Country scene Spain campo

In Spain, LA MATANZA is the time of year when the fattened pig is killed. The cooler weather provides the ideal conditions for salting down pork and making sausages. This is normally regarded as great excuse for a party. When the pig is slaughtered, its blood is caught in a bowl to make MORCILLA - the black sausage. The skin of the pig is scalded and scraped to remove all the hair. The men generally do the butchering whilst all the women proceed with the making of the sausages. Absolutely nothing is wasted! The intestines are washed and used as sausage skins for the MORCILLA and CHORIZO sausages.

Country scene Spain campo

The best cuts are salted and cured to be used through the winter. A large stew is prepared called ARROZ - a Paella type dish with cubes of pork. The barbecue gets going and a good time is had by all!! 

Country scene Spain campo

My finca near Istan is currently overrun with Wild Boar (JABALI), and I have been informed that they are breeding with domestic pigs. A friend purchased one for six thousand pesetas! These Boars are doing a lot of damage; rooting up all the earth, flowers and crops and knocking down stone walls too. 

Country scene Spain campo

Another problem is the number of Mongooses. These are the Egyptian Mongoose - quite a sizable animal with the appearance of an otter. These will destroy any vegetable patches and also take chickens and rabbits. I have also had problems with Pine Martins - one decided to scale the transformer and blew up all the electric supply to my farm. He also killed himself! 

Country scene Spain campo

Foxes also do their fair share of damage - staring at my Roosting Pigeons until they are so overcome with fear that they fall off their perch and into his waiting jaws!! 

Country scene Spain campo

Stoats and Weasels (comadrejas), not to mention Lynx are also on the prowl, so you see there is great cause for celebration when something actually makes it to the farmhouse table! 

Country scene Spain campo

I am extremely fortunate in having a stream of visitors to my farmhouse who know a great deal about the flora and fauna of Andalucia. In fact two very dear friends have been so kind as to let me have a wonderful collection of slides illustrating the flowers that I may encounter on my farmland. They have catalogued the flowers around the Sierra Blanca range of mountains for many years now, and Kew Gardens in England have expressed great interest in their collection of all the different varieties and species. These friends have many favorite sites with Ronda and Grezelema, Benhavis, Sierra Blanca (Ojen and Coin), Istan, Sierra Bermeja, El Torcal, included amongst them. 

Country scene Spain campo

In reference to my particular site, I shall name just a few of the species that are to be found here at this time of year. The most noticeable display is provided by the spectacular Almond blossom, which begins to flower in January. At this time of year the ground is carpeted with the white Hoop-Petticoat Daffodil (Narcissus bulbocodium var. cantabricus). Blue flowered Rosemary bushes (Rosmarinus officinalis) cover the hillsides, as does the Limestone Gromwell, which has a similar looking flower, but of a much darker blue. 

Country scene Spain campo

Crossing my finca is the old track that once led from Istan to Marbella. This is where I found a lovely specimen of the Tree Germander (Teucrium fruticans). This is a woody shrub covered in the most beautiful pale blue flowers with a single curved lip up to 25mm long. 

Country scene Spain campo

I very much like the tiny Friar's Cowl (Arisarum vulgare) with their delicate brownish purple flowers looking exactly as their description suggests.

Country scene Spain campo

My garden is full of many birds and I have spotted many interesting species including: Wagtails, Redstarts, Shrikes, Black Caps, Stonechats and Blue Tits. Also, the barn is invaded by Buntings; they love feeding on fallen grain and alfalfa at this time of year. 

Country scene Spain campo

The Red Legged Partridge seem to take a delight in taking off from the banks over the head of my horse and startling her!

Country scene Spain campo

Everyone seems to be working very hard right now, pruning their Olive trees and burning all the trimmings. This is a good time to be clearing and burning scrub, as there are fewer fire risks when the rains are here. 

Country scene Spain campo

I hope that you all survived the appalling weather without too much damage. The road to Istan was completely cut off and my wall, which was being excavated by wild boar, gave way with the tremendous weight of water behind it from the recent rainfall. 

Country scene Spain campo

The weather prohibited any bird or wildflower spotting, so I thought I would explain a little about locating stock that so many of you seem to be having trouble with. In smaller villages, a visit to a local bar (kiosko), with an enquiry of; who has rabbits (conejos), pigeons (palomas) or chickens (pollos del campo) and bantams (mininas), will usually result in someone escorting you personally to the home of someone that breeds them and you will consequently get a local strain that does well in your area. For smaller animals, take along suitable crates to transport your purchases home, (a friend of mine uses cat boxes!) 

