Exploring our local products

First and second graders are learning to communicate and respect the place they live in with its quality and its assets. Messinia province is the area with the largest production of figs all over Greece and one of the finest in Europe. Each year the exports are large and the biggest production unit only 10km away from our school. Today was a great day to do that!

We went there and we got to see how the preparation of the figs which remains the same (without additions and preservatives) since 1910 when it first started. The only flavor added is the amazing messinian oregano which the students got to add to figs.

            The selection process is done with respect to the environment since there is a zero waste policy. In the host company Sikiki figs that in quality control don’t make it to the food market are following a different route. They re being processed in order to make alcohol and after that a big part of them is used to cover animals needs for food (figs is a yummy choice for caws, horses and pigs).

With all that respect is paid to the food chain and no one is neglected. At the same time the employees of Sikiki explained the nutritional value of figs and why we should incorporate them to our diet daily.

 Leaving the place of Sikiki people there had prepared for us beautiful presents. First figs for us to try back home and one tree! What a wonderful surprise! They gave us a fig tree to plant in our school yard. From next year we will have our own figs from our fresh garden. Our school is changing and our mentality as well! Responsible consumption of products and selection of the best products our area has to give us. 

 

Our next stop was in a winery. Children got to see where the wine is kept how it is made out of grapes and why is it so important not to use chemicals when you grow your plants because things like that always come back to us. Oinomessiniaki unit is one of the largest winery stations with wines awarded for their flavor and aroma all over Europe. Kids got in touch with the whole idea of how a product from the earth ends up to our table but we decided it is so soon to be speaking  about wine. We are grateful to our hosts and will try to be ambassadors of good health, right consumption and respect for our home town and its products.