| CASCINA ROSSO Organic Farm Holidays Bed, Breakfast & Wellness |
| Organic Vegetables 2011 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
We have come to this natural paradise to grow organic vegetables, berries, herbs and medicinal plants. At Cascina Rosso we do not use herbicides or other substances that are toxic to the environment as well as to us, our children and future generations. Weeds are not seen as an enemy to destroy but just a message from the soil, telling us its conditions. All the paths available to guests are maintained with mechanical or manual means. Those "weeds" or grass clippings are then used as root covers around flowers, plants or vegetables. We are increasing areas being reseeded with organic seed mixtures. Time and patience is needed to recover the integrity of land intensely cultivated, maybe as mono-cultures and continuously compressed by heavy machinery. However, soil life can be brought back, just like an ill person, by re-establishing correct balances. During a biodynamic farming class (Cascine Orsine, Bereguardo, Pavia, Italy) I learned that a plant will grow strong and healthy when it lives in a balanced soil: so, instead of fighting plant diseases, we prefer to feed the soil the nutrition it needs, thus obtaining a stronger plant (preventing is preferable to spraying insecticides and herbicides). HEALTHY SOIL WILL PRODUCE HEALTHY FOOD; HEALTHY FOOD WILL PRODUCE HEALTHY PEOPLE. Very simple and very important! Veggies grown at Cascina Rosso are always organic, delicious, nutritious and available for purchase. We wish you an organic life, an original life lived as you want it, stimulating, rich in constructive experiences, continuous physical and spiritual growth. Come to see us, we're looking forward to showing you around Cascina Rosso! |
Members, ECOCERT Organic Certifying Agency, Socio Federazione Coldiretti.
"From earliest childhood to the
final insecure steps of old age,
those who put the most into life get
the most out of life."
-- Scott Nearing, The Good Life
by Helen & Scott Nearing
final insecure steps of old age,
those who put the most into life get
the most out of life."
-- Scott Nearing, The Good Life
by Helen & Scott Nearing
Every moment of your relaxing
vacation at Cascina Rosso is a
memory that will last forever.
vacation at Cascina Rosso is a
memory that will last forever.
We made a choice to be organic farmers for a very simple reason: what we eat is what our body
becomes. As Carlo Petrini, Founder of Slow Food, says: "What you eat becomes you, your body
cells inside you, your life".
Even before coming to Roccaverano, our shopping was mostly done in organic health food
stores. The initial higher cost was offset by an almost non-existent use of medicines, doctor or
hospital visits, loss of work days. When all factors are considered, living organically costs less,
creates a much lower environmental impact, leads to a better personal and planetary life.
Conversion to organic took 3 years, since Spring 2008 we have been certified with ECOCERT.
From our observation the difference in quality and nutrition of vegetables is a direct result of
the farmer's integrity, how he/she cares for the plants and soil, the communication level and
intuition he/she has with the surrounding nature.
Our organic seeds come from Arcoiris (their catalogue is very informative), transplants are
grown by organic or biodynamic facilities. We control parasites by keeping a wide variety of
flowers, plants, bushes, cover crops that favor their natural enemies.
The soil is fertilized with an abundant cover of miscellaneous manures around the end of
November, before snow starts falling. The fields then rest all winter until March. In the
greenhouses, however, with the first February warmth, we seed sweet peas, spinach, lettuce
mixtures. True to the philosophy of organic farming, our greenhouses are not artificially heated.
To grow organic requires more manual labor, crop losses are higher and you need to be able to
anticipate anomalies.
Research shows that growing organic produces similar or higher quantities compared with so-
called traditional farming (referred to intensive farming, heavy use of pesticides, herbicides
and chemical fertilizers - just the opposite of the traditional farming practiced for thousands of
years, working in harmony with nature); organic food picked and consumed within a few hours
is full of the nutrition our bodies need for good health and, most important, an organic farmer
preserves our planet's biodiversity.
This is our small contribution to this planet, Mother Earth, our host.
Our fresh organic vegetables in season include:
Spring / Summer
Fall / Winter
becomes. As Carlo Petrini, Founder of Slow Food, says: "What you eat becomes you, your body
cells inside you, your life".
Even before coming to Roccaverano, our shopping was mostly done in organic health food
stores. The initial higher cost was offset by an almost non-existent use of medicines, doctor or
hospital visits, loss of work days. When all factors are considered, living organically costs less,
creates a much lower environmental impact, leads to a better personal and planetary life.
Conversion to organic took 3 years, since Spring 2008 we have been certified with ECOCERT.
From our observation the difference in quality and nutrition of vegetables is a direct result of
the farmer's integrity, how he/she cares for the plants and soil, the communication level and
intuition he/she has with the surrounding nature.
Our organic seeds come from Arcoiris (their catalogue is very informative), transplants are
grown by organic or biodynamic facilities. We control parasites by keeping a wide variety of
flowers, plants, bushes, cover crops that favor their natural enemies.
The soil is fertilized with an abundant cover of miscellaneous manures around the end of
November, before snow starts falling. The fields then rest all winter until March. In the
greenhouses, however, with the first February warmth, we seed sweet peas, spinach, lettuce
mixtures. True to the philosophy of organic farming, our greenhouses are not artificially heated.
To grow organic requires more manual labor, crop losses are higher and you need to be able to
anticipate anomalies.
Research shows that growing organic produces similar or higher quantities compared with so-
called traditional farming (referred to intensive farming, heavy use of pesticides, herbicides
and chemical fertilizers - just the opposite of the traditional farming practiced for thousands of
years, working in harmony with nature); organic food picked and consumed within a few hours
is full of the nutrition our bodies need for good health and, most important, an organic farmer
preserves our planet's biodiversity.
This is our small contribution to this planet, Mother Earth, our host.
Our fresh organic vegetables in season include:
Spring / Summer
- several varieties of lettuce spinach sweet peas
- zucchini carrots beans arugula
- yellow and green string beans
- erbette, a delicate, leafy, dark-green Italian veggie
- coste, similar to Swiss chard
- eggplants, long ones, oval ones, aubergine and the delicate "viola"
- tomatoes, from large and juicy to small and juicy cherry tomatoes
- potatoes onions
Fall / Winter
- winter lettuce squash, several varieties
- broccoli cauliflower
- leeks fennel
Our fresh organic fruit in season includes:
And a variety of wild as well as cultivated herbs and spices
- dark blue plums
- sweet and "amarene" cherries
- wild strawberries wild cherries
- blackberries raspberries
And a variety of wild as well as cultivated herbs and spices
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |