I love my job that allows me to work outdoors and feel free.
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Walder Philip
Organic farmer
“No organic orchard should be like any other”.
In Sluderno I grow small quantities of organic vegetables and apples.
What I love about organic farming is the versatility in the orchard and in the field.
Healthy soil, healthy products.
In organic farming you have to learn to be flexible and accept variables.
My story
For many years I have been lucky enough to work full-time on an organic farm, surrounded by the fresh mountain air of the Val Venosta Valley. My boss is an organic apple grower from Silandro, who one day while pruning the trees, gave me the idea of growing something of my own. "Plant something!" he told me .... And I followed his advice.
My grandfather had inherited cows and land from his mother in Sluderno and now I grow vegetables and apples there in small quantities. Although I am still at the beginning, I produce cauliflower, potatoes and Golden Delicious apples on a sunny slope. I consider myself a 'double farmer', faithful to organic farming as my main occupation and now also in my side business.
You don't become an organic farmer overnight. You have to 'grow up' by trying. In my opinion, 'learning by doing' is still a good way to gain experience, especially in organic farming because in nature you cannot draw up a rigid checklist. Nature is synonymous with freedom. This would be far from a guarantee of success. In organic farming, one must rather learn to be flexible and accept the variables that nature imposes. Mine is a history of flexibility. I have been flexible as a ski instructor and coach in the winter and as a developer of hiking and cycling routes in the summer. At the same time, I have always sought a job that allows me to work outdoors and feel free. That is what I am doing thanks to organic farming.
What I love about organic farming is the versatility and biodiversity that characterizes an orchard or feild and the total lack of monotony. I often remember the words of a lecturer at Bioland: 'The goal of an organic farmer should be to be able to recognize his own land at the bottom of the valley, observing them from the top of the mountain. Because no two organic farms are the same'. These words have stayed with me. The freedom and versatility that one breathes high up in the mountains must also be found in the valley. With my new apple varieties Bonita and Topaz, I will work passionately to achieve this goal.
My grandfather had inherited cows and land from his mother in Sluderno and now I grow vegetables and apples there in small quantities. Although I am still at the beginning, I produce cauliflower, potatoes and Golden Delicious apples on a sunny slope. I consider myself a 'double farmer', faithful to organic farming as my main occupation and now also in my side business.
You don't become an organic farmer overnight. You have to 'grow up' by trying. In my opinion, 'learning by doing' is still a good way to gain experience, especially in organic farming because in nature you cannot draw up a rigid checklist. Nature is synonymous with freedom. This would be far from a guarantee of success. In organic farming, one must rather learn to be flexible and accept the variables that nature imposes. Mine is a history of flexibility. I have been flexible as a ski instructor and coach in the winter and as a developer of hiking and cycling routes in the summer. At the same time, I have always sought a job that allows me to work outdoors and feel free. That is what I am doing thanks to organic farming.
What I love about organic farming is the versatility and biodiversity that characterizes an orchard or feild and the total lack of monotony. I often remember the words of a lecturer at Bioland: 'The goal of an organic farmer should be to be able to recognize his own land at the bottom of the valley, observing them from the top of the mountain. Because no two organic farms are the same'. These words have stayed with me. The freedom and versatility that one breathes high up in the mountains must also be found in the valley. With my new apple varieties Bonita and Topaz, I will work passionately to achieve this goal.
Where I live
My harvest
Golden Delicious
The classic delicious
Golden Delicious is our main variety and, therefore, the queen of Val Venosta apples. That the most popular apple has a real quality, can be seen in its lovely red cheek. By the way, this is typical of fruits on a hillside.
Appearance:
greenish yellow to golden yellow
Features:
juicy with very fine and soft pulp
Taste:
sweet with delicate acidity
Pinova
The Val Venosta resistant
The Pinova with its red vermilion-red skin is a typical apple of Val Venosta. Not only is it colourful, it also has a very balanced flavour. Thanks to its long durability, it offers you unlimited fruit enjoyment until the summer season.
Appearance:
Bicolour, yellow to greenish, at least 30% of the fruit is covered with a bright vermilion colour
Features:
refreshing with very crisp, juicy and firm pulp
Taste:
Balanced proportion of sugar and acid
Topaz
The beautiful acid
Topaz makes biting the sour apple worthy! The aromatic fruit impresses with a pleasant acidity and is also a common variety in organic farming.
Availability
January - May
Appearance:
basic yellow tone with red striped components, round shape with flattened calyx
Features:
crunchy pulp with pleasant cream colouring
Taste:
acidified with sharp acidity
Potatoes
The energetic world citizen
These tubers have it all: Not only are they truly nutritious, but they also come in different versions: from soft to solid and compact, they grow in the Venosta Valley so that each recipe has the right potato for it.
Availability
beginning of August - end of October
Appearance:
rounded-elongated tuber with brown shell
Features:
yellow pulp
Taste:
mild and slightly soft
Pears
Sweet treats
Pears are fruits with ancient origins. The Greek poet Homer described them as a sweet gift from God. In the sunny climate of Val Venosta, these fruits develop an enveloping sweetness and an aromatic heart. The pear is considered a versatile and vitamin-rich fruit, as well as easily digestible, to be enjoyed at any time of day.
Appearance:
Spherical, pear- or bell-shaped, with green, sometimes yellow or reddish skin
Features:
Crisp, fleshy or juicy and soft flesh
Taste:
Sweet, with intense aroma and low acidity
