Good morning, how was your Friday?
Today I'm writing enthusiastically because the mountain cherry season is going very, very well.
Alexander and Sujan, who meticulously care for these high-altitude farms, improve every season.
You can tell when you arrive at the plot, look at the trees, touch the soil, and then bite into a cherry, and the typical "wow, this is so good" escapes you. It's no coincidence.
They have decided to prioritize flavor over the quantity of kilograms.
In the eyes of the market, this sounds crazy. In the eyes of those of us who make a living from the land and want it to remain viable twenty years from now, it's the only sensible way to work.
The steps to achieve this are complex to execute but easy to explain; let's see how well I do:
On those farms, they've committed to living soil. Instead of leaving the ground bare, they've laid a green carpet of legumes that, thanks to friendly bacteria in their roots, capture nitrogen from the air and deposit it in the soil. I explain it this way because I find it very illustrative.
Beneath that carpet is a silent factory that feeds the farm without overworking it. When this cover crop is mowed, all that grass becomes food for the soil and adds organic matter. Organic matter is brown gold.
It turns the soil into a sponge instead of a tile. It absorbs water better when it rains, retains it during heatwaves, and also harbors beneficial insects and fungi that help the roots. Such soil cares for the tree, and the tree cares for the fruit.
Then come the pruning shears and a keen eye. Pruning isn't about rushing down the row and cutting for the sake of cutting. It's about opening up the canopy to let in light, which gives the fruit its color and energy. It's about leaving just the right number of production points so the tree doesn't get carried away producing a thousand small, bland cherries.
And when the fruit set has been generous, thinning is done. Yes, we remove fruit from the branch. I know, it sounds like a cardinal sin if you're measured by kilograms, but it's like reducing a sauce in the kitchen: you sacrifice volume to gain concentration.
In the end, where there were three, you leave two, and those two reach an applause-worthy size and flavor. Irrigation is also carefully managed. No inflating the fruit at the end to make it weigh more. Just the right amount of water so the pulp remains firm and juicy, not watery.
In ecological terms, the change is visible to the naked eye. Where rain used to wash the soil down the hillside, now the vegetative cover protects it. Where the soil used to crack, it now looks softer.
And there's more life around. The cover crop flowers attract pollinators and beneficial fauna that help us maintain balance.
Everything contributes to the same goal: fewer kilograms, yes, but higher quality, and healthier land.
Mind you, I'm not going to tell you this is easy. It requires more hours, more walks among the trees, more good doubts. I also tell you that when you seriously commit to quality, you change your mindset.
You stop looking only at the trailer and start looking at the face of the person biting into the cherry.
And that's where Alexander and Sujan are shining. They've understood that it's not about taking everything from the tree today and seeing what happens tomorrow. It's about ensuring the tree is eager for the next season.
I'll tell you more, some colleagues consciously decide to abandon part of the harvest. Fruit is left on the tree or on the ground to feed the earth and wildlife and to avoid overstraining the system when it's not worth it.
It's a radical ecological gamble and a topic of conversation at the bar. But notice that it fits the same idea. Not everything has to become a commodity for the countryside to make sense.
If you look at it through market glasses, all of this is an extravagance. Fewer kilograms, more work, and a price that must reflect that effort. If you look at it through the glasses of a farmer who wants to be here many years from now, it's pure logic.
You know that at Campos del Abuelo, we work this way with all crops. We are several farmers across Spain rowing in the same direction.
That's why we appreciate your support with your purchases, but also with sensible little eccentricities like this one.
If you try these mountain cherries and smile, we all win.
And if you're curious and want me to tell you more about the sponge soil or the green carpet that produces nitrogen, write to me, and we'll chat calmly 🌿
A big hug and have a very sweet weekend,
