I got up early yesterday morning and as the temperature had dropped below 30 degrees I took my camera for a walk around the valley and got a bit obsessed with sunflowers.
Sunflowers bowing to the sun rising over Gul Dar
Poor lonley sunflower!
Sunflower Tree???
It is interesting that there are far more sunflowers in the valley than there used to be. They are growing in the small allotments where the villagers have their kitchen gardens, growing amongst the peppers and herbs. And on the edges of the vineyards there are sunflowers and sweetcorn growing as the farmers diversify and use the space that once was wasted for another crop to aid their quest for self sufficiency.
Klaus Jurgens, a journalist based in the Aegean, recently visited Kirazli to find out about our organic farming initiative and he wrote a very interesting article in Zaman – click the link below to read the article in full.
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-217226-132-from-farm-to-fork-turkey-goes-organic.html
I’ve seen Kirazli prosper over the years as the organic farming has taken off. Not only is the village more self sufficient but the farmers get a better return for their crops and little by little it shows in new tractors, home improvements and a quiet sense of wellbeing.
There are more photographs from my walk here on my Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2068486&id=1533353143&l=c4390df661
posted 29-07-2010