The Lost Paradise of Panamá

Everyone has a green thumb in Panama. If you shove a stick in the ground, chances are it will grow. For those that live in a town and have a small piece of land, you’ll probably see a few plantain trees, coconut trees, and maybe even some yucca plants in their backyard, to name a few. Large mango trees are also fairly common and provide shade during the hot afternoons. For those that live in a rural environment, they literally can grow everything they need to live on within a 100 meter radius of their home. Below are a few pictures of some of the things you might see.

Vaca / cow skull in an orange tree

Wide open field that is virtually unused

A living fence – plant it and it will grow

Symbols that you might see over a doorway

Anti-bat grass hanging from the rafters in the kitchen

Achote - red seeds inside a pod that are ground into a spice. Used for flavoring meat.

Coconut plants growing everywhere

Preparing a fresh coconut. Cut through the husk to the pulp. When you’re ready to drink, make a hole through the thin pulp layer and pour out the water into a glass or drink from the husk. When done, split open the husk / shell, and spoon out the pulp.  Leave what’s left on the ground for the chickens to finish. At night, burn the husks to help keep mosquitoes away.

Lemon grass – great for tea

Limes. These are as big as oranges, and some people mistake them for oranges at first. But once you peel one open and smell it–there’s no mistaking that it’s a fresh, very tangy, lime. Squeeze the juice over fish, or use some in a glass of rum.