Last Day...Kind of

Well, today was officially my last day at Finocchio Verde after a whole month. Tomorrow, I take a train from Torino to Forli' to move on to my last farm, owned by Silvio and his family. There, I hope to learn about cows, pigs, and bio-dynamic farming. I'll be there for two weeks...but the catch is that I'm not coming back to Seattle afterwards! That's right, I've extended my stay in Italy until the 16th of September. I will either stay a week or two longer at Silvio's farm and then come back to Finocchio Verde, or just come back to FV after the two weeks are up. Or maybe I'll travel a little. Either way, I'm coming back to Seattle just before UW starts in the fall. :)

Here are a few flora pictures from Finocchio Verde that I've been really late in adding...



Perennial Sweet Peas (They're everywhere, and the goats love them!)



Meliloto (fantastic fragrance and flavor)



Clematis (All over the forest, apparently the only native vine to Europe)

And I'm not exactly sure what these are...



(Calceolaria maybe?)

"We go to the SEEEuh"

On Friday, Mario, Jessica, and I went on a day trip to the coast of Liguria to get fresh fish from the fishermen and relax on the Mediterannean beaches. This sounds very ideal and all, but the trip itself turned out to be a bit more of a disaster... Long, twisting, nauseating roads wound through the hills; Mario got seperated from Jessica and I due to a miscommunication problem and he was so mad that he didn't talk to us until we were driving home again; and it was cloudy and the beaches were really rocky and crowded. Still, it was definately a cool experience. I appreciate the being here in Piedmonte so much more, although the drive through the Ligurian mountains to the "SEEEuh" (as Mario calls it) was absolutely breathtaking. Here are a few photos from the trip.



(this is while driving through the ligurian mountains)

Unfortunately, I didn't end up taking pictures of the fish (I would have risked my cool, blending-in-with-the-Italians coverup) but oh well. We bought a flounder-like fish called St. Peter's fish or something like that, some merlin, and lots of little anchovies. We cooked the little fish by gutting them, lightly rolling them in flour, cooking them briefly in hot corn oil, and then eating them hot (with our fingers) with squeezes of fresh lemon juice. Yum! The other fish were cooked with roasted potato slices, olive oil, salt, and I think rosemary. We celebrated our "catch" at home by inviting many of Mario and Isa's friends over and throwing a huge feast. It was SO much fun, and let's just say that many many bottles of wine were involved.



This is just a random picture I took while at pasture this morning.

Motovigna, Marmalade di Albicocci, Formaggio, Api, et al

Let me first start off with a genuine apology for keeping you all in the dark for the past week or so. We've been without internet for awhile now, and I've only just recently had enough time to sit down at the computer to create a post. So much has happened here in these past few weeks that it is going to be hard to keep this post relatively succinct. On that note, let's begin.

MotoVigna 2008



Two Sundays ago, a 200k+ motocross tour happened in the Piedmonte area. As part of the track went through the woods near our cascina and passed by the house, we volunteered to be a food checkpoint for the race. And so, for two hours, Luca (an Italian friend of the family about 16 yrs old) and I served wine and plates of bread, salumi, apricots, and cheese to the approx. 250 racers (all male) that passed through. This was fun for the most part, as I got to practice my limited Italian skills and became quite the tourist attraction as an American. One group of guys even asked me to go home with them...I politely declined. Mario and Isa will never let me live that down.

Api




With the recent death of the bee colony this past winter, Isa was elated when Jessica and I discovered a wild hive of bees along the road. She and Mario quickly harvested the hive that evening, and we got to watch the whole spectacle. VERY interesting. And, the best part is that they captured the queen, so the bees have stayed in the box since then. Above is a picture of Isa in her bee garb, and another of her trudging off down the road to the hive (I'm on the left).

So Many Apricots!!!

Last Thursday, as Isa and I were on our way back from Torino (I visited a Theta friend and she worked at a library) we stopped in Mondovi' to purchase some second-rate apricots to make jam. Okay, so "some" is an understatement. We came home with eight crates full of apricots; more than 100 kilos total. I think she wants to sell some jam this year also in addition to cheese. Either way, on Friday we cut up all of those apricots and put them in a large vat with sugar (about 20 kilos of sugar, I think). Separately, we cracked open all the apricot pits, removed the nuts inside (they look like almonds, and taste like them too except they're a tad more fruity), and boiled them to remove the skins. The fruit/sugar sat all day and then Saturday we set out to cook the jam and can it. Unfortunately, we ended up burning the jam badly and spent the rest of the night scrubbing the pan clean of the thick layer of carbon. Then, all day Sunday Jessica and I canned the boiling hot jam and set them on a table upside down to seal. I don't think I will be able to eat another apricot for a long, long time. (gag)



To cook the jam, we strained out the liquid first and brought it to a boil before adding the fruit and boiling it all together (so that it had a fresher taste).

Cracking the pits (the nuts are in the bowl)

A small sample of our finished project.

Also, on that Sunday we held a festival at our house on behalf of the Allegre Pastorelli (Happy Little Shepherds--a group of local shepherds that Mario and Isa belong to). Lots of meat. Mario's contribution was sheep kabobs (rostaccini) -- pictured below.



