the story of Casa Azul

Azeitonas e oliveiras

November 18, 2013 Jackie Comments 2 comments

We have 24 olive trees on our land. Tall, old and gnarled, they are covered in ivy and moss, their roots providing hiding holes for mice and other burrowing creatures. Having been neglected for many years we get olives from less than half of these, the others are just too tall or non-productive. But we get enough olives for our yearly olive oil consumption and this year they are plump and juicy. We could have got more than the five buckets we need but, if truth be told, we are a little on the lazy side. So for three days of the year we scrambled over branches, climbed ladders, tugged, sawed, bashed and plucked. We also splashed out on our own net this year. Our neighbour’s magic machine separated the olives from the debris and then we headed off to the lagar de azeite feeling like old hands, it was our fifth harvest.

Our over confidence was soon blown away. In previous years we were able to book a time a few days ahead to join the queue of turning our olives into oil. Not this year. The first factory told us there was a two week wait, the second had a notice pinned outside the office door: no dates free until 9 December. It seems it was a bumper harvest for everyone, outside the factories there were lines of trucks and pickups laden with mammoth mounts of olives. It meant one thing, we were not going to be able to have our own oil but do a swop instead. Reluctantly we handed over our five buckets which were weighed and then the factory oil was given to us straight away. No cost involved and still very nice but not quite the same.

One thing we are trying to do is get our heads around the pruning of the trees. The first year we were a little heavy handed and one tree was almost cut down completely. We kept doing a little bit more on each branch and then realised there wasn’t much left. However, the following year the stump had disappeared behind a curtain of new growth and a sizeable bush had grown. This we really liked, it was thick and tall and looked great. So over the following four years we have chopped down one tree at a time. The first one is no longer a bush but almost a proper tree so our studying of what everyone else does seems to be paying off.

And today Richard took the plunge and chainsaw and chopped down one of the biggest trees right at the end of the garden which was straggly with dead branches. Already there is new growth around the base which we’d pruned last year so we know that the empty space left will be replaced within a few years with a healthier, more productive tree.

Finally, the olives looked so good we have picked a load of green, and then black, olives for eating. They’ve been in brine for over a month now and so have been put in jars with either olive oil and orange peel or wild thyme. And of course the cut down olives trees make excellent logs for the fire, and with temperatures set to plummet that’s just what we need!

Bits and bobs

October 24, 2013 Jackie Comments 3 comments

All our visitors have now come and gone, along with the sun. It was on with waterproof hat, coat, trousers and boots for the dogs’ morning walk and a muttering of “it’s good for the garden”. Apparently it’s a mast year in the UK which means that the forest trees are producing a lot more fruits and nuts than usual. Well, I don’t know if it’s the same here but I have noticed an abundance of acorns and berries. The wild boar are here again snuffling for roots and fallen nuts, they’ll be happy.

The olives are plump and plentiful too, a far cry for the pathetic crop last year. Somehow it’s got a lot greener quicker this autumn and (foolishly, I know) I found myself looking for signs of the first orchids only to remember it’s autumn not spring! The mild weather has added to the springlike quality I suppose, and the sheep and goats are back in the meadows.

Meanwhile there’s been (and still are) a hundred and one things to keep us busy here (and my father, too!) Jobs include mending, mulching, harvesting, drying, preserving, pruning and transplanting. Not to mention weeding. One task was preparing the fields and coops for new chooks. We feel more farmlike now with two more sets. Our original three hens (four until the mongoose saga) laid very few eggs over the summer as usual (they really hate the heat) but are now very slow to get back on track. We’ve had them three years now and so decided it was time to get reinforcements. Four new weeny cheepy bundles of fluff and feathers have arrived (and yes you three you have a right to look nervous!) along with 12 ‘roasties’ who are plumping up nicely already, thank you.

Sadly the slugs are in abundance too. Never have I seen so many at night (it’s impossible not to stand on them) and the little beggers are still around during the day. Monty Don writes “In one experiment 27,500 slugs were taken from one small garden without a noticeable difference to slug activity. Densities of 200 slugs per square metre are moderate”. The lettuces are now protected by plastic bottles (although some weren’t rescued in time) but I see they have headed towards the later planting of leeks… Twelve strawberry plants were taken from runners in the summer and planted in new beds. They looked great but now look very sorry for themselves. I thought it was just the transplanting but fear now they have verticillium wilt which means I now have to dig them all up 🙁

One success story has been the kale. A bed was put aside for them outside the watering system just to see “how they got on”. They did look rather sorry for themselves in the summer swelter so were given a watering can or two. But yes, now the rain is here they have picked up and huge leaves have grown seemingly overnight and they are flourishing. Good news for the chickens and perhaps some caldo verde for us for lunch.

