The New House: After! (Finally!)

The view from Manny's room

   
      Months and months (and months) ago, I shared the before pictures of our house, if you haven't seen that post check it out first. Many people told us that this renovation would take so much longer and cost so much more than we expected but luckily neither of those predictions were true. From start to finish the work took 3 months, which was just about what they predicted. The house was actually ready before we were, but by March we were moving in! My momma always taught me that it was rude to talk to about your finances, but for those planning a project like this of their own, I would be happy to give the details.

Wood oven in the kitchen for heating the house

      My absolute favorite feature of the house is the heating system! If you knew our old house, you know we were roughing it. Besides having our bathroom outside, we just had a couple of stand-alone wood stoves as well as terrible insulation so in the winter we could never keep the place warm enough to not have a sweater or sometimes several on when in the house. The night I gave birth to Manuel my mom had the sole job of loading wood into the stoves. I definitely invited her to the birth for moral support but mostly she ran back and forth between the stoves loading wood while the midwives looked after me- and even like that we were all wearing jackets, hats and wool socks! Manny was born in February and the poor kid was never naked more than a few minutes until well into spring- even diaper changes were like taking the polar plunge- but it built his character... Here, we have radiators in every room (including the bathroom- I even strategically placed the towel rack above it so you have a warm towel after a winter shower- serious luxury!) The wood stove in the kitchen heats the water for the radiators as well as heating the water for the shower, sinks, etc. In the summer, the water for the sinks and showers is heated by a solar panel on the roof. We were not convinced that the smallish panel on the roof would work well enough but so far we have gotten consistently very hot water- it will surely be less so in the winter but then we will have the stove going!

The hallway

The hallwayat night after move-in

  One day when the work was nearing an end we came by for a visit to see how things were going. When I came in the painters were hard at work and I was floored by how beautiful the place looked! Mostly I just gushed over the grey/blue trim color. I didn't remember choosing that color but whoever did had great taste! They shyly informed me that that was actually just the primer and that they were getting ready to paint it dark brown. Trying not to look horrified, but also trying to be very clear, I told them to just leave it with the primer- it was perfect!
     When we spent time in the house before the renovation, I was convinced the hallway would always feel dark and small. I opted for a glass door on the living room/guest room and no door to the kitchen but I think the light-colored wood on the floor and ceilings (and the gray trim!) made the biggest difference in making it feel more open.

Hallway during the day

Hallway at night after move-in

     All of the new doors were made by a local carpenter and they are simple but I love that were made locally by someone I know! The rooms with two doors, like Manuel's pictured below, and the bathroom are original. Pretty much the only things we left were the double doors on two of the rooms and the marble sink in the kitchen, I LOVE the marble sink!

Manuel's room looking into the bathroom

Living room/guest room

       We went back and forth about what to do in the bathroom. I had really wanted a clawfoot tub but discovered that they were almost impossible to find in half-way decent condition for less than a few thousand Euros, and I just couldn't justify it. We decided to go with a shower but we didn't want a prefab box and we wanted it to be fairly large so we had a base cut for the exact width of the bathroom and then just tiled in the walls around. Filipe wanted a glass door. I absolutely did not want a glass door. You will notice there is no glass door and we are still married- win!

    Manuel's room is probably my favorite room in the house- mostly because it's the only one that I took any care in decorating! The rest of the house is a hodge-podge of things we collected over the last 10 years together but for Manny we tried to go for something consistent :-)
        Okay, the kitchen might actually be my favorite room! We got a quote from a local carpenter for the cabinets and I really wanted to go local for this project, as we had for everything else in the house, but when we looked at what he could offer versus what we could get from IKEA we ended up choosing IKEA. Filipe assembled all of it and we are actually really really pleased with the result. The only thing missing is the knobs for the cabinets. They came with some but I just didn't love them so for the past six months I have been struggling to open the cabinets every day because I just know one of these days I'm going to be at an artisan fair or small shop and find just the right hand-made pulls for cabinets! If you come across any- let me know!

View from the guest room

Manny taking care of the house (this is also what he sees from his room :-))

The New House: Before!

      As most of you know, we're moving! After seven lovely years on our farm we're off to São Pedro do Sul to start a new adventure, but not before we get our new house in order and that's going to take quite a bit of work!

The main hall seen from the front door.

