Watching the Olives Grow Read online

  Here in Agios Nikolaos we also notice the impact that these increased taxes have had on tourism as there are definitely less tourists. Greece is now being boycotted for holiday destinations due to the high cost, particularly when eating out, compared to years gone by when it was often cheaper to eat out at a taverna than stay in and cook a meal.

  Clearly, a ‘chicken and egg’ problem and made worse by the fact that Tourism is one of Greece’s main sources of income. The Government is investing money in the tourism industry per-se but, if eating out and travel is so expensive then, in the future, people will not come to holiday in Greece, as is the situation during the 2010 season.

  Some hotels, bars and restaurants haven’t even opened for this year as it is cheaper for them to stay closed, compared to the cost of the staff required to open them and there being little or no business.

  However, some individuals are tackling the problem by changing the type of businesses they used to run, or even starting new business where they have seen a gap in the market to market their products.

  Two examples are the Olive Oil Bar and the Austrian Bakery. Both of these businesses have located themselves out of the village and on the main road between Agios Nikolaos and Stoupa. This means that they can be seen by every car passing along the main road, and they have a big parking area right outside their premises to encourage people to stop and buy.

  Katerina, ( Katrin Hensel-Maroulakis – www.tonthalamon.gr ) decided to open a shop which she has called The Olive Oil Bar in order to market her products to a wider audience.

  Photo: Photo: Olive Oil Bar Shop Front.

  From the shop, she sells her Olive Oil and Olives, as well as Capers, Honey, Wine, Herbs and selected books.

  Now, whilst this may not sound particularly new, the difference is the high quality of the products that she produces in and around the area of Thalames. The Olive oil and the Olives she produces herself. With the exception of the jars of herbs and spices (which she sells on behalf of a local supplier) all the remaining products on offer are all sourced locally, or from Greek islands. E.g. the Capers are from Syros and the Gourmet Delicatessen products are from Corfu. They all have one thing in common; high quality!

  Photo: Roadside Signage.

  The Olive Oil and the Olives on offer come in a whole range of volumes and sizes. There is also a choice of flavours, including lemon and orange. The aromas and the different tastes are amazing. Most are organic, and so too the wines and dried herbs. The wines on sale are all produced from vines in the Messinian area, and they taste fantastic too. The dried bunches of herbs have been picked in the surrounding Taygetos Mountains where they are growing wild, and although dried, they really smell good, and are ideal for cooking.

  The range of herbs and spices in jars are supplied by a man who sources them from around the world, but the difference (and the uniqueness of them?) is that he only buys the herb or spice that is the acclaimed ‘best in the world’ e.g. Pepper corns; Pink from Brazil, Black from Vietnam, Green from India, and White from Indonesia.

  There is plenty of space inside the shop to move around and the shelves are easy to reach, and not fully crammed with product. In the middle of the shop there is a large wooden table displaying the books for sale; ranging from recipes to travel in the region

  Photo: Simple, Rustic Look Inside The Shop.

  All in all, the Olive Oil Bar is very impressive, and although simple and rustic looking it is none the less very inviting. The colour scheme is wicked, as in inspired and attention-grabbing! It is a mixture of lime green, turquoise and purple! The signage is simple but highly visual and eye-catching.

  The finishing touch to the frontage of the shop is that Katerina has also planted a huge Olive tree to the front of the shop to grab the attention of passers-by.

  In the future, she plans to build a circular stone bench around it for customers to sit under in the cool shade that the branches will provide from the fierce heat of the day, and take their time to sample the oils, Olives and wines. A great Entrepreneur!

  Photo: Olive Tree And Stone Surround.

  The Austrian Bakery is another really good example of Entrepreneurs fighting back against the recession. Peter Stummer and his wife Waltraud (Trudy) are Austrian and used to own and run Taverna Straube on the outskirts of Stoupa.

