LimeTree Farm

A TASTE of ITALY at LIME TREE FARM!

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:34:51 +0000

After years of delivery failure by Jamaica’s various Pizzerias to Lime Tree Farm we decided to take the matter in hand.
Two very special guests from Chicago Ginny & Jonathan Goldsmith working with our kitchen staff(Suzie) produced some of the best Pizzas ever consumed at Lime Tree Farm.
Jonathan who is the owner of Spacca Napoli Pizzeria,http://www.spaccanapolipizzeria.com gave Suzie a crash course in fresh oven baked Pizza making & the results were delicious.
Now guests at Lime Tree Farm can expect a little Italian/Jamaican fusion cooking along with the best coffee in the world!

Jonathan in the Kitchen!

Canadian Birds a welcome sight during Hurricane Season at Lime Tree Farm!

admin — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:31:27 +0000

We’ve had a couple of visits lately from an unusual type of bird – The Canadian Airforce search & rescue wing have come to Jamaica to assist the Jamaican Defence Force in the event of a hurricane.
Three helicopters & their crews are stationed at Up Park Camp in Kingston & have dropped in for a couple of cups of coffee, I have to say it’s nice to know their here, so far we’ve had a very quiet storm season so lets hope they just come for coffee & aren’t needed on more serious business!

Blog by Charlie

Dropping in for a cup of the finest coffee in the world!

A New Look for our Cottage named Wood

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:47:52 +0000

WE recently added a new roof to one of our Blue Mountain cottages named “wood” at Lime Tree Farm, apart from looking more “Alpine” the new roof keeps the cottage cooler in the hot weather & stops the water soaking through the hurricane proof slab top during wet periods.
With over 1500 screws & bolts we’re hoping this roof can survive a hurricane – lets hope we don’t find out too soon as hurricane season is once more upon us with an estimate of 16 major storms this season in the Caribbean area.
Blog by Charlie

Before improvements

New Roof makes all the difference!

New Birding Site Near Lime Tree Farm

admin — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 13:11:51 +0000

We have recently found a real gem of a birding site on our doorstep – The Old Mine Road is named after a Marble Mine that used to be mined in the 70′s deep in the forest just 15 minutes drive from here. This is the last real pocket of indigenous forest close to us & is an oasis of Blue Mahoe, cedar & other beautiful old trees.
The birding is excellent with many Endemic species spotted including the Crested Quail Dove, Blue Mountain Vireo, Chestnut Bellied Cuckoo & many more, a perfect first days birding for guests who have arrived after a long flight & don’t fancy the longer drives to our other sites on their first day.
This is birding season at it’s height & we’ve had some very successful visits lately so if you thinking of Birding from Lime Tree Farm you can contact me by email, charlie@limetreefarm.com or make a booking on our website, www.limetreefarm.com.

Crested Quail Dove Spotted on a birding trip from Lime Tree Farm

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:26:55 +0000

WE recently had 2 Danish guests visit for a week – Inger Norreskov Jensen & her son Stellen were keen to see Jamaica’s endemic birds. The weather was terrible for this time of year but despite a few wet birding excursions we managed to spot a large proportion of Jamaica’s endemics including the illusive Crested Quail Dove known locally as the Mountain Witch & only found in the Blue Mountains.
For more information on birding from Lime Tree Farm visit or contact me – charlie@limetreefarm.com.

New additions to the Lime Tree Farm Family.

admin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:02:33 +0000

Last week at daybreak, The inhabitants & guests of Lime Tree Farm were woken early by Alex my son – great excitement after months of discussing with his friends Scilia’s pregnancy(our goat) the time had finally come for her to give birth, after waking the whole community including our guests the Pangos & their 2 children Katherine & Antoine, everybody witnessed the births of 2 tiny ram goats promptly named Smoko & Joshy after Alex’s godfather & cousin!

Apparently it’s extremely lucky for 2 rams to be born together, so they say in LIme Tree Village. Mother & kids are doing fine & our head of security JET LI(Dog) has gone completely mad!!

For more countryside experiences contact me at charlie@limetreefarm.com

BLOG by CHARLIE

Scilia, Smoko & Joshy

CORAL RELOCATION – Please excuse me from Lime Tree Farm, I’m busy!!