     My good friend, Cheryl Naja, has convinced me that people would be interested in seeing the evolution of our renovation. Personally, I'm hoping some of you out there with more sense about these things might have some ideas for the space that you can share with us!

 

    The house has been vacant for some time and for now the contractors are in the process of replacing all the flooring, wood panelling on the ceiling and rewiring the whole house. As anyone who's spent any time in an old European house knows, there are precious few electric outlets, so one of my requests when we started this project was LOTS and LOTS of outlets, especially in the kitchen. In my current house I have to sit on the floor to use my blender because there are no outlets at counter level. Nevermore!

Fireplace in the kitchen

Original marble sink in kitchen

     The kitchen is small, quite a bit smaller than our current kitchen, but like any house, it's the center of the action. I decided to keep the original marble sink, which are very common in older Portuguese houses, although for some reason people are getting rid of them. Next to and above the sink will be a counter/stove/shelving unit (which I have yet to decide on so ideas are welcome!) The fireplace (whose brick chimney is bring restored) will serve as heating for the house in more ways than the obvious. Inside the fireplace we are installing a 'recuperador' (which I don't know the word for in English) but essentially it's filled with water. The fire heats the water and then the water will run through copper piping in the floors to all the radiators in each room. The heating system will also be able to run off electricity, either from the solar panel that we will have on the roof, or from the grid.

     Then there's bathroom (cue screeching violins...) It's a blank canvas to say the least. The bidet on the right is coming out as well as the toilet. Where the toilet is will be come a standing shower with a small sides (around 30cm) so it can also be a bath, but a very small one...perfect for a small child! The toilet will oriented on the left right after the window but before the shower.

    

Manuel's room

    Besides needing floors, spackle, paint, mouldings and everything else, the bedrooms are pretty much done...not really.

 
                        But this is the view I'll get to wake up to every morning.
                               Look out for the upcoming 'after' photos!

Farm Internship

     This summer we are looking for a rising high school senior or graduating senior from Paideia to spend the month of July working on the farm with us! We would provide all your meals while you're here as well as showing you some of the sites in the area so that you get the full Portuguese experience. I (Alice) graduated from Paideia in 2005. After graduating from college in Washington State in 2009 with a humanities degree and absolutely no farming experience I decided to spend a few months volunteering on farms (WWOOFing) in Europe as a cheap way to travel. The first stop was Portugal and it turned out to be the last. I met my now husband Filipe and I've been here ever since. Filipe grew up in the city of Porto, studied math in college and got his maters in Economics but found he had a passion for farming and wanted to live a more sustainable lifestyle. He still tutors math part time out of a joy for teaching and a need to pay the bills but the farm is the center of our world.

On a hike in Geres National Park

     We are situated on 25 acres about 45 minutes north of the second largest city of Porto and just a few minutes from the beautiful, historic town of Guimareãs. Our farm is certified organic and our main source of income comes from our cows, a local heritage breed called Barrosã.

Cow family resting. Mom, dad and calf. 

We have six females and one bull plus the young ones which we keep until 18 months when they are sent off to be processed for meat, most of which is sold to an organic butcher. Our farm is also a working homestead and we keep a substantial garden for ourselves as well as ducks, geese and chickens for our own consumption and occasionally to sell. We began cultivating shiitake mushrooms last year and are preparing to grow more in the coming year. We also have around a dozen beehives which we are looking to expand this summer. The farm has many well established grape vines which were historically used to make the local wine, Vinho Verde, but we use to make grape juice. Last year we produced around a 1000 liters.

Sarah Ku- Class of '05 riding Dixie

We also have two horses, both of which can be ridden.
     The intern we are looking for would be someone who is interested in pursuing a life in farming or homesteading, enjoys physical work and doesn't mind somewhat rustic accommodations. Our stone house has two bedrooms and one bath so you would have your own bedroom but share the bathroom with us. I love to cook and am happy to prepare all the meals but also love help if you enjoy cooking- we are mostly vegetarian but eat meat on occasion and don't mind you having whatever you prefer.

Barragem da Queimadela our favorite swimming spot.

