La Saporita-More Farm Freshness

  I'm still barely able to get my head around being back home. Partly because in the two and a half weeks we have been home, we needed to hop a plane to LA for a couple of days, and then I caught a nasty cold (big surprise), and then my dear brother and his kids came for a visit. It's been a whirlwind of a return. The family visit was awesome, as well as the LA trip... just a lot to be doing while still in basic jet lag mode. 

  So. To help me adjust, again, I will keep sharing this year's adventures in Umbria. Helps to keep me sane. What can I say.

  A favorite find from the 2011 trip to Panicale was La Saporita. We were told about it by a couple we met at Bar Gallo one day. They told us it was a must visit, so off we went. We fell in love with most all of the apples, pears, veggies and various other local products. It was one of our first stops this year.

Entrance to La Saporita

   The most favorite, and coveted by all our visitors who tried them, were the roasted in the shell almonds. We gorged ourselves on these little guys daily. Seriously. They were perfect with yogurt for breakfast, lovely with cheeses and pears for lunch, the ultimate bar snack with wine in the early evening, and with chocolate at night while we watched wacky Italian TV.
  I can not begin to describe them. Well, ok, I'll try. The shells are still on, but cracked enough to just break open. The almond is unsalted, with a deep, nutty, sweet roasted flavor, crunchy enough to hear someone across the terrace enjoying...really perfect in every way.
  There was always a big bag of them on the counter, just ready for grabbing a handful as we walked past. All day long.... I can only imagine what Rinato, the gardener, must have thought of all the shells tossed down into the olive grove.

Almonds, far left bin. Wish I had some right now.

  They also have bulk dried beans and grains...ceci, faro, borlotti, lentils from the region...all sorts of bulk and bagged goodies. The produce is the best, and always different each time we went in. Always great quality. The red bell peppers were so sweet. I kept making these super thin frittatas with them. Yummy over crisp salad.

The selection on this day. Sfuso dispenser on the left.
One hose for red, one for white.

  We loved that La Saporita carried good, inexpensive local wines, wonderful apple cider and olive oils from the area, too. Also honey! Umbria is known for it's honey.
  They have a new product this year- Sfuso! This is bulk wine that you can get to fill jugs or bottles you bring in from home. Really inexpensive, and good, especially the red. Local, of course!

More treats to enjoy. Cider, honey and olive oil. Also good local wine.

   The big draw are the apples. This changes all the time, as apples come and go seasonally. The apples they grow on the property are amazing, and then they import some from Northern Italy, as well.
  We would watch in amazement as the locals would pull up in three wheeled "apes", old fiats and brand new sedans-all loading up huge crates of apples to take home. We would get maybe five or six at a time...but we loved going there, so it worked for us. It was only a few minutes away by car.

Tasty apples.

  I love the woman who runs the place. You wait your turn, as in so many small markets here, and then you have her total attention. She picks out the best of everything for you. You don't touch a thing. All the while, with our minimal Italian and her minimal English, we carry on conversations about food, recipes, politics, history and local theatre events. So nice.

Johnny catching up with the proprietor. She is a sweetheart.

Not big, but very mighty.

  All the fruit trees are espaliered, which I found so interesting.  We were there long enough to see them come into flower, and then leaf out. In flower, the fields were dreamy.
  To get to the shop, you have to drive down this long, long, long driveway with an allee of Umbrella pines and Italian Cypress. Very majestic arrival. One day, while Johnny was set up to paint not far away, I took a walk down this road. It was so cool to see the trees all clipped and budding up.
  They also have their own solar field that takes care of most of the energy they use here.

Apple trees in leaf, with Panicale way in the distance, on the hill.
Ciao, Panicale!

"Direct Sale", always a good sign to look for.

The entry to La Saporita, a drive I now know very well.

  As with so many shops, towns, trattorias, etc. La Saporita is a place we can't wait to return to. I will dream of their almonds for the next nine months!