  As the recession began to bite so too the business struggled to remain viable as there were so few customers. What to do? Look for a gap in the market and try something different! There are many bakeries in the area but at that time, none selling Austrian or continental flavoured and textured breads. They decided to open a bakery with a difference, and change their lifestyle too.

  Photo: Peter (And Socks!) And Trudy At The Counter.

  Peter is as good a baker as he was a chef, if not better. Maybe it’s cooking in white clogs and black socks that is his trade secret!

  At the taverna, Peter used to be the chef and Trudy was the assistant chef, front of house manager, and the waitress; multi-skilled! As was often the case, Peter would finish cooking around 10pm and then help Trudy with the guests, who would probably have finished eating but would continue to drink and talk for hours afterwards. Although it was a big change in direction for them, the bakery would mean no more late evenings.

  Whereas they were sitting around waiting for the customers to finish their wine and pay their bills before they could close the taverna and go to bed. Now, instead, it was to be early to bed and early to rise in order to start baking the breads, and a much shorter working day.

  Photo: Roadside Signage.

  His ranges of bread, both white and brown, include ‘normal’ and ‘heavy’ textures, and Peter bakes both sweet and savoury varieties.

  There is a small shop to the front of the premises and Peter’s ovens and preparation area are clearly visible in the rear. Quite an amazing ‘development’ to see and experience! The smell of the bakery is fantastic and you can smell it from 500 metres away as you approach. Once inside the shop, the aroma is almost overpowering!

  To buy and eat bread that has only just cooled from the oven is as fresh as you can get! Peter also bakes a whole range of Austrian cakes and deserts, including the traditional Austrian Apple Strudel. So tempting!

  Photo: The Range Of Breads And Cakes Baked By Peter.

  They also sell soft drinks, iced coffee and ice cream as well as sandwiches. Trudy does a ‘bread round’ in the mornings selling a whole range of their production to local shops and to construction workers on their building sites.

  Within months of opening, as true Entrepreneurs, they came up with a novel idea of how to extend the marketing of the bakery and the shop. They decided to use the car parking area to host a Bazaar.

  They host the bazaar every other Saturday morning and they invite anybody to turn up and sell home-made crafts, clothes, bric-a-brac and toys for children. The invitation is to bring your own table and set it up on the forecourt. They also print and site posters around the villages advertising the bazaar with an open invitation for everybody to turn up, browse and buy. The invitation also points out that bread, sandwiches, cakes drinks and coffees will be available for refreshment.

  Since its inception, the bazaar has turned into quite a social event, with people coming to browse, and looking for bargains. It has turned into a good promotional opportunity for the bakery, because as hoped for, as people stroll around looking for bargains, they are buying fresh bread to take home, and coffees and cakes to eat whilst they are there!

  Photo: Young And Old Alike!

  Of course, as the Olive Oil Bar is right next door, you buy Olives, Olive oil and wines at the same time!

  Author’s Note: Doing an update in November 2013, the Author observes that both businesses closed during December 2011 due to lack of business to make them profitable.

  The recession has made times very hard for a large number of businesses. Whilst some owners have changed direction others have decided to close altogether.

  In nearby
Stoupa, some restaurants and hotels have closed and some shops too, all because there are fewer tourists due to the high cost. One such shop that has decided to close is an Art and Craft shop.

  Big posters are sited all around the town advertising its closure and offering a 40% discount on everything. Valerie couldn’t resist a visit; not that we need anything of course!

  I’m pleased we went, because although it is sad that the shop is closing, we did acquire a few bargains.

  One in particular is a large carved wooden hand. It measures 55cm high and 50cm wide and we have sited it in front of the Gazebo in tribute to Pete’s endeavours in building it.

  We have called it ‘The Hand Of Pete’ where it sits on the plinth that I made for it in front of the Gazebo that he built for us.

  Photo: ‘The Hand Of Pete.’

  Meanwhile, back in Bulgaria there have been ’developments’ of quite another kind. When Bulgaria Bill and Sue were here earlier in the year, not only had they taken some plants back to Bulgaria, but they also took back the idea to develop ‘Meerkat Corner’ on their terrace.

