Transnational Partner Meeting 3 – Poland
Report
At Dworek BiaÅ‚a Dama, aleja Legionów Polskich, 99-416 Nieborów
August 11 – 13 2021
August 10, Tuesday
Every day of the meeting was accompanied by the tasting of mature fruits specifically brought by Grzegorz from the orchard and garden in DÄ…browice and Skierniewice.
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August 11, Wednesday
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The first visit was to the orchard of the Horticultural Institute in DÄ…browice. We spent the whole morning in this national research collection of heritage and more modern varieties of all fruit and nut tree species. We learned a lot useful principles, techniques and characteristics such as the influence of rootstocks on different varieties. and the comparative differences between soil, rootstocks, varieties. This was all based on the vast knowledge and experience of Grzegorz Hodun, the pomologist at the national horticultural research institute.
After having lunch in our hotel we had the first working session.
- Formalities (participant list, certificates, travel documents, etc.)
- Grzegorz Hodun’s presentation: Searching for and specifying varieties from the Izerian Mountains region.
- Work on results - guides, case studies, videos, translations
- Setting some deadlines for working
- Discussion about the dates for the following meetings in Hungary and Italy.
After diner there was a lot exchange around orchards in smaller groups.
August 12, Thursday
We made several visits by car to local orchards that had been planned and established by the Kosztela project.
1. Niemeryczew (70 km South-west from Warsaw) , Agata and Stanislaw Wojnowski bought a 3 ha field on which blackcurrants had been cultivated. Being retired they moved there to grow healthy food and to live a life in harmony with nature. Within four years they transformed the field into a homestead with a lake, vegetable garden and orchard. All the fruit trees, shrubs and flowerbeds as well as the home were designed with low environmental impact and high biodiversity in mind. They built a domed house using so called moonwood that is characterized by optimal durability and resistance. Our group were offered various teas, vinegars and fermented herbs to taste.
2. At the next orchard in MichaÅ‚ówek (90 km west from Warsaw) we met Sylwia Chojecka. She inherited the farm from her grandparents, and has a vision to create a friendly place for elderly people. She has developed her plan together with her friend Wieslawa. The residential care home will be ready next year. Additional she wants to run a riding school on the farm. The three years old orchard with varieties from her childhood is a part of the whole idea as well as a collection of goats, hens, ducks and cats. The whole farm and orchard is planned for the benefit of feeding and entertaining the elderly care home residents.
It was very inspirational to meet such a young and visionary woman with many ideas, practical skills and energy to realise her dreams.
3. Powodów Drugi (160 km west from Warsaw) at Dorota and Michal Makaruk farm. Ten years ago they both decided to move to the old farm which their parents bought in about 2000. The former owners decided to leave it because they could not live from 10 ha with only poor sandy soil. They are producing organic food as a hobby and are learning by trial and error and from others. Michal is an IT technician and Dorota is a photographer. They set up raised vegetable beds, a dome greenhouse, a large chicken run and three traditional orchards with more than 300 fruit trees. They have tried several ways to improve the soil condition with more humus and moisture. The day was finished with dinner in the hotel and a review of the whole day.
August 13, Friday
In the morning we discussed and planned the next two meetings.
On our way we came through the region of Poland with the most commercial orchards. 90% of the harvest will be exported, the price for this commercially grown apples is about 40 to 50 Cent /kg or even about 10 Cent/kg for apples for juice.
4. Wojciechówka (90 km south from Warsaw) Anna Pósnik and her family
The farm is over 100 years old and the village is named after Anna’s great grandfather. The family earns enough money from the farm produce to feed the family with two children, grandmother, Anna and her husband.
The farm has three greenhouses with vegetables, there are some old fruit trees, 2 cows and hens.
Anna sells her produce as part of community supported agriculture. Her husband delivers the produce to 33 CSA members in Warsaw twice a week for 20 weeks of the year. The CSA members pay 1000 zlotys for the annual supply of produce from the farm. Her idea is to be a model organic model farm with high biodiversity. With her brother and uncle she set up 3 orchards in 2016 on different soils.
Her uncle manages the fruits trees more commercially and has irrigated them from a new well with additional fertilisers. These trees already bear a good harvest. For example 200 sour cherry trees produced 5000 kg harvest this year.
The second orchard with very poor and dry sandy soil is growing slowly. The third orchard has just started to produce fruit. Anna wants to make her apple juice with old varieties and in future the quantity of fruit will allow her to make a high quality local product.
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August 14, Saturday
After breakfast the partners left the meeting to travel home by train, bus and plane.
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