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Agrion Terra Farm Holidays
Crete for Wine lovers

This photo is from the event "" that takes place on "", during one of the programs of Agrion Terra Farm, in Crete.
Above photo:
Description of event


This is the detailed program of the day that includes the above event.
Saturday - Herbs
08:00:00 Harvest your breakfast.
Come to the farm, early in the morning, and participate in the collection of the ingredients of your breakfast. Milk the goats, harvest vegetables, collect the eggs from the chickens.

Agrion Terra Farm is surrounded by extensive olive orchards, vineyards and vegetable garden. This day is dedicated to herbs. Herbs and teas in cooking and medicinal use... The brave ones join us before breakfast and we harvest herbs from the wilderness.

08:30:00 Breakfast
All breakfast ingredients are home made organic products. Breakfast includes: Bread, cretan rusk, two types of cheese, yoghurt, honey, two types of marmelade, butter, eggs, various vegetables, fresh orange juice, coffee. Coffee is conventionally provided.

Herbs and teas in cooking and medicinal use... this is the subject of our day. Our breakfast includes 4 different teas, all infused from herbs growing wild on Crete, like Diktamos: Dittany of Crete. Dittany is one of the best-known healing herbs of folklore. Native to the mountains of Crete (name derived from the Mount Dikti in central Crete). In ancient times dittany of Crete was famous for its alleged property of expelling weapons imbedded in soldiers. Wild goats were reputed to seek out the plant after being struck by arrows; the goats were thought to eat the plant, and the arrows would fall out immediately. Shepherds saw this and would then ingest and later make compresses of the leaves to heal open wounds. In the tale of the Trojan wars by Virgil, the hero Aeneas was severely wounded by a deeply imbedded arrow that could not be extricated. His mother Venus went to Mount Ida on the island of Crete and retrieved some dittany of Crete, which was applied to the wound, causing the arrow to drop out and the wound to cure immediately. In ancient times it was believed that a snake would allow itself to be burned to death rather than cross the path of dittany of Crete. The locals called it also " eronda" which means love for its aphrodisiac properties. Popular in Minoan Crete and Ancient Greece, it was considered a highly therapeutic plant.

09:30:00 Free time. Midday activity preparation.
It is now time to pack your things and get ready for the midday activity. Get your water bottles, sun glasses, hat... whatever you believe will make your small trip as much comfortable as possible.


10:00:00 Botanical tour, medicinal herbs.


Before noon we join Marianna, our professional herbalist and botanotherapist, in a tour around the area of Maroulas. This area offers stunning views, ancient ruins, abundant herbs and wildflowers, including many endemic herbs.The flora of Crete is at its best in Spring, after the rain showers of the early season. Crete really looks green, and hundreds of flowers, plants and herbs start to blossom. There are 130 species of wild flowers and herbs endemic to Crete. Many Cretan herbs belong to the Mint family, a family of plants in about 180 genera and some 3,500 species. These include many widely used culinary herbs, such as basil, mint, rosemary, sage, marjoram, oregano and thyme. Some are shrubs, but rarely trees or vines.

11:30:00 Herbal remedies.
Introduction to the teas made out of Cretan herbs that grow in the wilderness, or even sometimes cultivated in the garden.

We end our noon tour at one of the most exquisite traditional small tavernas owned by Michalis; where few small tables are crowded on a small balcony with a beautiful view over Rethymnon plateau. We share a light lunch that Michalis prepares for us featuring local wild herbs. Marianna, our professional herbalist and botanotherapist, performs herbal tea preparation. She explains how a number of common health problems, such as the common cold and indigestion or headaches, malaise, etc., can be treated successfully with the use of herbs thus avoiding taking medicine that can have unpleasant or annoying side-effects. Furthermore, as she explains, even for more serious ailments, under the guidance of the competent physician, herbs can play an important role in the patient’s cure and relieve from the symptoms. Among the diseases and ailments normally treated by botanotherapists are allergies, arthritis, infections, circulatory problems, liver diseases, gynecological problems (relating to menstrual cycle), skin diseases, stress related problems (headaches, insomnia, palpitation).