  They liked Meerkat Manor and the way in which the stone Meerkats feature around the house and they wanted to do something like it, but on a smaller scale. They tell us that Meerkat Corner is a sort of ‘tribute’ to Meerkat Manor; Greek plants being ‘Watched’ by Meerkats and even a traditional stone facia with a Meerkat on ‘Watching’ guard duty! Lookout Europe! Meerkat Mania is spreading!

  Now it is the end of week two of August and it is time to party!

  There is only one day more important than Easter Sunday in the Greek Orthodox Church and that is 15th August; Dormition. In Eastern Christianity, the Dormition celebrates the departure from earth of the Virgin Mary. In the West, it is referred to as the Assumption, and of course celebrated on the same day.

  The Dormition, which was established as a feast day during the rule of Byzantine Emperor Mauricius (582 – 602), has given rise to a lot of festivals and partying in the villages. Also, most will attend one of the religious services held in the village churches. The fact that 15th August is also the ‘name day’ of a number of names derived from the Virgin – Maria, Marios, Panayiota, Panayiotis, Marietta and Despoina – adds to the popularity of the celebration.

  To participate in the celebrations, people will leave their homes and return to the village of their ancestors or their birth, and the same happens in elections. This has two effects on the distribution of Greek people for the weekend. Firstly, villages drastically increase in population, and secondly, Athens is almost deserted as people travel to their birthplaces!

  A knock-on effect of the emptying of Athens is that the roads and motorways are jam packed for the exodus and for the return! At all points of the compass it is the weekend for most traffic accidents in Greece, and it is not unusual for there to be appeals for blood donors to cope with the victims of the many accidents; Greek’s are not good drivers!

  Whilst the religious side of the celebration is serious, the Panagyri is fun! Panagyri is the name given to the party in celebration of the Dormition festival and, if appropriate, the name day of the church. It is held in the village square which is usually in front or very nearby the main church of the village. For one night there is a total transformation! The space will be crammed full of wooden tables and benches or plastic tables and chairs. On one side will be a row of trestle tables for the food and wine and on the other side there will be a stage for the band.

  The ladies of the church and the village work tirelessly all day preparing the food; spit-roast pork, salad and bread. They produce enough food to provide everybody with a meal. Around 8pm people will arrive ready to eat, party and dance, and as I have already said before, Greek people know how to do all three to excess!

  This year, there is a Dormition Panagyri in Platsa, the mountain village that we can see from our terrace. On any given day in Platsa, the square is usually empty of people, and maybe only three or four cars are parked in it. The small shop in the corner doubles as a Kaphenion (coffee shop) and grocery come general store. There may be somebody drinking a coffee at one of the small tables at the front of the shop, but both the shop and the square never look busy.

  Platsa is a typical example of a ‘sleepy’ mountain village, and the square looks very small as it nestles in front of the large church. It won’t be like that on the evening of the 15th of August; it will be heaving! Based on last year’s Panagyri that we went to, there will be least 400 people packed into it! They will be seated at a variety of tables and chairs provided and they will be devouring their food and wine with some gusto!

  The transformation is quite something to experience; from the ‘sleepy quiet’ to the ‘vibrant roar’ that can be heard, as a large number of people are talking to each other and having a good time at the same time. Like we experienced last year, they will probably have to shout at each other to make ourselves heard! As the band begins to play, the decibels will increase at least four-fold! The songs and the music are usually quite upbeat and dancing is encouraged, even from the start of the first song. The more wine that is consumed, the more frenetic the dancing becomes, and the louder the ‘roar’ of people celebrating, partying and generally enjoying themselves; fantastic to experience!

