastation there, and our senseless embargo is torturing its population of well-educated, creative, friendly, hard-working people. How easy it would be to "make peace" with them. They do not want another Mafia-controlled evil Batista regime there; they want to live in peace, grow crops, feed themselves, be our friends (when we get a sane government) and cultivate industry without a criminal government. Sound like Puerto Rico? It does, and it should. Ignorance and Marco Rubio (with the Florida/Cuban contingent of NIMBYs) is preventing this accord. The wiser, kinder part of America should get involved NOW before China moves in and we have "little Bejing" off our coast.

On one visit to Puerto Rico, I saw a mango orchard full of ripe fruit. Across the street was a supermarket. I went in and asked for mangoes and they showed me imported mangoes, unripe, from South America. I walked across the street to the orchard and asked the elderly man sitting on his porch where I could buy his mangos and he told me no stores on the island would buy them. He gave me a giant bag and I had to practically force him to accept money for them. They were delicious. I'm glad to hear attitudes on changing in PR about local food.

Oh man. Now I'm hungry for these foods and a visit with the people of Puerto Rico!

I wish there was a spanish language version of this article to share with my friends on the island.

This would be a great article to translate for the Spanish-language version of the NYT!

Combine these efforts with additional grass roots efforts in sustainability. I would expect to see an eco-tourism paradise.

What a wonderful story! It is good to see an example of people in trouble working together to solve problems. I am convinced that a major part of solving the world's pollution problems (not just climate change but toxic waste and water supplies, etc.) is stopping the hidden cost of food that comes in a plastic packet from far away. Meanwhile ... tell us again, what's the matter with sharing (aka moderate socialism, not the dictatorial kind that ends up giving power to the powerful, the antithesis of the idea)?

Great Puerto Rico residents. PR could be an exporter of food like the southern US, all year long growing season. With great potential for wind and solar farms, they could also export energy. They have wonderful weather. Have been on trips with family, some of it work related for environmental study, wonderful island any time of year. Great people, great environment, great beaches. Global Warming is changing everything and I hope PR can weather the storm, I'm not sure all of us in the US can. PR could/will lead the way.

Terrific news - not just about rebuilding, but doing so in sustainable, environmentally-sound fashion. In this sense, Puerto Rico is better suited, despite the threat of hurricanes, for local farming than say, many of our cities and regions in the mainland’s cold North and thirsty West. A lesson in adjusting economy and lifestyle to what the land gives you.

I'm really glad to see the island looking out for itself and especially happy that agriculture is handled locally. Let's hope it catches on and benefits the locals.

Thanks for shining a spotlight on the entrepreneurial spirit of those profiled and their commitment to rebuilding Puerto Rico. This reconnection back to the way our parents ate is part of the key to improving quality of life for everyone on the island. And there are implications for boosting the economy, and reducing obesity, diabetes and other health issues. Public policy should be designed to support these efforts. Hope they are linking with schools to cultivate the next generation. Gracias!

The Jones Act doesn't "constantly slow" shipments from the mainland. The last time this issue was studied, the Government Accountability Office specifically noted that one of the benefits of the Jones Act to Puerto Rico is that the island enjoys timely and dedicated service it otherwise wouldn't get if there was no Jones Act. Page 29 - "... the law has helped to ensure reliable, regular service between the United States and Puerto Rico—service that is important to the Puerto Rican economy." https://www.gao.gov/assets/660/653046.pdf It would be nice to read one article about Puerto Rico that didn't include false smears of the Jones Act.

We are drowning in negativity; thank you for this positive news.

Rau ram (Persicaria odorata) (aka Vietnamese coriander) is not culantro (Eryngium foetidum) (aka Mexican or Saw Tooth coriander). It is an entirely different plant. Recao is culantro, not rau ram.

It's good to see PR being showcased given its general invisibility and neglect in the US. But there's a touch of historical amnesia in this article. Puerto Ricans have always cultivated and maintained their cuisine despite the deleterious circumstances and vicissitudes it has suffered throughout its colonial history. What might be new is its appropriation and gentrification as it becomes, if you will, "trendified" into the next "new" thing for consumption by those who like to think of themselves as cutting edge.

reminds me of a local-grown organic restaurant I lunched at not so long ago - I wrote a review 'hippie food done right' the owner responded with a chuckle ...

Thank you for this article! Puerto Rico is one of the most beautiful places on earth, as well as it's culture and it's people. Eating in Puerto Rico is a joy and one of the top features of the island I look forward to when visiting. I am excited to hear that locals are championing a locally grown vegetable industry - when I would shop at SuperMaxx or the other mercados, I was dissappointed to see how much of the vegetables were imported from the US mainland or from Mexico. Everyone considering a vacation outside the US mainland should travel to PR: their creativity deserves our travel dollars, and their hard work has earned it. They have an active "locavore" creative food & restaurant industry - go visit and enjoy!

Kudos to the brave lawyer who abandoned her career in law for growing vegetables. I know too little of the Puerto Rican native foods to judge, except for a memory of a roadside-grilled fish that was delicious. On the photos, I admire the "handmade, all-natural sausage longaniza", but "pernil, garlicky slow-roasted pork shoulder," frightens me. Each seems a version of the Yankee hotdog and hamburger, respectively.

You have no idea how emotionally moving this article was for me. I was born and raised in rural Puerto Rico, in the mountainous center of the island in a town called Cidra. Every generation cooked and ate with what was available and I really miss that. I remember my great grandmother snubbing at fast food telling us "eso no es comida" (that's not food). But what really moved me was the fact that the island is indeed recovering. My mother lives on the island as well as most of my family. I remember it took three days for her to be able to call me after María and the first thing she told me was that nature was gone. Her main concern was the trees and the plants and the animals in the island that were lost. We Puerto Ricans have a very strong connection to our land and you can see it in what we eat. Thank you for this article.