Organic Aledo grapes
La Símola
Outside of the adoption period
The project
Adopt a table grape vine from the farm "La Símola" in Hondón de las Nieves (Spain) and receive your harvest in the form of Organic Aledo grapes at home. The Farmer José Antonio will take care of your adoption and take its picture. Also, you will be able to download the adoption certificate and, if you wish, plan your visit to the farm. You do not enter into any long-term commitment: once you receive your harvest and you enjoyed the experience, you may decide to renew and extend the adoption.
What do you adopt?
An organic table grape vine of the Aledo variety.
The Aledo table grape variety is a white variety with seeds, perfectly adapted to our region and very late.
Organic farming. You can download the corresponding certificate in the section of seals below.
Each table grape vine bears an average of 9kg per season.
The production from one table grape vine can vary each season, depending on the weather conditions. During the adoption process you can determine the quantity you wish to reserve.
What will you receive?
We will send you the box you have chosen in the adoption process.
(If you enjoyed the grapes you will be able to order a box with surplus harvest.)
__Small box:__ Organic grape Aledo variety (2kg)
__Large box:__ Organic grape Aledo variety (5kg)
In Spain we bid farewell to the year by eating twelve grapes to the sound of the last twelve bell strokes that close one year and give way to the next. Traditionally this is the variety used for New Year's Eve grapes. We don't wait that long to harvest the fruit. This way you can already enjoy them during the month of October.
Keeping the grapes in the fridge you will be able to enjoy them during one week approximately.
When will you receive it?
Please, check the deadline for participating in this project (deadline for adoption) below. As of this date the Farmer will start preparing the orders that are to be shipped.
You may select the delivery date of your box as suggested by the Farmer at check-out.
The Farmer will collect your harvest on demand and just before shipment so you will receive it fresh, not treated with wax or other preservatives.
Why should you adopt?
* Learn who produces your food, how and where. Receive your food in a conscious manner.
* Buy directly from the farmer. Help to generate wealth and better jobs in the rural areas.
* Plan ahead and enable the Farmer to produce on demand. This way we can avoid overproduction and fight food waste.
* Reward Farmers who make an effort to use environmentally-friendly packaging and cultivation techniques.
How does it work?
Meet the Farmers
Adopt and plan your harvest
Let the Farmer and nature work
Receive your harvest at home
Farmer 360
Small Farm
Family Farm
Visitors welcome
José Antonio Rico
I am grandson of farmers, my parents put agriculture aside in their youth because it was more profitable to dedicate the labour to marble quarrying. Even so, they have always passed on to us the importance of agricultural knowledge and the experience of contact with nature, which is why we decided to return to agriculture. In our personal project we understand the need to go one step further and produce from the certified organic point of view.
It is my wife and I, small farmers, who lead the project but there is a group of up to twelve people who are involved in the farming work in each and every one of its processes.
José Antonio Rico
"I consider it essential that the food is linked to the producer, this allows us to understand that the consumer's purchase decision is responsible and has direct and predictable consequences. The CrowdFarming project allows us at the ends of the food chain to maintain a close relationship and uphold commitments."
La Símola
La Símola
The region of Medio Vinalopó has ideal climatic conditions for the cultivation of this type of grape as it is a very warm area, where it hardly freezes, and with many hours of daylight. This benign climate favours the development of monoculture which makes it difficult to work in organic farming due to the pressure of pests and diseases. That's why I tried to look for a farm where nature was my main neighbour, a wild and hard nature given the scarce annual rainfall. The average rainfall is 200 - 250 millimetres so water management has to be as efficient and responsible as possible. We have buried the irrigation pipes so that evaporation is minimal.
The farm is located in the municipality of Hondón de las Nieves, where dry crops such as cereals, olives, almonds, carob and wine grapes coexist with irrigated crops such as table grapes, stone fruit and pomegranates. This diversity in the surroundings with varieties very adapted to the climate means that the burden of pests and diseases is lower.
My father-in-law Armando cultivated this farm at the beginning of the 70's when it was still dry with the intention of planting wine variety, a few months later irrigation was installed in the area and he decided to plant the Aledo variety, and without a doubt it was a great success. He gave me several farms that he cultivated and this one in La Símola was the one that he found the best conditions for growing late table grapes. On the farm there are vines planted since then with more recent vines planted by me, the larger vines are an important contribution to the plant material. Since 2002 it is certified as ecological.
The Aledo grape variety is bagged for two reasons: on the one hand it is a way of fighting the cluster moth (Lobesia botrana) and on the other to prevent excess direct sunlight from causing a flawed image of the grape skin. Thanks to the bagging it is also possible to extend the shelf life of the grape. This technique of bagging is deeply rooted in the region and this variety cannot be conceived without it, despite the work involved in putting a bag to each bunch.
Technical information
Address
La Símola, Hondón de las Nieves, ES
Altitude
225 m
Team
2 (1 woman 1 man)
Size
2,6 hectares
Cultivation technique
Organic farming
Irrigation
Underground and aerial drip
Cultivation type
Backrest Table Grape
Location