An oasis of blooming beauty
A long, winding road in the hinterlands of Santa Eulalia lead to a small gate concealing the thriving fields and gardens of Terra Masia Organic Farm Ibiza.
Two years ago, this abandoned farm was a wasteland of fallow meadows and neglected orchards. Today the 56 hectares of farmland are flourishing under the devoted guidance of Marina Morán Jou. As the island’s largest organic farm, it has become an oasis of blooming beauty open for all to behold. The team of passionate individuals dedicated to reactivating the island’s farming culture discovered Terra Masia, which means farmland in Catalan. Parched and overgrown the land was in desperate need of love, dedication and time to bring it back to its fertile glory. Spanish-born Marina was entrusted to take this vision forward to create not only a productive working farm but also a beacon of hope for the island’s burgeoning organic farming scene.
Working with the earth is in Marina’s blood. Hailing from a farming lineage she has followed the path of her father and grandparents, but along the way she has created her own methods. Marina doesn’t like to define her farming style, instead, she investigates approaches and tests techniques to see what works for the land. “I don’t like to put labels on the methods I use,” she says. “I listen to the land. My job is to recover the fertility of the soil. All my efforts and the work I do comes back to this and my love of the land.” Now in her third year, Marina leads the farm’s ambition to become an emblematic benchmark for other organic farms and an international example of eco-friendly and sustainable agriculture. Eschewing pesticides and chemicals companion planting provides homes for useful insects while repelling others from their favourite dining spots. Green manure replenishes the soil and all farm practices are geared towards supporting the cycles of nature.
Biodynamic farming methods work with the phases of the moon to harness ultimate growing advantage. The health of the soil and all that grows within it is the focal point, allowing produce to be grown at optimal nutritional levels. That’s why you’ll find some areas in rest – soil beds given ‘time off’ so they can revitalise – while others are in a changing cycle of local vegetables and specimens from countries with similar climates permitting the land to bear a rich variety of food. Golden beetroot, rainbow chard, sprouted leaves and beautifully aromatic herbs line the fields while juicy pears and zingy lemons grow abundantly within the orchards. Tiny Cucamelon – like a lime and cucumber combined – from Central America, vibrantly purple and uniquely shaped Kohlrabi from Vienna and rich and sweet Costoluto Fiorentino tomatoes from Italy are just some of the international flavours that contribute to the fields of flavour and colour. “We really wanted to bring something new to the island and to the people that live here,” Marina explains. “Now we offer a rainbow of crops for them to enjoy.”
Every weekday, between 8am and 3pm the farm invites island residents, visitors and holidaymakers to walk through the flourishing fields to the on-site market shop where you can purchase boxes filled with vivacious and organic vegetables, fruits and herbs. With its focus on seasonal products, you can be sure the bountiful boxes of goodness always contain something new, exciting and different, and are guaranteed to be organic and sown with love. Also beginning this season, Terra Masia invites guest chefs to share the flavours of the land with farm members during special pop-up dinner events where a three-course menu is served at tables set in the starlit fields. This is the quintessence of farm-to-table dining. Sip on selected organic wines as black Ibicencan pigs – part of an island-wide revival programme – snore lazily in the background and happy hens take shelter for the night. To become a member of the farm and gain access to these exclusive dinner events, simply sign up via the website link below. This is Ibiza living at its very best.
