educational farm. October, Sunday 14th

Veneto region, where we live, is basically a rural area, rich in farms. many of them are educational farms, which means that they collaborate with schools, teaching kids about how a farm works, where their food comes from, the importance of the enviroment.
usually, these kind of practical lessons are just for the students, but on sunday there was the Open Day of Veneto Educational Farms, so many farms opened their gates to show to anyone interested how their work is done. for someone who loves his land, cares about enviroment, and about eating well, this was a good chance to learn something.

we spent the day in Borgoluce, a farm managed by the Collalto family {mentioned here, too}, located in the famous Prosecco hills, between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. they produce wine, meat and charcuterie, flours {from Biancoperla corn too, a Slow Food Ark of Taste}, dairy products {I have to come back for the red fruits yogurt..}, oil, honey and, above all, clean energy.  
we saw the buffalos stable {they are lovely}, and were impressed by the biodigester and cogenerator, which  produce biogas from animal effluent and agricultural products, to be then transformed into electricity and heat.

and then? We ate, of course. we cannot talk all morning about km 0 food {local food from-farm-to-table} without tasting it. in case you wonder, it was delicious. we had some samples of buffalo milk mozzarella, stracchino, robiola, salame and cotechino.  

thank you so much Borgoluce, we'll come back soon
pictures taken with my nikon and iPhone VSCO Cam

info
Azienda Agricola Borgoluce
loc. Musile,2  Susegana (TV)
www.borgoluce.it @borgoluce

fall picnic. October, Saturday 13th

time to spend some outdoor hours, to enjoy chilly air and warm colors. time to read a book wrapped in a warm blanket, using a reddish leaf as bookmark. time to cook using the delicious gift of Autumn, pack everything up and take a path in the woods.

deciding what to put in my picnic basket, i was inspired by the Under the Tree project, that made some tempting fall-themed menus {you can find them here, but italian only!}. so, i tried two of their recipes: mushrooms & mozzarella panzerotti, and carrots purée with speck.

then, my autumnal trump card: pumpkin cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting. i haven't cooked it for months, they tasted so good.

the trail we choose is near home, known as Sentiero del Patriarca. i used to come here very often in the past, with the Scouts. at the very beginning of the path there is an abandoned house, i remember we called it Casa Bianca {white house} when we were kids but actually it's not white at all. anyway, it still has a beautiful painted sundial.

Abbazia di Sant'Eustachio. September, Sunday 30th

Dear Autumn, you're very welcome. But, could you please stay warm a little bit longer?

 I'm afraid Lambretta season is slowly ending.. and Sunday was a glimpse on our foggy, wet Winter.
We couldn't stand an indoor afternoon, and despite the light rain we went to see a little gem we've never seen before, near Montello.

Sant'Eustachio Abbey  is completely in ruins. The grey sky, the soft murmur of the rain on the shiny green.. It suited the romantic side of the place.

History lesson! The Abbey was founded by the Counts of Collalto in 1062. For its blessed position and peace, it was chosen between the 16^ and 17^ centuries as a place of retreat and meditation by many intellectuals of that time. Here, Giovanni dalla Casa wrote the Galateo, a treatise of manners.

The Great War has left a tragic sign here, too. The Montello was at the forefront.

So, if Lambretta season is ending, that means gelato season is ending soon, too. Uva Fragola {Strawberry Grapes} is a gelato flavour made by our favourite gelateria Gasparetto, only for this last month, before closing. We stopped by after the Abbey visit, enjoying the shy sun after the rain.

Last pic is taken with iPhone, the others with lomography Diana F+.

September. harvesting grapes

Pinot grigio, Pinot bianco, Sauvignon, Manzoni, Prosecco, Merlot, Verduzzo friulano, Cabernet. Me and my sister spent September in the vineyards harvesting grapes.
It may seems poetic and sometime it is, and fun, too, but it's hard work.

I took some photos, not too many cause it's kind of difficult to bring the camera when you have to work no-stop and you're covered in dirt.
Too bad I didn't shoot Marco and Giovi while they were driving the tractor ♥ Maybe next year.

Photos taken with lomography Diana F+.