ORGANIC GARDEN

For us here at La Cusinga, local agriculture represents a fundamental part of our general philosophy for a variety of reasons.  First and foremost, food tastes best fresh, period.  Also, it is always preferable to know what you're putting into your body, and the best way to do that is to grow the food yourself.  Quality service for our guests does not just mean keeping the rooms clean or providing beautiful ocean views, it also means guaranteeing healthy, nutritious food (free of chemicals) in our restaurant.  Finally, local food is sustainable food. 

Meeting a large part of the lodge's needs from our own gardens and orchards assures us that this amazing supply of tropical fruits, vegetables, and herbs will continue year after year.  As our gardens are relatively small, we are able to manage them in an integrated fashion, a closed-circuit so to speak.  Traditional compost and green manures combine with traditional designs to provide constant nutrients, necessary shade from the hot tropical sun, natural pest controls, and most importantly a consistently healthy and constant harvest.  These native fruits and vegetables go directly to our restaurant where our terrific “cocineros” convert them into delicious Costa Rican, tropical, and international dishes.

In this way we improve our soils year after year by building up organic matter without relying on external inputs with high environmental costs.  Just as in nature, everything gets reutilized through the nutrient cycle.