During my stay in Mertola, we did two short walks along the river. The first pictures are from near the town centre, the second group from Canais do Guadiana where we were joined by a local producer of essential oils, who showed us some of the plants they use. There’s a great little video of the area and plants on the producer’s website: http://dalenguadiana.pt
Vitor Menas and Fernando Garcia run the business and Fernando joined us on the walk and showed us around the workshop in the village.
THe River Guadiana near Mertola
Old mill on the river below Mertola
The first plant was a surprise edible, Epazote, Chenopodium ambrosioides, introduced from Mexico! Ambrósia-do-México
Our guide Nuno Roxo introduced us to a local plant man, who produces essential oils in a small village, Corte Sines in the hills near Mertola. He took us to a location near the river (Guadiana) where they harvest herbs for their business. These are the main herbs they use: Cistus ladanifer Lavandula stoechas, pedunculata and viridis, Rosmarinus officinalis Thymus mastichina Fueniculum vulgare Helichrysum stoechas Eucalyptus globulus Mentha pulegium Ruta graveolens
Mentha pulegium, pennycress
Daucus carota, wild carrot
Nuno Roxo told us that he acted as guide for visiting birdwatchers
Pistacia lentiscus, alfostigueiro
Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary / alecrim)
Juniperus turbinata
…and just as we approached the river a Golden Eagle flew right overhead!
Verebascum sinuatus
Rumex pulcher subsp. woodsii?
Apium nodiflorum
Silybum marianum seedlings…excellent greens when the plants are young and thornless
On the afternoon of my arrival at Freixo do Meio (see previous posts and also http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=20042), Jorge Carona and I were loaned an electric vehicle to explore the farm. Jorge proposed we go over to a property within the main farm practicing regenerative agriculture using keyline design.
Catarina Joaquim and Carlos Simões have designed and established this impressive garden (see
Many thanks to my friend Alfredo Sendim for inviting me to hold a course at his amazingly diverse Herdade do Freixo do Meio farm. It is run as a cooperative using many innovative agricultural methods, inspired in particular by Ernst Goetsch and Syntropic Farming! I was very happy that Fernanda Botelho also joined us to share her knowledge on local edible plants!
The 3 videos at the end show Agroforestry methods on the farm at Freixo do Meio, olives intercropped with a wide diversity of edibles and other useful plants!
The day started with my lecture
The course participants were joined by a group of farm workers and well known Portuguese forager /herbalist Fernanda Botelho!
Group hug of one of the ancient olive trees!
Ancient olives
Fernanda with the biggest dandelion we found!
Alfredo Sendim, whose family have owned the farm for generations, lead a long 5 hour tour around the farm…here showing how this cork oak was scarred by poor cutting in the past!
Typical form 0f Pinus pinea, umbrella pine, source of pine nuts, an important crop in this warm, dry area of Portugal!
Water is important for the animals…
Pistacia lentiscus, the mastic tree!
Acis autumnalis and Scilla autmnalis had appearedin response to the first rains after a prolonged drought!
Medronheiro, the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo)
Medronheiro, the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo)
Asparagus….woody plants here…just beginning to sprout!
Acis autumnalis and Scilla autmnalis
Quercus ilex ssp rotundifolia? (Holm oak), an important product of the farm!
Field mushrooms, the first of the autumn!
Pinus pinea
These acorns were actually quite sweet !
There was large diversity on the farm where machinery couldn’t reach…here with Pistacia, Ruscus aculeatus and Umbilicus!
Umbilicus rupestris
Me with Fernanda Botelho
Smilax aspera (young edible shoots like asparagus)
Stephen Barstow 30 October · Pistacia lentiscus, mastic tree
Calamintha nepeta
The seed grinding rock!
The transport home was a cattle truck…here with my friend Jorge Carona!
My accommodation on the farm!
Prickly pear with acorns and acorn biscuits (bolota)!
Showing the diversity of acorns on the farm (pictures taken by Alfredo!)
The agroforestry area.
Whitethroat? in the Agroforestry area
Stonechat in the Agroforestry area
The Egg Temple
They had a few deer in a compound next to the Egg Temple…apparently the hens were healthier with deer nearby..
Dwarf Pomegranate and Canna
Canna
Canna
Clouded yellow and lucerne
Lily
Blackcurrant sage
Mentha suaveolens
The delivery van returning….the farm sells though their shop in Lisbon
More traditional CSA area
More traditional CSA area
Oxalis corniculata, edible weed on the CSA area
The shop
Clouded yellow butterfly on lucerne:
Agroforestry methods on the farm at Freixo do Meio, olives intercropped with a wide diversity of edibles and other useful plants:
In the morning of the masterclass on permaveggies on 1st November 2018 organised by the Janas Ecovillage, we visited Jardim da Condessa D’Edla in collaboration with the Sintra Natural Parks! Fernanda Botelho and myself lead the tour of this amazing place seeking out a large diversity of edible plants, both wild and cultivated :)
Introduction by Joana Martins
A curly leaved Ruscus aculeatus (Butcher’s broom / erva-dos-vasculhos, gilbarbeira)…it has edible shoots At the bottom can be seen a Bergenia, a Siberian species that is very adaptable!