     Most days we take care of the animals in the morning, moving the cows to their new pasture and then feeding all the birds as well as the horses. In the summer there's a lot of weeding and watering in the garden. Once the daily chores are done we work on longer term projects, everything from planting new things in the garden, working with the bees to training the horses. We also forage for wild blackberries and elderberries and make jams and other preserves from the garden. We are happy to have someone who has some knowledge and ideas of their own about new projects, part of the fun of having help on the farm is having the opportunity to get new perspectives. We are also happy to have someone with no experience who is ready to learn. Of course, sometimes the summer afternoons are just too hot to do anything so we are lucky to have a lake not too far away which makes a perfect break from the heat.
     We are looking forward to hearing from students who might be interested in spending part of their summer with us and answering all your questions. If you want to see more pictures from the farm you can check out my Instagram account FARMER__Al. I also invite you to look back at some of the previous blog posts here and feel free to email me at pioali02@gmail.com with any questions!

Senhor Da Pedra- Gaia (Porto) 

Goose Family

Guimarães Castle

How We Manage Forest Areas With Cattle

     The property where we have our farm is 10 hectares (24 acres), about half of which is forest. We also have access to part of our next door neighbor's property but since most of his open area has grapevines we only use the wooded portion, bringing the total forest area that we have access to about 12 hectares (29 acres.) We use an intensive rotational grazing system so that the cows only spend a few days in each enclosure. They spend about half the year on pasture and half the year in the forest.

The three curious cousins

      We use a movealbe 'electric' fencing system made up of plastic sticks that are about waist height and rolls of conductive string. We place the sticks 8-12m apart and then follow with two strings. We can go over cliffs and across streams, it's a very flexible and easy system although it can be a bit time consuming as it requires multiple trips around perimeter. A permanent fence would be ideal but this system allows us not only to be very flexible in the areas that we include but also allows us to go anywhere. If a new area would be available nearby, from a neighbor perhaps, we could just carry our sticks and string over, set it up and herd the cows in. It's also significantly cheaper! It runs off of a 12v (car) battery which we recharge weekly.

A fence creeping up into the woods

     In many areas there are small creeks or streams that provide water for the cows. These are animals that can tolerate periods with little water very well. When it's rainy, natural puddles can be enough for them. When the days are drier though, and no natural water sources are available we bring a light, fiberglass bathtub to them and then bring cans of water daily. Depending on where the fence is located we can drive the water jugs as close as possible and take them the rest of the way in a wheelbarrow. 120 liters (in this case 6x20 liter jugs) is enough for 5 adults and 3 calves for 24 hours when hay is provided.

   
     The type of vegetation varies widely from area to area but there are oaks throughout (and the acorns are an absolute cow favorite,) some eucalyptus, Acacia (another Australian introduction, which is edible for them, unlike Eucalyptus.) The underbrush is made up primarily of brambles and a small spiky bush called gorse (which was a new and very unwelcome thing for this Georgia girl.) Wild chestnut trees are also common and in the fall the nuts are a delicacy for the animals! The cattle are able to eat most of the vegetation with the expection of eucalyptus. That said, there are some things that they prefer to others and will only be eaten in moderation or after their favorite things are gone. For this reason we supplement their diet with a bale of hay daily with the exception of the first day that they are in a new area. In the first year that we were on this farm we did not provide this daily hay supplement and found that the animals would get impatient and have a stronger tendency to escape the fence even when it seemed to us that there was quite a bit left that they could eat. To compare it to a person, we are able and might enjoy eating artichokes but if you were put in a room with a few cookies and some spegetti and lots and lots of artichokes you might have a few artichokes each day but when the spaghetti and cookies were gone you wouldn't be very happy to go on eating artichokes all day, every day. By giving them a daily ration of hay they are able to spend more days in a given area and eat more of the vegetation. In the meantime, those extra days mean more walking around and lying down which diminishes the dangerous underbrush that contributes to hundreds of forest fires every year in Portugal.

Blackberry: Before

Blackberry: After. 

     Other interesting benefits of having cattle in mountainous areas is their ability to provide fertilization to the soil, which is especially helpful for young trees that an owner may want to plant as a part of a plan to improve the forest overall. Additionally, as the hay is spread each day it leaves seeds behind that, with the help of cattle clearing the forest floor, help a grassy carpet grow in place of the underbrush.

