Winter Catch

Our little farm is finally producing enough surplus to trade with the local fishermen.

These fantastic fish were caught only hours before we got them and made sushi!



Our Chestnut trees are turning a lovely color this year and producing plenty of nuts.

A Fantastic Year of Serendipitous Change

In the United States and Canada they have a tradition of ‘giving thanks’ on one day out of every year. It is a time to reflect on the bounty and benevolence of our universe and to gather with friends in celebration of our unlimited grace.

So much has happened in the past years that it is difficult to know where to begin.  We have had a whirlwind of events, people and projects surround us and uplift us.

Our humble cottage in the forest could only be accessed via a foot path one year before, the nearest road was more than a kilometer away ‘as the crow flies’.  All materials brought to our farm had to be transported on foot or by using our zip line.  Deadly trees still hovered over our roof, making every storm a potential disaster.

In an amazing series of synchronistic events that defy human comprehension, the universe has blessed our humble endeavor with its grace.

This year we have a road to our house directly, all the dangerous trees are cut and have been safely moved out of harm’s way; and we have built an annex to our cottage.

In addition, we have received a beautiful baby boy to share our idyllic life with. 

Our gardens are thriving with the increased sunlight available due to the overhanging trees being removed. We were also able to build three new retaining walls that receive the maximum sunlight available throughout the seasons.

Our winter crops are more abundant this winter than we imagined possible.

Magnus was honored to be chosen as helper for the annual Holy Spirit Festival and Luncheon.  This ancient tradition deserves an entire blog post of its own to explain. 

In short, it has been a fun filled and adventurous year and we are Thankful for all the fabulous changes in our lives; and eagerly awaiting more!

End of Summer Update

Summer has ended and our harvests are plentiful. 

Odin Indra was born on August 28th on the island of Faial.  All went very well for mother and baby throughout labor and delivery.



Tomatoes from around the globe of all different shapes and sizes continue to feed us daily.  Our hot peppers are turning red, giving us a perfect mixture of sweetness with heat.  The Thai Basil is awesome with curry!



Sweet Leaf Basil and Eggplants complement our mediteranean cuisine.  Basil adds a nice aroma to the baby as well.



Butternut squashes with a dab of local butter hits the spot.



Pickle making season is here and we have ample cucumbers and hot peppers to brew up some wicked-tastey medleys.



Solanaceae is one of our favorite families of plants for a good reason. They grow so easily and taste so good.  Eggplants and tomatoes never get boring.

Summer Garden Update

This summer we have been blessed with fantastic Sunshine and ample rainfall to keep all the springs bubbling.
After a dismal Spring and lengthy winter, our gardens are making a fantastic return.

One of our tomato gardens this year has been planted with a German cultivar known as Strawberry Tomatoes. They are meaty and sweet, similiar to a watermelon. Their unique shape seems to keep Blossom End Rot from taking hold, as all the rain is diverted into a single point and allowed to fall free.



Our new retaining wall is planted with LemonGrass, BitterMelon and Congo WaterMelon.



Our Arugala Microgreens garden has Hungarian Wax Pepper and Japanese Eggplant interspersed for late summer harvesting.



Chinese Water Spinach is thriving in our new plot. First we built a stone wall and then backfilled it with compost and wood ash, afterwards we diverted a natural spring to keep a fresh supply of water in circulation.



Magnus and Soraya guard the Black Beauty Eggplant plot. In the distance can be seen the Hot Pepper patch.



Our ButterNut Squash are nearly ready for harvest. It is one of our favorite meals when combined with local Flores Butter and Honey.



More to come as the summer unfolds and time permits.

Second Retaining Wall Completed

Another marathon week of construction has come to a close with fantastic results.
Happily, we discovered that below 60 cm of earth, the mountainside was in plain view. This allowed for our foundation to be smaller than the previous wall, saving time and materials.



Our second massive retaining wall needed a sturdy concrete footing for its corner pillar. We utilized the ample stones on our land in conjuntion with concrete to build up a low spot in the natural stone foundation.



We also added a 'deadman' midway through the wall to farther strengthen the central pillar and add weight into the mountainside to overcome a potential tip over during our rainy season.



We backfilled the wall with tons of stone to allow the water to pass through the many drain holes we placed strategically along the wall.



This wall ended up being slightly taller than the first since we had the option to add a fifth course of concrete block.



