Field Notes

If you take a stroll with Friedrich across his farm near Gibraleón today, the first thing you’ll notice is the noise: a literal wall of birdsong. But behind this idyllic scene lies a radical choice made years ago—one that flew right in the face of convention. Today, having held Demeter certification since 1994, he’s living proof that his “madness” was the only logical response to the crisis facing our soil.Forty years ago, Friedrich fell in love with Finca Jelanisol-Montebello during a trip to Spain. At the time, he was working as a middleman for conventional fruit and veg. Two things happened back then that made him stop and think: A friend gave him a book on permaculture by Bill Mollison, which sparked an idea. While visiting a farm in Italy, he found himself desperately digging for earthworms. When the farmer told him there weren’t any “because you don’t need them,” Friedrich began to question everything. A Holistic Vision: Everything is ConnectedFor Friedrich, farming isn’t an isolated job; it’s part of a much bigger picture. He holds a deeply philosophical, holistic view of the world where everything—from soil microbes to the end consumer—is linked. He doesn’t see his farm as just a production site, but as a living organism where people and nature live in harmony. In his eyes, a peaceful society can only exist if we produce in tune with nature. If we get it right, there’s enough for everyone—we just can’t afford to destroy the foundations.One of the biggest things driving Friedrich is a deep-seated worry about the state of the modern diet. He explains that much of the food we eat today is “empty.” By this, he means conventional produce that, thanks to pesticides and long storage times, has lost any real nutritional value. He lives by the rule: Healthy Soil = Healthy People. Only living, regenerated soil can produce fruit that actually nourishes the body.One of the first things Friedrich did was build a large pond—not for irrigation, but purely for the birds, frogs, ducks, and fish. It also acts as drainage during heavy rain. They produce their own organic fertiliser using microorganisms, supplying the trees with a steady stream of minerals through a drip irrigation system.

We visited Antonio from Sicilian Passion in Sicily. In a region traditionally known for its citrus fruits, Antonio decided to take a different path several years ago: he grows passion fruit (and even papayas!).A crucial part of our collaboration is precisely determining the harvest time. Our teams conduct sugar measurements directly in the field. A refractometer is used to determine the Brix value, ensuring that the fruits have reached the required physiological maturity and full aromatic profile. Harvesting only begins once these thresholds are met. In the video below, you can see our colleague Angelo taking these measurements. It’s a lot of fun, because you’re literally looking into the future.Ripening Characteristics and EtymologyAn important quality characteristic of passion fruit is the texture of its skin. Unlike many fruits, here’s the rule: the more pronounced the wrinkling of the fruit, the higher the sugar content. Due to slight evaporation during the ripening process, the fruit sugar concentrates inside, while the acidity subtly decreases. There are two harvests per year – one in the winter months and one in the summer months. Especially in summer, the fruits are “wrinklier” because the liquid evaporates faster due to the heat.Did you know that the name “passion fruit” is derived from Christian iconography? Spanish missionaries in the 16th century interpreted the complex flower structure as symbols of the Passion of Christ. The filaments of the flower were associated with the crown of thorns, the three stigmas with the nails of the cross, and the five stamens with the wounds. In the gallery, you’ll find a picture where this is very clearly visible.

Why every blood orange isn’t actually blood-redWe visited Sicily and met Danilo from AranceBio in a field where the blood orange harvest was at its peak. You can not only see the ripe oranges hanging on the trees, but you can also smell them. The sky is blue, the trees and the meadow are green, and the oranges hang like small lanterns in the trees. It’s sunny but very fresh – even in Sicily, it’s winter. This is exactly the right time for the oranges to ripen. You need a mix of warm days and chilly nights for anthocyanin to develop; the pigment that turns the pulp red. So, if the nights stay too warm, the pigment can’t form, and your blood orange might end up looking more orange than red – though just as tasty. Danilo grows two different varieties; Moro: which is a bit more acidic and has a deep red flesh (if it’s cold enough!) and Tarocco, which is a bit sweeter and very mild. It’s a bit like being a kid opening a Kinder Egg. You can’t tell from the outside whether the fruit is going to be red or just orange. Given increasing dry periods, Danilo relies on permanent ground cover. This natural carpet protects the soil and serves as a water reservoir, storing valuable water during dry spells – thus keeping nature resilient. We obviously had to ask what we should eat while in Sicily, and Danilo recommended two dishes: the traditional Pasta con le Sarde (what else?!) and those deep-fried rice balls known as Arancini.

