“Organic farming is my way of life. Having good food, a calm environment, clean water, a person can open to creativity. Ecological quality is our quality of life”, said farmer Vaiva Jundulaitė-Kosienė.
About experience in a biodynamic farm
After a conference on the supply and demand of organic production was held in Gargždai, the fair held here provided an opportunity to get to know several farmers who nurture these farms, to taste and purchase their grown and produced products.
V. Jundulaitė-Kosienė, the owner of the biodynamic-ecological farm “Miško sodai” from the Plungė district, brought not only quince syrup and juice, but also lavender, elderflower syrup, rose petal jam, wild and self-grown spices, tea herbs, medicinal herbs, self-made cosmetics and others.
Vaiva and Giedrius Kosos did not visit Gargždai for the first time – they had previously participated in fairs and celebrations. On that day, V. Jundulaitė-Kosienė spoke at the conference about the present and prospects of her biodynamic-ecological farm. “This is a meeting of like-minded people: those who care about ecology have come,” the farmer told Banga. – I am in favor of children eating organic food in kindergartens and schools – they need to be fed in such a way that they are healthy and do not have health problems in the future. There is a great concern that organic farms do not decrease, and now the tendency is to decrease, because they are less supported. However, less is grown in an organic farm – the costs should be compensated by the state, but its attention is lacking.”
Environmentalism – quality of life
V. Jundulaitė-Kosienė, a certified weaver, seamstress, electrician, agricultural specialist, admitted that she has been with the land for 26 years, when she bought a homestead surrounded by forests in the Žemaitija National Park, near Lake Platelia. “The nature here is very beautiful – the realization that you can’t manage non-ecologically, but what to eat – we are a part of nature was formed. The effect of nature on health is strong – we must live harmoniously with it. My farm was born from that position, – the farmer taught. – In order to have energy for the body to function well, we must eat proper and healthy food. Otherwise, we are unhappy, maybe we don’t sleep, our head doesn’t work like that. Environmentalism is the quality of our life. With this, a person can open himself to creativity.”
Initially, Vaiva was interested in herbs and spices. Now she and her husband manage 3.5 ha and grow not only various vegetables, but also berries and fruits. The small farm uses nature-friendly farming principles. 9 years ago, V. Jundulaitė-Kosienė was the first in Lithuania to receive a biodynamic farm certificate. She is a member of the Association of Lithuanian Biodynamic Farms, which has 14 farms.
The essence of biodynamic farming is to use the land sparingly without exhausting it. The main fertilizer is self-made biomass compost from grass, leaves, uprooted weeds. “Making it is an art: you need to layer the green mass and earth accordingly. If the soil is light, it needs to be supplemented with clay, and if it is the other way around, sand should be added. You need to pay close attention to your garden soil, what the plants lack is creativity. And no deduction”, said V. Jundulaitė-Kosienė.
Simple things make you happy
This farm has a variety of plants: many different types of vegetables, from early greens to pumpkins, as well as an abundance of berries and fruits. Farmers process their own produce. Vaiva’s favorite area is spices, tea herbs. “I make products for women’s beauty – various hydrolats,” revealed the farmer. – I prepare spices, sets of tea herbs – a lot of wild plants with a good taste, which improve digestion, fluid circulation, have taste properties, suitable for seasoning chicken, fish, soup. Spices and nettle powder add vitamins to food.”
The man grows organic vegetables – about 400 tomato seedlings of several dozen varieties in one greenhouse. The garden is also his property: a hectare of quinces, cultivated and wild rowanberries, raspberries, snowberries, rowanberries and others. There are 5 bee colonies on the farm. Farmers sell their grown and processed products themselves. “Our products are good, healthy – we guarantee their quality,” they assured. – We sell at fairs, we deliver vegetables according to orders to residents of Klaipėda and Palanga.”
Farmers are trying to grow new, rarer plants, such as the medicinal root YAM (Dioscora batatas). “Not everyone grows: you need to know when to sow – not everyone manages to take root, sometimes too much, sometimes too little moisture,” said V. Jundulaitė-Kosienė.
Farmers try to harvest the seeds of their plants and sow them. According to the interviewee, according to the biodynamic farm standard, it is necessary to grow the seed yourself so that it adapts to that land. He grows non-hybrid tomatoes and chooses the ones he likes the most. He grows a lot of beans and chooses the ones that are best suited to our conditions.
“We live a creative life,” assured V. Jundulaitė-Kosienė. – We are happy with the smallest things: here I see a beautiful view from the window – birch leaves are turning yellow. Living near Lake Plateliai, I often visit here – I look at it, whether it is wavy or flat, and I enjoy the peace. It is uplifting, and everything else is a creative process: planting vegetables or flowers, making tea herbs is creativity.”
Virginia LAPIENĖ
#Realizing #part #nature #inspired #conserve
– 2024-03-31 17:32:51
