Prickly Pear (Opuntia nopales)

At Semilla Besada this is the first time we have harvested and prepared the paddles or ‘leaves’  of the Prickly Pear (Opuntia nopales).   There were three distinct phases to this process.   First, selection of the appropriate paddles.   Second, safe harvesting.   Third, preparation of the paddles for eating.

Based on the research we did, we selected only young paddles (about 16cm in length from this year’s growth).   Both the paddles and the fruit are covered with tiny spines which easily pierce the skin and cause irritation.   They are easily disturbed and float in the air where they can be inhaled or enter the eyes.   We protected ourselves from these affects by wearing long-sleeved shirts, trousers, a bandana over the nose and mouth and leather working gloves.   We did not wear anything over the eyes, but sunglasses should provide some protection.   That said, we still got the spines in our hands and clothes, but the irritation only lasted a day.   A shower and clean clothes are a must after harvesting!

Again, based on research, we processed the paddles as follows.   Wearing leather or thick rubber gloves, we

Preparation of Prickly Pear paddles

 held the paddle at the end which was originally attached to the plant.   Using a sharp paring knife we removed the skin and spines along the edge of the paddle.   We then removed the spine nodules on both sides of the paddle.   Beneath the skin is the gelatinous looking flesh.   The paddle was then rinsed under cold running water with the knife, then placed on a clean plate, where it was sliced into small pieces.

Finally, the diced paddle was added to a pot of boiling water and cooked until tender, about 20 mins.   When it was cooked, we rinsed it under cold running water again and served it as part of a salad.   We also read that the rinsing process was to remove the surplus mucilagenous sap, which was an acquired taste.   We did not find any surplus sap …. perhaps it depends upon the age of the paddle.

And, of course, last but not least … the taste?   Initially, they taste like a French bean, but then a slightly acidic taste follows rather reminiscent of sorrel, for those who are familiar with wild-crafting salads.   For those not, it tastes slightly vinegary.   I think these are a ‘last resort’ vegetable as they are time intensive in harvesting and particularly, preparation.   But if time is not of the essence, then enjoy!

Aspen, still itching, signing off from Semilla Besada.

Dryland Permaculture

Semilla Besada is the first location in Europe that is developing Dryland Permaculture designs that are

Sheep turning grass into fertility

appropriate to brittle landscapes.   As Permaculture enters the mainstream thinking it is becoming increasingly important that aspiring designers understand the implications of brittleness on their designs.   Unfortunately, no Permaculture Design training includes this important environmental insight or understanding of the Savory Brittleness Scale.  

So, why is it so important?   Setting land aside or leaving things to nature or completely resting land in a non-brittle environment is likely to lead to the development of a forest.   In a brittle landscape, it is likely to lead to the generation of a desert!   This is because there is not the consistent year-round moisture in brittle landscapes to break down dead vegetation and make it available for soil dwellers to take it below the surface to nurture plant life and support soil microbiology.   In the natural systems of old, grazing animals would eat dead vegetation and the microbiology of their digestion would deposit fertility on the soil surface, to be taken underground by creatures such as dung beetles.

If grazing animals are not allowed to play their part in a brittle landscape, then dead vegetation builds up,

Spread of shrubs and bare soil

 suffocating new growth in perennial grasses, allowing perennial shrubs to spread.   As their are no browsing animals to prune the shrubs and keep them in good health, they do not live for long.   Unfortunately, due to the lack of consistent year-round moisture there is no decaying dead vegetation on the soil surface to nurture plants above and microbes below, there is simply oxidising material, which is blow away by the wind or burnt by fire, leaving bare soil in their wake.   Bare soil is dead soil, and ultimately with erosion by sun, wind and rain, becomes a desert.

At Semilla Besada though, we have been using grazing animals in a holistically planned way, as part of our Dryland Permaculture design, and the difference between the land we manage and that we do not is striking.   The comparative locations are in the same area, with the same soil, same climate and even the same season, but the difference is startling, as witnessed by the photo below.

