The aim is not sales, but getting to know the village's production culture.
In Old Datça, produce follows the calendar of seasons and labour. This page tells the knowledge behind the products — for the rest, knock on the producer's door.
The geographically indicated Datça almond is the peninsula's emblem; it blossoms in February and is harvested in summer. Families pick, crack and roast the almonds by hand — served fresh, salted or roasted.
In the harvest starting in October, olives are picked by pole and by hand and pressed without delay. Early-harvest green olive oil is the foundation of village tables; brined olives are winter's preparation.
Thyme, pine and blossom honey come from the peninsula's maquis. Beekeepers move their hives with the seasons; honey-extraction day is a small village celebration.
In late spring the hills smell of thyme. Families gather it in bloom and dry it in the shade; in winter it goes into tea, dishes and olive oil.
The maquis' sage is gathered in spring, hung in bunches and dried. All winter it is brewed in village coffeehouses and homes.
Bay leaves are picked in autumn and dried in the shade; they lend their scent to dishes, brines and soap.
The carob tree's pods are gathered in autumn; their molasses is considered a winter remedy, and the dried pods are a children's snack.
Bitter orange, fig, almond and seasonal fruits are simmered in courtyards; every house has its own jam recipe, and jars are shared with neighbours all winter.
Producers of this productGrape and apple vinegars mature in earthen jars with their own culture; from salads to brines, they are the village kitchen's souring agent.
Producers of this productOlive-oil soap is old village knowledge; bars enriched with laurel, lavender and goat's milk are hand-poured and rested for weeks.
Producers of this product
Tomatoes, peppers, figs and herbs are dried on rooftops under the summer sun; the colour and scent of the winter kitchen come from these trays.