Here is our home, with both retaining walls seen behind the house and below the grade of the roadway. Soon we will be planting these new terraces with all manner of sun lovers.

Retaining Wall Completed

This retaining wall is located directly above and behind our house.

View last years post about the project here, http://magnusandkonswan.blogspot.com/2010/10/wall-building-to-retain-new-road.html
We began last September, but had to wait for the wet weather to end before moving forward.

We needed to be sure this wall cannot fall, especialy after moving the mountainside and altering millions of years of soil and rock sedimentation.



We dug a 40 cm deep by 70 cm wide trench and then filled it with stones and concrete, in order to provide a stable foundation.



Next, we used 30cm concrete block reiniforced with iron and poured concrete.



In order to transport the concrete to the site we used a high density polyethelene tube.



We hired two local workers to help with the project. Below you can see the three man team making progress.



The finished wall meets the approval of the boss and baby boy.



Next we will add manure to the soil and plant the garden with sun loving tomatoes. This location is completely protected from the wind and gets twelve hours of direct sun in the summer.

Progress on Baby Room

The cement blocks arrived Monday. 

 We asked the Ribeiros to deliver as close to the construction site as possible.  Off picture, to the right and down the hill is our house.

 While all the exciting block delivery was happening, the farm keeps going.  The hens are also having babies, although their baby room is the entire property!

We Likes Them Raw and Wriggling!

This is what happens when a pregnant woman craves fish.....she eats them raw and wriggling! 

The above fish, alfonsino, is creamy tasting and firm textured.  Excellent for sashimi.  Similar to hamachi or yellowtail.  See http://www.sushiencyclopedia.com/sushi_menu/yellowtail_sushi.html

This fish is called cavalo, in Portuguese.  It is a mackerel, an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E.  It can be eaten raw only right after being caught, being a rare delicacy enjoyed by fishermen, their freinds and family.  The flesh breaks very easily, so it requires a bit of finesse to fillet the fish.  And a very sharp fillet knife. It is known to spoil quickly, so salt it overnight, before curing it.  Konswan´s curing process involves a brine of weak chamomile or green tea, minced garlic, dried juniper berries, fennel seeds, and a bit of lemon juice.  For spiciness, add a bit of dried chili peppers.  The Japanese use rice vinegar to cure the mackerel.    

The fun of sushi and sashimi is the garnishes and sauces.  The rice is cooked with a bit of white wine vinegar, 1\2 teaspooon of brown sugar, and mixed with dried green seaweed or nori.  The brown sauce is made of soy sauce, lemon juice, grated home-grown daikon radish and garlic.  It is similar to a tataki sauce.  The bright green sauce is wasabi.  The lighter green sauce is Konswan´s wasabi yogurt sauce with minced shallots and black pepper.  Edible garnish of cilantro or shiso leaves complete the presentation.



Spring Weather and Gardening

This year is the first one in over fifty years that the sun is allowed to shine fully on the Fruit Farm gardens.
We have been steadily clearing the forest around the Farm for four years. The sun now is able to come streaming through our valley without hindrance and strike our gardens as it rises from the ocean.


Below are the primary vegetable gardens that supply us with 80% of our yearly vegetable consumption. This photo was taken at 7:55 in the morning. In previous years the forest blocked the sun until nearly noon.



Magnus is renovating the Herb Garden in order to utilize the fantastic sun exposure for Tomatoes and other Sun Lovers.



Magnus is sporting his new Summer Hat that Konswan knitted for him, as he removes the Rosemary hedges for translplanting. The new hedges will be placed in one of the newly available areas recovered from forest land.

Beltane Approaches

The weather is warming up and the rains are slowing to a drizzle with only occasional showers.
Trout are plentiful in our river and Konswan is an awesome fisher-woman.



Some of the larger ones are nearly like Salmon.



The fertile soil has been amended for good measure and the beds are ready for planting.



The young transplants of Chinese Cabbage are thriving in the extra hours of sunlight.



Our Jerusalem Artichokes are pushing through the soil, opening up their tender new leaves.



And our meditation garden is a lovely spot to take a break or watch the sunrise.  The boxwood hedges are growing in and the flowers are spreading to cover the earth.

Beltane is only days away and we are waiting eagerly to embrace another fertile year of abundance and growth.