Our Products
Olive Oil, Extra Virgin & Organic
The olive orchard
Mani was for centuries the remotest, the wildest and the most isolated region of Greece. Cut off from the rest of the country by the towering mountain range of Taygetus, this rocky central prong of Peloponnese is the southernmost point of Mediterranean Europe. Close to this ultimate point lies the cave which the classics say leads to Hades.
Our olive grove is situated in Drosopigi, a small community in Deep Mani. The landscape here is a melange of olive trees, cypresses, oak trees and cactus, prickly pears – or Frankish figs as the Greeks call them - and a great variety of aromatic herbs. Our trees belong to the Koroneiki variety. We pick the olives by hand, when most of them are still green, and we press them the same day using a traditional hydraulic press at low temperatures. Our olive oil is intense and herbaceous in flavour, reminiscent of fresh olive fruit, with a long peppery aftertaste.
Olives & Oil
The exciting world of olive oil today stretches from Portugal to the Middle East and from Australia to Argentina. Most of this «liquid gold» though - a description that belongs to Homer - still comes from the Mediterranean basin. Greece holds the first place in the production of extra virgin olive oil worldwide and the Greeks come first in olive oil consumption. In many parts of the country the local diets are actually built around this agricultural product.
Extra virgin olive oil contains a variety of beneficial elements such as vitamins, mono-unsaturated fatty acids and phenols, which can improve significantly the function of our heart, our brain and our digestive system and can also protect us against « The Big C ».
Aronia
Our organic aronia plantation is situated in the village of Mouriki, by the shores of lake Iliki, in Central Greece. The berries get direct sunlight during the warm summer days and the soil is well drained, since the bushes are planted on the side of a hill facing the lake. The climate is warm, mediterranean, with short, mild winters and long, hot summers moderated by the presence of the surrounding mountains and the lake.
This microclimate increases the brix number in the berries, a factor that in turn ameliorates the chemical properties and the organoleptic character of the fruit. We produce fresh and dehydrated aronia. With fresh aronia one can make smoothies and fruit juices. Dehydrated aronia can be used in cereals, granola bars, cookies and muffins, even in tea blends and tisanes.
We also make homemade aronia preserves without sugar, preservatives and colourants, using exclusively natural fruit juices, spices and garden herbs.
Figs
In Mouriki we cultivate figs of the black mission variety by applying the methods of organic farming. We sell our figs fresh and dehydrated.
We also make fig preserves in small batches, without sugar and chemicals, using whole, freshly picked fruits.
Aronia and Fig preserve with Fragrant Geranium Leaves
Handcrafted preserve made with ripe aronia berries and fresh black mission figs, grown at our organic plantation in Mouriki, by the shores of lake Iliki, in Central Greece.
Geranium leaves offer subtle floral accents to the earthy aromas of aronia and the honeylike flavours of figs.
How to eat
On freshly baked bread with butter or sesame paste.
Try it also with soft cheeses, like brie and camambert.
Aronia, the superberry
Aronia melanocarpa is a deciduous shrub native to the northeast United States. Its deep purple and highly nutritious berries were used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes to treat colds and other ailments.
Aronia berries have concentrations of phytochemicals with an extremely high antioxidant value, the highest of any other fruit and possibly, according to some studies, inhibit cancer growth when consumed daily. Research also seems to support the anti-diabetic effects of aronia. Moreover aronia berry is a tremendous boost to the immune system for a broad spectrum of conditions, including brain dysfunctions, arterial plaque build up, inflammatory diseases and high blood pressure.
Aronia should be introduced to our diet in an appealing manner, so that we aquire the taste and benefit from these healthful qualities. The berries can be used in a variety of recipes : We can blend fresh aronia with pomegranates and oranges to make fruit juices or with apples and bananas to make smoothies. And we can use dehydrated aronia in order to make cereals, muesli and granola bars, cookies and muffins, tea blends and tisanes.
Jams and preserves, syrups and liqueurs can also be made with aronia berries.
Our preserves
We make homemade preserves free from sugar, pectin and any kind of additives or chemicals, using exclusively natural materials to enhance flavours, like fruit juices, spices and garden herbs. We cook the fruits with their skins, when they are properly ripe, only a few hours after they have been handpicked from their bush or tree. We cook them gently and in small batches.
Our plantation
We use exclusively the fruits of our orchards in the making of our preserves.
