Anthi- Farm to Table & Cheese Making

As Sifnos was my first Airbnb experience, planning on my own, I was green to Airbnb Experiences. I thought it was a great idea though once I learned more about it. It is essentially a curated list of experiences categorized for you as suggested activities to do in the area you will be staying. Airbnb send you an email about the Airbnb experiences for the area you are staying in about a week prior to arriving and it’s perfect especially for a last-minute planner who is trying to make the most out of their time. When I received this email from Airbnb I opened it up with a sense of curiosity as I did have a list of things I wanted to do but was trying to be strategic at the same time as Constantine’s time with me in Sifnos was limited and the one thing we did have planned was his special birthday dinner. One thing stuck out like a sore thumb on this list of experiences cheese making. ‘How cool?!’ I thought. I opened it up and read the description but realized the only time this was offered was in the evening and this wouldn’t work for Constantine’s timetable and as cool as it was, I didn’t think he would want to do cheese making for his 30th birthday. The luxurious dining experience I was treating him to was more his speed. But I saw that this same farm, Anthi’s Farm was also offering a farm-fresh/farm-to-table breakfast. I thought that would be a nice farewell brunch before he leaves for Athens. I sent both experience descriptions to get his reactions and he points out what I knew he would on both descriptions: ‘Optional: Goat-milking experience. He was opting out of that, but the kid is always down to eat. So, I booked breakfast for us the morning after his birthday, and booked cheese making for the following day after he left. This was one of the best decisions of my trip.

We arrived at the farm Saturday morning and were immediately surrounded by the Anthi’s goats before we even saw her. She had goats, bees, chickens, roosters, ducks, peacocks, rabbits, quails, turkeys, cats, a dog, a donkey, and a pig. Only animals really missing were cows and sheep and we got to the bottom of that over breakfast. This was nothing short of a farm. This farm was passed down from Anthi’s grandfather directly to her. As she said, ‘I was his favorite… and was always by his side on the farm. I loved it the most.’ We got the sense there was zero exaggeration. Anthi had a passion for every one of her animals. She cares for these animals by herself with no-help. She said her dad harvests the bees now as she has grown an allergy to them but that is it. Her mother doesn’t help on the farm; however, she will take leftovers from her mom and serve it to her guests. Because God forbid her mother does not cook every meal as if she is feeding the town …and I’m sure she knows how much Anthi appreciates it. Over my two times there Anthi served her mom’s cheese pie, τυρóπιτα (pronounced tiropita) and a lamb dish, Τσιγαριαστό  (prounced Tsigariasto), which is essentially pieces of tender goat or lamb seasoned with oregano and cooked very slowly in a splash of wine with onions. She cooked lamb and then served with oily peas, λαδωμένο αρακά (pronounced ladoméno araká). Both were cooked with love and were delicious.

Back to Anthi. Not only does she do all of this by herself, but this also isn’t her full-time job although it certainly could be. She doesn’t live on the farm either. There is a fully functioning ranch that she built once it was passed down to her, but it is not where she resides. It is a five-to-ten-minute drive by car. She spends two to three hours at the farm in the morning before driving one of the public buses around the island and then comes back to the farm for another two to three hours in the evening before going home to make and eat dinner with her husband. She is a super woman.  She said her husband thinks she is crazy, but this is her passion. It doesn’t feel like work. It’s like any other hobby and for her has helped fill the void of her children who have left the island to go to school and move on with their lives. Caring for the animals helps fill that void. This passion hobby is hard work. Farming is a way of life that requires dedication, resilience, and a profound appreciation for the land and its offerings. Nonetheless, for Anthi, the rewards of a simpler, more connected life make the efforts well worth it.

Constantine and I, after realizing that the goats were quite lovable and don’t smell, surprisingly were mesmerized by the simplicity of life on a farm for Anthi. This farm in the side of a mountain evoked a sense of tranquility and connection with nature that we never knew we could find so appealing. We were captivated. But captivated with surprise as we grew up our whole lives living across the street from a farm. This far was different though. It was a nostalgia and cultural heritage we felt a greater sense of connection to.

After Anthi let Constantine attempt to feed the goats and she showed us around the rest of the farm. She showed us how she cared for all the animals differently and we asked a lot of questions. When go to the chickens we picked up the eggs for breakfast and went back to the house to prepare breakfast. Anthi would not let us help. Constantine and I sat as she prepared fresh omelets with the eggs we had just gathered, bread with her cheese and her honey. The best honey I have ever tasted in my life. I was basically drinking it. She also served her mother’s  cheese pie, τυρóπιτα (pronounced tiropita) and the morning liquid trifecta: fresh squeezed orange juice (from her orange trees), coffee and water.

Below are pictures of our farm to table breakfast.

Anthi then did the most classic Greek thing she could have done. She didn’t eat, but poured herself a cup of coffee and lit a cigarette. Greeks are the pinnacle of health, the way they live, and eat but then they light a cig. No one can be perfect ;)

As we ended, we discussed the next day as she now knew I was signed up to come back. She said I know Airbnb says we start at 6pm and I was going to message you to tell you, it’s still too hot to start then, come at 7pm. I had nowhere to be the following day; heck I had not even thought of a plan. I didn’t ask in the moment, but I wondered if I would be the only one. I hoped so. For one, Constantine and I built a rapport with Anthi and tourists, especially non-Greek tourists might mess up the flow. Selfishly, I loved how we spent the morning and how much she was teaching us about the farm, herself, and ourselves. The peace and quiet of Anthi’s farm, was restorative for the mind and soul. Anthi lives in harmony with the rhythms of nature. And that was beautiful to witness. In that moment I was feeling that “travel is not reward for working; its education for living” Anthony Bourdain. As such, I was yearning for more and selfishly was hoping it would just be Anthi and I.