The fine weather is set to return. No more barbecues methinks but walks in the autumn woods and puddles is something to look forward to. Fingers crossed.

Sugar and spice…

September 29, 2013 Jackie Comments 0 Comment

…and all things nice. It’s been a good September looking back. The welcome rain is now with us which means not only is the garden and veg patch being watered but time inside to deal with the autumn fruit crops. First up the figs.

Enormous, plump, honeyed, delicious, it’s a great year for the figs. There are loads of trees near us, green and purple, we are spoilt for choice. So fig chutney tick, fig and sesame jam tick, fig cookies tick, fig and oatmeal flapjack things tick, fig and vanilla tart tick, and soon roasted figs with crème fraîche not forgetting Nigel Slater’s wonderful fig and mascarpone tart. We also have pears, not enormous and plump. Small, hard but perfectly formed, just right for poaching in red wine and spices. Then the limes, loads of limes, from our little lime tree in the courtyard.

So lime marmalade and, when the chickens start laying again, key lime pie (although I always think of mojitos when I smell them). There’s blackberry and apple jam in the pantry too, plus a freezer full of apple cake. Finally, there’s a handful of stanley plums. These I may well bottle with brandy and allspice for a winter treat with ice cream.

Along with visitors and lots of days out we also managed to get away for a week – a wonderful road trip north to Porto, Santiago do Compostela, Viana do Castelo, Ponte de Lima and then on the last day Figueira da Foz. A trip about seafood, swimming and sight-seeing.

And not a dog on the back seat! We found a great couple to house and dog sit through trustedhousesitters.com and can’t recommend them highly enough. Our first real holiday in four years! Now it’s time to plan the autumn sowing and planting, but maybe another cup of tea and cake before heading out…

F plates

September 14, 2013 richard Comments 0 Comment

You know summer is over hereabouts when all the French number plates disappear. It’s not that hordes of French come here on holiday, it’s actually Portuguese who have emigrated to France and come back to visit relatives. Anyway, with summer gone, although temperatures remain high, thoughts turn to harvests. For most of the locals that’s the grape harvest and actually for us too. Not by planning though, as our grapes come from a rogue vine which has been here for years and which we have tried to tame – with some success. Anyway, plenty of grapes to eat but not enough for wine methinks. As the local professionally made stuff is so good and cheap it’s hardly worth us making our own anyway.

After all our hard work growing stuff, I don’t know quite how I feel about our two largest soft fruit crops. Both of which have grown without a jot of help (or water) from us. The grapes, just mentioned, and the blackberries which still grow in profusion around the borders of the garden. Their bounty is no doubt due to the torrential rains we got over springtime. This time I’m not complaining about them as I have made a number of apple (from our apple tree which has also done pretty well this year) and blackberry crumbles. Makes up for the lack of plum crumbles I suppose.

We have also had quite a few pears. Only problem is they are rather small to say the least. We can save a few but I think the rest are only good enough for the compost heap and the chickens.

The strawberries are finally over. They have been great but the autumn raspberries never really got started. Another result of the spring rains will be a bumper fig crop. There are loads of wild fig trees around here and we’ve got our eyes on a number, they are just ripening now. Can’t wait for some fig jam and fig tarts! There are also plenty of wild quinces about. Just as well as our old tree has none and our new tree a solitary one!

With regard to the Veggie patch, that will have to wait for an update from Jackie, but I saw she was busy digging up a few plants which have finished including the disappointing courgettes but the tomatoes are still going strong.

On the livestock front, the last of the roasties have been dispatched and are now nestled in the freezer but I have warned the laying hens that they may be next as they have gone right off laying. They tell me it’s normal for this time of year and that they’re just having a rest before gearing up for the winter, but I’m not so sure. I might take one just ‘pour encourager les autres’ as they don’t say round here.

Flower-wise, the sunflowers have done well and a number of wild flowers Jackie nurtured from cuttings. However we’ve had one surprise. Jackie’s sister gave us some Jersey lillies to plant. We thought they had died as the few leaves that had sprouted withered away quite some time ago, so it was a very pleasant surprise to see these pink beauties suddenly rear out of the ground:

And finally the hollyhocks have been chopped down – literally. After a sterling effort this summer, reaching a height of 3.5 metres, they are gone. And so to Autumn…

A is for…

August 31, 2013 Jackie Comments 0 Comment

…August. The month is drawing to a close and the weather forecast is already showing lower temperatures for the month ahead. We’ve survived the summer heat quite well this year, mainly by being active outside in the mornings and then retreating inside as the mercury tops 40. The days always start with an early morning dog walk and then the first of the watering. Richard makes breakfast which is always eaten outside. Then more watering (thanks to the incessant rains our well has only just run dry) and getting into the veg patch to do some chores: tying up, pruning, digging up, weeding, taking cuttings etc etc. From the kitchen Richard can be heard sharpening the knife as the roasties hide nervously in the bushes. They’ve all been killed now and some tasty meals we’ve had too.

