Visits in the field to know what is behind a good bread
- Enrike Gisasola and Aizpea Izagirre are members of the Eibar Sosola farmhouse who have been immersed in the world of bread for years with the meat casseroles of the Biolur association: “We belong to the school of meat baserritars that was born here in the years 1960-70, we follow a new way of making it come from Europe. We make homemade bread, with the mill at home, with long fermentations, with old varieties and producing wheat as close as possible…”, explains Gisasola. The wheat of the Basque Country is a long-term product, and about three years ago another important step was taken: From a Madrid seed bank, old indigenous varieties were acquired and began to proliferate. They already have considerable production and in June they have organised visits to the Galsoro de Sosola with the aim of giving an economic boost to the project.
Three years ago they got a handful of seven varieties of wheat from Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia that were not kept but that kept at the seed bank of Madrid, about 200 grams. “A kilo of wheat gives ten and so we start,” he says. The first year they got two kilos of wheat every 200 grams, while last year they got about 20 out of every two kilos. “This year it is expected to get about 200 kilos of those 20 and with it we will be able to do the first tests of bread to know the behavior of the varieties.” Gipuzkoa 1, Gipuzkoa 2, Early Bergara, Motxo Gipuzkoa, Motxo belloso — or Motxo ilaundun — and Martzela have been the six local varieties that have managed to reproduce. Seventh, they lost the first year.
Things have come out in the process as expected by the peasants, who have reached the production expected for three years, despite losing a variety along the way. “These wheat varieties are very high. Why? Surely in the face of humidity, it will be to keep as far away as possible from the soil,” explains the farmer. In Sosola himself and in the Solaka and Irure Txiki villages of Errezil, the product of varieties is being made. Gisasola stressed that at the moment the lack of soil is the biggest difficulty of the project. “In these years we have had enough land to multiply, but now, to produce, we need more. If someone wants to support the project, we would be willing to take land, especially in the Urola area,” he adds.
Pedagogical visits as a means of self-financing
The visits will take place on the four weekends of June in the wheat fields of Sosola, in groups of 15 people. “In Soloa we go, see and separate each of the wheat. We show what we have here and share information with visitors,” he says. Then, in the farmhouse they prepare a delicious lunch, all for about ten euros. “We don’t have public funding, this is our own initiative, and with that money from visits we intend to pay for the machine we buy collectively to harvest,” he says. People interested in participating in a visit (0034) can contact Sosola members by calling 639 04 64 28 or in writing.
