Going from the town of Corund and ascending a gravel road with more or less dense forest on both sides, we arrived at a high level plain where, fortunately, the air was fresh unlike in Corund where it was very hot. Having passed the small village of Fenyőkút (Fântâna Brazilor) with a school and two churches, we crossed the plain where scattered flocks of cows were grazing , horses were resting and a few coniferous trees were dotting the landscape. After some time, we arrived at the entrance to a peat bog, which is a glacial refugium because natural environmental conditions have remained relatively constant or stable during times of great environmental change, such as eras of glacial advance and retreat. In fact, the peat bog was surrounded by coniferous trees on dry land, but some locals were actively trying to protect the peat bog from drying out. They had also set up a trail around the peat bog such that it was accessible to wheelchair users.
We visited Zita Tofalvi, a producer of syrups and jams, who was selling her products near the entrance to the peat bog. She collects berries, fruits and spruce shoots from spring to autumn, bringing everything home where she turns her quarry into products she can sell.
She makes the following types of syrups:
- Spruce. She boils spruce shoots and add some water, while all the other syrups are obtained cold. That is, she squeezes the fruits and berries without applying heat.
- Wild raspberry. Since wild bears live in the same area and they like wild raspberries very much, she has to share them with the bears.
- Blueberry.
- Dandelion.
- Blackcurrant.
She makes the following types of jams:
This area is too cold for cultivating peach trees. Instead, she exchanges her products with peach grown by farmers in the lowlands.
Actually, winters in this area are quite harsh and the locals have to work hard in summer in order to stock up enough to last through winter, which can last as long as 6 months. Besides, selling her products herself means that she can keep the profit to herself.