Foreground Semilla Besada, background neighbouring land

This photo was taken in May, and as the summer set in, the perennial grasses in between the grape vines went dormant (biscuit coloured) but the vines continued to thrive and bring life to the soil.   The landscape beyond, however, became more and more bare, with not even dead plant litter on the soil surface to mitigate the affect of the sun.   All simply because grazing animals were not being managed holistically, resulting in overall degradation of the landscape.

Aspen  heaving a sigh of relief at the arrival of the first rains last night.

Wild Fire Behaviour

The Mt Lujar fire nearly out in 2000

Australia is the source of some of the most compelling information about wildfires.   Now, wild fires are not just fires that happen naturally and spontaneously, they include fires that are started by humans in the natural environment.   In fact, in the Alpujarras, southern Spain, all wild fires are caused by humans.   The impact can be devasting, as witnessed by ourselves at Semilla Besada   in 2006.   Two walkers were the cause of a fire that burnt out 2,500 hectares of Natural Park, which resulted in the death of a fire fighter and the loss of a number of homes and livelihoods.

For those who live in temperate environments, it is difficult to imagine what a wild fire is like.   The following are some of the statistics collected by the Australians, which highlight the danger of fire.

• The flames of a grassfire can rise to five times the height of the grass.
• Burning undergrowth can ignite the crown of trees which then develps into a ‘running crown fire’ and is the most dangerous stage of a forest fire.
• Burning debris can be carried ahead of the fire.   Eucalypt trees encourage this behaviour and can start a spot fire 4km ahead of the fire.   Pine trees similarly can create spot fires 2.5km and grasslands up to 100m ahead of the fire front.
• Fast forest fires can move at 15km an hour at the head.   Grassfires are faster and can move at 20km an hour.
• The speed at which a wild fire spreads increases as it goes uphill.  For every 10% increse in slope, up to 30 degrees, the speed of the wild fire doubles.
• Fire traveling upa 20 degree slope goes four times faster than on flat land.   Conversely, fire travels slower downhill.
• Fire intensity at the head of the fire can be 60,000 kW/m:  that’s the equivalent to the same heat generated by 60,000 single bar electric heaters for every metre of the fire front.
• Fire fighters can only just control a fire of an intensity of 2,000 kW& m.

Sobering statistics, but hopefully will make all those new to fire risk areas, think twice before they act carelessly in natural areas.

Aspen signing off in a sombre mood in the Alpujarras

Fire in the Mediterranean

Fire opposite Semilla Besada 2000

Surprisingly, the Mediterranean is ranked third in the world as a fire-risk area.   Why is this?   Unfortunately, as rural areas are abandoned or grazing animals are no longer used, dead vegetation simply builds up and becomes fire fuel.   There is the popular belief that if things are ‘left to nature’ then that plant material will break down providing fertility for the ultimate establishment of trees.   This may be the tendency in temperate and tropical environments, but in dryland areas this is not the case.   In fact, leaving dead vegetation to build up on the soil surface without any animal impact simply provides a suffocating mat of material through which little can grow.   As wind and rain eventually break this debris down, all that will be beneath will be bare soil.   Bare soil is dead soil.   It will continue to be eroded by the elements, providing an inhospitable environment for plants to establish above ground, or soil microbes to survive below ground.   The net result is a desert.

Using grazing animals in a holistically planned way can ensure that this does not happen.   At Semilla Besada, a flock of sheep prevent the build up of dead vegetation, help build soil fertility and provide both meat and fleece.  

Aspen signing off in anticipation of rain and in the hope of the last of this year’s fire risk. 

