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April, 2010:

Horse Riding

Apr 27th, 2010
by wwoofer.
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Sophie and I have just got back from our weekly horse riding lesson at Quinta da Pombal in Beijos (half an hour away from here).  It is a ‘proper’ Portuguese stables with stallions and mares and they do Portuguese Dressage there.  We have about an hour with a teacher for a very reasonable price and my beginners riding has improved no end.  Sophie gets to do ‘pirouettes’ and ‘spanish walk’.  It’s brilliant!

Horse Riding at Quinta da Pombal

You can also go horse riding in the country side here which is an AMAZING way to see it in my experience.  You can ride for hours and only see a local villager tending to their goats, no other horses or people and you don’t have to go on any roads…the public tracks go everywhere.  I am so lucky!

Beautiful French Cart Horse at the stables where we go riding -he is HUGE

Little Ladies who Lunch

Apr 27th, 2010
by wwoofer.
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Our weekly gathering of ex-pat Mums and Kids in the village continues and we are growing.  Last Friday we met here on the quinta and had lots of fun painting and going on the new Pirate Ship Slide.

Little Ladies who Lunch at the quinta

Painting Fun

We have also started to go to Carregal do Sal to a lovely swimming pool on Wednesday afternoons if anyone wants to join us contact me for details.  We might have to change our name from Little Ladies though…as we now have Luca (a month old) who is joining us and another little boy who has just moved to the area with his parents!

Seedy Sunday

Apr 25th, 2010
by Sophie.
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Thanks to everyone (about 60 people!) who came to Seedy Sunday, it was a great day and much fun was had swapping seeds and plants, talking, eating, and making music!

Obrigado a todos (cerca de 60 pessoas!) que veio para Domingo Sementeiro, foi um dia de muito divertido – troca de sementes e plantas, falar, comer, e fazer música!

Blue Salad -Borage Flowers

Apr 21st, 2010
by wwoofer.
2 comments

Last night we had borage flowers in our salad which is a first for me.

Blue Salad

Borage can be used as a fresh vegetable or a dried herb.  The flower has a sweet honey-like taste and is one of a few blue-coloured edible things.  (Although maybe you shouldn’t eat tons of them as they contain a tiny amount of a chemical that could harm your liver)   Eating the plant apparently tastes like cucumber but I have yet to try it.

It has many medicinal uses including for the regulation of metabolism and the hormonal system including for PMS and menopause side effects.  It’s also used to help colds and respiratory infections and for it’s general anti-inflammatory properties (please note I have no specific skills for using this herb it is just general information!)

According to the internet…use of borage is common in Germany and in Italian Liguria, borage is commonly used as filling of the traditional pasta ravioli and pansoti. The leaves and flowers were originally used in Pimms before it was replaced by mint. And it is used to flavour pickled gherkins in Poland.

Borage is used in companion planting and if planted near tomato plants is said to improve their growth and make them taste better.  It is also thought to protect spinach and brassica and strawberries.

Borage Plant in the garden

Borage Plant in the garden

If I’ve missed anything about this plant let me know!

Working Hard!

Apr 15th, 2010
by wwoofer.
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We’ve all been busy the last couple of days bringing up wheelbarrows full of  rotted horse muck up to the gardens.  And today we’ve been working on the new kitchen garden at the side of Andy and Sophie’s house.  The first stage is to clear the land of the rubble the builders left, and move it over to the other side of the land for Matt to use under the new concrete steps going up to the Mongolian Yurt.  Phew it is hard work, but I’m getting stronger by the hour.  We have to look out for the scolopendra centipedes though as they like hiding under old tiles and rocks, we’ve narrowly missed a few.

Wheelbarrowing

Muscle Power on the quinta for the new kitchen garden

I’m looking forward to planting stuff next to the side of the house where it will be easily accessible to eat and I can look after it at the same time as looking after Poppy.  There’s a lot of heavy work to do though so maybe we will get the help of a small digger to speed it all up so we have more food growing soon.  Also I’ve got a lot to learn about what will grow here and when, as previously I’ve had stuff in pots in my backyard in the UK and only a half-hearted allotment.  Happy wheelbarrowing :)

Bee Observation Station and a New Type of Slug

Apr 13th, 2010
by Sophie.
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Bee Observation Station

Matt and Poppy observing bees

Organic Broccoli

A new type of slug eating the broccoli!

More on the bees

Apr 13th, 2010
by wwoofer.
2 comments

The second swarm are now settled in the apiary which makes 3 hives  there  (see photo below) plus Andy’s hive which is near the pond.

Bee Hives

The Apiary

All the hives so far are standard Portuguese ones, adapted to have open mesh floors which helps control the varroa mite.  Matt is also in the middle of making a Abbe Warre hive and then has plans for a Top Bar hive.  I am not mad on bees but even I have dared put on a ‘bee suit’ and had a look inside…they really are quite amazing.

Asparagus and poached eggs for breakfast

Apr 12th, 2010
by wwoofer.
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This morning we had produce from our chickens and vegetable garden for breakfast.

Asparagus growing with chicken house in background

…served in various ways.

Sophie eating her eggs and asparagus

Matt's presentation of the same dish

My friend Zoe got me in to this combination but I have never had it so fresh before!

Black Caterpillars with red ‘eyes’

Apr 12th, 2010
by wwoofer.
3 comments

Hi does anyone know what these are?

Black Caterpillars

Found them about a week ago and would love to know what they turn in to!

Bee Update

Apr 11th, 2010
by wwoofer.
2 comments

Matt the Bee Keeper has been very excited in recent weeks…the original swarm of a few weeks ago didn’t settle at first, but they kept coming back (depleted in numbers) and eventually have settled in a new hive in the apiary.  They have a queen and are laying eggs.

Meanwhile we have noticed scout bees on our balcony and another swarm hanging around the quinta.  About 15 minutes ago they decided to go in one of the hives Matt has put on the balcony!

(Click on the photos to enlarge them).

Swarming bees

Here come the swarm

New home for bees

Bees approaching their new home

New home for bees

Bees going in to their new home

Will they stay or will they go???  Hopefully as they have carefully chosen their new home over a few days then they will make it a permanent one…although Matt will move the hive into the apiary tonight as we don’t fancy bees on our balcony all the time.

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