We loved our experience at Nafplio Bio Farms, an organic farm using centuries-old techniques to grow oranges, olives, and lots more beautiful produce – and offering cooking classes in their restaurant to teach visitors how to make authentic Greek dishes. When we arrived we were warmly greeted before going on a tour of the farm, where they explained how different crops are grown according to organic methods. We asked a lot of questions, and got a lot of answers! I loved hearing about how they paint a mixture of stone and olive oil onto the trunks of the orange trees to seal them from pests, eliminating the need for pesticides because the trees are already protected. They repaint the trees every couple years to keep them safe and living longer than they would if chemical treatments were applied. It also is a pretty beautiful effect to talk amongst trees painted stony white, like living columns. We also learned how the trees are suited pretty perfectly to the climate, not needing much added water – although recently climate change has altered that equation.

We tried different types of oranges straight off the trees, just incredibly fresh and juicy. We also tried various berries and kumquats, keeping our hands full of fruit as we walked through the farm. It was also really cool to learn how growing is a circular model – some oranges fall off the trees, but the owners don’t worry about those losses because the chickens will come around and eat them, or they’ll become part of the fertilizer as they decompose. They collect eggs from the chickens, who are now kept in a coop at night after a fox came through, and were telling us that one time they had a chicken who would lay eggs in various places all over the farm so they would literally have to go on an egg hunt searching for them! In the garden area of the farm, the owners told us how what they’re eating for dinner depends on what’s ripe in the garden, and they’ll make their menu based on that – whether there are lots of ripe tomatoes, eggplant, cucumber, etc.

Once we finished our tour, we went inside a beautiful open space that they use for their cooking lab and restaurant to learn how to prepare stuffed tomatoes and peppers. (We actually also mentioned offhand that we love to eat fresh eggs, and they made us an amazing omelet with feta on the spot before our meal!) We learned tips like cooking the onions in water first before adding olive oil (lots of olive oil!) and the right techniques for hollowing out the peppers and tomatoes. Once we hollowed those out, we used even the inner parts in the rice itself, mixing them in and wasting nothing (the parts with seeds were set aside and will be fed to the chickens later, we’re told – “nothing wasted!”) The process was simple and fun, and while the peppers and tomatoes were baked, we enjoyed some time on the patio eating our fresh omelet, handmade bread, tzatziki, and some amazing fresh feta that they get from neighbors. Then we ate all together once the food was done, and they told us about all the landmarks you can see from that spot and a bit of history about the Peloponnese. We also tried out some of the Greek words we were learning and taught a few more, enjoying some delicious white wine throughout. We ate until we were so full, and then capped everything off with Greek yogurt and jams made from the berries and oranges on the farm. I didn’t know yogurt could be a dessert, but it truly is!

Overall it was a great experience to see how a small circular system yields such a bounty and to see how a family can live in such closeness with the earth and what it provides. It’s a very different food system from what we’re used to here in the United States in many places. They know where everything comes from, and they take great care with their food. To me, it shows a more natural way of existing within your ecosystem and taking an active role in the earth’s rhythms. Definitely a great experience for tourists to learn about the regional food and culture, and to slow down and just enjoy the simple pleasures of cooking and eating!