slow times urla autumn newsletter

SlowTimes

Urla P L A N T I N G T H E S E E D S F O R A G O O D , C L E A N , F A I R A N D

S U S T A I N A B L E F U T U R E F O R U R L A , I Z M I R , T U R K E Y . . .

...The Day when Olives

Gather the First Drop of

Oil and the Grapes;

Honey...

Urla Grape Harvest Festival, namely 1st of Au-

gust, is being continuously celebrated since

the Ancient Times.

THE FESTIVAL 1st of AUGUST, BELIEVED TO HAVE

ITS ROOTS IN THE ANCIENT DIONYSIAN RITES,

HAS ALSO BEEN CELEBRATED AS A SEAFARING

ACTIVITY IN THE RECENT PAST.

14th of August in the Justinian Calendar or the 1st of

August according to the Julian

Calendar, is the day when the olives gather their first

drop of oil and grapes start to taste like honey. It has

been celebrated continuously over the centuries, in

Urla.

This is the day when hard working farmers start to see

the results of their painstaking efforts....so they can

relax for a day perhaps and rush to the cool blue wa-

ters of the Aegean, party with their friends and rela-

tives, enjoy the local food, music and festivities..

Grape Harvest Day in the 1950’s

These festivities coincide with the maturation and the harvest of Sultana grapes which

were widely grown in this territory. When the grapes were ready to be harvested, some

of them would be spread on floor rags to dry into raisins, some of them would be

pressed to be made wine, vinegar, molasses and many other delicacies which can be

consumed over the winter. When it came to the crushing of the grapes, it would be the

young ladies of the house who would jump into the crush pad with super clean bare feet.

Urla‘s three endearing Festivals all seem to bid farewell to a past season and welcome a

new. In that respect, the March 9th seems to be the closure of winter and celebration of

spring, where as Hıdrellez ;the spring‘s and the 1st of August; the summer‘s.

(By: Algan Tümerk)

Issue: 2

Autumn

2011

For the past 20 years, choosing to live by growing the freshest fruits and vegetables, making jams and molasses, pickles and pastes, olives an olive oils, making yoghurt and fresh bread, I asked the question ‗why does the peach or tomato tastes differ-ently nowadays. When the ecological balance is lost the soil loses its nutrients. Tomato plants got sick and died before producing fruit. The fruit trees got many pests and lost their fruit.

As I was researching about "What can be done?", I learned about many people living a completely sustainable lifestyle. These people with lowering their financial needs, sharing knowledge and expertise and teaching others their methods could not all be wrong.

Bill Mollison,was trying to teach these methods to people all over the world. A sustainable lifestyle he called "Permaculture" with ethic principles, caring for the earth, for people, and limiting and controlling our needs to reduce waste of resources. Turkish Permaculture Research Institute leader Mustafa F.Bakır and a group of friends: Erkan Buğday, Selin—Murat Akhuy, Pınar -Mete Hacaloğlu, Pelin - Saydam Beyazıt have moved into İzmir's Bayındır region, Dernekli village’s abandoned Mersinli (Marmariç) neighborhood. At approximately 800 m height and on a sloped land United Nations sup-ported "Permaculture Design Methods and Ecofriendly, Sustainable and Productive Land Use Model Project" was started. I attended the Introductory to Permaculture Course on 20-21 August 2011 held by Mar-mariç Ecological Life Agency.

Exploring traditional methods and sharing information with these new friends was an invaluable experience for me. With interns to most experienced members all working to better our world made Marmariç different than any other place on earth...Compost methods, mulching techniques, and many more have opened many hori-zons to better farming methods. That ―everything should be used at least twice‖ concept brings new meaning to sustainability.. I later took a "Wood Stoves and Ovens" workshop at Marmaric. Carlotta Verner's knowledge came in handy when we made this year‘s grape molasses. We burned our fire over two days on the previous years, but this year we were able to make the same amount with only one day of fire.Gettin the same results using less time and wood was a pleasure indeed.

