Good morning!
How has your week started?
Do you have electricity yet? What a mess 😅.
We're still reorganizing everything here, but the good news is that we have great news: we're adding a completely new product and two more are coming back...
One of the returning products is a star at Campos del Abuelo 🤩. A hint? It's round, small, and grown by my fellow farmer Antonio. You probably already guessed, but first, let me tell you about the new product 👇🏽
Directly from Lorenzo's family farm here in Valencia, the Tanaka loquats have arrived. These small fruits are hand-picked and stand out for their juicy flesh and very soft texture. I've tried them, and they are truly special.
Also, we have the Bobby beans back from Clara's farm, also a fellow farmer… You might remember her because I told you a few weeks ago how she uses the ancient technique of crop rotation. And not only that, but she also uses organic fertilizers, which is why her products are so special.
Let's see, let's see… and now for it. You surely already know what I'm talking about, but I'll tell you to cut through all the mystery: blueberries are back.
And to share the excitement with you, I'm going to tell you about their cultivation. Now, with Antonio, we'll start seeing each other more often, because once the blueberries are ready, I'm in his fields by seven in the morning.
There, we carefully collect each fruit, according to the orders that have come in, and by ten, everything is harvested, sorted, and ready to prepare the boxes.
As I was saying, Antonio has been growing blueberries for a few years now. He works with hydroponics, a technique that allows cultivation without soil, using solutions with all the nutrients that plants need. In his case, his blueberries grow in pots filled with coconut fiber, a natural and renewable material that comes from the coconut itself.
And you might ask: why coconut fiber?
Well, it turns out that coconut fiber has two fundamental virtues for this type of cultivation:
➡ On the one hand, it retains water and nutrients very well, which allows the blueberry roots to always be at their optimal point.
➡ On the other hand, it aerates very well, meaning it lets oxygen pass through, which is as important as water for the plant to grow strong.
But what truly distinguishes Antonio from most growers is not just what's underground (or rather, in the pot), but what's above it. And that is, unlike many other farms where blueberries are grown in plastic tunnels, he grows them outdoors.
His fruits, being exposed to the sun, wind, and temperature changes, grow stronger and more resistant. If you've tried them, you know that you can feel it to the touch and when you bite them that they are firmer, more natural.
And it also affects pollination. When plastic tunnels are used for cultivation, plants don't receive insect visits because they are enclosed, and bumblebees are usually introduced to do the work of pollinating the flowers.
In contrast, in Antonio's fields, since everything is outdoors, the local bees do their work in a 100% natural way.
They appear just when they should, freely roam the crops, and help each flower become a blueberry. It's an ecosystem working in balance, without the need to import beehives or intervene excessively.
If you were wondering why Antonio's blueberries were so good, now you have the answer.
In addition to the cultivation process, they are freshly harvested. Think of it this way, if you order on a Tuesday, the blueberries you will receive at your home on Wednesday were still on their plant the morning before 🌱.
And believe me, it shows. The bees have done their part, we have done ours, now all that's left is for you to enjoy them as you deserve.
Thank you for being there, see you next week.
A big hug!