Country scene Spain campo

Following my enquiry for pigeons I was shocked to be presented with a sack full - still flapping. I had hoped for. oven ready. ! However, local help was enlisted and in no time at all, they had been killed and plucked!! Turkeys (pavos), and chickens should not be kept together as the turkeys are more delicate and can get blackhead. 

Country scene Spain campo

I used to collect the duck eggs and put them under a broody bantam, as ducks rarely sit and hatch the eggs; check after about 17 days to see if any have hatched and remove them or she will stop sitting. They can be kept in a warm place such as a shoebox with a blanket and air holes and an elastic band around to make sure they are safe from the cat! Keep them in the sun during the day and by the stove, (if you have one) by night. When they have all hatched, they can go out during the day and then be kept in a bigger box at night by the fire (again if you have one). Feed them on mushy bread and milk or duck meal. Keep ducklings away from the chickens, as they will kill them. The same applies for rearing chicks, but when they are all hatched they can be kept with the bantams. 

Country scene Spain campo

A goat can usually be purchased from your local goatherd. The price is about 4 or 5 Euros a kilo - a small kid of 10 kilos will cost 40 Euros. In the larger towns (i.e. Estepona and Coín) there will be an agricultural co-operative (Co-operativa agricola), who supply seeds and fertilisers, pesticides etc., at economical rates, and usually have a tractor that can be hired to plough your land. It. s well worth becoming a member (socio), as this provides you with a market for your produce. 

Country scene Spain campo

In the smaller villages there will still be men with mules that you can employ for the day to plough up your land. You will probably see them returning to the village in the evening with their plough, which they will dismantle and load onto the mule. Ploughing around your olive trees and fruit trees should commence as soon as the ground is dry enough after the rains. Make enquiries as soon as possible, so as not to be the last on the list! 

Country scene Spain campo

There are wonderful orchids everywhere this year - so far, I have seen lots of Sawfly Orchid (ophrys tenturedinifera), Mirror Orchid (ophrys speculum) and the Early Purple Orchid (Ochis mascula) also Man Orchids (Aceras anthropophorum). 

Country scene Spain campo

The eagle that nests in the cliff behind my house is sitting on her eggs in the nest, making a very broody squawking noise when the male returns from hunting. Talking of broody birds, perhaps you can also try the feed shops for locating stock. They call pellets " pienso" and the stockiests usually have chickens, rabbits etc. However these tend to be commercially reared so I prefer campo stock. 

Country scene Spain campo

A visit to the shop at the Botanical Gardens, Gibraltar (open: 2.30 - 6.00 pm, weekdays, closed on Sundays) enabled me to purchase a pheromone trap to hang in my fruit trees, thus protecting them from being eaten by the wee beasties, rather than me! 

Country scene Spain campo

The farm is full of nightingales singing, which makes the ordinary farm chores seem light work. 

Country scene Spain campo

The mare that I bought last September, Muneca presented me with a lovely filly who was completely unexpected. The mare and foal have rejoined the herd that she came from in La Jarra in Coín. This is a really beautiful area growing lots of oats, wheat and barley. The birds there are quite different from the ones I see on my own farm in Istan. There is a very striking Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator) - white body, black wings and copper coloured head. The flowers are also unusual to me. Honeywort (Cerinthe Major) I found most attractive. 

Country scene Spain campo

I visit my mare a couple of times a week and the farming family who take care of all the horses provide lunch at their farmhouse. The food is prepared over an open fire in the kitchen - usually a stew. During Easter week, Potaje was made with salt cod. Pascos - delicious cakes made with cinnamon, (also traditional at Easter) were baked in the old bread oven in the farmyard. 

Country scene Spain campo

Fields were being planted up with melons to grow secano, this is without irrigation. Of course they have to be watered until they sprout. The farm workers go down the rows with a big tin paint bucket, using a saucepan as a scoop watering each seedling in turn. Once they are establishes no more water is used. I was assured that these melons would taste much better than the irrigated ones. 

Country scene Spain campo

The Bomberos (fire fighters), have just been flying over my house. They drop onto the reservoir, which is very close to me, scooping up water. Then almost immediately they dump it again. Apparently they were doing test runs in preparation of the approaching summer and the fires that it brings with it. So be warned, and make sure you keep their telephone number handy at all times. If you have not witnessed one of these fires, I can tell you from first hand experience that they spread at an alarming rate. People and animals have been badly injured and even killed when the Bomberos where not summoned in time and millions of pesetas worth of crops have been lost too.