THE VERSATILE NUTMEG

Grenada is called the Spice Island because of the great variety of spices grown and used here. I’ll start with nutmeg which is such a fantastic plant/fruit.

The trees are medium height, have beautiful, shiny bright green leaves and dot the island everywhere. The fruit, from a distance looks like a peach. As it ripens, it opens up and the bright red lacey mace covering the nut appears. Once picked, the outer shell and the mace of are removed. The nut is then dried and packaged either with the outer hard shell intact or the shell removed.

Nothing of the fruit is wasted, the shell is used for jams and jellies, the mace as a milder form of the nutmeg seasoning, the hard outer shell is used for mulching. Nutmeg is used in the various ways throughout the world. One of my favorite uses is nutmeg ice cream.

For more on nutmeg, go to www.hotellaurina.com

Enjoy!