     It is our ultimate goal to be able to find other land owners in Portugal who have forest areas that would like to host cows. Fire prevention is a primary benefit of having the animals there but we shouldn't forget that they are also a source of food. As the cows go around clearing the area and making it more useful, safer and passable for logging trucks they are also reproducing, making them ultimate multitaskers! Barrosã meat is highly valued for it's unique flavor and texture. It's possible that breeds other than Barrosã could be used in this system but in my opinion they are particularly suitable. It is believed that Barrosã are one of the closest living relatives to the wild ancestor of the cow, the Auroch, making them heartier and more resistant to difficult conditions. For more than 10 years, every one of our females has given birth, outside, with no human interventionism. They are also goat-like in their ability to handle difficult terrain and can tolerate winter as easily as summer without needing any man-made shelter.

Happy family in the woods...

Bambi

     Bambi was different from the beginning, from before the beginning. Most of the calves are born at dawn in the middle of a field, sometimes in the frost or rain. By the time we see them later in the morning they are up walking around and nursing. They are usually fearful of us and their mothers reinforce this with aggressive and protective behaviors. When a female is born we try to get near her starting fairly early on. Most of the females will stay and breed and so it's good that they get comfortable with us so there's no drama when it's time for the vet or when animal control comes to take yearly blood samples. When a male is born though, his fate is more or less sealed. He'll be sent to slaughter before his second birthday so there's really no point in teaching him anything or getting attached; and that's how it was until Bambi.

Two day old Bambi
Many of you know Bambi's story. His mother, Camila, was a sturdy and seemingly healthy cow but days before Bambi was born she started limping. We brought her into the stable and away from the herd so we could keep an eye on her. The vet came and found a lump in her hip. It's very possible that she fell on the mountain and this caused the mass, but the vet said it was also very possible that it was some kind of tumor. Either way, there wasn't much we could do but keep her happy and well fed and hope she healed. Bambi was born a few days later, in a warm stall on a bed of straw, a prince from the very beginning. I had never had the chance to be so close to a newborn calf before, I had only watched them from afar or sat quietly in the field until they would com up and sniff me and then run off. Bambi was different though, his mother was sick and not particuarly protective, and while I would be careing for her I would pet him and play with him like a puppy. I wished so much that he had been a girl, and Filipe would gently remind me from time to time, ''It's too bad he wasn't a girl, huh?''

Buddies

     About a week after Bambi (he wouldn't get that name until later) was born his mother, Camila, went down and wouldn't get up. We pushed her, we pulled her by the horns, we even tried whipping her, which was desperate on our part and we immediately felt ashamed. The vet brought us a contraption that locked onto her back hips and, using a winch, lifted her back end off the ground.

Filipe giving Camila a leg massage while up on the winch

The idea was that with half her body up she could push up in the front and stand on her own. Occasionally she did this, but most of the time she hung limp with her back end raised high enough for Bambi to nurse. Remarkably, she was able to withstand this terrible situation for quite a while. The vet said her digestion would shut down in a few days with her spending so much time lying down, but she pushed on, and even more remarkably, continued producing milk for several weeks. We spent several hours a day lifting her, giving her massages and medicines, and in between, wrestling and then resting in the hay with little Bambi. One morning we went out to feed them and Filipe said that she wasn't going last much longer. He called the truck to come and get her and an hour later she died.

Going outside for the first time
In the days and weeks that followed I devoted myself to Bambi. I would wake up at all hours to    warm his milk and bring him his bottle. I fed him cabbages from the garden and homemade oat treats. Filipe said he was costing us as much as a real baby and that was fine with me because he was my baby. 

     As Bambi got older we talked from time to time about the fact that he would have to leave at some point. We were very matter-of-fact about it. He was growing very slowly due to his difficult start, not having enough of his mother's rich milk, and so it always seemed a long way off and it was safe for me to say that when the time came I would be stoic and zen and practicing nonattachment and all that.
     Since Bambi was born two years ago, we have had the opportunity to hand raise two other calves for other reasons, but they aren't like Bambi. Maybe it was his temperament or maybe I was just more devoted to him and gave more with him early on, but as an almost full grown bull he was as gentle as an old horse. He could be rough with other young males and he made sure the females knew that he was ready when they were, but around people he always behaved himself and liked to sidle up for scratch on the neck.