…Afternoon delights. Afternoons vary, there’s always plenty of baking and preserving of produce to do. We’ve also lazed on the sofa and watched some summer sport. But the best thing to do, and the dogs are with me on this, is to drive to the lake for a swim. Betty is chuffed she can swim now and is by far the fastest in the water.

…Apples and aubergines. There seem to be even more apples this year than ever before. Richard has made some wicked apple and blackberry crumbles, and tried his hand at making cider. I’ll leave him to say how well that’s going… Our never ending crop of aubergines gets the summer star award, and there are still lovely purple flowers on display.

…Avocado. Finally, a word on the avocado plant started not long after moving in. Three years later it has almost taken over the bathroom with one branch hanging out the window. It’s going from strength to strength, it’ll be touching the ceiling soon. Guacamole, anyone?

Reasons to be cheerful…

August 6, 2013 Jackie Comments 0 Comment

…one: we have potatoes! Okay, not such an abundant harvest as previous years but potatoes we have; most have been dug up, dried in the sun and then packed into boxes. There are still some plants to go but with the earth dried hard it’s a slow task. Not only potatoes but a wonderful crop of aubergines, plus courgettes, peppers and now the toms. Also lettuce, cucumbers (both long, green ones and round, yellow ones) and sweetcorn. There are some good-sized melons.

…two: and so we are eating a lot of our own food. It seems to have taken a long time for the summer crop this year but now we sit down regularly to a plate of home-grown, home-made food. There’s plenty of pork left and now chicken too, Richard has killed all the fat, white ones so only the nervous brown ones left.

Barbecued pork with oven roasted potatoes and aubergines followed by foraged crumble (we may not have any plums but there are apples and blackberries in the fields), mmmmm. And the chicken paella was very good too. There’s something about cooking outside that makes it all tastier.

…three: we are a buzzin’. If the high temperatures are not enough we are reminded that it’s summer by the constant hum and buzz of the bugs. Butterflies and bees and wasps (we have a couple of nests so entering the polytunnel and shed is with some trepidation) and creatures we have no idea what they are called fly around from dawn to dusk. The bumblebees are tireless. I thought they were wearing themselves out as they started to die on the lavender, we would awake to see a number of corpses clinging to the flowers or crumpled on the floor. This seemed a bit strange. Then I noticed a tiny white crab spider lurking which apparently kills wasps and bees, but not this one anymore.

This miniature shredded wheat turns out to be the nest of a praying mantid. Meanwhile the big task today is to make the annual batch of ratatouille. Richard is making mead, but that’s another story…

Crumble

July 18, 2013 richard Comments 2 comments

One measly crumble! Last year we had plums, plums, plums. Yellow ones, red ones, purple ones and green ones. Mirabelles, Victorias, Greengages and Damsons. We had loads of crumbles and litres of cordial. This year I picked enough to make one plum crumble. It was still delicious though and I’m looking forward to making plenty of apple crumbles to partly make up for the plum disaster.

The summer bush fruits weren’t too bad – redcurrants, raspberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants. And the strawberries keep coming. Meanwhile the summer veggies are now coming through – we’ve had cucumbers, plenty of courgettes (of course), and our first batch of aubergines. And the toms are not too far behind. The corn on the cobs were variable but overall not quite as bad as we thought and the later ones are looking good.

In animal news, we’ve seen a few snakes recently, including this rather brazen metre long ladder snake cooling in the pond (its rear half out of shot was in the pond). We were a bit worried about our resident frog but apparently ladder snakes feed almost exclusively on rodents (thankfully sorting out our temporary mouse problem). However a week later froggie was found floating face down in the pond anyway. 🙁

We’ve also had a roastie death. A few have been making unpleasant gurgling noises – they seem to have some sort of a cold and one has succumbed so far. Although there are still a few sniffles about they don’t seem too bothered by the heat and have been growing quite nicely. The hens take everything in their stride as usual and only recently have gone on summer laying schedule (ie. have the odd day off) but we did have one surprise the other day finding a monster egg. In the UK a large egg is classified as between 63 and 73g. The small egg in this picture is 70g. The large one is 126g! It was indeed a double yoker.

