In the Kitchen

Our makeshift kitchen consits of a borrowed stove, washing up bowl for a sink with plastic bottle to collect water from the bathroom, store cupboards and a donated microwave. The one new item was the fridge/freezer. What have we been cooking? Well we have been foraging blackberries this week. They're not as sweet as the UK variety but we enjoy them and the blackberry pie went down very well. I have just read Steve Charter's book 'Eate More Raw' which was certainly food for thought. I am experimenting with a 50% raw diet which I started this week with a fruit breakfast. I've cut out wheat and tea (which I love). I've cut down on dairy and meat but culturally it's quite difficult to cut it out altogether as meat is a big part of food with pig killing fiestas being a big celebration. However, Steve himself lives in Spain so it is possible. I've had headaches and a sore throat for a couple of days but that could be coincidence. There are lots of greens in the garden although stray cows and escapee sheep have helped themselves to a few that I planted out on the mountain of top soil.
Apples are everywhere now - I just have to think where we can store them where our ever present mice friends cannot get to them. The neighbours who just come here for the fiestas have said I can help myself to their appples aswell.
We have in our possession a Ginko Biloba tree which I read about on the brilliant website 'Plants for a Future'. I've no idea if it is male or female but to watch it grow over the years will I'm sure give some pleasure and health benefits. I also read about the Monkey Puzzle tree which can give the biggest harvest of nuts than any other nut tree but it takes 40 years to do so. It is difficult to know which is male or female so they recommend planting about 4 (not something for the backyard).

So much to think about and so much to do!

I'm reading 'The 7 Habbits of Highly Effective People' by S. Covey. Will get back to you on that one.

Wednesday 29 August

I'm terrible at keeping up with these blogs and there are some great ones out there now to do with all things Permaculture. It's lovely to see it blossoming and spreading so much. I have been trying to create some sort of income and that is where a lot of my energy has gone during these weeks. I've been offered a space by the Asociacion de Amas de Casa to teach English in the town of Monforte which is 10 minutes down the hill from here. Now I just have to find the students. August has been a month of non-stop fiestas which are continuing into September. The amount of outdoor free musical events is amazing. A memorable one was a show of folk dancers and singers from all around the world - South America, China, Eastern Europe etc. I had an email from a fellow Permaculture Course friend discussing the loss of culture and how this can lead to violence and what role Permaculture could have in enriching and promoting culture. Here in Galicia there are always free musical events and fiestas celebrating their culture and Galicians come back form all over Europe to celebrate with their relations.

Apart from experiencing a rich culture and trying to find some students to teach I have been busy creating zone 1. Raised beds are coming along and I am shifting a mountain literally of top soil to fill these new beds. I admit I didn't design ahead and when they dug out the top soil from around the house I had it stored far to far from where I am putting the raised beds which means lots of trips with the wheelbarrow. I am nicknamed the Comi (Communist) because of the red bandana and hard labour!

The fire risk hasn't been as great this year because we've had a lot of rain compared to last year but it is something to think about in the design of this zone as we are surrounded by forest and a lot of pine. All my neighbours are saying what a bad year this has been for growing especially for tomatoes and peppers. For my first year I am quite pleased although tomatoes haven't been great - we had our first ripe one today! What has done well is my pot of basil and mystery perennial salad plant (my daughter mixed up the labels early on in the year) on the doorstep.

Other things that have done well have been the pumpkins and the beans that grew up around the corn. The corn on the other hand seems to be struggling. My neighbours have been very generous and in return with helping them with lifts to their fincas or rounding up stray sheep I've been given a good supply of potatoes, pears and wine. I also watered a finca while some neighbours were on holiday and harvested some delicious strawberries which have had a very good year. Jam was made when another neighbour asked me to help her harvest her strawberries which I willingly did.

Where are the UK´s wild flowers?

The beauty of the meadows never ceases to amaze me. The number of wild flowers and I don´t have a clue what they are but what a sight. I have never seen this in the UK? They may well exist but here they area every where!

What next?

I want to make use of the space created by digging out around the house. I picture raised beds (square ones!) and a fruit area or even a mixture of the two. The boundary is interesting as it borders a forest of pine with some wild chestnut and oak springing up in between. It has to be as self sustaining as possible as there is only one of me but as it will be outside the future kitchen it will be the main zone 1 area.

The area is blossoming as there has been so much rain. The locals tell me it is not good for wine or the potatoes as the potato growth has all been upwards and not into the tubers. Good job I

didn´t get around to planting potatoes this year!

What´s done well.

The Jeruslame Artichokes which I thought would fail miserably having never grown them before and having to stick them in a cold, wet shady corner of the house, have done me proud! Don´t yet know what they will be like to eat but they look impressive. Thumbs up to for the sorrel, at least I think it´s Sorrel. It has a lemony taste. Most of the perennial salad stuff I´ve not really enjoyed taste wise although to look at it´s good.

There has been an unusal amount of rainfall this year so maybe that helped.

Making use of what´s available

I saved the top soil from what was dug out around the house. At the moment I have it stacked in one place so to make use of it I created a temporary trench and planted Kale for the hens and more lettuce. Let´s see how it does.

Key Holes

I tried out a key hole but I quite like square beds - maybe it´s something to get used to.

I´ve used it for the herbs and to start off seedlings. There are little lizards living in the walls and I´m no botanist/biologist but I think it´s vegetarian! The seedlings disappear! I have put in rocket which has gone quickly to flower and I have to say is a bit on the peppery side for my taste. The onions did ok but they are very small and are growing very slowly. Could this be the affect of the Walnut leaves falling in this area! Yes there are nettles in the picture too - apparently they help tomatoes grow well - feeble excuse!