Extraordinary Grenada

Please do not pinch us... we never want to wake up. We are really enjoying this land of spices. We are so happy that we chose to visit this little island and we thought we should try to tell you a bit more about why we feel that way. In short, we feel safe here, calm, peaceful, amazed, thankful, content, fortunate, happy, excited, relaxed, and blessed all at the same time to be in this new paradise.

There are so many wonderful things about living here in Grenada and it seems we have found many to talk about - sorry for the long post!

I have the feeling that most of our northern family and friends might feel that the nicest thing here would be the wonderful weather we have. Yes, we certainly like it too - a nice change from Canada.

May is the start of the warm(er) season in Grenada, with a monthly average temperature of 31°C that lasts until November. The coldest month is January at 29°C. We really don't need to own a thermometer as the temperature hardly changes over the course of the year. The constant breeze helps to cool the warmer days. The temperature usually drops 3 or 4 degrees at night and the overhead fan keeps a cooling breeze all night. Our a/c has been off since we arrived here.

The days with the most sunshine hours are in December and January, and the most cloudy and wet days are during October and November. The heaviest rainfall occurs from June through November with about 9 inches per month, and January through May gets an average of about 3 inches per month. Rainy days in Grenada occur throughout the year and are usually in the form of a quick downpour or the occasional heavy thunderstorm that quickly passes over the island with the constant trade winds. Therefore rainy periods do not typically reduce the sunshine hours each day.

The sea is always warm and it's great to take a swim or snorkel every day. Standing in the sandy sea bottom at Grand Anse Beach, with the sea water up to your shoulders, you can look down to see little fish (2” to 6” long) swimming about your feet. Put on your snorkel gear and go out 50 yards and there are amazing things to see.

When Caribbean islands are hit by tropical storms and hurricanes, they can form from June to November, but are most likely from August to October. But Grenada is located in the southernmost part of the annual hurricane belt, so it is rarely affected. Small tropical storms might happen once or twice a year but it is rare for a direct hit by a hurricane. Websites list Grenada's frequency of a direct hit at an average of every 29 years but might get slightly brushed every 6 years. In comparison, St Lucia (only 125 miles north) gets a direct hit every 14 years and a brush-by every 4 years. Antigua and Barbuda (330 miles north of Grenada) gets a direct hit every 7 years and is brushed every 3 years.

Many yachts from all over the Caribbean come to anchor in the southern bays of Grenada to wait out hurricane season each year. The Immigration office has special visitor's permits just for yachtsmen.

Produce in Grenada - numerous spices, fruits, and vegetables are grown here. The principal exports include cocoa beans, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, banana, mango and avocado. Other fresh fruits and vegetables are also grown here like avocados, mangoes, pineapple, plantain, cucumbers, star-fruit, and many root vegetables. Fruit and more fruit - the flavours are amazing and just seem to explode in your mouth. All of these are available at the local farmer markets on the streets. Grocery stores have them too but tend to charge a bit more. Some expats are sometimes not comfortable shopping in the farmer markets but we enjoy walking through and chatting with the vendors to see what deals they are offering.

There are also scattered plots of cotton, cloves, limes, turmeric, ginger and coffee - all of which are seasonal crops. Cotton, and lime oil, are produced on the island of Carriacou (part of Grenada), but we have seen cotton plants growing in our own neighbourhood. Food crops include yams, sweet potatoes, cassava, cabbage, corn, peas, and beans. Grenada is especially known for its nutmeg and cinnamon production, earning it the nickname "Spice Island." It's also fun to take a tour of the many 'Spice Estates' on the island as they awaken the senses. Here you can learn everything about growing, cultivating, harvesting and processing of spices, which many of us only know from the packages in the grocery store isles.

Chocolate - Plan a visit at the Diamond Chocolate Factory in the town of Victoria, or the Grenada Chocolate Company on the Belmont Estate in the parish of St Patrick, where you can witness how local ingredients are processed and prepared for cocoa based products. Tasty Grenada chocolate is made with local cocoa, real vanilla and of course cane sugar. Every ingredient gets delivered fresh to the factory.

Cocoa, one of nature’s many miracles. This photo of a cocoa pod was taken by yours truly at the Diamond Chocolate Factory in Victoria. Cocoa is one of the most sought after super-fruits that many people seek and makes other so-called super-fruits pale in comparison. It has been said that if cocoa were a pharmaceutical drug, it would be hailed as the greatest medicine of all time, and its discoverer would reap the Nobel Prize for Medicine. Cocoa is one of the healthiest known substances you can put into your body, as it helps to prevent primary killer diseases. Yep, that's pretty heavy stuff – eh? But it's true... take some time to research it a bit.

Nutmeg - Nutmeg is a popular spice that has a long list of associated health benefits, including its ability to relieve pain, soothe indigestion, strengthen cognitive function, detoxify the body, boost skin health, alleviate oral conditions, reduce insomnia, increase immune system function, and prevent leukemia, and improve blood circulation.

