Magnificent in their glory, trees on the farm.

False Acacia trees on the farm in winter

It was a stormy summer’s day and the farm was in her best clothes, magnificent giants guiding the way. I suddenly looked up and saw these beautiful specimens paving the way.

It made me think about the farm, Asturias and how local people have cared for these trees which in return reward them with their ware.

Walnut tree outside the dinig room window

Take the noble walnut tree, not only a delicious fruit in the autumn, but in years past the timber was used for fine furniture. We have the most magnificent tree outside the dining room window. One of the local pastries here is Casadiellas, filled with walnuts and anis.

Walnuts from our farm

Ash trees providing shade for stone stables in the mountain

The Ash trees grow quickly and abundantly, spreading their branches offering shade from the midday sun for the animals and then in the autumn coppiced for extra winter fodder. If you travel in the Pico’s you will see the stone stables surrounded by the ash trees.

Hazelnuts from the farm

Around the hedges are found the Hazel trees with many stems, these in the past were trained to produce fences. The nuts are collected in September, if the boars and badgers don’t get there first... Many a beautiful basket here is made from the hazelnut tree.

Traditional cart made from hazel twigs

As traditions go there is a local Hazelnut fiesta in Infiesto the first weekend of October, then in Arriondas there is the Chestnut fiesta in November.

Catkins on the chesnut trees

We have many chestnut trees on the farm; I was amazed by the beautiful catkins’ on the male trees.

The village people here talk about the famine during the civil war and chestnuts were boiled and eaten as a meal. In some areas, La Molina, you can see the remains of stone like igloos Quires’ made for storing chestnuts in the winter.

Thorns on the Acacia

It is strange to think that nearly all the trees had their uses, even the intrusive Acacia was originally grown for its timber to make the fences around the farm, not one of the friendliest trees with its huge thorns, and if it wasn’t for the animals who trim the young shoots it would take over the farm. I believe this was originally brought in by the people who emigrated to South America and returned to Asturias.

Laurel leaves and flowers

For culinary purposes we have the Laurel tree, the leaves used in many stocks and sauces, the animals will eat a mouthful, and then move on. On Palm Sunday local people take a sprig of laurel to church to be blessed by the priest; this is then given to the godparents, who in return nowadays buy a special cake for the godson or daughter.

Lime tree and fruits

There is a large Lime Tree at one end of the farm, the people here used to collect the flowers to make an infusion; it was supposed to help you relax. We have many cherry trees with sweet and sour cherries, the sour ones called guinda are used here for a liquor, made with anis. A very popular drink in Asturias.

Sweet cherries waiting to be eaten; mmmm!

Blog entry written by Joe

A Great Year for Orchids on the Farm.

A rare Man Orchid growing amongst the rocks in our wild flower meadow.

Our wild flower meadows are array with wild orchids this year and there are six different types in flower at the moment. To see so many of these rare and beautiful flowers is very rewarding and gives us encouragament for the management program we implemented in our wild flower meadows many years ago.

A Woodcock Ophry Orchid growing just 5 meters from the hotel

Close up of an Early Purple Orchid 

Early Purple Orchids next to the farm trail

It’s not as though we do anything extra special on these meadows other than follow traditional farming practices. We cut the meadows for hay in late June and then have the sheep grazing the meadows in November. We’ve been following this system for over 10 years and the continuity of our practices along with the weather is really showing the benefits this year; lots of orchids and a great biodiversity in general..

Close up of a  Provence Orchid

Lots of Provence Orchids in the meadow

One of the first Heart Flowered Serapia blooming in the meadow

Tongue Serapias  growing in abundance in the meadows.

One of the major problem we have with maintaining the population of orchids on these meadows is wild boars. These large animals, which run wild here, love to dig up the orchid rhizomes and eat them like they were a delicacy grown especially for them.  As a consequence a lot of the orchids in our meadows are found growing in the rocks where it’s more difficult for the boars to dig them out.

Signs of wild boar rooting in the meadows

Woodcock  Ophry growing in the rocks

So for guests lucky enough to be walking round the farm trail this time of the year there are orchids galore to be seen! There will also be plenty of other wild flowers in our meadows over the next two months and with them an amazing array of butterflies.

An unusual all-yellow Man Orchid in our meadow

Hay 2013

The traditional hay stack or "palanca" we finished last friday

Spring this year had been wetter than normal and with all the moisture in the soil when the temperatures started to rise our meadows exploded with an array of different grasses and wild flowers. With the panorama of so much grass I wanted to cut our meadows as soon as possible, so when a week of dry weather was forecasted for the last week in June we got cutting.

Starting to cut four acres of meadows with a strimmer!

