It was the end of winter in Reykholt, Iceland and we were all bundled up to combat the chilly air and the biting breezes. Our tour bus turned down a snowy path lined with trees, their branches heavy with newly fallen snow, making for a winter wonderland type setting. At the end of this path sat Fridheimar, a greenhouse that specializes in growing tomatoes year round! What a treat the warmth of the greenhouse was after so much time spent at many other attractions out in the blustery cold and unexpected way to spend about 30-45 minutes.
In 1995 Knutur and Helena bought the Friedheimar property with the intent to put their two areas of expertise to work; horses and horticulture. In 2002 the pair decided to grow tomatoes year-round and between 2007-2013 a stable was built to house 20 horses with an outdoor arena capable of containing 120 onlookers for their horse shows. After said show launched and visitors became frequent, Knutur and Helena chose to open the greenhouse for interested visitors as well. And what a success that has been, still going strong in 2020!
Fridheimar growers were the first in Iceland to grow both the Plum and Flavorino varieties of tomatoes year-round. Our guide, Margarida, taught us all about their process of growing tomatoes in the greenhouse and how they're able to grow so abundantly- enough to harvest around 1 ton per day (averaging 370 tons a year! Wowza). Fridheimar is committed to sustainability efforts in the growing of their crops as well as to providing quality, environmentally friendly, and responsible tourism. So much so in fact, that Vakinn has certified them in just this area. Green energy, via the abundant geothermal water resources heat the building, using pure water, thinner glass panes to make optimal use of the sun they do get, and organic pest controls. This pest control is called "the good fly versus the bad fly" where the mirid bug, Macrolophus Pygmaeus eats all of the main bests that harm tomato plants. Because it takes a bit for tomato crops to be ripe and ready to pick, Fridheimar uses an interplanting system to combat this issue, allowing for small to no gaps in tomato production. This means that they plant young plants between the older ones. As the older plants' last tomatoes become ready to pick, the first round of tomatoes are just turning red on the young ones.
The greenhouse here is huge! I don't know if that's the normal size of greenhouses, but it was bigger than I expected. Complete with a cute little store for both sampling some great products made in-house and buying them to take with you for a delicious souvenir or gift. Wanting to share the fruits of their labor for those tomato lovers out there, the on-site restaurant provides you with a whole menu curated around the red globes, created by chef Jon K.B. Sigfusson. Your options include the usual tomato fare such as soup, pasta sauce on top of ravioli, the classic Bloody Mary (as well as the virgin, happy, and healthy varieties), and a mussel dish served in a tomato-based sauce. But the true gems here lie in the desserts.
Yes. Desserts. Yes, they are made with tomatoes. I am not a tomato fan really, unless they're making up a sauce, salsa, or chopped fine in some guacamole, but opted to try the green tomato cheesecake. This was possibly the BEST cheesecake I have ever had. I couldn't even taste the tomato and the consistency was so different from American or Irish cheesecakes I've had. It was light, fluffy, airy, smooth and all around delicious! And the crust was NOT made out of graham crackers, as far as I know, because I hate graham cracker crust and this was yummy! Lara had the ice cream, which I liked, but glad I didn't order. it had a half red, half green tomato jelly on top and actual chunks of tomatoes in it. That's the part I wasn't keen on. But they both came in little flower pots! It was so cute!! There was also tomato/apple pie. Want to wash all that yummy food down? The restaurant also serves tomato beer, schnapps, coffee, espresso, and of course the Marys. I had the classic bloody Mary and it was too thin for me and lacking in herbs/spices. But Christine loved hers and Lara ended up finishing mine for me.
All in all a cool experience that definitely would not have been on my itinerary if it hadn't been for this tour, but I'm glad we went to as it was very interesting to learn about the process and of course to taste all the goodies. I even sampled a tomato dessert syrup that was divine! The horses were also amazing, beautiful creatures, and their caretaker was funny and extremely informative! But the stables need a whole other article to do them justice. Visit any day from 12:00-16:00 and try some of their delicious food and drinks, take some home with you, learn about their horses and tomatoes, enjoy a horse show, and explore the greenhouse.
Visit their website here for more information.
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