Our Center
Farm & Restaurant
Our land was purchased in the year 2000. We first established a botanical garden and a variety trial of hundreds of different fruits from all climate zones in Guatemala, from the lowlands along the blue pacific coast to the high plains around Todo Santos in the north. We dug a well for fresh water and brought in boatloads of horse manure for fertilizer.
After ten years, we have selected the most dependable tree crops for our 1700 meter elevation, semi-arid temperate zone. Only about 25 varieties proved adaptable to our soil, tempature and rainfall conditions so we removed all of the unproductive trees and are replanting with selected types. The trees stand on rich volcanic ash-based soils, and are nurtured by compost, cover crops, and water from fish ponds.
Our vegetables are planted by the moon phase and divided into summer or winter groups. We have a medicinal herb seed bank and land is being prepared to plant after the next solstice. Eventually we hope to have a world-class collection of over 500 varieties of seed. We are open to barter and work with seed search-find organizations.
After years of terracing and retainer wall-building, we now have dozens of micro-climates (wet, hot, cold, dry) and we grow over half of the food we eat. The kitchen serves an all you can eat buffet, gourmet vegan menu for 30 dollars per day. We provide special diets, such as macrobiotic, frutarian, raw food, etc. We have a soy kitchen to produce all our soy products fresh daily. We bake sprouted grain breads in a solar oven. We make fruit wine, brewer's yeast, and cider vinegar. Mushrooms and fungi grow up the volcano in rainy season, so the only thing missing is you!