Can you imagine transforming bones into superfoods?
During the previous season, our team put on their scientist hats and the results were simply amazing! From converting bones into a superfood for the soil to discovering a family of tomatoes that will blow your mind, each innovation seeks to improve our processes, enrich the earth and elevate the quality of our vegetables. Above all, we celebrate sustainable agriculture in one of the most beautiful corners of the world.
Ready to discover the secrets this Patagonian land holds?
Join us on this journey and get ready to learn about agriculture.
We often associate bones with irrecoverable waste, whose only end is in the trash; however, through a series of already-developed case studies, our kitchens, both in the Coirón Restaurant and Pionero Bar, formed an alliance with our garden to develop a new organic compound to directly enrich the soil used for crops.
Catalina Rojas, the person in charge of our bio-intensive garden, explains that, in our kitchens, a sauce called demi-glace is prepared. It is obtained from the reduction of a dark veal stock, made slowly with roasted veal bones and vegetables. The prolonged cooking process concentrates the flavors, resulting in a thick, rich and deeply flavorful sauce.
The bones left after this process is completed find a new purpose thanks to biodynamic agriculture. In order to reuse them, they are first exposed to high temperatures until they are completely calcined, which facilitates their subsequent pulverization. The remains are then crushed in a mortar until they become a fine powder: what we know as bone meal.
This meal can be added directly to the soil or combined with compost, providing calcium and releasing other nutrients tied to the bone structure, such as phosphorus.
Rojas points out that soil enrichment is closely related to the balance between micro and macronutrients. "In conventional agriculture, the NPK formula (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) is usually applied, but many times these nutrients are not available for the plant to absorb directly. They need to interact with other soil elements to be assimilable. For example, if there is an excess of nitrogen, the plant might not be able to use it if other essential nutrients that facilitate its absorption are missing."
Usually, one thinks of only one type of tomato, that red and round one that is ready to be sliced and served with salad or as a direct accompaniment to other foods. But there is a whole world of different types of this fruit; yes, fruit. We bet you didn't know that a tomato is a fruit, as it develops from flowers and contains seeds. Tomato lovers, this is the post for you.
In our bio-intensive garden, we decided to go beyond what is known about tomatoes. During the 2024-2025 season, our farmers harvested eight types of tomato varieties, including the 'Corazón de Oso' (bear heart), 'Corazón de Buey' (oxheart), 'Corazón Rojo y Azul' (red and blue heart), 'Red Zebra', 'Black Beauty' and 'Reise'.
You're probably wondering what kind of tomatoes these are. Let's break it down. The Reise is one of our favorites, and perhaps it will be yours too when you get to know it. Also known as the traveler tomato, it has a peculiar characteristic that allows it to be segmented, just like an orange. Its segments are covered with the delicate skin of the fruit, allowing you to extract them without removing its other parts; something very practical if you are exploring the park and only want to take with you what you are going to eat.
Next up is the Black Beauty, a species of tomato that, as its name indicates, has a dark color, very similar to the eggplant. This variety has a more acidic taste, without losing its rich flavor. Its texture is also denser than that of a regular tomato, making it a curious and novel addition to salads.
Another tomato to add to the list of products you must try from our garden is the 'Corazón de Oso'. Its name is because it is a thick tomato with irregularities on its exterior. This makes it difficult to peel, but it has a lot of flesh to accompany your meals. It is one of the heaviest varieties, so it requires special care when pruning and timely harvesting.
That's right, just as you read it. The flowers that adorn the dishes in our restaurant are edible, so in addition to being a delicate aesthetic addition to our preparations, they can also be tasted.
The Cosmos Sulphureus, also known as the sulfur cosmos, is one of the new additions to our garden. The flower, with delicate petals and warm colors, stands out for its vibrant range of shades, and also for its flavor.
Its petals are used to decorate the services our guests receive in their rooms, as well as the different pastries they can enjoy at breakfast in the hotel when starting their day.
Another novel flower in this line is the Centaurea, also known as the cornflower. It has a soft and slightly bitter aroma, which, in addition to its cold purple and blue colors, provides delicate herbal nuances for the elaboration of different dishes. Furthermore, its firm and good-sized petals make it easy to delicately remove them, ready to add to the hotel’s preparations.
To continue working on the waste produced by the hotel, our garden developed a new composting space: the static pile. This space was opened to help manage the increase in visitors that our restaurant received during the high season, where nearly 180 people attended dinner every night.
For a month, the pile received 100 kg of organic waste each day. Although the composting process is slow, taking several months, the incorporation of PVC pipes acted as a ventilation system, allowing the mixture to be oxygenated in order to catalyze the chemical reactions that occur. Thanks to this technique, the need for manual turning was also reduced. This task is usually performed weekly, and requires time and effort from our farmers.
The first loading of the static pile was carried out in November last year, and in March it was possible to remove the mature compost. According to our garden manager, the material will continue to enrich the soil during the winter months.
During the previous season, there was also time to grow different varieties of other more common products, but with differences in flavor, color and texture. We are talking about potatoes and peas.
Our garden manager tells us that this year regional potatoes were incorporated, which, in the words of our chefs, stood out for their flavor and versatility in our restaurant’s different preparations. The varieties we will tell you about are Patagonian, Yaike and Chiloé potatoes.
The Patagonian is a variety developed by the Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA). It is recognized for its red skin and clear yellow pulp. It is oval and highly sought after for its great flavor, soft texture and resistance when cooking. The second variety, the Yaike potato, comes from a plant with light green foliage and no anthocyanin pigmentation. It has short oval tubers, with yellow skin and cream-colored pulp. Last on the list is the Chiloé potato. Although not new, already being on our menu during the previous season, it continues to be a fundamental resource for the delicious dishes prepared by our chef.
These were some of the novelties with which our bio-intensive garden surprised us this season. And the garden will undoubtedly give us much more to talk about during the new cycle of operations that begins at the hotel in October.
The next harvest season is just around the corner, and we can't wait to see what new surprises nature has in store for us, thanks to the experts in our garden!
If you were left wanting more, we invite you to be part of this adventure. Schedule a visit to our bio-intensive garden and join our incredible guided tour. We will show you how you can start your own garden and give you the best tips for caring for your plants. Who knows, maybe you will be inspired to start your own garden.
Embark on this journey in connection with the earth. Start planning your next sustainable adventure with us. Patagonia awaits you!