READY IN 10 MINUTES
Dehydrated natural greens from the blessed land of Greece right in your kitchen.
The food culture of our land
3500 years now the civilizations developed at the blessed Hellenic area, established a diet based more on the rich flora and less on the fauna of the area. Living into nature human was literally surrounded by his food and the only thing he had to do was to collect it. Wild greens, roots, herbs, fruits and fresh vegetables, carefully collected and cooked with wisdom, were daily on the table of the Greeks ensuring them good health and longevity.
The intervention of human was limited on planting and looking after his home gardens, trees and his few animals in order to secure a part of his food. Most of the natural goods were eaten fresh and if something should be maintained it was dried or salted. Even if our grandmothers could not explain the characteristics of their foods with gastronomical or scientific terms, they always (even during the wars) managed to offer delicious and nutritious meals to their family. The accumulated experience of many centuries built α valuable knowledge on the food finding, which passed from generation to generation and was the basic survival tool.
The wild Greens
Greece is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. The flora has about 5,700 recorded species, of which approximately 750 species are endemic. More than 300 of these plants are edible and can be used either for cooking or for medical reasons. The edible plants used of cooking are called Horta. Just a hundred years ago most of the fruits and vegetables we consume today did not exist. Wheat, grapes and olives were the main agricultural products of the country and families used to produce their own food in their back yard.
Wild Horta was a basic part of their diet not because of their nutritional or gastronomical value but because it was the most easy and cheap food they could find. Being a main source of vitamins and diet fibers this nourishment helped people to survive and remain healthy during the most difficult periods of our history.
The dehydration
Natural food is not always available. Autumn and spring is the periods that you can find the widest variety of Horta in the Greek Land. In the Highlands during winter edible plants are very limited due to the low temperatures and icy conditions. On the other hand in the islands the lack of water and the very high temperatures during the summer period create an unfriendly environment for wild greens. Furthermore under these conditions it was also difficult to cultivate vegetables Therefore people had to find a way to preserve food in order to consume it during these periods.
Various simple techniques were invented in order to preserve their goods without the need of refrigerator. Feta Cheese, Hylopites and Trahanas Pasta, Salty pork meat, marmalades and pickled vegetables were created due to the need to utilize milk meat, and vegetables when they were in abundance and store food for winter.
The easiest method for greens to be preserved was to dehydrate them. During Spring Women were collecting the best Horta they could find, cutting the bad leaves, washing them with fresh water and hanging them to their back yard in the shadow. The south winds that are very usual in Greece this period were helping greens to dehydrate fast. This is the most natural way to enjoy a healthy and rich in vegetable fibers fast and easy any time of the year.
Wild Horta
Combining our ancient local knowledge on food preservation with contemporary dehydration techniques we created a collection of Wild Horta species that we cultivate in the Greek land in the areas of their origin. Our dehydration method is based on the circulation of very low temperature air that has very low effect on the nutritional value of the greens. The greens are dehydrated naturally without the use any kind of chemicals or colors losing approximately 90% of the water they contain. This means that 15gr of dry greens equals approximately to 150gr of fresh ones.
sta.mna.ga.thi
[stamnagathi]
Stamnagathi is the local name of Cichorium spinosum in Crete. In fact means the thorn of the pitcher as women used to close the pitchers with the sense thorns of the plant in order to protect the water or other kind of liquids were storing in them from insects and small animals.
In Nature Stamnagathi is found in the inaccessible parts of the mountains or on the rocks close to the sea and it grows to 20 cm in height. It is in flower from July to August and the flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by bees.
Stamnagathi has a bitter taste and can be eaten as a raw or boiled salad with extra virgin olive oil and lemon and added in various recipes combined with meat or fish.
zo.hos
[zohos]
Zohos is the local name of Sonchus Oleraceus. It’s one of the most common wild plants in Greece and you can find it almost everywhere. This annual plant has a hollow, upright stem up to 30–100 cm high. It prefers full sun, and can tolerate most soil conditions. The flowers are hermaphroditic, and common pollinators include bees and flies.
Zohos has a mild bitter flavor and can be eaten as a boiled salad with extra virgin olive oil and lemon or mixed with other greens. In very poor areas like Mani people were using Zohos also in pies combined with wild aromatic greens such.
ar.mi.ri.ki
[armiriki]
Armiriki is the Greek name for Salsola soda. It is a halophyte (a salt-tolerant plant) that typically grows in coastal saline habitats and can be irrigated with salt water. Its stem rises with herbaceous stalks from 5 to 70 cm high.
Armiriki has salty and sweet flavor and it is usually eaten as a boiled salad with extra virgin olive oil and lemon. Fits perfectly with any kind of fish.
Cooking
Dry wild Horta are cleaned and washed and can be eaten directly without any other preparation.
Three simple steps are needed in order to enjoy a nutritious and tasty meal of Wild Horta.
1
- Boil Water 1 liter of water in a large casserole adding 1 teaspoon of salt
2
- Place the dry greens
in the casserole. - Boil 8 to 13 minutes.
- If you want greens more
crunchy 8 minutes are enough.
3
- Strain the greens.
- Serve with extra virgin olive oil and lemon.
