PREFERENCES

Slow uses cookies to enhance the quality of our website. You can control how cookies and similar technologies are used on this website by making a selection below.

Essential

These cookies are necessary for the basic functions and experience of the website. The videos on this website are hosted by Vimeo and track data analytics but are needed to offer visitors the experience of our content as its intended. If you prefer not to be tracked by Vimeo, we recommend leaving the website.

Statistics and Tracking

We use Google Analytics, a web analytics server that uses the advertising and analytics cookies to collect anonymous information and analyze our website with regards to user behavior.

Avocado

"The plants will talk to you and they will tell you what they need,” says La Granja’s master farmer Andy Szymanowicz, an expert in biodynamic agriculture and lacto-fermentation who ran an influential community-supported agriculture project in his native upstate New York before moving to Ibiza to oversee La Granja’s agricultural reactivation.

“It’s not just building the infrastructure. It's building the soil; it's building the biodiversity; it's building the program, systems, learning about what the kitchen wants, building relationships,” he says. “Building a farm is a long-term project.”

The avocado trees at La Granja are, quite literally, one of the fruits of Andy’s hard work. “They need pretty fertile soil, whereas olive trees can grow in poorer soil and thrive throughout the Mediterranean. Avocados need more love… They need protection from wind, but they do grow here in Ibiza,” he said of the nutrient-packed fruit.

La Granja's master farmer Andy Szymanowicz

The avocados are picked according to need—either by the farmers or sometimes by the cooks themselves. “The idea is, when we need something, we can go to pick it up too, because we know what we need and how much we need it in the day,“ said Diego Silva, a Peruvian cook who’s been working at La Granja for four years. “It’s not our way to just harvest everything and not use it.“

"Everyone uses these crops in their daily lives, but no one really knows where they're coming from," said Diego, who picks ripe avocados daily from La Granja's grove.

“We have six trees, five female and one male. The one male is this huge amazing avocado tree. He is like the cock of the chicken coop,” said Patagonian chef José Catrimán. “You need to put the avocado next to the green apples or bananas and they will get tender very fast.”

Avocados are packed with potassium, folate, magnesium, riboflavin, vitamin B6, C and E, nutrients thought to help ward off cancer, inflammation and depression and to assist digestion, blood pressure, heart and vision.

The bumpy texture of some varieties of avocados is the result of an evolutionary defense mechanism that allows wounds to the skin to be “corked off,” resulting in pebble-like nodes in the pulp.

An important element of breakfast at La Granja, the avocado is picked and served as is, sliced onto toast—a perfect accompaniment for fresh Ibizan eggs—while the leaves are pressed to make oil.

“Usually all the people use olive oil, but there's more stuff you can use around the Mediterranean Sea, like the avocado leaf oil,” said Diego. ”It‘s like giving people this special touch."

"You can feel it and see it in the garden and have a different taste of the product," said Diego. Anything that isn’t used in the kitchen is composted. “So it's like a round process where everything is going back to the same place.”

Encyclopedia

Avocado

Originated in south-central Mexico
May help to ward off cancer and inflammation and assist digestion and heart health
Harvested from late spring to early fall
4-7 years seed to harvest

Chili

Originated in Mexico
May help promote weight loss and relieve pain
Grown in summer
60-95 days seed to harvest

Carrot

Originated in Persia
Improves health of eyes, skin, hair, growth, and immune system
Grown year round
60-80 days seed to harvest

Eggplant

Originated in southern Asia
Strengthens bones, reduces symptoms of anemia, improves cognition and cardiovascular health, protects the digestive system
Grown in summer
100-150 days seed to harvest

Greens

A great source of beneficial plant compounds like antioxidants and polyphenols
Strengthens heart health, lowers risk for numerous chronic diseases
Grown year round
2-3 weeks seed to harvest

Herbs

Rich with unique antioxidants, organic compounds, essential oils, vitamins and phytosterols
Antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties
Thought to strengthen immunity and reduce risk of various diseases

Green Bean

Originated in Peru
Contains vitamins A, C, K, folic acid and fiber
Supports brain health, repairs cell damage and strengthens bones
Grown in summer
50-55 days seed to harvest

Lavender

Originated in the Mediterranean and Middle East
Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, can help heal minor burns and insect bites
Grown in summer
14-21 days from seed to harvest

Pepper

Originated in the Americas
Improves eye health and reduces risk of cancer, anemia and heart disease
Grown late spring to early fall
60-90 days seed to harvest

Strawberry

Originated in the Americas
Contributes to skin and hair health, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke
Grown in spring
5 months to a year or more seed to harvest