Experience Saros
We subscribe to the philosophy of “eating in season”, which means giving priority to produce grown in its natural season. Eating in season allows one to consume a wide variety of produce throughout the year, thus promoting good health. Refreshing squash, tomatoes and cucumbers help us get through the torrid summertime; red cabbage and other heavy blood-thickening greens keep us going in the wintertime. Therefore it is wise for grocery shoppers to look for locally-grown food and avoid out-of-season varieties grown in far away climates.
The following is a sample list of crops grown at the Saros Farm, which may serve as a guide for what you might expect to see when you come for lunch or dinner at the Enstitü:
Artichoke, tomato, mesclun salad, purslane, basil, marjoram, chives, oregano, bell pepper, fava bean, broccoli, cabbage, corn, cucumber, eggplant, leek, chili pepper, summer squash, watermelon, okra, flat feans. Among fruit trees at the farm are apple, pear, apricot, cherry, sour cherry, quince, fig, peach, pomegranate, walnut and mulberry.
Produce is harvested very early in the morning twice a week. When the Istanbul Culinary Institute is in session, we re-harvest continually to ensure fresh items for the classes.