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Spring Program This photo is from the event "Dinner." that takes place on "Saturday - Herbs", during one of the programs of Agrion Terra Farm, in Crete. Description of event
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.
| 08:00:00 Harvest your breakfast.
| 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.
| 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.
| 20:00:00 Dinner.
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Photo Gallery of this Event
Photo Gallery of this Program
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