In Jackie’s last post she described our courtyard which is looking really good. In the picture you can see some hollyhocks. They are over 3.5 metres tall. I don’t know much about these flowers but I think that is pretty tall for a season’s growth. The lavender is also doing well and is attracting huge numbers of bumble bees from dawn until dusk.

So now we are well into July and the garden itself has been transformed, the lush green of early June is a distant memory and now all the grass is burnt away not to be seen again until November.

Flaming June – at last

July 1, 2013 Jackie Comments 2 comments

A week, they say, is a long time in politics. Well, that’s certainly the case at Casa Azul too. From miserable rain and even the wood burning stove roaring of an evening (in June – it’s true!) to mindblowingly hot temperatures. The sun has certainly got its hat on: 37+ of an evening. It’s meant getting as much done in the morning as possible and then retreating to the cool of the interior, thanks to almost metre thick walls.

So despite a poor potato harvest (I’m assuming, I haven’t unearthed the dwarf plants yet) and other feebleness (see previous post) it’s with some delight that I can say that now the toms, peppers, aubergines, squash, cucumbers and the ever faithful courgettes are full steam ahead.

However, this post is actually about the courtyard. I’d said to Richard before buying a place that it was a) a must to have a window above the kitchen sink and b) desirable to have a courtyard. Well, we got both and now, almost 4 years here, the courtyard is looking just lovely. It’s alive with flowers and bees and, as I look out of the window above the kitchen sink, it seems the rain was a long, long time ago…

Gloomy June

June 18, 2013 Jackie Comments 0 Comment

There’s an air of despondency here at the Casa Azul horta. It’s the middle of June and everything should be about to burst into fruitfulness but, alas, everything is rather soggy and, like me, feeling sorry for itself. For this morning’s early morning walk I donned waterproofs and wellies. Call this summer?

So what’s the state of play now? Well, most of the onions and all the garlic have now been pulled up. The garlic survived the wet winter and spring better than expected but the onions are rather small. They were all hanging out to dry but are now back in the barn where it’s dry. The potatoes have all sprouted into bushes but they are so small too, have no idea what kind of crop we’ll get. Our neighbour said that those he knew who’d planted their potatoes before the rain have nothing, those who waited have got half. I also waited and it seems likely that it’ll be half a crop for us too. The delay has meant that they won’t be pulled up until next month this year, I had worried that this’ll be too late for the leeks who go in the bed next but I have to admit that they too look rather feeble.

This time two years ago we were sun drying the first lot of tomatoes! Ha ha they may have flowers on them now but they have a long way to go yet.

Tiny toms and tatties…

The corn is up, their tassels are out and hoping to be germinated, again not as tall as last year. And the courgettes too are putting on a brave face, we’ve had a few this year already.

Meanwhile the asparagus, artichokes and purple sprouting broccoli have all come and gone. I have sown some more artichoke plants, these ones are now 4 years old and will need replacing soon.

So any good news from the horta? Well, we have raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries and red currants. But veg wise? There are also aubergines, peppers, beans, cucumbers, melons and squash growing but nothing to eat from them yet. The chard bolted. The cauliflower and calabrese are also on the pathetic list. So not really. However, ever the great optimist, I’m sure we’ll have a wonderful July and we’ll be swamped with vegetables galore.

Meanwhile, we are enjoying the green grass and flowers, both in the garden and in the countryside. It’s just a shame the mornings are a touch damp for breakfast outside… roll on July!

The killing

June 7, 2013 richard Comments 0 Comment

At the end of April I modified the pig house to take our next intake of roasties. And very cute they looked too. They must have enjoyed their spacious home and the relatively wide open space and fresh grass of their paddock because they have grown enormously and in very quick time – especially the white ones.

you can run but you can't hide — you can run but you can’t hide

So much so that I’ve already given the white ones the chop – at only 8 weeks old. The squeamish better look away now as I photographed the progress of one fortunate soul from freedom to the fridge: Here he is in the ‘mata frango’ ready to get his throat cut.

…and here ready to be plucked. My able assistant ready to spring into action.

And here all plucked and ready to be hung. The lucky birds meet their maker on a cool marble slab – what luxury.

We hang them for a couple of days and then some are popped into the freezer whole for roasting and others I chop up. Here are some prime bits.

With the carcass, I usually make the most delicious soup as there is still plenty of meat on it. For the record, the largest whitey weighed in at a whopping 3.2kg after plucking and cleaning (over 7lbs in old money) – as it happens the same weight as me when I was born! and the other three: 2.5kgs, 2.5kgs and 2kgs. The six brownies are still running round the pen (for now). They are smaller but by all accounts even tastier.