We Weren’t Prepared for This – Or Were We?It has been raining for several weeks in Spain. This week, however, a state of disaster was declared in several regions, especially in Andalusia. Our farmers sent us the pictures attached below – and our team was speechless for several minutes. We have reported on heavy rainfall many times before, but this year the extent is particularly great. The good news is: all farmers are doing well! Persistent low-pressure weather systems brought intense rainfall, hurricane-force gusts of wind, and rivers overflowing their banks. Our farmers from the Málaga region are reporting fallen trees and muddy roads, making access almost impossible. Unfortunately, some farmers have already informed us that they will likely suffer crop losses as fruits have been damaged. The lesser evil is probably the delays in delivery – it hasn’t stopped raining, which means the fruits are too wet to be shipped; they would mould in their boxes. Haven’t We Already Found the Solution?I’m speaking with Maikel from Finca Habitat, located in a small town between Jaén and Granada – one of the most severely affected areas. He sends me a video, which you can find below – it shows his neighbors’ flooded olive groves and the raging river. In the next video, he’s in his own fields, showing how much rain has fallen. He pours it onto his trees, which he protects from drying out and simultaneously fertilizes with his sheep’s wool during hot months. “For me, the rain is an absolute joy. It’s wonderful!” says the farmer. In his fields – not even a puddle. “This is a sign that we are doing everything right, Magdalena,” he explains. Maikel decided to farm regeneratively over a decade ago. In one of Spain’s driest regions, he manages to avoid irrigating his olive trees through his practices.How Does That Work? Through a ground cover that acts like a sponge, soaking up all the water and allowing it to seep into deeper soil layers. Not a single drop of water is lost because the root system has such a high capacity to absorb water that it neither drains away nor accumulates. What if we could make farms so resilient that they emerge encouraged from extreme weather events? Would regenerative agriculture be the solution we’ve been looking for? These are the questions I ask myself when I see the pictures and videos that offer such a different perspective on the situation. The weather forecast continues to show rain for the next few days, and we, along with the farmers, reassess the situation daily – safety comes first, and we will probably have to be patient a little longer until the sun comes out again.

This is my second time catching up with Renato from BioAgrumi Monasteri in his Sicilian citrus groves. For me, it feels just like coming home. It’s probably partly because Renato speaks German, but it’s also down to his warmth: a “Buongiorno” from him is as heart-warming as the sun over Etna.This visit was particularly special, as we put together an online course on Sicilian citrus farming. Click here to discover the challenges Renato faces and the deep-rooted love for Berlin that connects him to Germany. Back in 1998, the farm became the first certified organic citrus estate in the region, and last year Renato even managed to achieve Demeter certification. This focus on soil biology and biodiversity is built on decades of organic work—a true passion project started by Renato’s father, Angelo.Renato lived in Berlin for five years before deciding to take over the family business. “My father is over the moon with my decision,” he tells me when I bring it up. More and more farms in the area are folding because there’s no one to take over. “I hardly know any farmers my age, let alone anyone doing organic!” Not everyone is willing to take on so many challenges or the sheer weight of responsibility for the farm, the staff, and, of course, their own health. “My day starts at 4:30 am with a coffee and a bit of prep until the staff arrive at 6:00.” I check my watch: it’s 6:30 pm. “I’ll be here until at least 9:00 pm because we’ve got tomorrow’s orders to get ready, and there’s still cleaning to do,” Renato says.One thing’s for sure: without that passion and a fair bit of grit, these hurdles would be impossible to clear.

Almonds, sheep, and big dreams: a visit to Pedro in AndalusiaWe went to see Pedro at his family farm, Doña Marina, nestled near the Sierra Nevada in Granada. It’s autumn and still fairly mild, but as soon as the sun goes down you really feel the extremes: scorching hot in the summer, and biting cold in the winter. Pedro tells me the farm used to be a village of 80 people; there was even a school and a tiny chapel, which is actually where Pedro ended up getting married. This deep connection to the land is everywhere you look: on the almond bags Pedro designed himself, you can see the silhouettes of the old village buildings—a lovely nod to days gone by. A few years back, Pedro launched a pioneering agroforestry project. Working with his father, he came up with a “whole-farm” approach: the trees provide shade for the sheep, who absolutely love the fruit, and their muck, in turn, feeds the soil. Since Granada is one of the driest spots in Spain, having healthy soil that can hold onto every drop of rain is absolutely vital to running the farm. Pedro uses a simple but clever trick: he uses almond shells as mulch to lock in moisture and stop it from evaporating. But he also explained that too much mulch can actually do more harm than good, so he has to tread carefully there. To keep his inquisitive sheep away from the saplings, he uses old wooden pallets as makeshift guards—very practical!🐑Putting down roots for the futureIt’s the obvious question, but I just had to ask: what’s the plan for the future? His dream is to breathe life back into the old village, with workshops for farmers, yoga classes, and holiday camps for kids. In Spain, nearly 42% of municipalities are currently facing the threat of depopulation; dreams like Pedro’s offer hope that the story of Doña Marina isn’t over just yet.