Good morning!
First of all: a heartfelt thank you for participating in the cheese, goat, or sheep question. We received a lot of responses and even a few tapas recipes that really stuck with me.
In the next few days, I'll tell you the results, as I already see many of you betting at home to see who gets it right.
Here, Mondays are always a rush. We spend the weekend matching orders with what the fields have in season, and on Monday, with the first crow of the rooster, we start early.
We cut what you've ordered, pack box by box, and get everything ready for cold shipping.
You already know that all boxes now travel chilled so that everything reaches you in perfect condition ❄️
And about this, I'll tell you a field secret that's not on the label...
Even after you cut a lettuce or a zucchini, they remain alive inside for a while. They breathe, expend energy and water, as if they were still doing push-ups inside the box.
That's why proper cooling is our best ally. For us, cold is a coat for the journey, a short nap that calms the rhythm of freshly harvested vegetables as they travel from the garden to your kitchen. We quickly lower their temperature, we take care of them, and they are soon on their way.
What happens in many large supermarkets is very different, where fruits and vegetables spend weeks and even months sleeping in cold storage. There, the cold is not a temporary coat, it's an eternal bed.
It's used so that fruit can travel halfway around the world or be sold out of season. The appearance is preserved, yes, but time takes its toll.
With each passing day, they lose their sparkle, aromas, and vitamins. That's why there are January tomatoes that think they're from August and then taste like Tuesday. In contrast, when the time between plant and plate is short and the cold is only a travel companion, the flavor and nutrients arrive at their peak.
All this I'm telling you seems easy, but there's a lot of fine print here that's done by hand. We harvest by order every morning, something almost no one does in Spain.
We pack each box like Tetris so that the tomato doesn't crush the lettuce, we spend just enough time in the cold room, and we coordinate refrigerated transport. It's an artisan logistics, with fellow farmers from all over Spain who cultivate as their grandparents did and with the same patience.
It costs more, of course, but it's the way to ensure true quality and defend our work at a fair price.
Sometimes they ask me why we don't store for more days to be more relaxed. The answer is simple. We prefer to rush on Mondays so your box arrives with a taste of the countryside, rather than putting the vegetables to sleep for weeks to sell them when the time comes.
This is about respecting the season, the land, and those who sit at the table. It's about opening the box and smelling the garden. And about that first bite making you nod without saying a word.
Thank you for being on the other side, for trusting those of us who cultivate with our hands and our minds, and for helping us keep this way of working alive.
We continue every week, harvest by harvest, cold shipping and a smile on our faces. I'm going back to work; the tractor is looking at me sideways, and my colleagues are already loading the boxes 🚜
A big hug and have a great week. We'll read each other very soon with the results of the goat cheese versus sheep cheese duel.
We'll still be here, in the garden of Valencia, working with care so that the best of the countryside arrives directly at your home.
A hug,
