In this coronavirus emergency, the Italian government has declared the country lockdown and people are experiencing serious difficulties just to get food.
People who made a choice of life based on farming and engaging in self-sufficiency, in this condition find themselves in an advantageous situation.
Gunagrahi das and Rukmini devi dasi say “We live in our farm Cintamani Dhan in central Italy and we have been engaging for almost 30 years in organic farming and self- sufficiency. We try to satisfy Krsna by collaborating to spread these practices in the society of devotees.
We live in the country and produce different types of goods to meet the family needs but which we also sell in organic farmer markets, therefore we currently have many stocks.
At the moment we have some quintals of ancient soft wheat and 1 quintal of already ground flour with which we make baked goods such as bread (leavening with sourdough, added with seeds, rye or spelt flour), pizza, cakes, biscuits….
We also have dozens of kilos of legumes, lentils, dried peas, chickpeas and chickpea flour…
Several quintals of hulled spelt with which we make soups with legumes and other preparations.
Potatoes, apples, Jerusalem artichokes and some green leafy vegetables and aromatic herbs in the garden.
Vegetables and fruit in jars (peas, sauerkraut, broad beans, zucchini, green beans, eggplants, gherkins, pears, cherries), frozen (peas, broad beans, eggplants in oil, blackberries, aromatic herbs, basil or parsley pesto), and dried (figs, apples, pears, persimmons, mulberries, strawberries, cherries, apricots, oranges, bananas, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, carrots), various types of crackers and energy bars produced with the use of the dryer, tens of kilos of dried fruit whole or peeled and vacuum-packed (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds), broth nut made with the dryer or in the freezer, tens of kilos of various pasta shapes made with our antique durum wheat, 150 kilos of honey, propolis, several hundred jars of jam (more than 20 types), a few hundred bottles of fruit juice (apricots, apples, grapes, quinces, elderberries, rose hips, plums), rose syrup, about 80 jars of tomato sauce, olive oil and olives in jars (in oil or in brine), fresh and dried herbs for herbal teas or seasonings. Candied cherries, ginger and orange peel.
We collect many wild herbs for food, healing, cosmetic use and we sprout various types of seeds to obtain sprouts rich in vitamins and other nutrients.
Flowers to offer to Krsna.
Hundreds of kilos of body soap (18 types of olive oil soap with essential oils and herbs), toothpaste, ointments and lip balm that we make using the wax of our bees, infused oils and tinctures which we make from spontaneous or self cultivated plants. Detergent for the washing machine starting from our self made soap.
Lye from wood ash useful for cleaning and laundry. In the fields we have already sown wheat, spelt, potatoes, peas, broad beans.
In the greenhouse there is the seedbed and salad seedlings, tomatoes, zucchini, basil, parsley and summer flowers have already been born.
In February, we also received a donation of 600 kilos of rice from an NGO, which we partly donated to Villa Vrindavana and other friends, but we still have 50 kilos for us. We like to help and we are part of the Ministry of Cow Protection and Agriculture.
Even for heating, we are almost self-sufficient by obtaining the already dry wood in the wooded areas of the farm.
All of this comes from the causeless mercy of Krsna, the Supreme Owner of all that exists, and we feel very grateful.
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