13:00:00 Free time, or tailor made optional activities.
This is YOUR time! Free to swim, or settle down and get lazy!!! The more active ones will have the opportunity to participate in fascinating excursions which are organised outside the premises of the organic farms, accompanied by experienced professionals. We will be happy to arrange all the details fof you.

Melidoni village. A workshop where nature sculptures... in the dark...

The cave is about 1,800 metres northwest of the village and is of interest because of the archaeological findings which are displayed in the Archaeological Museum of Rethimnon. The cave was also the mythical home of Talos--the giant bronze protector of Crete used to circle Crete twice a day, warding off its enemies. Legend says that the sorceress Medea removed his protective thorn and he bled to death.

Melidoni was the site of a sanctuary dedicated to Hermes Talaios during the Classical Greek period.

The cave is also associated with a tragic historical event that occurred during the Turkish occupation. Three hundred and forty men, women, and children sought refuge in it and refused to surrender. The Turks lit a fire at the cave's entrance and all the people inside were asphyxiated. There is a plaque commemorating these lives lost in 1824 along with a communal tomb in the cave.

20:00:00 Dinner.
It is time to savour the delights of Crete in a place that we have choosen especially for you. Dinner includes the highlights of the delicacies we have been introduced to during the day. Sorry guys... beverages not included...

Dinner tonight is also focused in the use of herbs in cooking. We visit the taverna of Yiannis, in Maroulas. Herbs in Cooking. We chat for few of the 250 recipes that people on Crete use in their “every day” cuisine. We cover many aspects of herbal cookery and we discuss about herbs, such as Dittany of Crete, which are hard to find outside of Greece, but also about others that can be found at your local grocer. Just bear in mind that Greek, and especially Cretan, herbs are believed by many experts to be more potent than their counterparts grown elsewhere. By the way, dried herbs are generally not considered "food", and usually can be brought through without difficulty.


This is the detailed schedule of the days included in the current program.
Monday - Cheese
08:00:00 Harvest your breakfast.
08:30:00 Breakfast
09:00:00 Cheese making at home
10:30:00 Free time. Midday activity preparation.
11:30:00 Cheese making at small industry
13:30:00 Free time, or tailor made optional activities.
20:00:00 Dinner.

Tuesday - Bread, crops & people
08:00:00 Harvest your breakfast.
08:30:00 Breakfast
09:00:00 Bread kneading and baking
10:30:00 Free time. Midday activity preparation.
11:00:00 People, crops and landscape.
13:30:00 Free time, or tailor made optional activities.
21:00:00 Dinner.

Wednesday - Food preservation & wine
08:00:00 Harvest your breakfast.
08:30:00 Breakfast
09:00:00 Food preservation at home.
10:30:00 Free time. Midday activity preparation.
11:00:00 Trip to midday activity location
12:00:00 Wine tasting
14:00:00 Free time, or tailor made optional activities.
21:00:00 Dinner.

Thursday - Olive oil
08:00:00 Harvest your breakfast.
09:00:00 Breakfast
09:30:00 Aromatic olive oil preparation.
10:30:00 Free time. Midday activity preparation.
11:00:00 Olive oil production.
12:30:00 Olive oil tasting.
13:30:00 Free time, or tailor made optional activities.
21:00:00 Dinner.

Friday - Wild greens & vegetables
08:00:00 Harvest your breakfast.
08:30:00 Breakfast
09:00:00 Wild greens and vegetables. Collection from the wilderness.
10:30:00 Free time, or tailor made optional activities.
19:30:00 Wild green and vegetables. Post harvest handling and cooking.
21:00:00 Dinner.

Saturday - Herbs
08:00:00 Harvest your breakfast.
08:30:00 Breakfast
09:30:00 Free time. Midday activity preparation.
10:00:00 Botanical tour, medicinal herbs.
11:30:00 Herbal remedies.
13:00:00 Free time, or tailor made optional activities.
20:00:00 Dinner.

Sunday - Cooking skills
08:00:00 Harvest your breakfast.
08:30:00 Breakfast
09:30:00 Free Day.
19:00:00 Cooking demo
20:30:00 Dinner.
Photo Gallery of this Event

Photo Gallery of this Program