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:01:25 +0000

Well it’s 2010, we had a BLUE MOON on new years eve, first time in donkeys years, pity is I wasn’t at Lime Tree Farm to enjoy it.
I’m in Falmouth – no not Cornwall but Jamaica trying desperately to move 25 acres of living coral before a huge cutter dredger arrives in Feb. to cut out a channel through one of Jamaica’s richest coral reefs for Royal Caribbean’s new state of the art cruise ship terminal on Jamaica’s north coast.
Environmentally this doesn’t sound to sound an idea but economically Jamaica cannot afford to turn this project away, even so NEPA – Jamaica’s National Environmental Protection Agency have demanded, quite rightly that the reef be moved rather destroyed & the Jamaican Government through the Port Authority of Jamaica have undertaken the biggest Coral Relocation in history – by far – who said developing nations don’t look after their environment

This is where I come in:- I work as a sub-contractor for a commercial diving company based in Kingston, Seaport Equipment Ltd, normally 1 or 2 days a week, we landed the contract & now I find myself as Project Manager for the Relocation works, with a team of 92 divers & boats crews – 11 boats & a huge amount of equipment.
In a nutshell we cut the the corals from the dead substrate/reef using hydraulic saws & chisels, load them into baskets & tow them underwater to the relocation site away from the dredge footprint & stick them back down again using cement & epoxy. Sounds simple? Trust me it’s not but we’ve now moved in the region of 60,000 corals over a 3 month period & we’re getting good at it.
The results are impressive, the almost dead reef we’re relocating to is a myriad of different coloured coral species & fish that are attracted by our work & turn the site into an open water aquarium of underwater life, octopus, turtles, dolphins, manatee & even a couple of sharks have passed by drawn by the commotion.
All of this is monitored by NEPA who work closely with us to resolve the various problems we encounter.
Our normal team of about 12 commercial divers has been suplimented by divers from all over Jamaica, now is not a good time to go diving from an all-inclusive hotel on the north coast, most of their staff have joined this effort to save the reef- 7 days a week from 5AM till 5PM these divers have become an organized underwater army, even surprising the big multi-national companies working on the project with their dedication & discipline.

If you planning a trip to Lime Tree Farm early this year don’t worry Suzie my wife & Rodger my business partner will take good care of you, please excuse me for not being there, I’m on a mission & I soon come, I hope!

Blog by Charlie

Diver at work

The Ratcut Coffee Co

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:14:35 +0000

When you purchase a pound of grade A Blue Mountain Coffee you’d be excused in thinking that this is the best coffee in the world. How could there be anything better?
The hidden truth is that the Blue Mountain RATS, yes RATS have taken the best, let me explain!
When the coffee is riping Cherry Red on the Coffee Trees in the Blue Mountain sun, the rats move in selecting only the sweetest, fatest, most succulant berries, these are piled at the base of the tree & as darkness falls over Blue Mountain Peak the feast begins – the rats eat only the cherry ripe sweet tasting skin & leave the biggest & best beans of the crop neatly stacked for whoever might want them.
Traditionally Blue Mountain coffee farmers collected this coffee for their own consumption & kept it a closely guarded secret.
Lime Tree Farm recently acquired all the machinery needed to process our own coffee.
Now guests at Lime Tree will be able amongst a select few worldwide to be able to take part in the processing of our own Estate Coffee as well as been able to purchase a “few” pounds of what is truly the” best coffee in the world” – just ask the RATS they’ll tell you.

Blog by Charlie

Ratcut Coffee Co

Drought at Lime Tree Farm – A good Sign?

admin — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:41:14 +0000

After 6 weeks of Blue skies, temperatures in the 90s & no rain, we can safely say we are in a drought!
That might not be as bad as it sounds – we used to have hot summers like this before the hurricanes began 5 years ago, since then our summers have been spent watching the various weather systems coming across the Atlantic from Africa & wondering which one might “mash” us up!

No sign of one yet(touch wood) so we welcome the drought & our road is really good too.

Kingston & the coast is unbearable so the only option is to head for the hills & Lime Tree Farm with our cool evening breeze.

Nuff said!

Blog by Charlie

Lime Tree road - on a bad day!

Lime Tree Farm Closing for September.

admin — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 21:36:20 +0000

Due to hurricane season, the need for some paintwork & a break we’ve decided to close for the month of September.
I would like to apologise to anybody who was thinking of coming in September & ask you to re-consider your itinery!