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LV Our farmers amaze their European colleagues
Yesterday, June 4, together with our colleagues from two European projects: Smart Farmer and Marlo, we visited several farms in Vidzeme.
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We start our trip with a tour of the farm of Andris Anšas Špats, Doctor of Technical Sciences, where he told us about technologies and machines, some of which are unique in the world. The owner treated us to fantastically delicious candied fruits and healthy juices, showed us the swampy deserts and shared his experiences. We were surprised that our European colleagues ate candied fruits for the first time in their lives and saw how they are produced. They had so many questions, but the professor, as always, had the answers ready!
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Next, we went to Rāmkalnie, where we were greeted with a very delicious lunch, tastings and a story. After such a reception, it is clear that even at the height of the crisis, it will exist and live! The project participants had a great opportunity to gain knowledge in tobogganing and try it themselves. I must say that shocking things are happening to us in Latvia, because our European colleagues did not believe that wine can be made not only from grapes, but also from birch sap, so we went to the Zilveras winery to prove what was said in life!
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We were very happy about the visit to the winery, where we were welcomed with great sincerity and extensive narration and proof that in Latvia wine is made from berries, fruits and even lilacs! We tasted, I am not afraid to say, the most delicious Latvian house wines. It was really a pleasure to listen to how the owners started running the winery, how they were doing and what their future plans were. Dizzy with emotions, with smiles on our faces we went to see the “bembijs”.
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Arriving at the farm “Saulstari”, true joy overwhelms you – spaciousness, beautifully decorated place, cleanliness and you can feel the hands of hardworking people. We started a walk near the red deer – at first no one believed that we would really feed the deer from our hands, but by the end of the walk it seemed completely normal. Each eater was given a name – most often Bambijs, but there were others. This evening’s walk was a great end to the day….
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But to make this adventure last longer, here are a few of our colleagues' "Pearls" that we captured during the day:
“Grapes can also be grown in winter – in a greenhouse!” (hmm at -30?)
“Oh, and what do you do with these Bambis? - sell them to Santa Claus!”
“You also have the sea?!?”
“Who bit me? What kind of mosquito is that?” (it was a mosquito)
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I would like to express my gratitude once again to our hosts who welcomed us to their farms yesterday. We wish you strength and as many more brilliant and successful ideas as the ones you have already implemented! We can be proud of such farms and hosts!
For those who have not yet visited these farms, we recommend that you do so and see for yourself how nice, hospitable, smart, and pleasant Latvian farmers are!
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All together – We for Latvian agriculture!
