Very early on Saturday mornings just as the sun rises to embrace the day, there, at the Cheap Side Market (here in Bridgetown, Barbados) you’ll find Eureka Carver and Dazzle Blackman proudly standing behind their stall with an array of fresh herbs, some potted and some parcelled out for sale. There are decorative plants for sale too but it’s the herbs that draw you in.
As we mark Agriculture Month, my thoughts turn to the small farmers and gardeners doing their bit to help feed and educate us. I have tremendous respect, love, and appreciation for all they do. For some, it is a side hustle, for others, it is a hobby, and there are those for whom it was a way of feeding themselves that has transformed into a business.
Let me share with you about a stall I discovered at the market about 15 years ago that sells a variety of fresh herbs and the owners mission.
Thai basil, Sweet basil, Lemon Basil, Purple basil, Lemon balm, Lemongrass, Chandon Beni (culantro), cilantro (coriander), Chinese celery, Dill, Tarragon, Marjoram, Rosemary, Regular Chives, Garlic Chives, Spring Onions, Cuban Oregano, Anise, Parsley, a variety of Thyme and more can be had at this herb-treasure stall.
Eureka Carver’s passion for herbs initially arose because of her interest in exploring cuisines from different cultures. She started her own herb garden and now it is full of herbs that are not commonly found in Barbados or the Caribbean. What started as a hobby has now become a business. Besides her green and fragrant array of herbs, what also attracted me to Eureka is her desire to educate her customers. She is very passionate about expanding our palates and encouraging customers to grow their own herbs.
Shopping at the stall, I was introduced to tarragon. It is an herb that’s been grown for decades in Barbados and they use it in their green seasoning. Tarragon is used widely in French, Eastern European and Russian cuisine.
I was over the moon one Saturday when I went and saw ripe breadnuts! I bought all 6 bags of the nuts, packed in small plastic bags. What a taste of home that was.
Over the years, the variety of herbs on offer has grown. Eureka credits this expansion not just to her own culinary curiosity but also to the many, many interactions she has had with customers. A number of these customers are from countries other than Barbados looking for herbs from their home. Their enquiries have frequently prompted Eureka to do research and work out ways to cultivate those herbs in Barbados. For her, these interactions are worth the 4 hours a day she spends in her garden and waking up at 4.30 am each Saturday to get to the market in time to greet shoppers.
Through these interactions she learns about other foods and dishes and, at the same time, shares her knowledge by enticing her customers to try some of the herbs that are unfamiliar to them.
To encourage us garden novices and food enthusiasts to grow our own, Eureka nurses the seeds to saplings and then retails them for as little as BDS$1 (US 50 cents). I dare you to go into any nursery and secure such a deal. “Some of the other vendors criticise us for doing this. They say that nursing the herb-plants and then only selling them for a dollar will encourage people not to come back and buy… you know, buy herbs on a weekly basis,” says Eureka. But this kind of criticism only makes Eureka laugh with a satisfied look on her face, for you see – this is what she wants to have happen. She wants people to grow their own, she wants people to expand their palates by experimenting, she wants and encourages feedback and discussion about what she is growing and eating and what her customers are growing and eating. She wants people to become self-sufficient.
There are so many things that we can do with herbs – we can make dressings, pastes, and salads. We can eat all of them cooked and at the same time have many of them raw; we can bake, grill, fry, sauté, boil, roast, stew, marinate and even create drinks with our herbs.
Going to the market is more than shopping for food, it is an experience and an education. Perhaps, even if it is just for this month of Agriculture, visit a fresh, open air market (I do not mean sit in your car and do a drive through shop). Take a walk along the rows of stalls, slow down, admire the offerings, ask questions, and offer a greeting. Who knows, you may discover something new or find something you have not seen in a long time. More importantly offer a word of thanks and appreciation to the vendors who ensure that you have what you need on a daily and weekly basis.
(Photo by Cynthia Nelson)
Cynthia
