The mist in the valley is truly beautiful….
A neblina no vale é realmente linda ….
June, 2009:
Visitors
Having visitors yesterday meant that it was another day when …
… the fruit didn’t get picked and preserved
… the peach suckers i pulled up and stuck in a bucket of water didn’t get planted into pots full of compost
… the already cooked mixed fruit didn’t get turned into jam, instead it waited until today to be turned into a (very runny) crumble
… the poo didn’t get cleaned up out of the horses’ field
… my garden didn’t get watered, apart from the bit that I’ve already set up with drip irrigation
… we sat up late into the night talking (after the visitors had left) fuelled by the remains of the wine that got started with dinner – and consequently today is another day when most of the above jobs also didn’t get done
But having visitors also meant that …
… we got to meet some lovely people
… we talked, laughed, joked, ate, and drank wine
… we saw an adorable little girl’s eyes light up at the sight of juicy ripe strawberries, peaches and plums and witness her eating them with almost as much enthusiasm as she polished off the yorkshire pudding!
… I went horse riding (and got to see some of the amazing countryside and views we enjoy here daily through new eyes experiencing them for the first time)
Short short wwoof stay
I’ve been staying at Quinta das Abelhas as a wwoofer for the last week and tomorrow I’m moving on to another quinta to learn some more about sustainable agriculture practices. This was my first wwoofing experience and I have to say it’s been a positive learning experience. I’ve been in Portugal a while now and have only been speaking Portuguese and this was my first time living and working with anybody from England, or foreign immigrants in Portugal for that matter. Sophie and Andy are really cool. I would recomend this place to wwoof at if you’re alright with getting up in the morning, and shoveling horse shit. That’s really the only constant task that needs to be done. Otherwise there are other tasks that come up like picking fruit, watering, cutting and stacking firewood, etc. As long as you do your part, which really isn’t a lot ot ask, they take good care of you and don’t treat you like a slave (most of the time). Andy is an excellent cook as well. They’ve got a forest-type garden that they’ve been establishing and it’s really interesting to walk around and check out how it was designed. If you’re into learning more about permaculture and sustainability, they’ve got tons of literature and some time for conversation.
cheers.
Some photos of the jungle / Algumas fotos da selva
The gardens are going crazy. Peaches dropping by the 100s, mushrooms, wild pumpkins, all is a mass of growth and life. We are just starting to get courgettes with peppers and tomatoes not far behind, adding to the wide variety of crops we’ve already been eating.
Os jardins estão enlouquecendo. Pêssegos largando pelo 100s, cogumelos, abóboras selvagens, tudo é uma massa de crescimento e de vida. Estamos apenas começando a apanhar aboborinhas, com pimentos e tomates não muito atrás, acrescentando que a grande variedade de culturas que já foram comer.
I’ve planted soya beans between the veg to add nitrogen to the soil.
Tenho plantada de soja entre os veg para adicionar nitrogênio ao solo.
And our monkey puzzle saplings are doing well.
E o nosso Araucaria araucana mudas estão bem.
Look what’s been done to our view! / Olha o que tem sido feito para a nossa vista!
Big machine, kill all the trees and wildlife, including nesting birds, and then plant eucalyptus. Here we are increasing diversity, protecting trees, building soils and nurturing wildlife, and this is what the rest of our species do. Why do most humans act like viruses, intent on killing their host planet?
Grande máquina, mata todas as árvores e os animais, incluindo jovens aves e, em seguida, planta eucalipto. Aqui estamos a aumentar a diversidade, a protecção das árvores, solos e a natura, e isto é o que o resto da nossa espécie fazer. Porque os seres humanos mais agir como vírus, a intenção de matar seu hospedeiro planeta?
The Food Store / A Adega
Reg has been here for the last two weeks, putting shelves up in our adega. Yesterday Sophie was painting them with a linseed oil, turpentine and essential oil mix, to discourage insects.
Reg foi aqui para as últimas duas semanas, colocando-se na nossa adega prateleiras. Ontem Sophie estava pintando-os com óleo de linhaça, terebintina e óleos essenciais, para desencorajar a insetos.
Although we are still waiting for doors and windows, we do now have a lovely dresser for our cookery books, plates etc
Embora estejamos ainda à espera de portas e janelas, o que fazemos agora tem uma linda cômoda para a nossa culinária livros, placas, etc (is embora right? or perhaps apesar de)
Steamed Cake / Bolo Cozido no Vapor
This is a great recipe for anyone who has a woodstove and therefore can’t bake anything in summer time!
Basic Recipe
175g self-raising flour
75g butter
50g sugar
1 egg
6 tablespoons milk
* grease 1.1 litre heat-proof dish / pudding basin
* if you like, you can put jam, syrup, chopped or stewed fresh fruit, etc in the bottom of the dish (marmalade is really good!)
* gently melt butter and mix in flour & sugar, then egg and milk.
* pour into prepared dish.
* cover dish with greaseproof paper or foil and steam for 1.5 – 2hrs.
* alternatively, you can bake (uncovered) at 180c / 350f / gas 4 for 1hr.
Chocolate Cake: replace 25g flour with cocoa powder (you can also add chocolate chips or chopped chocolate)
Coconut Cake: replace 25g flour with 25g dessicated coconut
Lemon/Orange Cake: add finely grated rind of 1 lemon/orange to the mix.
Fruit Cake: add 75g fruit to the mix.
Ginger Cake: add 1tsp ground ginger to the mix.
“Canary” Cake: replace half the flour with fresh breadcrumbs and add finely grated rind of 1 lemon and replace 2 tablespoons of milk with madeira or sweet sherry.
Experiment with your own variations!
Esta é uma grande receita para qualquer um que tem um forno de madeira e conseqüentemente nao pode coze bolos em verão!
Receita Básica
175g Farinha para Bolos
75g Manteiga
50g Açúcar
1 ovo
6 colheres de leite
* prepare um prato de 1.1 litros
* se você gosta, você pode põr fruta fresca desbastada ou cozida, doce, marmalada etc. na parte inferior do prato (o doce de laranja é realmente bom!)
* derreta delicadamente a manteiga e misture-a a farinha, o açúcar, o ovo e o leite.
* põr no prato preparado.
* cubra o prato com o papel à prova de graxa ou a folha e coze no vapor para 1.5 – 2hrs.
* alternativamente, você pode cozer (descoberto) no forno – 180c/350f/gás 4 para 1hr.
Bolo de Chocolate: substitua 25g de farinha com pó de cacau (você pode tambem adicionar bolinhas de chocolate ou o chocolate desbastado)
Bolo de Coco: substitua 25g de farinha com 25g de coco secado
Bolo de Limão/Laranja: adicione uma casca finamente raspada de 1 limão/laranja à mistura.
Bolo da Fruta: adicione 75g de fruta seca (sultanas, passas, etc) à mistura.
Bolo do gengibre: adicione 1 colhere de chã de gengibre à mistura.
Bolo “Canary”: substitua a metade da farinha com pão ralado fresco e adicione uma casca finamente raspada de 1 limão, e substitua 2 colheres de leite com o madeira ou a xerez doce.
Experimente com as suas próprias variações!
Marmalade Cake / Bolo de Doce de Laranja