Another Allegre Pastorelli named Serena contributed a whole pig, which she had roasted in her wood-fired oven. The head (which is leftover in our fridge) is pictured below.


Formaggio (Murazzano)

Surprise, surprise that I have been dabbling in cheesemaking in my time here. It's sort of difficult to succinctly describe the process (they make 15 different kinds of cheeses here), but I'll give a little sneak peek into how we make a hard sheep cheese called 'Murazzano'--typical of this area. First, we heat the sheep milk in a large pot until it reaches 38 degrees Celsius. Then, we add about 2 mL rennet for every 10 liters of milk. We stir it in and then let it sit for a couple hours. We then cut the cheese with a metal blade into cubes and then stir with a huge whisk-like tool until the pieces all become about the size of large dice. Then, we use a strainer to put the curds into molds (as quickly as possible with the least amount of liquid) and lightly punch them down. We then flip the cheese and push them down again. And then we wait...and flip. Repeat many times. Here are some random pictures.






And, to complete this post, I've added a (very poorly done) video created while we made cheese in the caseificio (dairy).

More to come later!!

Love you all.

P.S. Mom and Dad: Mario and Isa want to adopt me. Is this okay? :)

Oda al Prazzo d'Oggi/Ode to Today's Lunch

It really is true that Italians live to eat, celebrating each meal as a chance to enjoy each other's company and the delicious flavors of simple food.

Most meals follow, in some way, the meal following meal structure: antipasti, 1° piatti, 2° piatti,
In this spirit, this post celebrates the delicious journey that was Lunch, July 9, 2008:


Olives, of course.

Fresh Cucumbers from the Garden drizzled with olive oil, pepper, and dill.

Rice with sauteed zucchini and prosciutto (both from the farm) and many other spices.

Primi Piatti, in summary.

Segundi Piatti: AMAZING Frittata made with fresh sauteed zucchini and mint.

Side note: We usually have fromaggio (made here, of course) after segundi piatti, but today was a cheese-less day.

Dolce, which I created: Freshly made ricotta cheese (of sheep milk) with acacia honey and cocoa powder...OMG!

And of course, cafe (espresso w/ desired amt of sugar) to end it all. I choose to forgo the caffine after dinner, but it's alright after lunch. (and it's in the cutest little glass! Just like tea parties all over again.)

Behind the scenes: Mario, the creator of this masterpiece. And his cigarette.

Petulio agrees that this lunch was a satisfying one.


Wow, just multiply that amazing food journey times a week, and you'll come slightly close to my gustatory experience thus far.

And to close, a photo from the morning grazing a few days ago. Please note that I am standing by the wheat field because the goats are NOT ALLOWED to eat the wheat, much to their dismay and to my sweat and tears. :) This day we were finally able to see the French Alp surrounding us to the East. Bellisimo!


Ciao!

Altro Buen Giorno

Ciao a tutti!

I am still having the time of my life over here in Italia, surprise surprise. :)

These past few days have been very busy, but in a fantastic way. Since Sunday, we have had many families, friends of Mario and Isa, over for meals. Sunday, for lunch, we got a chance to meet three families over a delicious meal. I sat next to Tonino, who was born in Spain (Barcelona) and is fluent in Spanish and Italian. He was my interpreter and I was really able to express myself well for the first time in awhile! His son was very nice as well, about 20 yrs old. He is a big fan of America and informed me that the Sex Pistols will be playing for free in Torino this Saturday for some festival. All of the families were so much fun to "talk" with (in my limited Italian/Spanish/French). We even gave each other "bacci" (the kisses on the cheeks) at the end! Since then, we have had two young children and their mothers staying here for the past few nights, and just tonight we had the members of Mario and Isa's group "Allegri Pastorelli", which means "The Happy Little Shepherds", over for a dinner of delicious dinner. Just to give you a quick summary of our meal: cucumbers with olive oil and mixed spices; penne with eggplant, tomatoes, spices, and fresh ricotta made today by one of our guests; a selection of fresh cheeses (all brought by the shepherds) with fresh apricots; a dessert made of frozen meringue w/ creme fraiche with four flavors of gelato to choose from on the side (pistaccio, nociotto (hazelnut), crema, and cafè). Yum! But although this may seem like a lot of food, keep in mind that we don't consume large portions, the ingredients are fresh and wholesome, and dinner often takes a long time (longest so far has been 3 1/2 hours). Each meal is a new journey. Here is a picture of me, Isa, and Mario at lunch (arezzo) today:

Today was Marie's last day, so we took some candid pictures while staking tomatoes in the garden. They show how hard we are working...haha:

Marie...

...e io.

Wow, this is very weird writing in English! I've been so immersed in Italian/French (Marie, Isa, and Mario all speak it) that I keep making grammatical errors, etc. Che horrore!

The wild fruits are all in season, especially the cherries. This makes herding the goats and sheep even more exciting! And, I'm learning the names and uses for lots of different plants and herbs from Isa as we herd the animals. Later, I will post a note especially dedicated to this subject for all my Flower Shed sisters out there. :)

My camera was charging today, but I promise more pictures for tomorrow!

