An Eco Tale Brought to Life in the Village of Siljan the Stork

The Kajak.mk team tirelessly continues to promote new local heroes who mean much more to us than just tourism. These are people whose stories aim to motivate the community to start thinking about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, the healthy food our soil gives us, and how to replace urbanized daily life with rural paths that lead to tranquility and comfort.

Today, we would like to introduce you to our new local heroine, Gordana, whose life story is deeply connected with journalism, sports, and traditional healthy food.

We are thrilled to welcome Gordana into the Kajak.mk world, and if you would like to get in direct contact, we offer you the option to reach out with just one click HERE.

Gordana shares that her love for journalism led to the creation of the local radio station Pela and the portal radiopela.mk, media outlets where the focus is primarily on topics such as sports, agriculture, ecology, and cuisine. She comes from a family where the table, cooking, and delicious food are highly respected.

By profession, Gordana is a former athlete, a handball player, and a long-time active journalist with a strong interest in agriculture, particularly ecological and organic production of healthy food.

Today, Gordana is building a beautiful eco story in the village of Malo Konjari, located 6 kilometers from Prilep, in the heart of Pelagonia, right on the regional road to Kruševo. Malo Konjari is also known as the village of Siljan the Stork, renowned for its production of cereals, garden products, and a long-standing tradition of dairy production and cheese-making in the traditional way.

She says that Malo Konjari is her hometown, where she completed her primary education. After experiencing life's challenges in both Macedonia and Australia, she returned home, where she is now building her "Bavčika," which is practically in her own yard. Gordana mentions that the tradition of growing healthy food is a legacy from her grandfather, who, several decades ago, grew apple saplings on the current premises. Alongside her grandfather, her father, also a lover of fruit growing, was deeply connected to this tradition.

Today, she continues this tradition through her mission in ecological gardening. The garden and small nursery are far from any pollution, located at the end of the village, where every family grows for their own needs and soul.

Since curiosity is a characteristic of journalists, that’s how "Bavčika" began. Together with her husband, they have spent the past few years experimenting with vegetable production for domestic use, without the use of chemical products. In addition to the garden and orchard, they raise chickens, turkeys, and pigeons... The production is traditional – ecological, using a drip irrigation system.

Gordana says that Bavčika is "allergic" to any kind of chemicals. This small eco-system is a story they build with a lot of love, mostly through their own experiences, in collaboration with agricultural experts who are part of their journalistic work. The goal is to create healthy and tasty agricultural products, packaged in the traditional way, without the use of preservatives.

From the fruits, they make jams and juices from cherries, apricots, raspberries, and strawberries that grow in their yard. As the tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, celery, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, beans, apples, pears, and hazelnuts ripen, they sell them by order or package them in jars.

For Gordana, this idea had been simmering and growing for many years, with the main inspiration coming from her 10-year stay and experience in Australia, a country that has a unique and subtle approach to preserving the environment, where organic products are especially valued. She says that in Australia, there is a motto: "Not every food is food."

Today, Gordana says that anyone interested in visiting, tasting their products, or purchasing for their households is welcome at any time.

If you would like more information and contact details, click HERE.