It has long been thought that citrus and other fruits were brought to the New England area through recent shipping and refrigeration efforts. But folklore brings out the tale of a man who, long before the advent of modern refrigeration, supplied the early colonies with fresh fruits and exotic drinks. The man as he was named at birth, Sir Jonathon Marshall O'Patrick, came to be known as Jack Patrick to his friends and more recently to historians as Juicy Jack Patrick. As his name implies Juicy Jack Patrick became famous for his fruits and rare nectars that he distributed around the New World. What many found hard to believe then was the freshness of his produce. Even to this day the secrets of his transportation have caused confusion among modern scholars.
As the story goes Juicy Jack Patrick sailed the uncharted seas of the New World in search of what he called the "Secrets of Life." As Ponce De Leon with his search for the fountain of youth, Juicy Jack Patrick"s odessey led him toward the tropics. There he would brave tempest seas and savage indian tribes, which never before encountered white men. Passive by nature, Juicy Jack Patrick wasn't one to battle with nature or with man. Because of this trait the gods were kind and generous and granted him safe passage through storm and seige.
With Nothing to offer but his wisdom and kind spirits Juicy Jack Patrick enchanted the Indian Kings and won the hearts of their tribes. Through their personal meditation and the lively ceremonies of their tribes, the native Kings taught Juicy Jack Patrick to celebrate life and existence. Through this he found what he had for years been seeking. The "Secrets of Life" he once wrote, "cannot be taken or bargained for, they must be granted to oneself through his soul, for it is each man's destiny which writes the answers to his questions of life." At this point in his life Juicy Jack Patrick realized the reason for his being wasn't to search for answers but rather, to pass on knowledge and help bring joy and contentment to his land and his friends.
Along with the many tears, his goodbye to his tribe and their chiefs, brought one more thing.... a gift. This "gift " was the many pounds of fruit, seeds, and sacred soil that the Indians had passed on to Juicy Jack Patrick to help spread happiness to the people of his homeland. Along with the gift they aslo instructed him in great detail how to care for and cultivate his precious bounty. Many say the sky opened up and a river of golden light poured down from the heavens and blessed the man and his ship.
The voyage home was safe and pleasant while he tended his hold in the manner that the great chiefs had instructed, using the herbs and what some called the "spirits" that had been wished to him by the people of the still unkown and mysterious land. Back in the New World Juicy Jack Patrick, undisrupted by the violence of the Revolution taking place, found refuge on a virgin island off the New England coast where he proceeded to cultivate his "fruits of Life." Through the ancient secrets taught to him , he created a tropical paradise that saw sun year round and was free from the chills of winter. From his utopia he shared the fruits and nectars with his people. It was his belief that anyone who tasted these fruits would taste the magic of the tropics and someday, as he was, be granted the "Secrets of Life."
Juicy Jack Patrick sailed to his beloved Indian friends and their land many times to thank them for their gift and to share with them the knowledge of the New World. Juicy Jack Patrick never wed, although he caught the eye of many admiring women and some say he fathered an only child who grew up to become a goddess in the land of the natives.