Bambi and my mom- summer 2014

     As the time grew closer for him to leave Filipe and I started to talk about not sending him off. We made excuses, ''he's so gentle and that's such an important quality in a bull.'' ''He's small, but he's growing fast now, he'll probably be pretty big.'' We bargained with ourselves and eachother. And then we would steel ourselves again and remind the other that this is a business, that there really is no place for another bull, especially a runty one. And we went back and forth and back and forth. We both wanted to keep this special bull and we both knew we should send him away.
      The day finally came. Today, Wednesday. On Sunday Filipe called the truck that would take him and another calf to the slaughterhouse. When the guy asked how many animals would be going Filipe said, ''Two, maybe one, maybe two, we're not sure yet, actually.'' My heart jumped. I wanted to beg Filipe to keep him, but I knew if I did he would and I wasn't sure it was the right thing and not just the selfish thing to do. So I always told him to do what he thought was right when the time came. On

Me and Bambi on Monday

Monday I took some photos with Bambi but we didn't talk about it. On Tuesday we stood by their pasture for a long time just watching him graze, but we still didn't talk about it. Filipe was late getting home Tuesday night and I was in bed, I heard him come in but I went back to sleep, I didn't want to talk about it. It seemed like no time at all had passed when the cellphone alarm went off and even though I'm not a morning person I woke quickly, full of heartbreak. Filipe leaned over in the dark and gave me a hug and we stayed like that for a while until he whispered in my ear, ''Happy birthday.'' My heart lifted tentatively, ''What?''
''I have an early gift that isn't expensive but will probably be very costly. Would you like a Bambi for your birthday?'' I beamed in the darkness, the kind of big smile that you can almost hear.
''Thank you,'' I said quietly.
''Oh well, we already put so much money into him we might as well keep him.''

     So Bambi is back out in the field eating hay and enjoying life. As he gets bigger we'll have to figure out how to fit him into the system we have. In all likelihood we'll send off the current bull and Bambi will take his place. I've lost a lot of animals in my first four years farming, some by accident but others by design. Two or three years ago I would probably have insisted Bambi leave, to prove to myself and others that I'm tough, a true farmer. These days I realize that while I have to make sacrifices (we sent off two very sweet calves today, one that I had also hand raised) it's also important to be gentle with your heart and give yourself a break when you can.

   
   

Making Grape Juice in Wine Country

      This weekend, for the second year, we made juice from the apples and grapes here on the farm. Our landlord's house is equipped with everything necessary to make wine- as most of the farms around here are. Our own house, although it only has three small rooms for living, also has a large press in the basement and built-in cement vats for storing and fermenting. The wine making area is as big as the living area! Wine making was and is an important activity for most small farms in the region. Vinho Verde, the low alcohol champagne-style wine, which has a very short fermentation is the only variety made in this part of the country and it must be made here to carry the name. The grapes are grown on tall vines, sometimes 30 feet high on the boarders of the fields and on trellises over roads, and as such, they don't have the quality necessary for aged wine. Vinho Verde should be consumed the same year it is bottled as it doesn't keep or improve.

A local man picking grapes. 

While there are some good Vinho Verde varieties out there and there is a kind of cult following abroad, most of the local wines are not very good in my opinion. The main purpose of these wines was never so much pleasure as nourishment. The grapes were grown along the boarders of the fields rather than in rows as a main crop as you might see in wineries in California, France and other parts of Portugal where mature wines are produced, in order to maximize production per acre. Unlike other parts of the country the North has very few large farms and most are not more than an acre or two. It made sense to let the grapes grow up and in the fields they could grow potatoes, corn and cabbage. Farmers would drink the low-alcohol wine throughout the day to keep themselves going as often little food was available. A common mid-day snack for farm laborers was raw onion slices dipped in red Vino Verde. These days the wine is still shockingly cheap, grapes sold to the co-op get just a few cents for a kilo and a bottle of the wine is rarely more than a few Euros. This is part of the reason why we decided to make juice rather than wine. Not only are we able to use the apples from the farm as well, but we can sell organic juice for much more than wine! 

Cleaning the press and preparing the fruit.

Slicing the apples and removing the bad ones.

Grinding the apples and grapes to a pulp that will be put in the press.

Over the course of a few hours we add pressure to the pulp using a hydraulic jack.

Out comes the juice! From the bucket it gets put in bottles using pitchers and a funnel.

A small capping machine puts beer-style tops on the bottles.

Finally, we pasteurize the bottles in a water bath to prevent fermentation.

When we remove the sides of the press this 'cake' of pressed fruit is left. It's mostly fiber but the cows and chickens love it!