THE FARM HOUSE
Le Terre di Isa
The word Elaion, comes from the Greek, ἔλαιον, meaning olive oil.
This is the name we have given to our farm, owned as partners, both in business and in life, as husband and wife, by Claudio and Alessandra.
The name corresponds to a place that saw the birth of our love story, the beginning of our long journey together. When we began our adventure in Umbria, with the purchase of an olive grove and its ancient farmhouse, to baptize what would have been our farm into society, we researched the history and origins of the plant, arriving to the Greek etymon “Elaion”.
Elaion represents the main activity of our farm, the production of oil, jams and fruit and vegetables, to which the accommodation business of the Agriturismo Le Terre di Isa is connected.
It was born in December 2016 and its first production of biologic extra virgin olive oil was completed in October 2017.
The campaign of that year was not very fruitful due to the unfavorable climatic conditions, but we managed to get our first biologic extra virgin olive oil (certified by CCPB – Controlled operator code Number LP64 – an institution authorized by the MiPAAFT Ministry of Agricultural Food and Forestry Policies – IT BIO 006), which we have called “Noi”.
Since that October 2017 we have studied, we have optimized our professional development and the plants of the olive grove after the farmhouse (leccino variety) are now growing healthy and strong, offering us, since the 2018 campaign, the triple of the first production (available in bottles of 0,50l at our farm).
In the meantime, we further extended our business, purchasing another land in Collesanto, with centuries-old olive groves of the “dolce agogia” variety in biological conversion (with the same control operator CCPB), from which we have obtained about 200 liters of extra virgin olive oil ( “Secolare”, available in 1l bottles at our farm).
With our oil “Noi”, we took part in the fourth edition of the “La Dolce Goccia” award, organized by the municipality of Magione and Assoprol Umbria Soc Coop on the occasion of the “Olivagando 2018” event.
The competition was reserved to the extra virgin olive oils produced in the municipalities falling within the basin of Lake Trasimeno: Magione, Passignano sul Trasimeno, Tuoro sul Trasimeno, Castiglione del Lago, Panicale, Città della Pieve, Paciano, Piegaro and Corciano.
Taking part in this competition gave us the opportunity to receive an organoleptic evaluation form of our oil which, in the overall judgment, complied with the selection criteria and denomination of “Italian extra virgin olive oil” with the following definition: “Fruity oil of medium intensity with distinctly herbaceous notes recalling chicory leaves. The taste is decidedly bitter and spicy, leaving long-lasting vegetal notes“.
Leaving the award – which we did not win 😏 – aside, we were very happy to share this experience with those who have always worked in the area and made us feel part of a common project of enhancement and identity of the Umbrian cultural and cultural heritage.
Knowing the origin of the products we consume on a daily basis is becoming a priority for everyone.
Through the work of our farm, we want to offer a product, which is indispensable on the tables of Italians,
whose quality is assured throughout its growth, harvesting, transformation and bottling process.
We take care of it so that it can also be your oil.
Synergistic Vegetable Garden
We first of all imagined it on paper, choosing the location – in the south-east, on a part of land never cultivated before: we then designed 5 pallets arranged in a spiral shape that would contain vegetables and plants to be arranged according to the rules of consociations.
By adhering to one of the basic rules of synergistic agriculture, we have not implemented any soil processing, since “the earth works itself through the penetration of roots and the activity of microorganisms, insects, earthworms and other small animals” and consequently we only dug the ground on site with a spade to create the so-called pallets, or raised flower beds.
We then installed the drip irrigation system and mulched, distributing the straw on the ground, an operation that is very useful to protect the soil from frost and from compaction and washout caused by atmospheric agents as well as to reduce the loss of moisture, facilitate the colonization of microfauna and microorganisms useful for the soil and to prevent the growth of weeds and the spread of pathogens.
Finally we have transplanted tomatoes, legumes, courgettes, aubergines, green chillies, garlic, onion, mint, basil. All the plants were arranged following another of the basic rules for optimal synergy: “there must be at least three different species of plants, including at least a variety of legumes (beans, broad beans, peas, chickpeas, etc.), which fix atmospheric nitrogen on the ground, and one of liliaceae (garlic, onion, leek, etc.), excellent in antibacterial function, to be placed in the perimeter bands of pallets and an aromatic species, to fight parasites.
The wonder of a synergistic vegetable garden is that it does not need pesticides or insecticides, because the coexistence of plants guarantees their mutual survival and that of the soil.
It is the spectacle of nature that is able to materialize before the eyes on a daily basis and that recognizes that we have intervened in the right way without damaging it.
Our garden is in continuous experimentation. We are improving it and studying the results, which up to now are more than enough.
This is our first ever cultivation experience. We wanted to come across it in order to enrich our agricultural activity, but above all to carry on our new idea of life, healthier and more respectful of the place where we live.
A small “synergistic vegetable garden” has recently been installed, with which we began to experiment with the vegetables – vegetables and aromatic plants – organic production, which can be used for tasting and educational activities.
The goal of our company is based on the desire to offer alternative tourism experiences to all those travelers in search of authentic flavors and the rediscovery of local traditions, enhancing and protecting the resources of the area to promote a conscious consumption of the products that the earth offers us, and to increase the awareness about the importance of sustainable development.
To do this, we use the presence of one of the very few freshwater springs in the area, as well as tools and techniques that protect the environment around us. We practice waste sorting, setting up the recycling of bio-waste to produce compost and we reuse the waste water through phytodepuration.
We installed 300 It. solar thermal panels, a three-phase 5.9 Kw/p photovoltaic system, a 30.00 Kcal biomass boiler, with integration for the production of sanitary water which contribute to making the entire structure energy-efficient and environmentally responsive.
We mainly use local biologic products when serving meals and drinks, also to promote the resources of the territory and to contribute to strengthening the regional cultural identity.
We intend to use these resources in didactic itineraries, which will be part of the future Educational Farm project, to increase environmental and cultural awareness among those who stop at our facility and travelers on tour in Umbria and with the aim of transmitting experiential knowledge. of the agricultural practices of our own company and other companies nearby.
“We create innovative tourism experiences for the promotion and enhancing of territorial resources, through the experimentation and rediscovery of peasant and artisan practices characteristic of the Umbrian identity, in order to contribute, in our own small way, to local economic development.”
