The Farm shop & Markets in Puglia
04th Jun 2021
A quick stroll down the aisles of any supermarket will provide you with more food options than you could try in a lifetime as each brand and product vy for your attention. This is unfortunately making it more and more difficult to find good quality, sustainably produced goods.
This is certainly something that The Farm Shop at Tenuta Pistola understands and has been taking very seriously for years.
Within the first five minutes there, you can tell that Tenuta Pistola truly embodies the italian spirit when it comes to caring for the scenery around them as well as the quality of the product they are producing.
What better way then to support some local smaller scale farmers around the globe. Leaving smaller footprints and putting so much care into the items they produce locally. Working with local farmers and businesses to provide a more wholeisiti experience and products for you to enjoy.
During my travels in Italy, it was such an experience to see how much they care about their food as a culture; it’s no wonder their cuisine is so beloved across the world. From the simplest of fruit and vegetables tasting to the simplest of coffees, they truly care about what they eat, drink and buy.
Situated in south east Italy, with 150 acres of land under the glorious Apulian sunshine, The Farm Shop at Tenuta Pistola is able to produce truly sustainable wine, lavender, olive oil and honey.
Far from the green washing of many products waiving the sustainability flag, The Farm Shop is much closer to the traditional agriculture seen hundreds of years ago that gives back to the planet as much as it takes.
If their low impact way of working wasn’t enough, The Farm Shop at Tenuta Pistola is dedicated to creating products with the highest quality and, when it comes to it’s food and drink, next level taste.
If you’re one of the lucky few to take a tour, you will see just what it takes to make truly sustainable products, after being blown away by the scenery of course.
So what makes their products so great?
The Wine
Miles from the mass produced, supermarket wine we have all become far too used to; wine is truly taken back to its roots at Tenuta Pistola. As the land and business is passed down from generation to generation there is a real sense of expertise to the process. This is something that cannot be replicated by big businesses and equates to a great bottle of wine each time, without costing the earth.
See more on Puglia wines and try our selection , or you can own a piece of Giardini vineyards in Puglia and get your personalized wines student from puglia to your door. We work closely with local experts and our wine master, Giovanni Aiello.
The Lavender
A popular ingredient in many industries (from tea to skincare), demand for lavender has grown exponentially in the past 30 years. This beautifully smelling plant can be quite picky though and requires a lot of energy to grow when it’s produced on a mass scale.
Not only can mass production of lavender require a lot more resources, you may be purchasing an inferior product.
The lavender in the land surrounding Tenuta Pistola can be smelled from miles away and is grown with ease. This is due to south Italy being one of its truly natural habitats, with the perfect environment for it to thrive in.
As it grows anyway, the farmers don’t need to use more resources or force certain conditions on the plant. This makes for a happier plant, happier customer and happier planet.
The Olive Oil
Produced from 500 ancient olive trees, each olive is hand picked and pressed creating one of the highest quality olive oils available. When compared to a mass produced olive oil, which is often flown across countries to be processed in factories using heaps of electricity 24/7, it’s easy to see which oil mother nature would purchase.Learn more about some creative ways to use olive oil in your next meal, or come join us for a chilli olive oil workshop in Giardini and come taste the fresh spices of our garden.
The Honey
The argument around the overall sustainability of any honey based product has been going on for years, with some saying that producing honey in any form cannot be done in an eco-friendly manner. The Farm Shop and those that cultivate the Tenuta Pistola honey, want to debunk this myth with their delicious and bee positive honey.
The bees in the farm spend their days pollinating the surrounding lavender plants, with the majority of the honey they produce being left alone. The keepers then take any excess that’s produced and therefore doesn’t overly intrude on the bees’ hard work.
Happy bees make delicious honey and while it may take a lot longer to produce one jar of honey than your average honey manufacturer; if it’s better for the bees, planet and our taste buds, The Farm Shop is all for it.
With restrictions slowly lifting across Europe, travel is now back on our minds and agendas. Get your travel fix while supporting a long standing small business with a visit to Tenuta Pistola and try the high quality, sustainable products that The Farm Shop has to offer.
Author: Liam Parker
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liamnparker/
Tags:
Sustainable, small businesses, local businesses, natural products, natural honey, natural lavender, natural farm shop, made in puglia, made in italy, quality over quantity, puglia stories, puglia travel, puglia farm shop, puglia wines
Travel to Puglia:
Want to visit local farmers markets in Puglia here are some that you can visit:
Mondays:
Andria – Viale Gramsci (nearby Villa Comunale)
Vieste – Lungomare Europa
Lecce – Viale dello Stadio
Cisternino – Via Dante Alighieri and Regina Margherita.