My whole intention is: -"Not forgetting the we need the earth more than the earth needs us; -"Not saying ―I cannot make a difference alone‖; -To continue my way by saying "Who if not us? When if not now?"…

(By: Hülya Şenoğlu)

Slow Food Urla Issue: 2 [email protected] Autumn 2011 [email protected] Page 8

A Permacultural Experience

Slow Food Urla Autumn Calendar: November 2, Wednesday: Slow Food Urla November meeting November 17-18: Olive Oil Tasting Seminar with Ümmühan Tibet November 17-20: Antique Olive Oil and Urla Seminar November 20, Sunday: Hurma olive picking with Urla Trekking Group

December 9: Urla Slow Food (Terra Madre) Dinner

KÜLÜR BREAD

Traditional Kurban

Holiday Bread

This bread is espe-

cially a favorite of

Kurban Holiday. It is

known to ease diges-

tion of lamb meat.

This exquisite bread

that has been baked

for hundreds of years

is perfumed with;

sourdough, whole wheat flour,

natural mastic, cinnamon and

cloves.

It is then baked in wood-fired stone

ovens.

According to mythology, Anaxagoras was a rich philosopher who lived in the ancient city of Klazomenai which is now called Urla. He spent his entire fortune saying that the sun was a star and not a god. This angered the locals who believed the sun was a god. Perikles protected Anaxagoras from bad things thet could happen because of his beliefs. The sun that made Anaxagoras miserable in 400 B.C., now warms and shines over Urla. Urla residents, chose to treasure heirloom seeds that Anaxagoras preached about. The force that makes these seeds grow is what he calls ‘telos’ a wish to live in a better world. The world is something borrowed from our ancestors. A heritage to leave for our children. Slow Food Urla volunteers follow these principles. Their “From Seed to Table” project , they have introduced Slow Food principles of good, clean and fair food to Uzunkuyu Elementary School. With the organic gardens that are a part of the curriculum the school is now an example to other school districts. How can it be not famous!; Think of an elementary school, with heirloom Uzunkuyu tomato plants growing in the garden, among eggplants and peppers. And grown by elementary school students! These children already know about organic farming methods and how to treasure heirloom seeds! Urla Zeytinler village leader Ali Koyuncu along with his wife Safinaz hanım have been living the slow life for 50 years. Safinaz hanım is 65 years old. Ali Bey is around the same age. Both look much younger then their years. This could be a result of the slow life they have been living. The garden is full of homemade tomato paste thickening under the sun. Strings of peppers and eggplants are drying in preparation or winter, bread is being baked in the outdoor oven and most important of all Safinaz hanım and Ali bey teach us how to make kopanisti cheese. Kopanisti cheese is not produced commercially. Therefore it is very hard to find. It is made by slowly stirring fresh goat cheese and adding salt over 40 days. When the cheese gradually ferments the taste gets richer and is served with fresh olive oil... Osman Erkurt is the president of 360 Degrees of History. He has moved to Urla to experiment with archeological projects. To recreate the sewn Bronze Age Kiklad boats that provided transportation among Greek and Anatolian coasts and sail them along the ancient routes. Without using any glue or nails. To sail among the Mikonos, Minos, Andros, Samos islands which form the Kiklad islands. And what about Kulur Bread perfumed with cloves, cinnamon, and served with hot pepper paste? Life flows differently in Urla. When honey falls on grapes and oil onto olives in August during Grape Harvest festival celebrations by returning to traditions, we have added a brand new slow aspect to our lives in Urla Slowly the sun continues to shine over Urla... (By: Sema Öğünlü)

Slow Food Urla Issue: 2 [email protected] Autumn 2011 [email protected]

Anaxagoras’s Sun

Shines Over Urla

TRADITIONAL URLA

STYLE MOLASSES

RECIPE

By the Ekin Family:

Squeeze grapes and store juice. Heat the

juice to 60 degrees (C) and add white clay and

let it settle overnight. The next morning,

siphon the clear juice from the surface and

boil until jam consistency.

Skim the foam that appears on the surface.

The molasses can be finished by thickening under the sun on a flat tray covered by a thin

fabric. This is also called “day honey”..

(By: Mustafa Ekin) .

