by Ariane Lotti | Aug 10, 2017 | Italian Food, Italy, Organic Farming, Sustainable Farming, The Weekly Dirt, Tuscany
Despite the summer heat, our rice is growing! Our rice has hit the flowering stage, which I think of as the teenage years. The crop is established and growing, and there is no longer a question about germination and the initial phases of growth during which it can be...
by Ariane Lotti | Aug 5, 2017 | Eat What You Grow, Italian Food, Italy, Organic Farming, Sustainable Farming, The Weekly Dirt, Tuscany
It has been a week of record-high temperatures and sweltering heat here in Maremma, but we persist (in the cooler hours of the day). Our transition-to-organic, grown-with-lots-of-love rice is (finally) for sale! We’ve got two types: white rice perfect for risotto (try...
by Ariane Lotti | Jul 21, 2017 | Agricultural Policy, Italy, Organic Farming, Sustainable Farming, The Weekly Dirt, Tuscany
I have written before about how successful farming takes a community. Without networks, farming would be practically impossible. A critical part of my network here is the local chapter of the national farmer’s association — Confagricoltura. And so I was honored...
by Ariane Lotti | Jul 8, 2017 | Featured, Italy, Organic Farming, Sustainable Farming, The Weekly Dirt, Tuscany
This is the third post in a three-part series on the impact of this year’s drought on the farm. The first post was about the impact on our crop production, and the second about the impact on our beef production. A System in Recovery As we transition to organic...
by Ariane Lotti | Jul 1, 2017 | Featured, Italy, Organic Farming, Sustainable Farming, The Weekly Dirt, Tuscany
This is the second post in a three-part series on the impact of this year’s drought on the farm. Last week I wrote about the impact of this year’s drought on our crops. The drought has also impacted our beef production. (NOTE: Read No Water, No Food: Drought in Italy...
by Ariane Lotti | Jun 24, 2017 | Featured, Italy, Organic Farming, Sustainable Farming, The Weekly Dirt, Tuscany
This is the first post in a three-part series on the impact of this year’s drought on the farm. Growing food depends on having water. Plants need water to germinate, grow, and produce. Different plants need more or less water, but all plants need some amount of water....
