Farm-to table is slowly becoming not just a trend but a serious lifestyle choice for Athenians. Farma Moo offers a well-organised, enjoyable and upbeat way of reaping the benefits of seasonal, pesticide-free produce at home, while also discovering the art of farming in a hands-on way.
Athenians living in flats with tiny balconies where only a handful of geraniums grow can now become active farmers growing their own bio food. That’s all thanks to Farma Moo, located in Nea Makri in eastern Attica, in a 40,000 square metre natural landscape. The farm is in an idyllic spot, surrounded by mountains and near a river, and is home to a lively family of animals - rabbits and peacocks, Shetland ponies and sheep adopted from Cameroon, geese, chickens of all races, a horse and a donkey. For a mere 150 euros for a 6-month season of produce, members can rent a 30 metre square plot and plant fruit, veggies and herbs of their choice.
“We carefully tend our member’s plots but encourage them to come here themselves to cultivate their land and gather their own produce, so that they can enjoy having contact with nature,” says Eleni Apergi. “We can advise them on how to farm their produce and they are free to use whatever farming methods they choose, such as Biodynamic farming for example - as long as it’s organic. We don’t use any kind of pesticides or chemical fertilisers,” Apergi underlines, “and have brought a variety of insects that help the farming process. We also don’t slaughter any of or animals, we allow them to age gracefully and happily!”
Together with three friends, Angelike Vassiliadis, Angelos Boukis and Michalis Kanalis, Apergi dreamed up Farma Moo a few years ago mainly because of their own need for a more natural, ecological and tranquil way of life, that they soon decided to share with the wider public. “Our farm is like a small village,” she says, “where people can come and pick their produce, go for hikes on the mountains or to the nearby Rapedosas dam, where there’s a lake and beautiful waterfalls to bathe in during summer, and participate in nature-based activities. Workshops are organised to inspire kids to learn about nature first-hand via theatre, creative play and storytelling, and school groups have started visiting the farm too. Kids can also play on our wooden swings, ride Shetland ponies and help feed the animals.”
Meanwhile the farm also makes some of its own food products, using their home-grown produce - jams, spoon sweets, honey and of course fresh eggs, and weekend visitors can relax at their lovely cafe-restaurant to sample homemade lemonade, ice cream and omelettes among other snacks created from the fresh seasonal produce.
“When we first heard of Farma Moo and decided to visit the farm and meet the owners, we weren’t expecting too much to be honest. But we were amazed. It is extremely well organised, and the people who run it are very down to earth, helpful and interested in sharing new ideas about farming,” says Arwen Curley Panteleakis, one of the (currently) members. “We are enthusiastic to be able to enjoy our own fresh produce - such as a huge array of tomatoes, courgettes, strawberries, aubergines, cucumbers and more. It’s incredible what just four people are doing at this place - the upkeep of the land, the animals and in the weekend their great restaurant-cafe!”
Apart from being conscientious parents who want to feed their children the purest of foods, she and her husband Dimitrios Panteleakis, a chef and owner of brand new The Salty Pig restaurant in Athens, are excited about how they can grow their own bio products from the farm to create foods served at their business - from seasonal dishes to exciting concoctions like tomatillo ketchup. The couple, who live in central Athens have a vast experience of farming their own foods after having lived for many years on an island and growing a huge host of produce. “I’m thrilled,” says Arwen, whose friends had nicknamed her Lara Crop in her island-living days, “that finally we can farm again, and the sky’s the limit of what we can grow!”