Urla’s Şafak Restaurant

I don't know whether you had the chance to eat in Urla Şafak Restaurant in Zafer Street; which has been cooking traditional dishes since 1975. Once you've tasted there, your feet take you there again and the spell comes out: a rich variety of vegetable, herb and meat dishes, and tripe soup that makes you an addict. The photos on the walls arouses your curiosity about the history of the shop. The foun-der, Salih Gecikmiş tells us about the shop's and his life story. His chef used to grill his famous meatballs in the same place. When he went away for military service, the ten years old Salih started to work for a pastry shop. Hadji Salih Gecikmiş was born in 1925. He started his carrier as an apprentice in Merkez Restau-rant. His chef, Sıtkı Surkultay has taught him a lot. He used to say: ' You should always put your love in the meals, if there's anything you don't like about the product, you shouldn't serve it to people.' Salih Bey respected his chief's care and love to his job, adopted this as a philosophy in his business life. So he has worked in the same shop for 26 years with constancy. After he had three children, he was in need of more money for his family. Getting his chef's permission he opened a new place with a partner. When the partner died, he turned over the shop to the partner's brother, and in 1974 began to run Şafak Restaurant with his son, İsmet Gecikmiş. İsmet Bey has the same enthusiasm and love of business like his father. You can always see him working in the shop in his white apron. I advise you to experience the delicacy of 'tulumba tatlısı'- a specialty dessert, 'irmik hel-vası' – a traditional dessert made of semolina and their famous tripe soup. Recently; not only the local people, but visitors to Urla prefer to eat in Şafak Restaurant. So they have renovated the shop to satisfy the increasing demands. This shows that Şafak Restaurant will live on for many more years. (Yazan: Sema Sertkaya)


A SLOW LIFE IN URLA...



Traditional sourdough methods that have been

continued from grand-mothers to granddaugh-ters over centuries have

been living on in the quaint village of Yağcılar. I was lucky to be offered some of this sourdough

and added my own tastes to make an excep-tional bread for our table.

Ingredients:

Add 2 full tablespoons

whole wheat flour warm water to sourdough

and let rise overnight covered in a warm

place. The next morning, Add

wheat flour, salt and wa-ter to make a soft dough.

Mix in mountain thyme and walnuts. Let rise 3

to 4 hours in a warm place.

Place in a preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes until bottom sounds hollow when

tapped.

SOURDOUGH BREAD WITH THYME AND

WALNUTS

(By Mehtap Susuzlu)

I want to tell you about the oldest wood oven called Köprübaşı Bakery (since 1880) of Urla, placed in the intersection of all the streets in the very center of town. The very first man running this bakery was a Greek, Yorgo Abaci. During the population exchange between Turkey and Greece an exchangee, Mehmet Sızgır had taken it over. The third owner was Burhanettin Taşkan. Now his son, Ahmet Can Taşkan is running the shop. An old photo on the wall is showing us Burhanettin Taşkan, Kah-raman Savli and their grandfather: İbrahim Bey. With traditional methods they go on baking delicious breads of corn, wheat, rye and whole-wheat, and also 'simit' -a crisp, ring-shaped roll covered with sesame seeds, and 'peksimet'- a kind of hard biscuit. While we are chatting, people are bringing their goat and vegeta-ble casseroles in earthenware pots to be cooked like in the old times. Ahmet Bey has pride in his eyes, while telling us about his bakery. You can't resist the smell of a newly baked corn bread as a pre-sent. While chewing a big bite, you dream about the 1880's peo-ple enjoying the same taste and your heart fills with ease and confidence for many 130 years. (By: Sema Sertkaya)

Historic KöprübaŞı Bakery

Grape Harvest Festival 2011



This summer, we wanted to learn about a traditional cheese called Kopanisti... Slow Food Urla members vis-ited Zeytinler village leader Ali Koyuncu and his wife, Safinaz Koyuncu. Ali Koyuncu brings the Kopanisti cheese made from 8-10 kg fresh cheese. There is cold pressed extra virgin olive oil on the table. The oil will take away the bit-terness of the cheese. We ask about how the cheese is kept in a plastic bowl. It is not refrigerated but stirred everyday... Safinaz Hanım brings the bowl covered with a poshu, a traditional headcover-ing of Urla. On the 17th of June, the process begins, twice a day. Kopanisti cheese is finished in 40 days. First two days it is kneaded by hand, and stirred by wooden spoon on the following days. After 10 days salt is slowly added. Ali Koyuncu says; Turks and Greeks used to work alongside in the 1800. The word „Kopanisti„ comes from Greek. “The shepherds on the hills milk the goats, there is no dairy back then. They make fresh cheese first. The remain-ing whey is mixed with more milk to make ‟lor‟. This „lor is placed in brine. It is continually mixed to produce Kopanisti cheese. Ali Koyuncu mentions that this cheese is very healthy. There was a shepherd who healed a burn victim by applying Kopanisti to the wounds. “Everyone likes to eat it but no one wants to make it” he says. “It smells if you don‟t stir...”, “and when it smells, it smells” says Safinaz Hanım. Since there is less fat in goat „lor‟ it is whiter. More and more tastes are brought to accom-pany the Kopanisti. First toma-toes. Then plums. Then grapes… (By: Lale Başarır) (Photography: Sema Öğünlü)

