Slow Food is a global, grassroots organisation, founded in 1989 to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions, counteract the rise of fast life and combat people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from and how our food choices affect the world around us.

Since its beginnings, Slow Food has grown into a global movement involving millions of people in over 160 countries, working to ensure everyone has access to good, clean and fair food.

Slow Food believes food is tied to many other aspects of life, including culture, politics, agriculture and the environment. Through our food choices we can collectively influence how food is cultivated, produced and distributed, and change the world as a result.

 

Slow Food links the pleasure of food with a commitment to the community and the environment. It was founded in1989 in Italy and Terre Di San Vito has been an active, certified member since 2016.

At the centre of the Terre di San Vito Slow Food concept, is the Polignano carrot. It boasts a hundred-year-old history. It is this history we believe is essential. For all of our products, on all of our land, we aim to use sustainable, organic and traditional methods of farming with the benefit of modern innovation. We tend our land and ensure our products benefit from using organic methods and this has developed further into cultivating the once lost ‘Polignano Carrot’.

At Terre di San Vito the Polignano carrot is planted in our organic, carefully tendered soil then handpicked. Its colours, taste and nutritional characteristics make it a unique food. Every effort is made to generate interest and prevent traditional farming methods from disappearing and so our products based on the Polignano Carrot – also known as “Bastinaca di San Vito” as it was originally produced in the rural area of di San Vito and was well renowned – is now part of the Presidi Slow Food movement.

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The Polignano carrot grows in small sandy plots of 10 to 20 hectares on our farm in San Vito, a suburb highly regarded by Slow Food thanks to its strenuous commitment to preserve traditional cultivation expertise and production techniques.

Sowing takes place at the end of summer, between August and September and the seeds from the healthiest plants are selected directly by our team.

Harvesting begins in late November, using a strictly manual process involving a large fork which moves the soil around the plant and helps to carefully extract the carrot from the ground – without damaging too much of the root.

The Polignano carrot, apart from its antioxidant properties, contains approximately 22% less glucose, fructose and sucrose when compared to standard carrots, for this reason it is suitable for low-carb diets.

The Terre Di San Vito’s ‘Polignano Carrot’ is sold fresh to local greengrocers and restaurants. It also used in our incredible carrot jam – perfect on toast or with your favourite cheese. We are very proud to be part of this important movement and for the passion and respect we have for traditional farming methods and produce.