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From our blog...
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He was walking slower than usual. His face was as serious and dignified as always, though a little puzzled. Not bad after losing so much blood and landing a backflip fall from three times his height. I caught him again and put him back in the cone, this time holding...
Soil building with ducks and geese
Having scaled up our duck and geese flock this year, we've had to figure out how to provide them with the fresh pasture they need while at the same time regenerating the soil instead of depleting it. We read a lot about rotational grazing and holistic management. We...
We are selling Duck Eggs !
Our ducks have been a delightful surprise this year, laying eggs with gusto long before the arrival of spring. We've been thrilled to enjoy their fresh, flavourful eggs on a regular basis, but our flock has grown so large that we've found ourselves with more eggs than...
Making Water Kefir
If you are looking for a recipe, you should get it right away. Water Kefir benefits and background story are below the recipe. Enjoy!RecipeTools Needed:Glass jar, min 1,2L, with an airtight lid.Cheesecloth or other breathable material. It must be tight enough to...
Stepping Stones
It's been an exciting week at our permaculture homestead here in Portugal! We've accomplished several achievements that have made a real difference on the farm.First up, we built another bird coop! We've been wanting to keep some additional birds and have more room...
A photo is easier than a thousand words
Writing a long form post takes time, so many things just don't get written about here. Taking a photo is easy, but posting it here was not. To reconcile this, we started posting as @alo.on.the.land on Instagram since their app makes it very easy.As of today, the final...
Making Pistachio Butter
Making pistachio butter is easy, once you have a pistachio supplier. It will be tastier, healthier and probably cheaper than the store bought. More importantly, you can adjust it to your preference in terms of texture, and flavour. Soak the pistachio overnight, by...
Field GIS for permaculture
As the map from the GIS project started to take shape, we wanted to take it outside with us. Many things only get noticed when standing in the garden and looking around.Because we were in a hurry, we started with printing paper maps: lines of trees and their relative...
Nitrogen fixing plants for central Portugal
Here is a list of the nitrogen fixing plants we have in our garden. They are present in order, according to the following: short herbs, climbers, bushes, trees. Trevo branco anão, Dwarf White Clover, Trifolium repensThis perennial doesn't grow beyond 10 cm tall, but...
Farewell, Squirrel
Our squirrel died. Of course, it wasn't ours. We just lived in his territory. Sharing a space, not coming too close. Yesterday, we were, for the first time, a meter away. He was laying quietly on the ground, breathing slowly. Alone, barely moving, still conscious of...
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