KOPANISTI

CHEESE Grape Harvest Festival 2011 Slow Food Urla, works to ensure and widen basic principles of good, clean

and fair foods and production methods. Within this framework, we aim to remember tradi-tional foods and cultural values, instead of fast food nutrition, continue bio-diversity at our tables, and support small scale local producers. Urla Slow Food volunteers have chosen to award local producers who follow Slow Food principles; grow and produce with heirloom seeds, enrich our tables by following traditional methods and make an example to Urla’s other businesses. We have thusly honored 13 local producers with awards this year:

2011 SLOW FOOD URLA AWARDS For keeping Urla's traditions alive and giving us hope for a better future, volunteers of Slow Food Urla wishes to extend their thanks and respects to the following ; -Mr. ERTAN İPLİKÇİ and supporting archeologist, GÜVEN BAKIR: For their work in re-vealing one of the oldest olive oil production sites in the world: Approximately 2600 years before our time (6th century B.C.) Klazomenai was known for its olive oil production capac-ity, its continue system of double wells and its close location to the port of Urla which made it possible to send olive oil to locations on the Aegean coast, to islands, and perhaps even to Egypt. -Archeologist OSMAN ERKURT and his team The '360 Degrees Historical Researches Association': This strong-willed team has rebuilt the Kiklat caiques (boats), which were responsible of the trade and transportation between Kiklat islands and the mainland. Those caiques are/were built up with only timber woods, fibers and linen, without using any spikes (nails). With thir efforts, Mr. Erkurt and his team have created new horizons in our modern era. -Mr.EMİN KIPKIP; he has called everybody's attention because he has loved and carried out his job as a detail oriented local and traditional grocer. -Mr. ALİ KIPKIP This self- thought, well-informed tradesman has kept and carefully stud-ied races of domestic pigeons and goats; some of which are becoming extinct. -Mr. AHMET CAN TAŞKAN; the current owner of the oldest bakery still in business since 1880, for 131 years, Köprübaşı Bakery (wood oven) has received our recognition in the name of all the previous bakers, who has made bread for the residents of Urla. -Mr. HACI SALİH GECİKMİŞ; from master to apprentice, from father to son... Being the eldest cook still practicing his art and love of cooking with his son İSMET GECİKMİŞ in their small restaurant, Mr. Gecikmiş learned this trade from his Master Sıtkı Surkultay, the first cook to open a restaurant in Urla. -Ms. ŞERİFE KUBLAY; from Özbek village, she shared her knowledge with us about local edible herbs which are very significant for us maintaining bio-diversity and local nutrition. -Ms. YÜCEL ÇIRÇIR; also from Özbek village, cooking and serving her traditional dishes to people for years in the square of her village, she has served an example to young villagers. -Mr. KEMAL ÖZTÜRK from Uzunkuyu village;Though they don't profit much, Mr. Öztürk and his family are still producing this heirloom tomato, having wonderful taste and smell (which needs no water while growing) with the original organic seeds. -Mr. AHMET YÜRÜMEZ; The director of Uzunkuyu Primary School, sharing the vision of SF Urla, supported us sincerely with our educational project: 'Healthy Nutrition from Field to Table'. -Mr. and Mrs. ALİ and SAFİNAZ KOYUNCU; from Zeytinler village, carrying out the tradi-tion of making local gem, the 'kopanisti' cheese, which has no preservatives nor additives. -Mr. ALGAN TÜMERK; Our member, beloved elder brother, for his enthusiasm and atten-tion in keeping records of life in Urla, its customs, and sharing them with us.

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