READY IN 10 MINUTES
Dehydrated natural greens from the blessed land of Greece right in your kitchen.
The food culture of our land
3500 years now the civilizations developed at the blessed Hellenic area, established a diet based more on the rich flora and less on the fauna of the area. Living into nature human was literally surrounded by his food and the only thing he had to do was to collect it. Wild greens, roots, herbs, fruits and fresh vegetables, carefully collected and cooked with wisdom, were daily on the table of the Greeks ensuring them good health and longevity.
The intervention of human was limited on planting and looking after his home gardens, trees and his few animals in order to secure a part of his food. Most of the natural goods were eaten fresh and if something should be maintained it was dried or salted. Even if our grandmothers could not explain the characteristics of their foods with gastronomical or scientific terms, they always (even during the wars) managed to offer delicious and nutritious meals to their family. The accumulated experience of many centuries built α valuable knowledge on the food finding, which passed from generation to generation and was the basic survival tool.
The wild Greens
Greece is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. The flora has about 5,700 recorded species, of which approximately 750 species are endemic. More than 300 of these plants are edible and can be used either for cooking or for medical reasons. The edible plants used of cooking are called Horta. Just a hundred years ago most of the fruits and vegetables we consume today did not exist. Wheat, grapes and olives were the main agricultural products of the country and families used to produce their own food in their back yard.
Wild Horta was a basic part of their diet not because of their nutritional or gastronomical value but because it was the most easy and cheap food they could find. Being a main source of vitamins and diet fibers this nourishment helped people to survive and remain healthy during the most difficult periods of our history.
The dehydration
Natural food is not always available. Autumn and spring is the periods that you can find the widest variety of Horta in the Greek Land. In the Highlands during winter edible plants are very limited due to the low temperatures and icy conditions. On the other hand in the islands the lack of water and the very high temperatures during the summer period create an unfriendly environment for wild greens. Furthermore under these conditions it was also difficult to cultivate vegetables Therefore people had to find a way to preserve food in order to consume it during these periods.
Various simple techniques were invented in order to preserve their goods without the need of refrigerator. Feta Cheese, Hylopites and Trahanas Pasta, Salty pork meat, marmalades and pickled vegetables were created due to the need to utilize milk meat, and vegetables when they were in abundance and store food for winter.
The easiest method for greens to be preserved was to dehydrate them. During Spring Women were collecting the best Horta they could find, cutting the bad leaves, washing them with fresh water and hanging them to their back yard in the shadow. The south winds that are very usual in Greece this period were helping greens to dehydrate fast. This is the most natural way to enjoy a healthy and rich in vegetable fibers fast and easy any time of the year.
Wild Horta
Combining our ancient local knowledge on food preservation with contemporary dehydration techniques we created a collection of Wild Horta species that we cultivate in the Greek land in the areas of their origin. Our dehydration method is based on the circulation of very low temperature air that has very low effect on the nutritional value of the greens. The greens are dehydrated naturally without the use any kind of chemicals or colors losing approximately 90% of the water they contain. This means that 15gr of dry greens equals approximately to 150gr of fresh ones.
sta.mna.ga.thi
[stamnagathi]
Stamnagathi is the local name of Cichorium spinosum in Crete. In fact means the thorn of the pitcher as women used to close the pitchers with the sense thorns of the plant in order to protect the water or other kind of liquids were storing in them from insects and small animals.
In Nature Stamnagathi is found in the inaccessible parts of the mountains or on the rocks close to the sea and it grows to 20 cm in height. It is in flower from July to August and the flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by bees.
Stamnagathi has a bitter taste and can be eaten as a raw or boiled salad with extra virgin olive oil and lemon and added in various recipes combined with meat or fish.
zo.hos
[zohos]
Zohos is the local name of Sonchus Oleraceus. It’s one of the most common wild plants in Greece and you can find it almost everywhere. This annual plant has a hollow, upright stem up to 30–100 cm high. It prefers full sun, and can tolerate most soil conditions. The flowers are hermaphroditic, and common pollinators include bees and flies.
Zohos has a mild bitter flavor and can be eaten as a boiled salad with extra virgin olive oil and lemon or mixed with other greens. In very poor areas like Mani people were using Zohos also in pies combined with wild aromatic greens such.
ar.mi.ri.ki
[armiriki]
Armiriki is the Greek name for Salsola soda. It is a halophyte (a salt-tolerant plant) that typically grows in coastal saline habitats and can be irrigated with salt water. Its stem rises with herbaceous stalks from 5 to 70 cm high.
Armiriki has salty and sweet flavor and it is usually eaten as a boiled salad with extra virgin olive oil and lemon. Fits perfectly with any kind of fish.
Cooking
Dry wild Horta are cleaned and washed and can be eaten directly without any other preparation.
Three simple steps are needed in order to enjoy a nutritious and tasty meal of Wild Horta.
1
- Boil Water 1 liter of water in a large casserole adding 1 teaspoon of salt
2
- Place the dry greens
in the casserole. - Boil 8 to 13 minutes.
- If you want greens more
crunchy 8 minutes are enough.
3
- Strain the greens.
- Serve with extra virgin olive oil and lemon.