by Kristina Morgan
I just learned something interesting the other day at Roberto's Rincon del
Cielo, one of my favorite restaurants here in Ajijic. Roberto brought me an icy
raspberry margarita and told me that LakeChapala is the raspberry
producing capitol of the world!
Most of the produce we buy here at LakeChapala is exported to the U.S. and most
of you north of the border are already familiar with the Driscoll brand of
strawberries, red raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Those raspberries
and some of the other berries are raised right here at Lake Chapala
in a large farming operation near Jocotepec on the other side of the lake.
Locals will be familiar with seeing the
farmers and their children selling the berries by the kilo at the local markets
and on the side of the road. The berries are fresh, just picked at their peak
of sweetness and bursting with bright juice.
When you come to the Lake Chapala
area you'll be able to see the greenhouses across the lake in giant white tents
that seem to span a mile. Here the berries are grown and shipped world-wide. Chapala produces more berries than any farming operation
in the world.
Which seems to lend itself rather well to
the idea that we should have an annual raspberry festival, doesn’t it? Can you
picture the raspberry salsas, margaritas, pies, liqueurs, jams and chutneys?
If you're able to visit the farm you can buy
kilos of the berries for muy pocos pesos (very few pesos). When I
visited it was fascinating to see ripe fruit, flowers and young buds all
breaking on the same plant. Continuity of supply is clearly no problem.
Which means I can have another margarita! Gracias
for showing me yet another reason to love Lake Chapala,
Roberto!