Many people took part in the field trip on Friday 15th July organized by UNIMIONT – a University of Milan Campus – entitled “Good practices for the cultivation and processing of rye and mountain medicinal plants”, held in Valle Camonica.
The field trip, organized as part of the CereAlp project : Good practices for the cultivation and transformation of alpine cereals and medicinal plants, began with a visit to the rye fields (Secale cereale L.) in Corteno Golgi, in the Alta Valle Camonica, at the “Comazera” farm. The farmers of the Biodistrict of Valle Camonica and the UNIMONT researchers presented all the phases of the cultivation of the alpine cereal (from the preparation of the soil to harvest), also revealing some innovative techniques and tools for the cultivation and transformation of this cereal traditionally cultivated in the mountain environments of the Alps.
The field trip then continued to Cerveno, a small village at the foot of Mount Concarena, where the Casa delle Sementi Alpine is located. Dr. Rachele Stentella of Rete Semi Rurali, led the visit to the Casa delle Sementi, explaining the important role it plays in the conservation and collective management of Alpine cereal seeds, medicinal plants and vegetables.
The day then ended in the village of Lozio at the “Luna Piena” farm. Here the participants visited the officinal plant fields and the transformation laboratory where the washing, cutting and drying of the raw material for the production of herbal teas and other preparations based on mountain medicinal herbs takes place.
The demonstration activity was carried out in collaboration with the Bio-distretto di Valle Camonica and Rete Semi Rurali.