Pomegranates at Monte das Cebolas

This early November, we managed to harvest 7 boxes of nice pomegranates of several cultivars. We took what the Iberian magpies and other tits had left us. The birds made holes in a substantial amount of fruits this year, probably due to their drought-related desperation. Once a whole is done, the bees, wasps, flies and co. get in. And you end up coming across some fruits that look OK from one side while turning out being completely empty from inside... 

I didn't make any systematic comparison. But I especially enjoyed Sakerdze (Georgia) and Mistura Honey (Iran). And our pomegranate production was certainly more impressive than what we manage to harvest from our unique producing almond tree :-)

GIPAA 4 - end of october

Our yearly visits at Bibi and Fausto's Quinta das Flores are always a great moment of the year. This time, the Alentejanos woke the Algarvios up, for our fourth GIPAA meeting.

And there we went, going through Fausto's pomegranate orchard, filling in heavy baskets of fruits. Discussions about cultivation methods, pomegranate vinegar, large bottles of frozen juice,... Some elegant and pharaonic barrocal dogs pass by, with their curled tails, on the nearby road. And times flies...

Then, we go and sit - as always - under the large Carob tree, surrounded by small exquisite Plumeria. Oliviero is in charge of the refractometer, Bibi of weighting the fruits, Fausto of the lyrical fruit descriptions and Joaquim Inacio and myself provide a totally independent Alentejano assessment of all these flavors and textures. This year, I found Glavas (Croatia), Pluto (Greece), Kingdom (USA), Austin and Shani especially interesting. Of course, Fausto will disagree with my ranking, as Nordic tastes always seek more acidity than the locals...

As we end up full of stains, the clock reminds us that it is time for a quick late lunch and for returning to Campinho...

The abandoned Pomegranate orchard (Monte do Paço)

The other day, we took advantage of a late afternoon to get on our bikes, and go and pay tribute to the abandoned Pomegranate orchard of Monte do Paço. On the way, we could already spot some abandoned pomegranate bushes close to the village (above). As we get to Monte do Paço, we walk along the line of trees, have a chat with Sr. Ze, taste some of the fruits, get some cuttings,... I dream of the place with properly pruned trees full of fruits... At the same time, the canopy of the 5 meter high abandoned Pomegranate bushes makes it easier to imagine how Afghan or Azeri pomegranate forests may look like.

We also come across some naturalized Sternbergia lutea, close to the line of Pomegranate trees.

It is getting dark. We get ourselves prepared to leave, followed by Sr. Ze's dog. Time to cycle back to the village, stopping here and there to enjoy the evening lights and some further abandoned fruit trees along the dust track (here, a "pero" tree).

Back home, a little tasting session is in order. The flashy arils in the middle are those from the Chafariza pomegranates from Monte do Paço. Super juicy, not too sweet, simply perfect!

Admiring Little bustards and black-bellied sandgrouses with Shlomi

Early morning, beginning of November. The drought seems endless. It has rained very little since last April. At the Monte, the largest group of little bustard we saw reached a total of 10 individuals, which is not much. And we saw one or two black-bellied sandgrouse flying from time to time above us. Together with Shlomi, we decide to go and have a look at the Matineiros-Maria Afonso steppe area, the best one for steppe birds in the farm's vicinity. Numbers were small compared to last year. Yet, in the end, we were happy to spot two small groups of little bustards and around 10 sandgrouses. The birds pics are by Shlomi.

Chevêches: 3 sur 4!

Nous avions installé il y a un an quatre nichoirs à chevêche du modèle Bob Sheppard en contreplaqué marin. La visite de Christien et Leo était l'occasion idéale pour visiter les nichoirs. Le bilan à l'issue des 6 km parcourus est plutôt bon: 3 nichoirs occupés sur 4! Petite confirmation de la vigueur des populations locales ainsi que de la crise du logement. Nous avons même eu droit à l'envol d'une chevêche posée juste à côté d'un des nichoirs. Surprenant de découvrir l'épaisseur de la couche de brindilles accumulées par les chouettes. L'un des nichoirs était même plein de fourmis... et nous aussi. Petite vidange, et on repart pour un tour. Bref, de quoi nous encourager a solliciter notre menuisier local pour quatre nichoirs supplémentaires... et a célébrer avec une petite bière belge!

Deux espèces de rhinos dans le Montado de Campinho

En avril, occupé à retirer du chiendent d'un tas de fumier, j'avais pris plaisir à photographier les petits rhinoceros du Monte à leurs différents stades d'évolution. Cet automne, Joaquim Inacio attira mon attention sur un autre petit rhino qui appartenait à une autre espèce. Ceux qui rêvent de petites giraffes et de bébés dromadaires pour notre savane de chênes verts pourront donc déjà se satisfaire deux espèces de rhinos: Oryctes nasicornis (ci-dessus), et Phyllognathus excavatus (ci-dessous). On va garder un oeil pour d'autres espèces de rhinos, comme Copris lunaris... Ces vers blancs peuvent avoir un effet sur les racines des chênes, mais ils ont au moins le mérite de fournir une source de nourriture aux chevêches par exemple... et d'exister.

L'arbre citronelle

C'est une petite histoire qui commence il y a 4 ans. Celle d'une graine de Corymbia citriodora semée dans un pot.  Nous sommes en 2019 et cet été déjà, le jeune arbre a pu se passer d'arrosage. Le voici affrontant le vent, brandissant ses feuilles odorantes, flèche dans le ciel mettant en évidence les lumières de l'automne - et les quatre canepetières qui nous font l'honneur d'un tour de vol.