In the village of Mouriki, by the shores of lake Iliki, in Central Greece we cultivate our aronia melanocarpa bushes and our fig trees by applying the methods of organic farming. The typically Mediterranean climate of the area increases the number of brix in the aronia berries, a factor that in turn ameliorates the chemical properties and the organoleptic character of the fruit.
Fig and Cinnamon preserve
Handcrafted preserve made with organic black mission figs, grown at our plantation in Mouriki, by the shores of lake Iliki.
Cinnamon and clove aromas are combined with the subtle honeylike flavours of fresh fully ripe figs. Free from chemicals.
How to eat
Place it on top of your morning pancakes, or try folding through cake dough before baking.
Fig, the eternal superfood
The edible fig is one of the first plants that were cultivated by humans. The region that offered the ideal climate conditions for the fig tree to flourish was that of the Mediterranean basin. In Greece their cultivation started around 1.500BC, became widespread after a while and continues like that until today. Along with the olive trees are our countryside’s favourites.
The nutritional value of figs is quite impressive. They are rich in natural sugars, minerals and soluble fibre. They are a good source of antioxidant vitamins A and K and minerals, like calcium and potassium which can improve bone density and prevent osteoporosis. Figs are also rich in iron and people with iron deficiency can benefit from them. Due to their high sugar content though, they should be consumed with moderation by people who have diabetes.
Our recipe
Harvesting season for black mission figs begins in late August and lasts for almost two months.
They are rather sweet figs when fully ripe and despite their name, they aren’t really black . The color of their skin consists more of a fine collection of dark green and deep purple shades. Inside they are strawberry pink.
The tree is long lived and grows to be quite large. It’s figs are considered to be of the highest quality.
Black mission figs are delicate fruits and, no matter how they are going to be consumed, they should be handled with care. Good quality and freshness are extremely important factors in the making of a quality preserve. We hand pick our figs every second day, in the early morning hours, before the day turns hot and they spend in the fridge 1 to 2 days tops, before they are cooked.
Our fig preserve is free from sugar, pectin and any kind of additives or chemicals. We use exclusively natural ingredients to enhance flavours, like fruit juice, spices and garden herbs. We cook the figs with their skins, when they are properly ripe. We cook them gently and in small batches.
Our fig grove
We use exclusively the fruits of our orchards in the making of our preserves. Near the village of Mouriki, by the shores of lake Iliki, in Central Greece we cultivate our fig trees by applying the methods of organic farming. Due to the presence of the lake and the surrounding mountains harsh weather conditions, like heat waves in summer or frost in winter, are extremely rare in the area. During summer and most of the autumn months the climate is characterised by long warm sunny days and cool breezy nights, which ensure a slower, steadier ripening to our figs.
Tangerine marmalade with Bitter Almond Liqueur
Handcrafted organic marmalade made with our garden’s clementines and mandarinia Chiou. A marmalade smooth in texture, with a slight bitterness from its peel. The flavor is further mellowed by the addition of vanilla seeds and almond liqueur.
How to eat
On warm, buttered, seeded toast or muffins. Try also folding it through cake dough before baking.
A gorgeous little citrus fruit with health benefits
In addition to being packed with vitamin C and A, tangerines are a good source of dietary fiber. Studies have shown that following a high – fiber diet may be beneficial for weight reduction and it can improve blood sugar levels. Eating tangerines can also regulate blood pressure, protect our heart, reduce the risk of cancer and osteoporosis and improve the health of our skin amd muscles.
Our garden’s tangerines
Near the small village of Kouvaras in Mesogaia Attiki, among stretches of olive trees and vineyards and very close to the dense aleppo pine forest of the region, we cultivate Kalamon olive trees, clementines and mandarinia Chiou.
We chose to grow clementines because they are sweet and juicy and mandarinia Chiou – despite their endless seeds - for the alluring aroma of their peel. Harvesting season begins in the end of November and lasts all through the winter. From our list of preserves and produces, tangerine marmalade is the one that requires more time and patience. On the other hand, the revitalising citrus aromas and the decadently gorgeous bittersweet flavours of a hot, freshly made tangerine marmalade can compensate the one who cooks it.
We make homemade preserves free from processed sugar, pectin and any kind of additives or chemicals, using exclusively natural materials to enhance flavours, like fruit juices, spices and garden herbs. We cook the fruits with their skins, when they are properly ripe, only a few hours after they have been handpicked from their tree. We cook them gently and in small batches. We use exclusively the fruits of our orchards in the making of our preserves.