Arrivederci!
Love, Katie

First Fotos del Finocchio Verde

The View Outside of my Room

Finocchio Verde (Nacho is the dog in the front)

The wheat fields to the west de notra casa

One of the many meadows in the woods behind the house (Where we graze the sheep and goats)

My Room (complete with balcony and a gorgeous view)

Success!!

After a loonnngggg day of travel yesterday (9 hr. plane to London, 4 hr. layover, 2 hr. plane to Milan, Italian customs, 1 hr. shuttle to Milano Stazione Centrale--the driver jammed out to Backstreet Boys and Shania Twain the entire way, haha--, a 2.5 hr. train ride to Torino's Stazione Porta Suzo, and a 2 hr. car ride) I finally arrived at my first farm: Finnocchio Verde. Overall the trip was smooth and easy to handle. The only rough patch I encountered when I realized that I couldn't buy a SIM card for my cell phone at the airport or at Stazione Centrale. So, I decided to buy a 5€ phone card. But, unfortunately for me, I had no idea how to use said phone card. Needless to say, the phone kept saying something in Italian about 'solo emegenzia' and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to text Isa (my host mom) and tell her my arrival time. I was hungry, though, and my train was about to leave, so I rushed to buy a quick panino caprese from the bar and hopped on my train. I ended up borrowing a cell phone from a girl sitting near me on the train, who kindly let me send a text message. Luckily, Isa and I were able to meet up, and she even stopped and got me a gelato on the way home!! (My first one since being back in Italy--yum! But Isa claimed that the housemade gelato from Murazzano, the town near our farm, is much better).

Arrived at the farm at about midnight. Was promptly greeted by the menagerie of sheepdogs (I have yet to learn all their names, I only remember 'Nacho'), and then got to meet Isa's husband Mario (a short, funny, middle-aged Italian with slightly crooked front teeth--he's awesome) and Marie (another WWOOFer from Belgium, a few years older than me, who speaks fluent French and some English and is a blast to be around). Our conversations switch from being in Italian to French, to English, and all possible combinations. It's really fun.

Marie and I each have our own rooms in the agriturismo. I have a great view out the window of the garden, the woods, and the hills beyond. It's gorgeous. Last night I was so jet lagged that I slept very well (until 10:30am our time). Unfortunately, I had a nightmare that my entire day of travel had been a dream; I woke up back at home in Seattle and wasn't actually going to go to Italy. It was terrifying and seemed so real. I woke up to myself talking in my sleep, telling my relatives about my dream that seemed so real that I could taste the gelato and feel the turbulance in the plane, and didn't want to open my eyes for fear that my nightmare was true. EEEK! Fortunately, I was actually in Italy when I woke up, as per the loud bleating of the goats and sheep as they were being milked. Thank god.

Ate a small breakfast of bread, some cheese (yes, from the farm!), fresh fruit, and honey along with a sweet breakfast drink that Marie made (water with syrup of Meliloto flowers). Mario left early this morning for the fish market in a town by the ocean, about an hour away, and brought back a huge box of freshly caught sardines, mussels, and a big tuna fish. Marie, Mario and I spent the morning tearing the heads off the sardines, gutting them, rinsing them with salt water from the ocean, and packing them tightly in layers in glass jars seperated by layers of course sea salt. We filled up about five large glass jars, and used about 10 boxes of salt in the process. Later on, we made lunch and finally ate at about 1:30 or 2pm. First course included tuna (cooked lightly with herbs, lemon, and oil), olives, sardines (dipped in acorn flour and lightly pan fried in olive oil and garlic, served with lemon juice...amazing!), sauteed zucchini (which I made), lettuce from the garden with olive oil and vinegar, and delicious bread. Second course consisted of the mussles (spelling?), which Isa sauteed with olive oil and garlic, and then steamed with pomodoro (tomato), oregano, and marsala (a sweet Italian port-like wine). They were to die for. Of course, both courses were served with delicious wine from their neighbor's small vineyard. Finally, we ended with a delicious multi-flavor sampler from their favorite gelateria in Murazzano and coffee. AMAZING!!! All of the flavors were delicious (cioccolato, peche, stracciatella, cafe, mentha, limone, need I go on? My mouth is drooling.)

After lunch, I explored the gardens and the woods beyond with the dogs. Just from the first glance, it looks like they cultivate the following: lemons, garlic, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, and many many herbs. I'll be more detailed when I get a formal tour.

Well, I better get going. More to come (probably pictures too) later on!

Lots of love, <3

The Big Eve

Wow, it is hard to believe that tomorrow I'm headed to Italy!

I'm pretty much all packed--just have to create some awesome playlists on my iPod for the looonnngggg plane ride and finish up some other last minute details. I was also able to mostly confirm my second farm...Fattoria I Piani (the goat-herding one!!). Very excited.

Wish me luck on my crazy day tomorrow. I will try to keep you all as updated as possible, and let's hope my pictures show up! :)

Love you all.

<3