Fratii Jideri
I think of Fratii Jideri as Cezar’s garden. It is about 1 hectare of heaven in the Romanian Mountains. I know that Cezar has planted most of the “garden”. It doesn’t feel that way. Everything feels like it just happened. The garden is a wilderness camp, with log cabins and tree houses and lakes and willow trees and wild flowers. Cezar told me that every view is meant to be like a TV screen. He has accomplished this.
This is my third visit and I have been able to watch the vision grow over a period of about 4 (maybe 5) years. On the 1st trip Cezar met us at the creek (which we had to cross on foot in the dark) with a light and a dog. He led us to a fire and heated plum wine. That was the beginning of one of the most memorable nights of my life.
My wife and I normally go to bed at about 9:00. We stayed up until 4:00 in the morning. We drank plum wine, ate unbelievable Romanian country food and sat around a fire listening while members of our group passed the guitar and sang Romanian folk songs. We only went to bed when we could no longer keep our eyes open.
The second trip was last year. There were new cabins and a pavilion, some of the trees had grown. Others had been planted. The dog was getting feeble. A new pup has been brought in as a replacement. The place was maturing. There were more activities. I just wished my wife had been with me.
This year the place has developed even more. No matter what is added, the feeling manages to stay the same. The “TV screens” are even more beautiful than before. I think this will be the last time I see the old dog. He looks like a worn out carpet. There are more cabins and more visitors. A young couple is planning their wedding here. They are so excited about it that it is contagious.
The food is really fantastic even for Romanians. Imagine what it is like for someone who has been eating American “cuisine”. I have been trying to take some pictures. They come out well; but it is impossible to catch the feeling and the smell and the taste.
David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Bulgarian Tomatoes & Cucumbers
Bulgarian Tomatoes & Cucumbers
The part of Bulgaria where I am staying is a little bit cooler than Charlotte, NC. In Charlotte we traditionally pick our first tomato on July 4th. (last year mine was July 3rd). They serve locally grown tomatoes and cucumbers for every meal here. I have been trying to solve the mystery. They don’t taste like greenhouse tomatoes. I asked one of my students yesterday. His cousin has a garden and a greenhouse.
We have already mentioned that in the greenhouses here the plants are grown in the ground and covered with a plastic tunnel. My student said that the tomatoes taste the same. I asked, “What about in the winter?” My student said “We don’t have tomatoes in the winter.” I am surmising by this that they extend the growing season with the greenhouses. They don’t try to completely pervert it.
All of the students have left. I have a whole hotel to myself. There is a staff of about 30 people and I think there are three other guests. I am sitting on a patio by the black sea, listening to the waves and being pampered to the point of distraction. Life is good.
David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
The part of Bulgaria where I am staying is a little bit cooler than Charlotte, NC. In Charlotte we traditionally pick our first tomato on July 4th. (last year mine was July 3rd). They serve locally grown tomatoes and cucumbers for every meal here. I have been trying to solve the mystery. They don’t taste like greenhouse tomatoes. I asked one of my students yesterday. His cousin has a garden and a greenhouse.
We have already mentioned that in the greenhouses here the plants are grown in the ground and covered with a plastic tunnel. My student said that the tomatoes taste the same. I asked, “What about in the winter?” My student said “We don’t have tomatoes in the winter.” I am surmising by this that they extend the growing season with the greenhouses. They don’t try to completely pervert it.
All of the students have left. I have a whole hotel to myself. There is a staff of about 30 people and I think there are three other guests. I am sitting on a patio by the black sea, listening to the waves and being pampered to the point of distraction. Life is good.
David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Sunday, May 18, 2008
More Bulgarian Food
More Bulgarian Food
Forgive me if this sounds like an obsession. It is. I have to tell you about the “Chopska salad”. I have only seen the spelling in Cyrillic so I don’t know if I’ve spelled it correctly. This is chopped tomatoes & cucumbers and green onions with a little bit of lettuce sometimes. It is coated with the Bulgarian white farm cheese. You can put a little oil & vinegar on it if you wish; but it is not necessary. The Bulgarians drink a little bit of Rakia with the salad.
Rakia is a very strong wine or brandy. I am not sure which it is. The closest thing I have had to it is grappa. It tastes a little better than the grappa. The best thing about the Bulgarian products is that they don’t come from huge factories. Most of the food is grown on private farms. The process is mostly organic with all of the waste going back into the compost pile and eventually into the soil so that the dirt on each farm develops its own “personality”. Forgive me for not writing more. Breakfast is ready.
David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Forgive me if this sounds like an obsession. It is. I have to tell you about the “Chopska salad”. I have only seen the spelling in Cyrillic so I don’t know if I’ve spelled it correctly. This is chopped tomatoes & cucumbers and green onions with a little bit of lettuce sometimes. It is coated with the Bulgarian white farm cheese. You can put a little oil & vinegar on it if you wish; but it is not necessary. The Bulgarians drink a little bit of Rakia with the salad.
Rakia is a very strong wine or brandy. I am not sure which it is. The closest thing I have had to it is grappa. It tastes a little better than the grappa. The best thing about the Bulgarian products is that they don’t come from huge factories. Most of the food is grown on private farms. The process is mostly organic with all of the waste going back into the compost pile and eventually into the soil so that the dirt on each farm develops its own “personality”. Forgive me for not writing more. Breakfast is ready.
David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Bulgarian Food
Bulgarian Food
The Black Sea Fish are unbelievably delicious the way they are fixed here. The restaurants (or at least the ones I’ve eaten in) only serve fresh caught fish. The vegetables are fresh too. I prefer to eat in season food. The way the greenhouses work here the food is good regardless.
