Blog
A visual diary...
Fresh grass for the ducks.
Fresh grass for the ducks.
Finished mulching all the plants in the large berry patch with grass clippings.
Finished mulching all the plants in the large berry patch with grass clippings.To prevent the clippings from drying out so fast, further mulched on top with the dry grass laying around after being cut last week.
Mulching with grass clippings around the plants in the large berry patch.
Mulching with grass clippings around the plants in the large berry patch.
Written for you...
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...
Giving out a hippie vibe
It seemed inconsequential the first time: a local acquaintance confirming, somewhat surprised, that we eat meat. Perhaps there had been a misunderstanding? It keeps happening, though: many friends, acquaintances, and family somehow seem to assume that we don’t...
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...
Aerial imaging for permaculture
A high resolution, up to date aerial image of the land is very useful for designing, implementing, and maintaining a permaculture system. That’s even more so when using a GIS system, since the image will be the base layer for your project most of the time....
Spring recap
Summer is almost here and nature is doing its thing. Flowering: zinnia (left), sunflower (middle), butterfly bush (right) There’s been a whirlwind of work, a lot of it focused on dealing with the wind and watering. Suffering from wind and/or thirst, but hanging...
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