  I’ve been plagued by spider bites again, and after last time (detailed in the book ‘It Started With An Ouzo’), I need to be careful. The worst bit is that the little terrors are so small that you don’t notice them, and often don’t feel their bite, and the first you know is when you notice a small red ‘blotch’ appear on your skin and then the itching starts! However, for me, I seem to be allergic to the poison of one of the species. The blotch is vivid red and hurts like hell and makes my legs and feet swell! So, this Dormition weekend I’ve been to the hospital and I’m on anti-biotic and an allergen as a precaution to try and reduce the pain and the swelling. As a consequence I will miss the Panagyri. The Doctor told me to rest and put my feet up as much as possible until the blotches faded, the pain eases, and the swelling of my legs and feet start to reduce. So, it was no surprise therefore that I took to the hammock! As I lay there, I took particular notice of the extreme growth of the lilies since I installed the watering system. What a change; from 15cm to 150cm in just four weeks; 10 times increase in height! From pale ‘weaklings’ to such superb strong, dark green specimens. Amazing!

  Photos: Lillies Before Installing The Irrigation System.

  Photo: Lillies After Installing The Irrigation System.

  Mind you, the same is true of the vegetable garden. During the previous two summers, the vegetables struggled to grow in the sun-baked, rock hard soil, and the results were disappointing. However, once again the use of the watering system has changed the results quite dramatically. The seedlings have been meteoric in their growth and production of their fruits ready to be cooked and eaten.

  Photo: Wooden Pathway Before Installing Irrigation System.

  Photo: Wooden Pathway After Installing Irrigation System.

  This summer, we also tried growing Aubergines, and because it was our first time, we didn’t know what to expect. Valerie planted the seeds, kept a close watch on developments, and kept her fingers crossed for a good result. She would go and inspect them on a daily basis so as not to miss anything going on etc. So, now there were two of us ‘Watching!’

  Once again, the watering system had a dramatic effect, and the initial growth and development looked promising. First hand, we could see them growing and the difference was noticeable; on a daily basis too! We could see them growing under their dense foliage, but we couldn’t make out what their ripened size would be. So, we were amazed with the first one we picked; 21cm high, 16cm diameter and 43cm circumference, and weighing 806 grams! We are talking BIG as in BIG! Valerie could hardly hold it in her hand and it was so heavy that she needed to support her arm!

  Photo: The First Aubergine – BIG!

  Right! How to cook it? Valerie headed for the laptop and ‘Googled’ the BB
C Good Food recipe site. She decided it was going to be turned into the central ingredient of a two-cheese and tomatoes bake. Before I knew it, it was baked and served for dinner! The taste was amazing. It had a firm texture, as firm as a steak but it was so tender and sweet. Delicious!

  Photo: Aubergine Bake.

  As well as the Aubergines, this year we are growing Tomatoes, Courgettes, Butternut Squash, Chillies, Peppers and red-stemmed Chard. Also, would you believe it here in Greece, Brussels sprouts!

  The effect of the watering system is turning out to be very successful, and satisfying for us, in terms of development of the garden and the vegetable patch, because everything is growing. The Aubergines are happily growing, and there are at least 11 more to come, all looking to be similar in size to the first one! All the other vegetable varieties are growing steadily too. The smell of their leaves is so different; earthy and fresh, and almost ‘perfumed’ somehow. Best of all is that they are totally organic, with no other additives or fertilisers.

  They go straight from the garden, get washed and cooked. Their taste is just wonderful!

  The fruit and vegetables that we buy in the village are fresh too, and they taste good too, but not anywhere near as the fresh taste we get when ours go from the soil to the cooker in under five minutes!

  Also, we are not bound by any of the EEC regulations with regard to shape and size; all I can say for the Aubergine’s size and shape is “thank goodness!”

  Photo: Fresh Courgettes.

  The success of the system is that the water is controlled; small, but regular quantities every day can penetrate the soil down to the plant’s root system, as opposed to ‘flooding’ with the hosepipe that evaporates on the surface and only waters the leaves. Also, previously when I was using the hosepipe for the watering, I would get water on some leaves that didn’t like it, and they would go brown as they scorched in the sun.