In previous years we had cut our meadows using a friend’s alum scythe but we knew this year this machine would not be available. We had tried to buy a second-hand alum scythe with out success so we had the daunting prospects of cutting all the meadows by hand using our strimmer fitted out with a special blade for hay.

The plan was to cut four acres of meadows in two days and have the stimmer working non stop each day! We divided the work between three of us; myself, Sebastian our son and Andres who normally works in the kitchen. We took it in turns with each person cutting for an hour; the strimmer didn’t stop working during nine hot hours each day and we didn’t get too tired.
 

Five days latter with the hay dried and almost ready for baling

The tractor baling the hay

Once the cutting was finished, the grass had to be turned twice to help with its drying and then moved by hand from the high rocky areas of the farm to the lower flatter area where a tractor could enter to bale the hay.

96 bales of beautiful hay!

We started cutting on the Monday and by Saturday morning all the hay was dried and placed in lines ready for the tractor to bale it. By mid day we had 96 bales of beautiful hay! On Monday morning our neighbour Juanra came with his tractor and took the bales to the stable ready for the sheep to eat during the winter months.

"Heaping" the grass ready to make our hay stack

But the grass kept growing and it was obvious that this year the sheep and horses were not going to be able to eat all the grass before it started to lodge and spoil. So a week latter we decided to cut another meadow and this time make a traditional hay stack. By now we were experiencing a heat wave and the grass dried within two days of cutting.

Compressing the grass in the stack by standing on it.

Combing the grass to help make the stack with stand the rain

So last Friday we finished our hay stack which is now proudly standing in the meadow close to the entrance of the hotel.

The sheep last winter enjoying the previous season's hay.

Wild daffodils

 Wild daffodils on the woodland path by the hotel.

Spring is on its way and with it, early spring flowers including daffodils are starting to bloom. In Asturias there are four different species of Narcissus, three of which I have seen recently. On the short walk starting from the Hotel to the Santa Marina chapel there are plenty of Narcissus leonensis or Narcissus pseudonarcissus growing by the stream.

Narcissus leonensis growing on the woodland path by the hotel.

In Asturias there are four species of daffodils or Narcissus. Narcissus pseudonarcissus known in this area as Narcissus leonensis is the larger species with leaves up to 35 cms long. It grows in a variety of habitats and there is quite some variation in the flowers with in the species. It’s the species growing by the stream and I also saw a few days ago on a rocky mountain side at about 100m altitude. 

Narcissus leonensis growing on a rocky mountain at an altitude of 950m.

A week ago we discovered a few plants of Narcissus bulbocodium flowering on the farm in the Castañarina meadow. (It is probably the sup species “cantabricus” an endomism of the Cordillera cantabrica, but I don’t want to get into a taxanomic minefield so want delve any deeper on names.) This leaves of this species are up to about 24 cms.

Narcissus bulbocidium growing on the farm.

For me one of the prettiest of daffodils is Narcissus asturensis with leaves rarely reaching more than 12 cms. Its starting to come into flower as the snow melts away high in the mountains and can be seen in quite large numbers.

Narcissus bulbocodium on a mountain at 600m

For me one of the prettiest of daffodils is Narcissus asturiensis with leaves rarely reaching more than 12 cms. It is just starting to come into flower as the snow melts away high in the mountains and can be seen in quite large numbers. The photos of this species were taken  at an altitude of 1,450m

Narcissus asturiensis

Narcissus asturiensis emerging just after the snow thaws.

 The fourth species of daffodil that grows in Asturias is Narcissus triandrus and is quite often found in the Ponga area.

Narcissus triandrus

The wood land footpath from the hotel, happy walking and happy botanising!

Enjoying the hay!

Preparing the hay is very definitely the hardest job on the farm. You’re out sweating under the hot sun; cutting, turning and moving the hay, and there are always those itchy bits of grass that get down your back or in your shoes. 

Preparing hay

Raking hay ready for baling

Then you rake the hay over and over again looking for bits of prickly unpalatable weeds and getting scratched in the process. I guess it’s no wonder that many a time during the hay harvest I ask myself; do the sheep really appreciate all the trouble we go to so as to make them such nice hay?

Moving the straw bales

Stacking the bales of hay in the stable

Then the cold wet days of winter come and the sheep are often left nibbling unenthusiastically at the nutrient deficient bare pastures. That’s when I go into the stable where the bales of straw were nicely stacked in the summer and spread a bale of hay into the sheep’s feeding frame. Then it’s time to stand back and watch the sheep munching on the hay with a satisfied smile on their face and that’s when I feel satisfied too, knowing that all that hard work harvesting the hay really is appreciated.

Happy sheep and this is when you realise all the work has been worth while