Do I need any previous farming experience to join?

No prior experience is necessary; all inoculation and harvesting techniques are taught during the workshop.

Is this trip suitable for children?

Yes, the experience is family-friendly, and children can participate in many activities under supervision.

Are meals included during the farm stay?

Tastings of shiitake mushrooms are provided, but additional meals and snacks should be arranged independently.

What should I wear on the farm?

Wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes and weather-appropriate layers; the farm terrain can be uneven or muddy.

Can I purchase shiitake mushroom products after the visit?

Yes, the farm offers fresh shiitake boxes for sale to take home following your visit.

How do I get from the farm to Tomar and Fátima?

Day two includes self-guided visits to these towns; transportation is typically arranged by visitors or via local services.

Organic Shiitake Farm Tour in Torres Novas | Farm Experiences & Tours | Food Tour | Farm

In the gently rolling landscape of Torres Novas, Portugal, Farm Experiences & Tours offers a distinctly hands-on adventure centered around one of the region’s surprising agricultural gems: organic shiitake mushrooms. Over two days, this trip pulls you away from typical outdoor excursions and into the heart of sustainable fungal farming, blending education, taste, and regional exploration.

Torres Novas sits in the Santarém district, a place where countryside rhythms still shape daily life. This area’s mild climate and fertile soils provide an ideal setting for shiitake mushrooms, a fungus prized in Asia for both culinary and medicinal use. The Lopes family, who operates the farm, integrates generations of knowledge with certified organic practices that meet Naturalfa standards, ensuring an authentic connection to the land and its produce.

Day one invites guests into the intimate world of shiitake cultivation. After settling into the farmstead, you’ll join a guided tour that reveals the mushroom’s life cycle and unique fungal biology—mushrooms don’t grow like plants but develop through careful inoculation of logs or substrate. Here, you get hands-on: inoculating logs with shiitake spores and learning the nuances necessary for a quality harvest. The experience culminates in tasting fresh, locally grown shiitake, prepared simply to highlight their rich texture and flavor.

The following day expands your context beyond the farm with visits to historic Tomar and Fátima. Tomar’s Templar castle and the sacred sites of Fátima offer a cultural counterpoint to the farm’s quiet ecology, letting you take in Portugal’s layered history alongside your natural discoveries.

This trip stands apart as a gateway to rural traditions rarely touched by tourists. It combines educational immersion with culinary delight and regional history, making it a memorable escape for families, curious travelers, or anyone eager to add a rare agricultural skill to their repertoire. For those who often look to nature to connect and recharge, this shiitake experience offers a grounded, accessible, and flavorful adventure.

About Farm Experiences & Tours

Farm Experiences & Tours is a Portugal-based operator located in Santa Bárbara, Lisboa, offering curated farm and winery experiences across multiple European regions. Featured on The Adventure Collective, the company connects travelers with rural producers through guided tastings, cellar tours, picnics, and farm lunches. Their program includes wine tastings in Lourinhã (3- and 6-wine options), a picnic winery experience, Sicilian olive oil experiences with farm lunches, Tuscan Chianti Classico tastings and lunches, Provence wine and goat cheese tours, and a coffee farm experience in Las Palmas.

Each itinerary focuses on direct engagement with producers: guided vineyard walks, explanations of winemaking and olive oil harvesting techniques, tasting masterclasses, and estate-hosted meals. Experiences are presented as day tours or on-site visits to family-run estates and châteaux, emphasizing regional flavors and landscape settings.

Farm Experiences & Tours uses trip descriptions and on-site programs supplied by partner farms and wineries; the operator showcases factual, location-specific experiences such as Montevago olive oil production, Chianti Classico tastings, and Lourinhã vineyard visits. Guests are encouraged to review individual trip details for accessibility, duration, and booking terms.

By featuring a diverse selection—wineries, olive farms, a coffee plantation, and goat cheese pairings—the operator provides verified rural culinary experiences suitable for wine lovers, culinary travelers, and nature enthusiasts seeking authentic, producer-led activities in and beyond Portugal. Information on group size limits, seasonal availability, and meal inclusions is provided for each listing to help travelers plan. Local partners include small estates and producers who host tastings and lunches on-site throughout Portugal.