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| Grapes placed in this Vat In front of our house Waiting To be stomped |
While we wait for permits, we spend some time at property, pruning, cleaning, disposing debris, removing junk that has accumulated over many years. A seat from an old pick up truck, rotted doors, broken windows , black rubber hoses, beer cans, smashed wooden table,brush, lots of un-salvagable stuff to be disposed of.
Among debris, under bushes & overgrown shrubs we have unearthed
some interesting treasures, some obvious, some hidden away waiting to be discovered.
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| Stone Kitchen sink |
Marianna, Paschale's wife & our good friend, is very knowledgeable about the Island, even though she was born in Athens, her grandmother lived on Ikaria, she spent every summer here while growing up, eventually met married a Ikarian man.
She knows myths, legends, secret beaches , local customs,
IKAROTE DANCES, how to cook delicious Ikarian foods. She explains that this time of year (September) grapes are collected from vineyards, locals place them inside vats like this one in front of the house, Ikarotes stomp on them with bare feet to get all juices from harvested grape.
Marianna says, look down there, I look down, I see nothing but green thorny thick shrubs. LOOK CLOSER she says, underneath all those thorny brambles, we see a stone vat that has been hidden for years with overgrowth, she then goes on to explain thats where the juices of the stomped grapes drain from up above.
She says look over onto the other side, in an almost mirror image to first , all we can see is more brambles it looks like you have two, maybe three Kioupi's.
We have what? Marianna laughs, she says those
are antique terracotta vessels called Kioupis, locals take juices from grapes that has drained into the stone vat pour them into Kioupis to age,sometimes locals bury the Kioupi's into the earth, as this is a perfect temperature for wine making.
I am so excited , I grab my garden snips, put on my gloves, run down to where the Kioupis are.
I`m ready to cut away brambles to uncover these beautiful artifacts. Marianna starts waving her arms as Greeks do when they are excited, STOP she says, startled I stop my work to look up to where she is standing, waiting for explanation. These are very valuable, if you uncover them for the gypsy to see, they will take them to sell . Greeks love to have these 100 year old pots in their gardens, or on their terraces. Kioupis can bring as much as 500-600 euros.
You must wait till you move into house, then have Micos your ( stone guy) who knows how to recover these delicate vessels, without breaking them.
I think to myself, I have so much to learn here on Ikaria.
Under years of overgrowth we can see another stone structure of some kind,
off to side of house.
We begin clipping away at the brush covering a stone form.
It's a Fourno declares Marianna, Fourno is Greek for outside stone oven, this is an ancient way to make village bread, its cooked inside a stone oven over a wood fire.
Anyone who knows my husband (Teddy)he is primary cook in family, he gets excited says I can make amazing pizza in this oven.
Of course we all can't wait for that day to come!
Addendum: We have learned from our Notary, our paperwork has made it to Samos for approval,
but Clerk of court will be out on sick leave for a few weeks
She is only one who does this job, so Samos has closed court till she returns, but we are still smiling
