HUERTO GOURMET: FINGERLIME AND OTHERS EXOTIC CITRUS CULTIVATED IN ELCHE

Water melon with finger lime or citrus caviar

Calamodin trees

Elche is famous for its palm trees. And in their fields also grow easily almond trees, pomegranates trees, figs trees, olive trees or different vegetables. But sometimes you find innovative people with curious and fascinanting projects, as the case of Huerto Gourmet, a family business growing a bunch of exotic citrus varieties (e.g. fingerlime, Budda´s hand, citron, dragonfly, yuzu, limequat, calamondin, kumquat, bergamot, lemon Meyer or kafir lime).

Yuzu trees in Eche

Yuzu are rarely eaten as a fruit, but the zest can be used to make sweets and to enhance many dishes. Buddha´s hand and bergamota are used to season foods and cocktails. In some of these citrus species are also used the leaves to add a special touch to dishes through the pleasant aromas.

Buddha´s hand tree

Buddha´s hand fruit

For me the more interesting is fingerlime or citrus caviar, similar to a miniature lemon. This citrus fruit contain small pearl-like globular vesicles with a tart juice that tastes similar to lime and very aromatic. It can be used as garnish or as a recipe ingredient, preferible for salads, sauces, desserts and fresh fish like sushi or seafood, to enhance the flavour. 

Finger lime

After the crop they prepare pots with three different fingerlime globular vesicles (with low, moderate or high acidity). Its a creative substitute for lemon, because fingerlime vesicles have the effect of not interfering with the flavour to foods taste until they don't  chew in the mouth.

Citrus caviar: finger lime pearls

One of its most remarkable features is that their thin outer layer doesn't have flavour, and when chewed, burst inside the mouth producing a surprising explosion with an unexpected fresh spicy facet. Finger lime or citrus caviar is a versatile resource not only in the haute cuisine but also for everybody who wants to surprise your guest at home.

More information in

https://www.huertogourmet.com

Salmon wakame with finger lime

Cream of vegetables and fingerlime

EL TENDRE OLIVE OIL MILL: AN EXTRA VIRGIN EXPERIENCE SINCE 1839

In spite of it´s very easy to buy anything in many ways, to do it in the place where it´s produced is always engaging. And more if we speak about healthy food. If besides you find a really charming place, a curious exhibition to visit, the chance of a guided tour with different language options, tasting an extra virgin olive oil, to purchase (or not) ... you have within reach an authentic experience. And that is the question, by far in these places is worth to go for the visit, rather than just only for shopping.

Old machinery 

The entrance of the shop is in a cosy gorgeous porch.

"El Tendre" olive oil mill is not only a factory but also a delightful place, located in the countryside and surrounded by palm trees and olive trees. It´s situated in the outskirts of Elche, and it´s running by the same family since 1839, nowadays with the fifth and sixth generations. It´s remarkable because it´s really hard to find small family companies working steadily for so much time. This circumstance is highly valued for the bulk of consumers, because we use to think that this continuity guarantees the transmission of the gathered knowledge over the years.

Receiving olives.

Storing in cellar, under controlled conditions of light and temperature.

As other olive oil mills here, they have two different activities. On the one hand working for others:  you can bring your olives, pay a fee per kilogram, and get the amounts of liters of olive oil according with the yield of an analyzed sample. On the other hand, they also produce for themselves to sell with their own brand and even export.

In the shop there are olive oils of different types in a wide variety of container sizes. There are for instance extra virgin olive oil cans, very handy for air travel. There are also available beauty products manufactured with El Tendre olive oil, and some local foodstuffs. The staff is friendly and helpful.

Above the shop there is an interesting permanent exhibition of mill instruments that were used in the past, and belongings of the family kept up over time.

If you would like to visit this enchanting corner, either a guided tour or overview+shop+museum by yourself, it´s possible throughout the year (except few bank holidays). Bear in mind if you prefer tranquility or bustle, because roughly to mid October to March is the olive harvest time here, and therefore the ambience change from the idyllic calm to the mill activity (people unloading olives, equipments working, and people picking up their olive oil from the store)

They carry out different types of guided tours, depending on if are included tasting, or an advanced sampling practice. Prices are really affordable, to book or get current information about cost and conditions, contact directly to the mobile phone or email showed in their website
https://www.tendre.es/?lang=EN

Lastly, I have showed this olive oil mill to foreign friends of different countries, and it has always been exciting for them. Having my say, give it a go could be a good idea if you aren't far away.

Behind the scenes: Paquita, El Tendre fourth generation, working in 1990.

ELCHE OUTLET ROUTE : BUYING FOOTWEAR.

The Outlet Route in Elche Business Park  (Elche Parque Industrial), is located between Elche and Alicante, just seven kilometres from the first city. It is made up of 29 companies of top brands from different sectors, mainly footwear.

Mustang Outlet

The city of Elche produces 50% of the footwear manufactured in Spain and is a leading exporter across Europe. The origins go back to the late nineteenth century, when a still predominantly agricultural community began to produce shoes using vegetable fibers, as jute or hemp.

The regular opening hours of the shops are from 10.00 to 14.00 and from 16.00 to 20.00 Monday to Friday, and Saturdays from 10.00 to 14.00. At certain times of year, some establishments don't close at midday. There are maps in all the stores showing the locations of the different outlets, and in http://www.rutaoutlet.es/

Don't miss this opportunity to tour the outlet stores of Spain's most prestigious shoe manufacturers, with different qualities and prices, and the opportunity of discount prices and bargains.

I would advise you not to attempt to negotiate the business park on foot. It is a big estate and you will get very tired if you try to hike around it. Keep your energy for the shopping experience.

Tempe Outlet

The Tempe Outlet store sell footwear and accessories from previous seasons from the Inditex trademarks (Zara, Pull and Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home and Uterqüe).

To choose the shops that you would like to visit, here you have links of some of the available brands:

https://www.panamajack.es/en/home

(Not very much discounts, but I like this shoes a lot)

Panama Jack Outlet

http://www.pikolinos.com/uk-en/

(Pikolinos also has a small footwear museum, open from 11.00-12.00 and 17.00-18.00h)

The beginning: making espadrilles.

Pikolinos & Martinelli Outlet

http://www.pedromiralles.com/cms/en/

http://wonders.com/madewithlove

http://nordikas.thegoldenboot.co.uk/

http://www.geox.com/

http://www.zinda.es/lang/en

http://gioseppo.com/en/

Guioseppo headquarter and outlet

http://www.furiezza.com/eng/index.php

http://www.lolacruz.com/en/

http://www.nichiseijo.com/eneese_b2c/outlet/zapatos

http://mustangstore.es/

(One of the more visited shops)

Mustang headquarter and outlet

Elche White Palm Market

Elche White Palm Market

            The tradicional Elche White Palm Market will take place two days before Palm Sunday (on the 22^nd, 23^rd, and 24^th March this year 2013). Elche is famous fot it´s palm trees which provide a large percentage of special blanched or white palms that are used throughout the world on Palm Sunday.

           In many palm groves in and around Elche, the palm leaves spend most of the year wrapped in black plastic to starve them of sunlight and turn them from green to golden colour for use in the parades.

           The palm leaves can be used just as they are cut , or crafted into intrincate designs. You can watch the craft people at work and buy their beautiful palm products.

           This trading takes place in various city points. The main is in Square Plaza de Baix (beside the City Hall), and the others are in Plaza de Barcelona, Olaza de Madrid, Mercado del Pla de San José, Plaza de Castilla Y Plaza de Altabix.