The cheese is the best ever. Each little farm makes its own recipe. Virtually every salad and every meal includes the farm cheese. It is much like Feta, but better. Unlike most of the countries I have been, there are fat Bulgarians. They are not obese, just pleasantly plump. If I keep eating this food, I will be unpleasantly plump.
Today was a day off from class and some of my students took me to see some of their properties and a fantastic castle. The gardens at the castle were quite beautiful. When I figure out how to download the picture of the Linden tree, I will also do some pictures of the castle. One of the properties we visited was an abandoned collective farm from the communist days. The villagers were grazing sheep, goats, cattle and horses unfenced on the property. It was extremely lush. The soil everywhere is just black. I don’t have a test kit; but I’ll bet is naturally very rich.
David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
The Black Sea Fish are unbelievably delicious the way they are fixed here. The restaurants (or at least the ones I’ve eaten in) only serve fresh caught fish. The vegetables are fresh too. I prefer to eat in season food. The way the greenhouses work here the food is good regardless.
The cheese is the best ever. Each little farm makes its own recipe. Virtually every salad and every meal includes the farm cheese. It is much like Feta, but better. Unlike most of the countries I have been, there are fat Bulgarians. They are not obese, just pleasantly plump. If I keep eating this food, I will be unpleasantly plump.
Today was a day off from class and some of my students took me to see some of their properties and a fantastic castle. The gardens at the castle were quite beautiful. When I figure out how to download the picture of the Linden tree, I will also do some pictures of the castle. One of the properties we visited was an abandoned collective farm from the communist days. The villagers were grazing sheep, goats, cattle and horses unfenced on the property. It was extremely lush. The soil everywhere is just black. I don’t have a test kit; but I’ll bet is naturally very rich.
David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Linden Tree
The Linden Tree
This article comes from the beautiful Bulgarian city of Varna by the Black Sea. I am separated from my garden so I will write about the beautiful Linden tree. One of my students and I were sitting on the patio admiring the landscaping and the beautiful view of the Black Sea. I noticed a most beautiful tree. My student did not know the name of it in English; but he assured me that it was one of the most loved trees in all of Bulgaria.
There is a little thing that looks like a leaf on the tree, with several little “antennae”. He said that in the fall this turns yellow and makes a beautiful smell and a very healthful tea. The tree’s wood is also much prized by wood carvers because it is soft and easy to work. In addition to these qualities the tree is so beautiful and graceful that it is prized for landscaping purposes. I will have to see if this tree can be grown at home. The NC environment is very similar to Bulgaria.
The food here is unbelievably good. Good simple country fare well prepared and well grown. I commented that the tomatoes could not be local so early. I was told that a greenhouse here was not the same as the greenhouses in the USA. The plants are actually planted in the ground and covered with a plastic tunnel. The tomatoes are good; but they are not quite up to in season home grown tomatoes. Breakfast is calling, I’ll make a picture of the Linden Tree.
David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
This article comes from the beautiful Bulgarian city of Varna by the Black Sea. I am separated from my garden so I will write about the beautiful Linden tree. One of my students and I were sitting on the patio admiring the landscaping and the beautiful view of the Black Sea. I noticed a most beautiful tree. My student did not know the name of it in English; but he assured me that it was one of the most loved trees in all of Bulgaria.
There is a little thing that looks like a leaf on the tree, with several little “antennae”. He said that in the fall this turns yellow and makes a beautiful smell and a very healthful tea. The tree’s wood is also much prized by wood carvers because it is soft and easy to work. In addition to these qualities the tree is so beautiful and graceful that it is prized for landscaping purposes. I will have to see if this tree can be grown at home. The NC environment is very similar to Bulgaria.
The food here is unbelievably good. Good simple country fare well prepared and well grown. I commented that the tomatoes could not be local so early. I was told that a greenhouse here was not the same as the greenhouses in the USA. The plants are actually planted in the ground and covered with a plastic tunnel. The tomatoes are good; but they are not quite up to in season home grown tomatoes. Breakfast is calling, I’ll make a picture of the Linden Tree.
David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Catching up from the Rain
Catching up from the Rain
Tuesday the ground was just too wet to mess around in the garden. Yesterday (Wednesday) started catch-up time. Everything grew like crazy. I picked a big enough bag of salad greens to give some away and still have a good salad on Tuesday. They need to be picked again. I picked a huge bag of mixed greens for a friend and did not make a dent in the rows.
The potatoes jumped about 6”. They had to be mulched again; but this is the last time. Any more mulch will just fall off. The squash was worked and weeded and mulched to about 3” deep. More can be added later if needed. The tortuous job of tying up tomatoes began. This is a job that will last till the end of August when they finally get so high there is no place to tie them.
Mulch may be a problem. It takes about 3 wheelbarrow loads to do one row. There are several rows that still need to be mulched. I may have to pick up some leaves on the side of the road again. My little convertible hates being used as a pickup truck.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Tuesday the ground was just too wet to mess around in the garden. Yesterday (Wednesday) started catch-up time. Everything grew like crazy. I picked a big enough bag of salad greens to give some away and still have a good salad on Tuesday. They need to be picked again. I picked a huge bag of mixed greens for a friend and did not make a dent in the rows.
The potatoes jumped about 6”. They had to be mulched again; but this is the last time. Any more mulch will just fall off. The squash was worked and weeded and mulched to about 3” deep. More can be added later if needed. The tortuous job of tying up tomatoes began. This is a job that will last till the end of August when they finally get so high there is no place to tie them.
Mulch may be a problem. It takes about 3 wheelbarrow loads to do one row. There are several rows that still need to be mulched. I may have to pick up some leaves on the side of the road again. My little convertible hates being used as a pickup truck.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
