Agriculture – Guided Visit with FAI

In the morning of the 18h of May, 4 of us wanted to learn more about Agriculture in Ieranto Bay. We went together with our FAI Guide Antonella and some families, slowly slowly, to our first Checkpoint, Salvatore’s house.

Salvatore, Ieranto Bay’s guardian, let us have a look in his garden, where you could find many fruits and vegetables, which are growing under the strong sun very well. Thanks to the work of Ieranto bay’s gardener Paolo, we could see strawberries, eggplants, salads, apricots, zucchinis, potatoes, lemon trees, French endives and white beans (faggioli).

Then it was time for a small experiment. Some of the guided visit members started a tree transplantation. They used a branch of an olive tree and transplanted it on an other olive tree’s stem, using a specific dough as a natural bandaid, hoping they will connect!

The branch and the stem on which the former is transplanted don’t have to be of the same species. For example a lemon tree branch can be transplanted on an orange tree.

Specimen planted following this technic

 

Next we saw the lemon tree plantation of Ieranto bay. The trees are surrounded by many wood panels which protect the trees and the fruits from intense sunlight, rain, salt that is brought from the sea and hail.

 

 

The highlight of the guided visit for us was having the chance to learn something about the production of Mozzarella and olive oil, then, of course, to taste them.

The process of making mozzarella is very interesting. The recipe has remained the same for many years, and the father still gave instructions to his son.

There was a second presentation during the afternoon. Unfortunately Max couldn’t attend it. Having eaten so much ricotta with oranges, mozzarella, meat and cake with honey, and exhausted by the heat, he took a nap in the shade and missed the picture show we had in the FAI Info-point. Don’t worry Max, there will be a next guided visit!