Olé in Andalucia, Spain

SEVILLE - APRIL 2010

Mi first time in the Madre Patria! For Michael was another visit :)
Angie, Rogelio y Hector showed us a warm welcoming in their apartment in Seville, capital of Andalucia. We are very grateful for all their kind advices to visit the city. Because of them, we were able to taste and recognize the pure extra virgin oil olive, which is part of the daily cooking of Angie:). What a delicious paella we have eaten there! Thanks a lot Angie, Rogelio and little Hector!

We arrived on time for the celebration, it was April and La Fiesta de Abril is celebrated annually during a entire week. Hundreds of people walk around the city with their colorful dresses, specially women. Of course, I dressed up a colorful or sort of flamenco dress. I had fun walking the streets so easily as if I were Spaniard among the others. Hector, looked so cute on his tiny suit called 'corto' . 

Rogelio, Angie and little Hector.

Angie and I. She got this dress for me.

Hector and I

Finally, we have reached the fair, which begins each year two weeks after Semana Santa or Eastern. The day was a little bit cloudy with a nice temperature and the colorful flamenco dresses of the women waved from side to side trough out the streets making more cheerful the day. Several picturesque boots or casetas were set up all over the fair near the banks of the Guadalquivir river, people can eat some tapas, dance flamenco or drink some wine like "La Rioja". Those casetas looked so familiar to me... mmm... I have seen them in Peru in a mini version, yes! They are the famous "Retablos" of Ayacucho, I got it! retablos de Ayachucho. They were incredible alike. No doubt Peru and Spain had a strong connection through history, customs, food, language, folkclor, architecture, etc.

Casetas - Feria de Sevilla, España

Michael at the entrance of the
"La Maestranza"

PLAZA DE TOROS, SEVILLA

In Seville there is a well known Plaza de Toros, called "La Maestranza". Getting to the oldest bullring in Spain was not easy, we booked our tickets in advance. We indeed were attracted to this bullfighting festival. Many ladies dressed up in Sevillana style, with colorful flamenco dresses, shoes with heels, fans matching with the color of their outfit, delicate parfume, so stylish. While men are dressed in 'cortos' a sort of short jacket, tight trousers and boots with a handkerchief on the chest pocket and a flat big hat. 

At the beginning wasn't easy to get used to watch how man can provoke an animal who can not defend itself the attacks... Fooling and killing the bulls was just disgusting. I should admit that I wanted to run away leaving my photography practices. I sadly teared. And yes, I did not leave. Sigh...

Acadia Maine

The Garden 2009

Again this year, the Coo-op Community Garden in Norwich VT, gave us the opportunity to develop our inside gardeners. The lack of space at home was not a problem to cultivate our own veggies and flowers in that place, as you can see above the flower came from a seed, turning out in a cute Teddy Bear Sunflower, it was a birthday present from my friend Mimi Pearson, what a surprise! I called the photo "Running with the wind".

Sunflowers from our garden in Norwich, Vermont

SUMMARY

FEBRUARY, MARCH, APRIL
Nice thing to start the plants from seed. Above, you can see the tomato seedlings growing indoor, when outside the temperature reached -26ºC. Unfortunately, when I transplated the tomato seedlings, some of them died because an unexpected frost... but some of my hot pepper seedlings survived!


JUNE, JULY - The Agricultural Disaster in New England?

Everything was fine until an unwanted fungus spread out to every garden in the area, it is called Late Blight which attacks tomatoes, potatoes plants and weeds. It was something devastating in the Northeast of the country. LB had not beeing seen since around 100 years. 97% of my fellow gardeners lost all their tomatoes. Michael and I lost all of our tomato crop (24). I read several articles about this symptom, like this one but I needed a local help, our garden coordinator was away at thime. I spread the word in the garden about what I was told.

A prevailing atmosphere of uncertainty was among everyone in the garden. My first contact was Cooperative of Extension of New Hampshire asking for help, I received a prompt and an appropriate answer!
The advise was pulling out all the affected plants and throw them out in the garbage bin, not in the compost pile. It was a hard time for Michael and myself I just coudn't believe all our effort that we did at the beginning bringing compost from a farm horses in Hartland, VT where Mrs Polly Smith was so generous with us donating the compost; we did several trips driving our tiny blue Elantra Hyundai car... all almost for nothing.