Cheese Making

When I arrived the next day at 7pm, I was greeted by the goats. Anthi wasn’t there. I felt the love that this woman must feel when she returns to this oasis after a 9-hour day. These animals need her and she has a passion for caring for them, the way she did her now grown children. The close proximity to animals creates a profound connection to the natural world, that I was relating to in a way I never had. After about 10-15mins and no Anthi, and no food for the goats and other animals, I called her. She answered “I’m coming! I’m coming!” and hangs up. Two minutes she arrives, looking like she just worked a full day and with two bag fulls of food. She’s apologizing for being late as a group of tourists called and asked if they could join this evening. Anthi said they could join and that she would pick them up in the town center. The tourists were staying right in the town and Anthi would be driving through there. They never showed. She was irritated but happy it was just us because that was what she had really intended and planned for  She wasted no time. She dropped the food in the kitchen and gave me snacks to feed the goats to keep them at bay so she could put some food in the refrigerator and change her shoes. Now it was time to feed the animals. There we went to feed them all. Different from the other animals, the goats roam free; but when they are fed, they are chained to the trough so we could milk them. Here goes nothing, I thought. I am strong; but let me tell you, you need to have forehand muscles of steel to milk these goats to do it quickly so that you aren’t there for six hours as opposed to the probable hour it takes Anthi to milk all the goats and mind you she does this twice a day. I could take or leave any farm animal really before this day, mostly because I had this preconceived notion from growing up across from a pork farm that farm animals smell bad. That was not true here. The goats didn’t smell, and I was up close and personal with them. Now the one pig Anthi had, although she cleans the pen daily, they smell. So, I am team goats because they are the GOAT in so many ways as an animal. They produce milk (and therefore cheese), they are sweet animals, which makes the last one difficult…they also taste delicious. Which is why I learned you can’t name animals you sacrifice.

I digress. We took the milk inside and started the cheese making process, while also Anthi began preparing dinner for me. Our milking would make cheese for the following day. As the entire process takes too long for the two and half hour labeled experience. Anthi and I spent almost three and a half hours together. It was then that I knew, Anthi was also hoping that it would just be she and I. She pulled out a Tupperware she brought from her mother’s home. It was a hearty single portion of Τσιγαριαστό κρέας with λαδωμένο αρακά (oiled peas)*. As she began to heat it up on the stove and I stared at the size of the fresh peas. I love peas. Anthi looked at me and said, I told my mom I needed to bring this tonight for you. I told her I had a nice Greek girl coming to make cheese with me. Insert dancing Lizzie McGuire cartoon.

She continued to make me a village salad, χωριάτικη (pronounced choriátiki), chickpea meat balls serves with bread and choice of wine or beer and I felt like the right thing to do post-farm chores was drink a beer and it was still warm, yet red wine would have probably gone better with the lamb. Anthi made a feast as Greek women do. And don’t worry, she made me eat it all. I think I would have anyway; it was so delectable. I waited for her to eat to which she let out an exclamatory “I have a husband to go home to and we will eat together.” I should have known. I asked that she at least join me outside on her terrace as I enjoyed the delicious food, she (and her mother made) and the view as the sunset. She did join, with a coffee and a cigarette.

As we sat there, we talked more about our lives and ways of life, but mostly we discussed the slow-paced life on the farm and how it allows for more time to appreciate the little things, enjoy meaningful moments, and cultivate a deeper sense of mindfulness. Anthi’s life often involves basic, time-honored activities and the simplicity of these tasks bring her a sense of fulfillment and purpose. I was appreciating it all.

As I attempted to help her clean up, I marveled at her two vases full of peacock feathers again. This time the one on the kitchen table had cyro-vaced cheeses but they were dark, and containers of mountain tea and oregano. I, of course, inquired further. I wanted to know why the cheese was cyro vaced in something It was wine. A lot of time she just gives the cheese away, she doesn’t even sell it. I gave her the suggestion of selling it after church for the church to make the profit if she was just giving it away. She said they don’t really do that in Greece at church. I tried. She was not interested in making excess. It quite frankly wasn’t needed. And as for the mountain tea and oregano, she also harvests a bit of them as well. I assume she just pawns them off too. She insisted I take a container of the mountain tea and I’m so happy I did. It was the freshest mountain tea I will probably ever drink. I made the next couple days. I drank it hot at night and made it iced.

I had walked to Anthi which she must have assumed. She knew about my rental car fiasco, and it also wasn’t far from where I was staying. She insisted she drive me home, which I really appreciated when I realized I was going to be walking home on mostly her long unpaved driveway and the winding road that led into the town– both were unlit.

My storytelling doesn’t do a justice as to how incredible my experiences were with Anthi. From the way she welcomed us, and opened up about some of the most vulnerable parts of her life that got her to where she is today. I hope to return to Sifnos specifically to see Anthi and partake in some of the island specific events that occur there like Tselemendes Food Festival which takes place over three days in Sifnos that Anthi raved about.