Our Farm
Our fruit forest is the backbone of our farm. Stephen is an avid fruit fanatic and has planted species from all over the world over the last 24 years. Visiting Punta Mona is almost surely a chance to taste something new. Some fruits like Jackfruit and Breadfruit fruit most of the year, while other favorites like Mangosteen and Durian are only available for limited periods. Thousands of hands have laid the foundation for what we’re now getting to enjoy at Punta Mona. We’re still planting trees and new fruits to continue building abundance and diversity. As the proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.” Both apply at Punta Mona. In addition to our fruit trees, many other perennials have found success here: medicinal and culinary herbs, ornamental flowers, and nutrient-dense greens are never far away. There is plenty more including an incredible collection of mature bamboo clumps that we not only harvest to build with, but to enjoy in the kitchen. Keep scrolling to learn about a dozen of the hundreds of things we’re growing.
What’s growing at Punta Mona?
Cacao
Its history here and heart opening properties make it the most sacred fruit at Punta Mona. Our land was once a Cacao farm and home to over 60 families, but a fungus made the farm no longer viable. Many of the original trees still remain along with some more recent additions of grafted Cacao’s that handle this climate better.
Chaya
Special not only for its high source of iron and proteins, Chaya was the first plant Stephen planted at Punta Mona. “Chaya con Coco” is a favorite in our kitchen.
Durian
Known as the king of fruits: Some might say the tastiest fruit on the planet, while others might gently call it an acquired taste. It’s savory, sweet and creamy all at once and its flavor has been described as “minced garlic caramel whipped cream”.
Chickens
We love our chickens! Our bamboo coop can house up to 40 chickens who lay eggs for our kitchen and help with our compost system.
Bananas
A staple of our diet, we are home to over 15 different varieties of banana.
Greenhouse
The last few months have also seen the completion of our new greenhouse. We’ve created raised Hügel beds, which use decaying organic materials to build a soil profile high in humus. They’re just about ready to receive new plants.
Edible Tubers
Yuca, Sweet Potatoes, Malanga, Yampi, and others edible root veggies are always growing in our soil.
Mangosteens
The Queen of the fruit world, and we’re home to a small orchard. These delicious wonders of nature are only available once each year in late July and early August.
Pineapples
There’s nothing quite like a farm fresh Pineapple. They take nine months to a year to produce a single fruit. We’ve now got a few thousand spread around the property and lining our pathways.
Bamboo Forest
Clumps of massive bamboo line the edges of the jungle. Stephen has collected over 20 species that we now use to build with.
Jackfruit
These massive, jaw dropping fruits can be enjoyed year round. It can be had ripe as a sweet treat, harvested green for tacos, or fermented as a delicious hooch or vinegar.
Mushrooms
We harvest wild mushrooms like Reishi, turkey tail, oyster, and wood ear. We continue to explore cultivation techniques in our mushroom lab.
Breadfruit
With its culinary versatility, high yield, and year round production, Breadfruit is a leader in the food sovereignty movement. Ripe, it is sweet and doughy and is great in pancakes and deserts, while green it can be treated as a starch and used in similar ways to potato.
Spices
Here, fresh cinnamon bark sits out to dry. We also grow and harvest nutmeg, curry, kefir lime, garlic vine, vanilla, ginger, tumeric, and more…
Edible Greens
Dozens of nutrient rich greens are growing all over our land and are served in our kitchen daily. Moringa, amaranth, katuk, and spinach to name a few.
Sugar Cane
We’ve recently expanded our production of sugar cane and have been able to reduce our use of outside sugar. Hand grinding it into juice requires teamwork.
Flowers
Not just beautiful to look at, our ornamental collection helps feed and attract pollinators like hummingbirds and butterflies.
Want to see more of our farm? Check out this farm video made by volunteer Spencer White, featuring Timo Mendez.