SAMBLOOM
Sambloom’s fruit-processing laboratory is a mountain farm in Valle Camonica, another valley in the Brescia area. “This year, the preserves are made from 70 per cent fruit, with a low concentration of sugar and no addition of citric acid, but my final goal is to use only fruit. Fruit is processed to a puree without seeds or filaments using a vacuum process at low temperatures to respect its organoleptic and nutritional properties”. This is the same technique that Giovanni Trapani of Cascina Zan Superfood uses in Alta Langa.
Vacuum, low-temperature processing
The laboratory that processes the fruit grown by Sambloom applies a vacuum concentration process, using equipment that allows to prepare preserves at high pressure and low temperature, thereby preserving the organoleptic features of the ingredients. Cooking is fast and takes place at 50 degrees, which also means that environmental impact is limited and cooking time is reduced by 50-60%.
With the summer 2020 harvest, Sambloom made 450 jars of preserves, in two versions: strawberries, rhubarb and wild strawberries, and Isabella grape and elderberries. Isabella grape was already growing here: Luisa found a very old shoot climbing up the trees in front of the barn. Rhubarb, instead, she planted herself, in seven different varieties. Luisa explains that she uses the stalk and not the root, which is used to make bitters.
Rhubarb, instead, she planted herself, in seven different varieties.
Rhubarb is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Polygonaceae family, which includes 60 different species that grow wild across Europe and Asia. It is used industrially in the pharmaceutical sector, while in the liquor industry the roots are used as a basic ingredient to make tonic-digestive bitters. “The leaves are poisonous,’ explains Luisa Lodrini, as she shows the last stalks she uses in the recipes for her preserve of strawberries and wild strawberries grown in the mountains.
“The whole project stems from an analysis of the species and woods found in the nearby forests and is aimed at enhancing everything that surrounds me. When I chose the name of my business, I wanted a name reminding of elder (sambuco in Italian, Translator’s note), an extraordinary plant that can grow from sea level up to an altitude of 1,200 metres. Elder flowers and berries are used to produce syrups, which will be Sambloom’s next product, in addition to preserves. Besides elder flowers, which will give the main flavour, I will use local herbs to make it even more intense” says Luisa. Once the business works at full capacity, Luisa is expecting to produce several thousand bottles. Syrup can be used by sportsmen, to make thirst-quenching and detoxifying drinks, be mixed with Franciacorta or spirits, but also used to add a unique touch to fruit salads, yoghurt, and various dishes.