Nutmeg is one of two spices that grow on an evergreen tree with the scientific classification Myristica fragrans, also known as common nutmeg. These trees bear nutmeg, which is the seed of the tree, as well as mace, a less common spice derived from the dried reddish outer shell of the seed. This is the only tree which is the source of two distinct spices in the world.

While nutmeg is only a spice that is used sparingly in dishes (too much can be bad for you). It can have a positive impact your health in a variety of ways, mainly due to its nutritive content of vitamins, minerals, and organic compounds related to the essential oils. These beneficial components include dietary fiber, manganese, thiamin, vitamin B6, folate, magnesium, copper, and macelignan.

The tree is also highly valued because of the essential oils that are derived from the tree and leaves, and nutmeg butter is also a popular derivative food that packs a healthy punch. The essential oils from nutmeg extract are highly beneficial to health, and are frequently used in alternative and herbal medicine.

Cinnamon - Have you ever had a Cinnabun? At the end of the day, cinnamon is one of the most delicious and healthy spices on the planet. Cinnamon can lower blood sugar levels, reduce heart disease risk factors, and has a plethora of other impressive health benefits. The potential health benefits of cinnamon could be stated as nothing short of astonishing. Many of cinnamon’s fantastic properties come from one substance, something called cinnamaldehyde, which is naturally present in cinnamon, and is the source many of the antifungal and antibacterial properties that make cinnamon such a great addition to your diet. Cinnamon’s high concentration of antioxidants can help protect the body from damage from free radicals and reduce inflammation, reducing risk of cancer and other diseases. The combination of cinnamaldehyde, antioxidants and cinnamon’s high fiber content are some of the characteristics that lend it its incredible positive effects on the human body.

Once upon a time, cinnamon, and cinnamon bark, was more valuable than gold. And while these days, most of us would rather get our hands on 24 karats instead of 24 ounces – a gold bar over a brown stick – this bark-cum-spice has just as much bite as it does bark!

The Cinnamon spice is obtained from the inner bark of the tree stems. They are processed by scraping off the outer bark, then beating the branch evenly with a hammer to loosen the inner bark, which is then pried off in long rolls while the bark is still wet. It is then left to dry. Just make sure to get Ceylon type of cinnamon (grown here in Grenada), or stick to small doses if you're using the Cassia variety (generally from China) as they are more bitter.

Moringa – please see a previous post for more details on this amazing super-food.

We have moringa tea every day.

Fresh fish - every community in Grenada has a fish market - some more than one. All sorts of fresh fish are available here and we certainly get our fair share. We didn't used to have fish in our diets as the smell seemed to permeate the house. And, that is a sure sign that it's not fresh. Our fish dinners here have no cooking smells, partly because the windows are open all the time, but the freshness of same day catch and eat is the main reason. There are too many fish varieties here to list them all, and most of them are new to our palates. We enjoy fresh tuna (albacore or yellow fin and blue fin tuna), shark, mackerel, swordfish, barracuda, mahi mahi, marlin, snappers, etc., and we cook that more than beef and chicken. This fish photo is albacore (yellow fin) tuna that I took at the fish market in the town of Gouyave. The tuna was 4 feet long when it was caught - it is sushi quality. Delicious!

Local imbibing - Grenada has a really good assortment of beers and rums in the stores from all over the world but also have their own beer breweries and rum distilleries. The top photo was taken at the West Indies Beer Company and they make some really nice draft beer. They also bottle it now. Great stuff. The bigger name brands that are bottled here in Grenada are Carib Beer and Stag Beer.

The Westerhall Rum Distillery makes many excellent rums. Some of their rums rival world renown brands for flavour and age. They make rums that are great for mixing or sipping. Clarke's Court Rum distillery also makes several rums but the one that is preferred by locals is 67% alcohol. Way too strong for us...

When to visit - it is generally felt that the best time to visit Grenada is December. This single month is sandwiched between the departure of the rainy season and the arrival of the winter hoards of crowds in the hotels and on the cruise ships. December is also the best time of year to score some sunshine and deals on sales. Like the rest of the Caribbean, Grenada experiences a surge in tourism from January through mid April, when the weather in the north is at its coldest and gloomiest. You can expect both airfare and room rates to rise during this peak season.

It is always a good time to visit Grenada – just be aware that there might be a storm in the summer months. Summer and fall usher in more occurrences of rain and the thought of storms. But if you're willing to risk a bit of bad weather, you'll find hotel rates discounted up to 40 percent.

To us, the most important aspect of living in Grenada comes down to the way we are treated by the people of Grenada. Everyone is friendly and helpful and people are nice to us. It is obvious that mothers in this country know how to raise their children to be kind and respectful to others. This is a photo of fishermen in the harbour who stopped working on their boat to have a chat with me. Very friendly. We have not experienced any negativity, or had the feeling that we were unwelcome. It's like going back in time when doors to people's homes were open rather than locked. Please seem to genuinely care to make sure you are happy. People say hello to you and want to know if you are enjoying your day. It's nice to be with people who smile.