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humitas 559 397 vidacycle

humitas

There are many traditional Chilean dishes that use corn in innovative ways. Humitas are a perfect little package of corn cleverly contained in the corn husks. We used the corn we…

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refreshing simple courgette salad 559 397 vidacycle

refreshing simple courgette salad

Courgettes (or zucchinis) aren’t particularly popular with many of the locals here in Chile. However we made this super simple salad using thinly shaved courgettes and they loved it! The…

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cantaloupes 150 150 vidacycle

cantaloupes

Hundreds of cantaloupes are flowing from under the large leafy greens in our vegetable garden. They are a glowing orange inside and taste much sweeter than we have had when bought…

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skyscapes 150 150 vidacycle

skyscapes

This Summer we have been lucky to see some incredibly epic skyscapes.

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agraz experiments 150 150 vidacycle

agraz experiments

We harvested some of the low-hanging grapes early again this  year to make a small batch of Agraz. This time we wanted to experiment, so we picked the grapes earlier (mid-January)…

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blueberries 150 150 vidacycle

blueberries

Some of our neighbours in the Loncomilla Valley grow blueberries, most of the fruits are exported to the U.S but luckily they do keep some back so the locals can…

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tijerales 150 150 vidacycle

tijerales

The roof is on the ‘comedor’ (dining room building), so we celebrated with the traditional ‘tijerales’ party with all the workers. We had an asado (BBQ) with lots of delicious food…

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pruning olives 150 150 vidacycle

pruning olives

Last month Francisco, an olive expert came over to discuss pruning techniques for our trees that vary in age from two to five years. Pruning convention is to leave the straightest shoot with the strongest growth…

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baby olives 150 150 vidacycle

baby olives

The tiny beginnings of this year’s olives are peeking out after the flowers have fallen away.

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promise 150 150 vidacycle

promise

The vegetable garden once again shows the promise of delicious foods to come. The maize is sprouting tall, the squash plants have built their shaded nest with their large leaves…

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pollinators 150 150 vidacycle

pollinators

Around the world there are many ‘save the bees’ campaigns because large numbers of bees have mysteriously died off over the last 20 years. According to Greenpeace a third of all…

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flowering 150 150 vidacycle

flowering

The oldest olive trees are now pretty large and winged with a splurge of green leaves drenched in white blooms. The trees have fully flowered this year and hopefully this…

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fields of barley 150 150 vidacycle

fields of barley

This is the first time we have cultivated our own fields of barley and we can’t wait to taste our first crop!

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pine duck 150 150 vidacycle

pine duck

Here is a verjus recipe from one of our most adventurous testers, Jeremy, who is very excited about the flavours our verjus brings out. He has trained with the best chefs…

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rounded roof 150 150 vidacycle

rounded roof

The roof construction continues now Spring is here and the rains have stopped. This is no ordinary roof as the building has quite a few rounded walls, so the roof…

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green grass 150 150 vidacycle

green grass

This Winter we had very heavy rainfall so the grass is greener than ever and the new buds are bursting out from every branch possible.

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butternut 150 150 vidacycle

butternut
hanging grapes 150 150 vidacycle

hanging grapes

The  parrón (pergola) is heavy with all the ripe grapes ready to be plucked off and eaten. There are multiple different varieties planted along the walkway – many of which…

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comedor 150 150 vidacycle

comedor

In our experience great wholesome food is central to a good quality of life – and what makes great food even better is great company. This is why we are…

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red returns 150 150 vidacycle

red returns

The rich autumnal colours frame the panoramic views perfectly. These photos were taken just after the first heavy rain of the season, the dry grasses will soon return to being…

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olive trees 150 150 vidacycle

olive trees

The baby olive trees that were planted in 2008 have grown into confident looking young trees with only a bit of pruning and hand watering along the way. So far…

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cool beetroots 150 150 vidacycle

cool beetroots

This year we had an amazing beetroot crop, intensely delicious they left a trail of deep purple around the kitchen. Mid-January the beetroots we pulled up from the garden began…

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nopales 150 150 vidacycle

nopales

There is a huge old cactus in the vegetable garden, which offers beautiful flowers every so often. Its flat paddles are edible as they are juicy and tender in the…

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solar PV – Wincayaren Hostal 150 150 vidacycle

solar PV – Wincayaren Hostal

We worked in collaboration with Jorge, from Parque Educativo Solar, to provide Wincayaren Hostal with a solution for their electricity generation. Jorge installed two solar panels on their roof, along…

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Parque Educativo Solar Energy 150 150 vidacycle

Parque Educativo Solar Energy

Based nearby in Linares is Parque Educativo Solar, established by Jorge. What started as a backyard project has morphed into a full on Sustainability Education Centre, providing solar energy workshops…

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garlic stalks 150 150 vidacycle

garlic stalks

The garlic were harvested a few weeks ago, their cloves securely fastened to their straight white stalks. A plentiful crop that should last through the year safely stored in the…

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raw beetroot 150 150 vidacycle

raw beetroot

First up in our Agraz series is a raw beetroot salad. Quantities are not exact because this is the kind of taste experience that is very personal, so we encourage…

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agraz master 150 150 vidacycle

agraz master

We made quite a bit of Agraz from the green grape harvest in early Summer last year. We have been doing some in depth taste testing trying many different flavours…

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red breasted birds 150 150 vidacycle

red breasted birds

Last week brought the first proper rain since September, it was greeted with hundreds of birds  swooping and flurrying around in the olive groves. The red-breasted, Loica likes to perch on…

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experience 150 150 vidacycle

experience

Andrew came to Chile for a few weeks in September. He spent some time in Santiago, then a few weeks working on a farm in the Andes further North and…

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