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Foraging and cooking native herbs
Host Connie
$104.61 per guest
Host Connie
$104.61 per guest
Start time
Weekends only 10 am
Duration
12 hours
Group size
4 to 8
Class language
English and Italian
The earliest human beings on this planet got their food in two ways: by hunting animals, and by gathering wild plants. All the food they ate was gathered with their own hands, including berries from bushes, wild greens from fields, and mushrooms from decaying trees. Through long practice, they learned to recognize which plants were edible, which were poisonous, and what could be found at different times of year.
The thrill of eating food you found and picked yourself makes all the hard work worthwhile. Foraging offers a chance to try new foods and experience a hands-on connection to nature that grocery-store produce just can’t supply.
Tossing a handful of dandelion greens into a salad or picking and eating wild raspberries while out on a hike gives you a chance to enjoy fresh food and experience the connection to nature that ancient humans took for granted. And the thrill of eating something you found and picked with your own hands can give you an appetite for learning more about all the bounty nature has to offer.
Tocco is a small medieval town tucked away in the Maiella and Morrone Mountains. My home is in the historical centre. If we are lucky and the weather is nice, eating in my inner courtyard is a real treat.
We live in Tocco da Casauria, a beautiful medieval town, in the National Park of Maiella and
Connie (ma anche Concetta per gli amici) è arrivata in Abruzzo, aTocco da Casauria, giovanissima e amante della Coca Cola e delle patatine fritte (e mi fermo qui!). Nel corso del tempo, grazie all'influenza di Nicola ma anche all'ascolto degli antenati, toccolani e marsicani, ha completamente rivoluzionato il suo posizionamento gastronomico. Scoprendo una genuina vocazione per la cucina e per l'ospitalità, ha studiato, si è messa alla ricerca delle materie prime e le ha trasformate in magnifici piatti, preparati con sapienza e allegria, offerti con gioia e soddisfazione. Antico e moderno, tradizione e innovazione si combinano in maniera sublime nella cucina di Concetta. Così ha superato tutti noi, che ora possiamo solo sperare di essere suoi invitati.
A speachless experience Last summer we decided to visit this little medieval town - Tocco da Casauria- in the middle of Abruzzo region and to have just very traditional food. Connie offers genuine, tasty and fresh local food, homemade pasta courses and a unique visit to the olive groves as well as to the apiaries of her husband's and son's farm. Nothing better could we ask for. Food spoke for itself: freshness, very authentic flavors straight from the garden, perfectly cooked by Connie's ability but most of all passion and kindness. Hope to come back soon and enjoy them!
My daughter and I were taken to Connie's in September 2018. It was a very enjoyable evening. She and her family were most hospitable and really made us feel at home. We ate in her cosy, well equiped kitchen and Connie chatted with us while she prepared our food. All the dishes were regional fayre, made with local, seasonal ingredients. We also consumed generous quantities of excellent local wine. Our hostess is an excellent cook with an extensive knowledge of the cuisine of Abruzzo. I lost count of the number of courses but they were generous and we left, that evening, feeling happy and well fed.
I ate with Connie and her family and what a experience it was. Connie cooks like an angel, her family are welcoming warm and friendly. She is fluent in Italian and English and uses them to make a visit to her house very memorable, both for her cooking and herself. Connie is a larger than life character who explains what she is doing and makes it interesting. She cooks traditional Abruzzese cuisine which is tasty and satisfying. She can teach you how to make pasta from scratch, I had a lesson in making pasta and then using it to make ravioli which was sooo good. Connie is old-school and knows all the old ways of providing food and drink for discerning palates. Connie's family produce honey and lean towards things organic. I loved dining with Connie and I think you will too.
Connie is a magnificent cook and brilliant teacher with a genuinely warm and welcoming nature, her belief in simplicity truly does make her lessons replicable. Thoroughly enjoyed my day in a beautiful family friendly environment. Great way to spend a day, would do this again in a heartbeat!
Tocco da Casauria
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