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Building beauty, ecology and profitability, one farm at a time.
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spring pruning
spring pruning 150 150 vidacycle

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Spring is here once again, the grass is green and the olive trees have started sending out new shoots. We are doing some basic pruning to tailor the growth upwards and then outwards. Andrew is here helping the team and getting some experience out in the field.

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mud castles
mud castles 150 150 vidacycle

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The river is home to some form of crayfish or freshwater lobster-like creature, known locally as camarones. These camarones build little mud castles near the river, possibly for shelter, or maybe these are their nests?

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distant Andes
distant Andes 150 150 vidacycle

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The hike up nearby Tabontinaja is a great early morning wake up, a quick slightly steep meander into the coastal hills surrounding Fundo Meza. At one point you turn a corner and suddenly the whole valley swoops into view, framed at the horizon by the massive Andes mountains.

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eucalyptus greens
eucalyptus greens 150 150 vidacycle

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quince
quince 150 150 vidacycle

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Quince are one of the last fruits of the season to become ripe – a real delicacy when cooked down into dulce de membrillo and eaten with Manchego cheese.

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young trees
young trees 150 150 vidacycle

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Trees spread their seed far and wide in hope that some of the seedlings will find the perfect spot with all the right conditions so that their progeny survives. This chilean oak has found such a spot amidst the tall grasses and seems to be doing quite well. I’ve always particularly liked the tree below with fine pronged leaves and it seems to be happy in its new spot as well.

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unrelenting zucchini
unrelenting zucchini 150 150 vidacycle

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The zucchini plants have provided fresh vegetables since early spring and they are still coming. The plant seems to be very well adapted to providing its crop for as long as possible. As you can see the original leaves and stems have died away whilst other parts of the plant have generated new shoots and are now going strong.

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The tomatoes are also a persistent crop still providing us with delicious fruits right up to the end of autumn.

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solar hotwater – Fundo Meza
solar hotwater – Fundo Meza 150 150 vidacycle

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All of our hot water generation comes from combined solar hotwater systems. We always aim to have the hotwater panel installation blend in with its surroundings, for minimal visual impact, as can be seen in both photos.

80% of the year all our hotwater needs are fulfilled by the water being heated directly by the sun in the panels. For the other 20% of the year the system is fitted with a simple valve which allows us to direct the warm water from the roof panel into a tank. The water in the tank is then additionally heated using a wood-fired stove which ensures hot water all year round.

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sheets of fog
sheets of fog 150 150 vidacycle

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Where we are positioned is in quite a high valley not too far from the coast, so there is often an early morning fog sitting over us after the chill of the night. There is a point when it suddenly begins to move out and the olive groves are once again exposed to the sun above.

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store room
store room 150 150 vidacycle

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The greenhouse has taken on a new role in the autumn/early winter months. It is a dry, sealed room and therefore perfect for storing many of the vegetables that can be kept and eaten through the winter.

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We have a mixture of white and red onions, lots of butternut squash, some potatoes and heaps of rosehip fruits.

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We have also kept some maize to be dried and then ground up into maize flour.

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