Ilsien in-Nisa goes Eco

Hello Merill Fans,

Hope you're all doing great! We're as busy as bees and looking forward for the summer season to begin. Here are a few words and pics about yesterday's programme of "Ilsien in-Nisa" which was aired on One TV.  By popular demand the station will air it once again tomorrow morning, Saturday 19th May at 8.45am.

"Ilsien in-Nisa" is a fresh programme presented by four dynanic well known personalities. Clare Agius is the leader who ignited the idea and takes care of the production. The other ladies are full of charm and energy bringing about interesting topics every week.

This week the programme featured Ecotourism in Malta. As Merill Eco Tours we took the ladies out for day  in the heart of the Maltese countryside. I met Moira Delia, Claire Agius Ordway, Pauline Agius and Valerie Borg in Mgarr early in the morning. First we went to pick some delicious strawberries for which Mgarr is famous for, and then went to meet a family of farmers who manage a beautiful olive grove. There we all had some tea and coffee with traditional Biskuttini tar-Rahal, which is literally translates to Village Biscuits. After touring around the olive grove where free range chickens are reared, we tasted some local delicacies such as extra virgin olive oil, sun dried tomatoes and pickles onions. It was great enjoying a beautiful day with all the four ladies, and the family who hosted us.  

The programme highlighted the Principles of Ecotourism, and how Merill Eco Tours started off in January 2011 by creating a network of farmers to bring about a wave of fresh experiences to locals and tourists. The concept behind all this is to create awareness about agriculture in Malta and to draw towards the rural community a new source of income. 

I would like to say a big thank you for this opportunity to the production team of "Ilsien in-Nisa" and One TV.  

Stay tuned :)

Jeanette 

Fresh fruits and veg and many other goodies

The banana tree made a hit!

Claire Agius Ordway followed by the rest

I was honoured to be with four such lovely ladies

Photos by Steve Gauci

For more information about the whole range of experiences we offer, one can visit the Merill Eco Tours website. We organise experiences upon request for small and medium sized groups. Feel free to email us on info@merillecotours.com or call us on 21/27411388.

Vines, Wines and Stunning views in Malta

Vines look splendid at this time of the year!

Preparing the local products display

Ready to be tasted!

Seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables

Spring weather is a blessing after a rainy winter. We're as busy as bees preparing for experiences to take place in the next few weeks. Tasting of delicious local products and relaxing in farm setups, is an excellent treat whether you're a local or a foreigner who is luck enough to be in Malta. Extra virgin olive oil, honey and strawberries all make tasting sessions uniquely Mediterranean. Strawberry picking activities are also in full swing and we're now very eager to hold the first sea salt harvesting sessions of the season in June.

If you're thinking of organising a stress-free eco experience, give us a call on 00356 79411388 or email on info@merillecotours.com

For more details please visit our website!

********************************

Wie Merill Lokale Produkte, arbeiten wir mit den lokalen Bauern, um Erfahrungen zu Einheimischen und Touristen bieten, sowie vertreibt eine breite Palette von Produkten während der Besuche auf Bauernhöfen. Unser Sortiment umfasst Olivenöl, Wein, getrockneten Tomaten, Meersalz, Zwiebeln Gewürzgurken und Honig.

Maltese culinary experience

Malta is literally a hub for Mediterranean food and culture. Almost everyone enjoys eating good food, let alone traditional food from a country with a culinary history that is as old as mankind.
It is the time to start picking strawberries while there are almost no oranges left. Well, we can still take you to harvest oranges and mandarins to one of our secret orchards ;)
Having a nice afternoon coffee with Lenten sweets is an excellent treat for long winter days.
If you come to Malta, you cannot do without tasting Maltese bread. Crispy and crunchy crust with soft sour dough. Our bakers from Qormi still bake the traditional way & do their work with patience and dedication.

For more info about our experiences, visit our website or email us!

Winter in Malta!

Bugibba promenade

Strawberries about to get ripe 

Strong winds, heavy rain, have characterised this week's weather in the Maltese Islands. The landscape has turned into one big patch of green over the past few weeks. We are now eagerly waiting for strawberries to get ripe, to start off strawberry picking activities. Harvesting cherry tomatoes is an excellent alternative at this time of the year. 

For more information about eco tours and activities, send us an email on info@merillecotours.com

Have a great weekend

Jeanette

Malta - The land of plenty

Cabbages

Pumpkins

Melons

Prickly Pears 

The farmer and myself

This morning Christian and I met a farmer who took us around his family run estate of 4.5 hectares. The farmer explained that before his family settled there, all the land had been abandoned and all the rubble walls and paths were derelict.  It took this family decades to turn this estate into fertile land, where crops grow all year round. Strawberries, cucumbers and garlic have been planted while the season of summer fruits such as melons and watermelons will soon be over.

While going through the fields, I asked the farmer about challenges they face and future prospects of such an enterprise. He explained that the prices offered for produce at the Pitkali market are often too low to cover costs of inputs and intensive labour. However since the Farmer's Market in Ta' Qali opened, they can sell the produce directly to consumers thus keeping prices reasonable. The Farmer's market is also challenging in itself. All his family are engaged in harvesting, grading and selling fresh produce, thus offering the very best every Tuesdays and Saturdays. One of the things we can all do to support local farmers is to buy their produce. Apart from producing fresh fruits and vegetables, they maintain the landscape and conserve agricultural biodiversity. 

As Merill Eco Tours we're doing our best to help farmers by promoting their produce and offering ecotourism opportunites. For more information about agri-tourism experiences, visit our website www.merillecotours.com