Michael pulling out the tomato plant.

Regarding our potato crop the plant were cut, while the tuber were left underground, it was not the same, but it was a challenge. I was dissapointed to see an empty garden. We tried to save the green tomates, we got a huge bucket of them, but after some days at home all of them turned awfully brown.

AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER - After the Storm

Fresh radishes ready to be eaten!

My favorite crop: ONIONS

I kept going with my major enthusiasm after this sudden storm. Then, there was a time for the first harvest of radishes, arugula, lettuce, Swiss chard, hot peppers, flowers. Between onions my favorite hot pepper! This has its own story. When I transplanted the seedling, I broke part of its root! I just got mad with myself... after an hour, the seddling looked so weak... I touched and talked to it saying what a fool I was... the next day for my surprise this tiny pepper plant looked alive and ready to go.. so, it survived! THANKS, I said. Since then I called it "El Malimuerto vivo" (something that the dead is alive)

Another surprise in the garden. Of course, gardening is also a kind of experiment. So, I planted the seed from this decorative gourd and look what I got.


GIFTS OF THE NATURE IN THE GARDEN WHILE GROWING THE VEGGIES

Cute nest of birds located between weeds in the plot of my neighbor Jerome, who is nearby my garden.

Some days after a rainy day, I was cleanning up the garden from weeds (I heard it is easier to pull them out when the soil is wet), then I found this innocent and quite toad in between my onion crop!

And finally, this bicolor spider was looking at me while I was harvesting peas :)

LOOKING FOR ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO GARDEN IN OTHER PLACE

"CANILLAS COMMUNITY GARDEN" In LEBANON, NH

Starting the garden with raised beds. The CCG started late (June) but with so much energy!
Celebrating and sharing our first harvest.
The Canillas Community Garden group

Patty McGovern (right) is who is leading this project very well! I love to work with her and her team. In the center is Helen Brody and Rebeca Perkins (left). Behind, Normi, a friend. It is a nice team!!

COMMUNITY GARDEN - NORWICH, VERMONT

It is September and everything is growing fast, peas, onions, corn... It is a privilege to have a pleasant summer here.. everything grows fast. The flowers give their best to the environment: color, beauty, scent, happyness...

Here the first zucchinis. I was told that I can eat their flowers which I tried them with garlic and oil in a pan... Guess what! Delicious!

Cleaning the space, feeding the plants are our priority to have success with healthy and delicious harvest. When I sowed this tiny Chamolille seeds, almost invisible I couldn't imagine what will come later!...Then looking at these plants, their shape with flowers, it is something wonderful!

We cannot stop the harvest!

Onion, onions, onions, potatoes and flowers

Before ends the season, we had a Harvest Potluck with all the gardeners. I prepared a Peruvian spicy sauce with fingerling potatoes (see below photo in the red dish)Dominica Borg our gardener fellow, cutting blueberry cake.

Enjoy Michael!

The below coliflower was my huge challenge... I saw it growing step by step until it turned like a tender cotton.

Then it ended up cooked in this delicious dish "Escabeche de Coliflor" a Peruvian dish.

Eating what we grew up in the garden this "Escabeche de Pollo" with carrots, onion, parsley, hot pepper, coliflower, peas, green beans. The recipe has chicken.

ENDING THE GARDEN SEASON

The kale is a strong plant. In the middle of october after several critical cold nights, the kale is still up.

Before, this was the kale seedling among a path of green been seeds that I planted for companion.

The kale harvest was a lot! We need to buy a freezer. The plan is to enjoy the frozen kale in delicious green soup from Portugal... I cannot wait!! Michael at home having difficulties cleaning up the kale, because we got a lot!

That was our wonderful time in the garden. With expectations, dissapointings, challenges but with lots of perseverance and care.. All these were the ways to do gardening. We love to see butterflies, bees, birds enjoying our plan... and of course, eating our organic veggies.


Videos that I recorded before we pulled out our tomato plants due to the Late Blight.