The Ribera d’Ebre is experiencing one of its most spectacular campaigns these days: the flowering of its fruit fields. The almond trees and peach trees are the first to offer a show of white and pink that contrasts with the green of the landscape. The weather has caused the flowering to be delayed a little, but this has not prevented several activities from being organized this weekend as part of the ‘La Ribera en flor’ program in towns such as Vinebre and Ascó, where visitors have able to enjoy a route between plantations and a tasting of local honey, vinegar and chocolate products.
The walk was guided by an expert in fruit growing, who explained the characteristics of the different trees and their varieties. The participants were able to closely observe the almond trees, which are the ones that bloom first and that give a touch of white to the landscape. Then will come the peach and cherry trees, which bring more color with their pink flowers. Flowering lasts between two and three weeks, depending on weather conditions, and is expected to reach its peak in the coming weekends.
The route was completed with a tasting of products made by beekeeper Lluís Busom, from Mel Somper, who showed his work to the attendees, mostly from Barcelona and its surroundings. ‘The people who come are very curious, they know what they want and they come to experience nature in a different way, like the flowering, which is a unique phenomenon’, Busom emphasized. The profile of the tourists who come to the campaign is local, mainly Catalans, but also Valencians and residents of the Strip.
Flowers and territory, a successful combination
‘La Ribera en flor’ is an initiative that seeks to create synergies between different companies and producers in the region, as well as position its scenic attractions without falling into overcrowding. This is what the tourist development technician of the Ribera d’Ebre regional council, Mònica Sabaté, explained to ACN, who added that the campaign makes it possible to publicize the whole of the municipalities in a special moment such as the flowering of the fruit growers
Unlike other places, such as Aitona, the fruit orchards of Ribera d’Ebre are distributed throughout the region, which means that the flowering is more varied over time. The Ebrenc model also seeks to provide added value with proposals that combine knowledge of the territory from various perspectives.
Thus, the program includes trips by bike or cart, writing workshops or tastings of vermouths, wines, honey or typical cakes of the area. ‘From the very beginning it was clear to us that the program could not just be a stroll through the flowery fields, but that other activities had to be added. On the one hand, with the agri-food products, not only related to fruit, but also with oil and wine, jams, sweet desserts and drinks typical of the region, but also with the cultural and historical heritage’, assured Sabaté .
Waiting for the eruption of the rest of the trees
In terms of flowering, after the almond trees they will be followed by the peach trees and finally, the cherry trees, located in the highest areas such as the Torre de l’Espanyol, Tivissa or the Serra d’Almos. The ‘La Ribera en flor’ program is expected to last until the beginning of April in thirteen municipalities in the region.
Pending the weather in the coming days, and therefore how the flowering will evolve, Ribera d’Ebre hopes to exceed the 1,200 visitors of the previous campaign, although the organization emphasizes the quality of the proposal rather than the number of participants.