Mocking Bird Hill is delighted be working with the Trees That Feed Foundation – a charity the shouts from the rooftops a clear understanding of the challenges faced by the poor and economically challenged in Jamaica and Haiti.
Flour that Doesn’t Require Land Mass
The Trees that Feed Foundation plants trees that feed people, create jobs and benefit the environment. Many tropical countries experience hunger. Wheat, corn and rice, which together form a large percentage of the local diet, are imported and expensive. However many species of trees produce edible harvests which unlike traditional arable crops do not require much space to grow, provide food for decades rather than a season, and don’t require the labour or chemicals used in traditional crops.
TTFF supplies individuals and groups with quantities of the best varieties of these trees which are neither invasive nor have been genetically modified. Almost 30,000 trees have been supplied to Jamaica and Haiti, in addition to post-harvest grinders and shredders that don’t require electricity to make highly nutritious flour from Breadfruit Trees.
Breadfruit is the only tree which produces a basic carbohydrate. Think of it like a potato on a tree. When roasted and eaten fresh it tastes like bread. It is a food that can be produced using little or no energy. As the trees grow they absorb carbon dioxide, CO2, a gas that causes greenhouse warming and contributes to climate change. More trees and less imported food means less CO2 and more oxygen. Less energy used in processing and food transportation equals even less CO2 emission.
Breadfruit the Sustainable Tree of Many Uses
An article by NTBG scientists in ArcNews highlighted, “breadfruit trees grow quickly, reaching a mature height of about 85 feet (26 m). Not only do the trees provide food, they provide timber and animal feed, improve soil conditions and protect watersheds in areas where they are grown. The male flowers are often dried and burned to create a mosquito repellent. All parts of the tree yield a latex, or milky juice, which is used as boat caulking.”
29th April – Edible Tree Goals Get Planted
As part of Mocking Bird Hill’s twentieth anniversary celebrations in 2014, edible trees will be planted in our own gardens to celeberate Earth Day (4 BreadFruit, 2 Naseberry and 2 Guava trees) and then in 4 local Portland schools on the 29th April. The hotel will work together with the TFF foundation to introduce the children to breadfruit flour. The foundation will donate the flour while the kitchen team at Mockingbird Hill will test recipes and then show the children and teachers how to cook pancakes, pizzas, saltfish fritters, dumplings and porridge that the schools can be made with this superb flour.
Children from the School of Hope visited the hotel for a gardening day on the hotel grounds on the 15 April, where they helped in the vegetable garden and then had lunch with the harvested callaloo, accompanied by breadfruit flour Saltfish fritters and pancakes. This was such a success with the children we will roll out similar days with other schools.
We encourage all our guests who would like to off-set their travel foot print in a way that feeds tummies, the environment and economy to work with us to achieve our goal this year.
The Drapers Basic School, 35 children aged 3-6 years old
2 Guava, 2 Naseberry and 1 Ackee tree. They already have a breadfruit tree on the grounds which we will work together at harvest to help supplement our 50lb flour per month target.
School of Hope, 35 children aged 6-18 with learning disabilities
2 Guava, 2 Mango and 2 Ackee trees and we will supply 50lb of breadfruit flour per month.
Drapers All-Age School with 150 children aged between 6-16 years old
5 Naseberry Trees, 5 Breadfruit and 2 Pomegranate Trees and 50lb of breadfruit per week
Shebian Prep School with 200 children aged between 3-16 years old
2 Guava, 2 Mango and 2 Ackee Trees, and 50 -110lb of Breadfruit flour supplied per week
Once the programmes are running successfully in these schools, Hotel Mockingbird Hill will introduce more schools to the opportunities that edible trees can bring.
Read more about the Trees that Feed Foundation and Mocking Bird Hill other charity initiatives for local children
