Good morning.
Bringing back the work ethic of our ancestors into the present is not a whim: it is a conscious necessity.
They knew about true work in the land, respect for seasons, patience, and craftsmanship. Ultimately, everything we do today in the garden comes from that, from that old school that cannot be learned in a hurry.
Today I want to tell you something that has to do with the history of these fields, these lands where many of us farmers who are part of Campos del Abuelo work.
And all through one of our star products, which has history but also a present.
Some time ago, I stumbled upon the history of strawberries here in Valencia. I told you a bit, but I missed a good part. It turns out it hasn't always been oranges around here in the garden...
At first, {nombre}, I told you that gatherings were held in the strawberry fields, because back in the 19th century, there was a place called L Hort del Santíssim where strawberries of surprising delicacy for the time were grown.
That was the pride of the land, part of our agricultural identity. Until diseases arrived, without asking permission, and the strawberry fields began to disappear from the landscape.
A chapter that seemed definitive closed. But, spoiler alert as they say now: the story was not even close to being over.
Decades later, in the late sixties, strawberries made a strong comeback. A full-fledged boom, a kind of reunion with something very much ours. And here's the beautiful part.
I decided to read and came across a document from that time and my heart skipped a beat because they worked practically the same way we do today at Campos del Abuelo. It said:
“The harvesting was done early in the morning, and the product was packed in boxes. In the afternoon, the boxes were loaded onto trucks and sent to the Valencia wholesale market, following a traditional marketing system. Each farmer sent their daily harvest to one or several wholesalers in a common transport for all."
Transparency, craftsmanship, and total respect for the fruit.
One of the slogans back then was: Strawberries from my strawberry fields. Tell me that's not beautiful.
It moves me to think that this way of working was not entirely lost; it was just waiting for us to resume it thoughtfully. Today, we follow that same philosophy, albeit with a nuance that changes everything for me.
Every morning I check your orders, we put on our boots, go out to the field, and harvest on demand. The fruit is only cut when someone is waiting for it at home, not before. Then we carefully prepare it and it goes directly from the field to your table, without strange detours, defending our work at a fair price.
This, which seems simple, is unique in Spain. And I don't do it alone; we do it with a lot of fellow farmers spread across the peninsula, people who care for their orchards as their grandparents did, with patience, wise hands, and always keeping an eye on the sky in case the weather turns bad 🍓
Sometimes the best innovation is remembering what we should never have forgotten. Going back to what works. Going back to looking at the plant, touching the earth, getting up early to harvest when the strawberry is at its peak, putting it in the box with the same care with which a child is put to sleep.
Thank you for joining us on this journey that is the memory of our land 🌱.
A big hug and see you next week,
