Agriculture is the main resource of our land, and is also the main source of life.

Umbria is known as the “Green Heart of Italy”, and is one of the most devoted to breeding and farming, among the Italian regions.

Our farm has been certified for years as organic, and this means that we only use naturally occurring substances, excluding the use of herbicides, chemical manures, synthetic pesticides, and artificial preservatives.

Nowadays, we are all rediscovering old scents and traditional tastes, that's why Organic food is increasing on our tables.

In this time of technology and multimedia, we still believe in true agriculture and for this reason Azienda Collelignani is personally run by the owners, who grow certified organic cereals and legumes. Our products are not intended for large distribution, but for a niche market, able to understand and appreciate the genuineness of food.

Lentil
is one of the most ancient crops known by mankind. It is mainly grown in temperate zones. Some traces of it were found in Turkey, in some excavations of sites dating back to 5500 BC, and in some 2500 BC Egyptian tombs.

Today lentil is still much appreciated for its being rich in proteins and poor in fats, so that it is good for hypolipidic diets; besides, its fat is normally rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. There is a high content of fibre both “insoluble” (mainly cellulose, which is mostly found in the skin, and is useful in regulating the intestinal function) and “soluble”, gel-forming, which helps in keeping blood glucose and cholesterol levels under control.

Cooking time for lentils is shorter than for other legumes, and our product doesn't need soaking before use. Those who suffer from digestive troubles, may eat lentil purée, so the skin will be broken up into small pieces.

The most common use of lentils is in purée, in soups, stewed, or as side dish of sausages (like zampone –stuffed pig's trotter– or cotechino –kind of big boiled pork sausage), which is the traditional recipe prepared on New Year's Eve, as a lucky dish.

Pearl-Spelt
This product is known for its antioxidant properties (thanks to the presence of selenium and phytic acid) and is useful in opposing free radicals. It is also a genuine product of Italy, without preservatives.

The spelt is first decorticated (i.e the skins, which have no nutritional values, are removed) and then is “pearled” (part of the bran is removed) so that it is faster to cook.

Spelt contains vitamins A-E-C, some of group B, and also mineral salts such as magnesium, iron, calcium and zinc.

Chickling
This plant came in ancient times from Middle East. Like Chickpeas, Chickling comes from a leguminous herbaceous annual plant.

Even if it has always been considered an extremely poor food, which could be found mostly on farmers' tables, it is a wholesome nourishment, rich in calcium, phosphorus, trace elements, proteins, starch, vitamins B1-B2 and fibre. For this reason it is highly recommended in nutritional oligotherapy, in cases of memory disorders and brain tiredness.

This legume can be grown on poor land in difficult condition, and it is resistant both to dry spell and low temperature. In spite of this, its growing has been abandoned for a long time because it needs a big amount of manual work. Nowadays chickling has been brought out in order to defend environmental and vegetable biodiversity and also because it is an excellent nourishment for a vegetarian diet.

Pearl Barley
Barley was known by mankind in distant ages. It was already grown by warrior people of Middle East in 7th millennium BC and by ancient Greeks and it spread all over the world.

According to tradition, it helps in getting “a strong body and a clear mind”: in ancient Rome, barley and wheat were the typical food of gladiators, who used to eat some barley soup before fighting.

Barley is grown both for its seeds and as fodder plant. In the past, in those areas where the climate is not suitable for wheat, barley was an important nourishment for man (and in some developing country, it still is) since it is source of carbohydrates and also of proteins. Our barley is “Pearled”: the skin is taken away from the grain, so that it is faster to cook. One of the proteins in barley is glutamic acid, called “intelligence vitamin” because it is good for brain functions.

Vitamins B1-B2-B3, in barley, help in the assimilation of food. This product also contains carotene, amid, fibre, phosphorus and just few lipids.

All our products are available in 500g (17.64oz) or 25kgs (55.11lb)sacks.