Anseong Seoil Farm

More than 2,000 earthenware crocks lined up against a backdrop of pine trees: even in photos, the sight makes you stop. Seoil Farm in Iljuk-myeon, Anseong, is a traditional jang farm where Korean soybeans are turned into meju and then into cheonggukjang, doenjang, ganjang and gochujang (fermented soybean paste, soybean paste, soy sauce and chilli paste) the old way. Walk among the crock terraces, then eat a meal made with the farm's own pastes, and the Korean phrase jangmat, "the taste of the jang", starts to make sense.

A farm built around fermentation

Seoil Farm was founded in 1983. Its roughly 100,000 m² (30,000 pyeong) include fields of soybeans and chilli peppers, the raw materials for its pastes, plus a pear orchard and a plum grove, a fermentation research centre, a loess-clay maturing room and cold storage. The pastes are made with Korean soybeans, sun-dried sea salt and water from the farm's own well, and left to mature in onggi crocks. They are produced by Seo Bun-rye, known as a master of cheonggukjang.

What to look out for

• The central crock terrace: thousands of jars packed inside low walls, the farm's signature view. When winter ends in March you can watch staff wiping the dust off the jars one by one.
• How the jang is made: doenjang is made with the new season's beans and matured for two years; ganjang ripens in the sun and wind for more than 18 months; ssamjang, with barley, glutinous rice and meju, is matured for six months. The farm's low-odour cheonggukjang was patented after years of development.
• Stone well and gardens: a round stone well beside the crocks and stone steps and paths winding through the pines frame the terraces.
• Restaurant "Solli": the name joins sol, the native Korean word for pine, with the Chinese character ri, "village". Meals centre on cheonggukjang and doenjang stew, served with pickles (jangajji) and leaves for wraps. There is also a café, Jaun, on site.

Slow-food experiences

With advance booking you can try boiling soybeans in a cauldron, making tofu or cheonggukjang, or preparing ganjang and doenjang. The programmes are open to all ages, which makes them a good outing with children. Ask the farm directly about dates and prices.

What the crocks tell you

The paste in each crock ripens at a different pace depending on sun, wind and temperature. Where jang is made the traditional way, lids come off on fine days to let the sun in and go back on in a hurry when rain threatens. The work of tending more than 2,000 crocks by hand is, in effect, the farm's landscape. Onggi pots are said to "breathe", which is why the pastes deepen in flavour during their long maturation.

Tripto tips

• Time needed: about an hour for the crock terraces and gardens, or around 2.5 hours including a meal.
• Opening hours: the farm is listed as open all year, but sources give different hours and closing days for the restaurant. Check the official website or call before you set off.
• Getting there: a car is by far the easiest. The farm is about 3 km from the Iljuk IC on the Jungbu Expressway. There is a car park; check the parking rules on site.
• When to go: in spring the plum grove blossoms; autumn is the season for harvesting new soybeans and making meju. On clear days, morning or late-afternoon light makes the crocks gleam for photos.
• Etiquette: the crocks are full of maturing pastes. Do not lift the lids or step onto the terraces; stay on the paths.