We talked about the edible flowers and fruits of Fuchsias
…and edible Begonias
Fernanda told us that the pretty flowers of Alyssum are edible!
Sweet chestnut
The cork palace, Chalet Condessa d’Edla
The cork palace, Chalet Condessa d’Edla
The cork palace, Chalet Condessa d’Edla
Rose
Yucca….the flowering stem can apparently be cooked and used like asparagus
…and the flowers are also edible! See http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=8470
Abutilon is in the mallow family and has delicious (taste and look) flowers…an edimental (edible ornamental)
What was this, Fernanda?
Somebody commented if Asterix and Obelix been here?
Quercus spp. (oak)
Quercus spp. (oak)
Umbilicus rupestris, navelwort / umbigo-de-vénus
The Pena Palace
Chickweed / morugem (Stellaria media)
Valeriana?
Cephalotaxus (Japanese plum-yew) with ripe fruit!
Cephalotaxus (Japanese plum-yew) with ripe fruit!
Cephalotaxus (Japanese plum-yew) with ripe fruit!
Cephalotaxus (Japanese plum-yew) with ripe fruit!
An interesting looking dandelion / dente-de-leão (Taraxacum spp.)
An interesting looking dandelion / dente-de-leão (Taraxacum spp.)
Centaurea with Alyssum
Monkey puzzle, Araucaria
Monkey puzzle, Araucaria
Blackberries
? on Eucalyptus
? on Eucalyptus
Tree ferns
Cordyline australis “Purpurea” (cabbage tree)
Monstera deliciosa has edible fruits
Gunnera, one of the 80 in my book
Yew (Taxus spp.)
Cardamom
Participants with a Fuchsia in fruit!
Cordyline australis (cabbage tree)
Abutilon x hybridum? is another great edimental?
Abutilon x hybridum?
Abutilon x hybridum?
Abutilon x hybridum?
Viola spp
Alyssum
Myrtus communis (myrtle)
Myrtus communis (myrtle)
Calamintha nepeta
Phytolacca americana
Rumex acetosella?
Asparagus officinalis
Goji
Acelga / chard
Allium schoenoprasum (chives)
Fuchsia
Lovage / levistico
Fuchsia
New Zealand Spinach
Parsley and Nigella
Agaricus
Tradescantia…probably one of the South American species that don’t seem to be edible
Fire salamander….
Parietaria
Plantago major
Returning to Janas and the afternoon session…a column of cars
The queues to get into see the Sintra palaces….we had the gardens more or less to ourselves!
3 years ago I had foraged this part of Sintra with Fernanda and Jorge and we had walked up these steps and had ID’d this plant as Sparmannia africana (pictures can be seen in the photo album in this link: http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?page_id=2744)
3 years ago I had foraged this part of Sintra with Fernanda and Jorge and we had walked up these steps and had ID’d this plant as Sparmannia africana (pictures can be seen in the photo album in this link: http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?page_id=2744)
An album of pictures of plants and views at Magoito just north of Lisbon on a short botanising visit with Fernanda Botelho!
First, two videos showing the cliff habitat of Crithmum maritimum!
Crithmum gutteratus?
Crithmum
Helichrysum stoechas
Plantago coronopus
Full of sunbathers in summer, we were alone with the gulls
Sea daffodil (narciso-das-areias): Pancratium maritimum with Hottentot Fig (Carpobrotus edulis)
Sea daffodil (narciso-das-areias): Pancratium maritimum with Hottentot Fig (Carpobrotus edulis)
The Wild Plants Lady meets the Extreme Salad Man to discuss ready salted vegetables on the Magoito Cliffs north of Lisbon!
A) Crithmum maritimum (rock samphire or death samphire; perrexil-do-mar); this is the first plant in my book and was my first plant in my talk at Ecoaldeias Janas the day before
B) Helichrysum stoechas (Portuguese curry plant; perpétuas-das-areias)
C) Beta vulgaris ssp maritima (sea beet; acelga-brava)
D) Plantago coronopus (buck’s-horn plantain, minutina or erba stella; diabelha)
Thank you so much for showing me the vegetable gardens of the sea cliffs of your home village, Fernanda Botelho :)
Thanks to Jorge Carona for filming and driving :)
With Ana Marques!The first slide in my talk at Ecoaldeias Janas was this one about Death Samphire! More people have probably died harvesting this than any other vegetable! Fernanda asked me if I’d brought my rope!!
As part of the course organised by Ecoaldeias Janas in the village Janas near Sintra in Portugal, Fernanda Botelho collected wild and cultivated plants and here she is making an inventory of all the ingredients, all 50 of them: a typical traditional Mediterranean multi-species salad! Jorge Carona was sitting next to her taking notes!
Part 1:
Part 2:
Jorge’s list in a mix of Portuguese, Latin and English
The course participants at the wonderful Janas Ecoaldeias coop and restaurant!
Perennial vegetables, Edimentals (plants that are edible and ornamental) and other goings on in The Edible Garden