Pasteurisation / Sterilisation of Milk

We normally buy, or swap, fresh goats milk from our spanish neighbour, Paco. This we usually boil for 20 minutes to sterilise it completely.  This we believed necessary to eliminate the risk of Brucellosis, TB, Listeria etc. However at this time of the year when the goats are reaching the end of their milking cycle, very often when we boil it it curdles. All is not wasted since we turn it into soft cheeses but a cup of tea using  UHT milk is almost undrinkable!.  So with that in mind I’ve been on the internet and found from various sites that pasteurisation is sufficient to clean the milk of  the above ‘nasties’ and it affects much less the nutritional quality of the milk. The possible methods for pasteurisation are as follows:

Temperature of 66C ( 150F ) for 30 minutes, or

temperature of 72C ( 161F ) for 15 seconds, or

temperature of  89C ( 191F ) for 1 second, or

temperature of 100C ( 212F ) for 0.01 second.

With this new information we can save us and our planet a lot of butane gas,  and a large amount of our time.

I’m off for a cup of tea!

David

Millet (Pennisetum glaucum)

mature Millet seed head

As part of our overall holisticgoal for the conservation farm, Semilla Besada, we consistently manage for ongoing sustainability.   This means not only ‘cutting our coat according to our cloth’ but contributing to our consumption.   Although we are probably 80% self-sufficient in food, we generate very little of what we probably eat 60% of …. grain!    To move us towards greater self-sufficiency, we have been growing Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum) for the past two years.  

We began with a small packet of seed from Nicky’s Nursery, variety Lime Green from which we were able to germinate 10 plants in modules.    These were planted out after all danger of frost had past. (at Semilla Besada this is about the middle of May)  They performed well and generated enough seed to enable us to plant 300 plants this year.   They grew very well, and produced mature seed heads by the middle of August.   This makes them a star performer in a short-season, dryland environment.

On the 13th August, we noticed that about 20% of the seed heads had been eaten.   So, we harvested all the seed, and some we put into our outdoor produce dryer and the remainder we placed on a mesh bed to dry indoors.   In the dryer, the seed matured more quickly, and is now ready to strip off the plant stalks and store.   The rest is quite dry, but some of the seeds are still green.  

Aspen signing off from Semilla Besada, the first farmstead in Europe under Holistic Management.

Andalusian Blue Chickens

Prudence with her chicks

Andalusian Blue hens are good mothers, and this year this has been especially so.   We have had 9 ‘broody’ hens (ones that are willing and eager to sit on a nest of eggs for the prescribed 21 days!) at Semilla Besada which has meant that we currently have 12 pullets (young chickens) from the Spring hatching, and 11 chicks from the late summer hatching, with one broody hen still sitting on a clutch of 5 eggs.   This means that we have tripled our flock in one season, so for anyone who lives in southern Spain and is interested in a rare breed which has been naturally reared, then we have birds for sale.   However, it is important that you have a secure chicken house and free-ranging area before you consider taking on chickens.   We are also not prepared to sell to anyone who intends to keep the chickens permanently penned.   Anyone interested can email me on aspen@holisticdecisions.com.

Aspen signing off on a humid day in August on the farm.

Holistic Management Seminar

Aspen and participants on the Holistic Management Seminar.

We have just completed a week long seminar in Holistic Management.

There were three participants ( 4 being our maximum for sustainablity ) and their nationalities were Norwegian, Italian and American, the latter two now living in Spain.

We are currently the only venue in Europe where this course is available and intend to offer two in the coming year ( 2009) .

A comment from one trainee was ” This has been a very rewarding experience, in a wonderful place. Thank you Aspen and David! I don’t think I am able to help you improve on this, because I can’t think of any thing to improve.”

If you would like more information on subsequent courses please contact us.

Dryland Permaculture Design

Foreground Semilla Besada as compared with neighborouring land

Permaculture practices developed in temperate or tropical environments cannot be applied to dryland environments without a sound understanding of the principles that underpin them.   Here at Semilla Besada, we discovered this through experience.   When we moved to the Alpujarras in southern Spain, we designed and managed our land along temperate Permaculture practices.   Four years on, we had less biodiversity and more bare soil.   This was definitely not the direction in which we wanted to go!   It was then that we heard of the pivotal environmental insights of Allan Savory, and his holistic decision-making framework, Holistic Management.   We realised that our ignorance of where Semilla Besada was on the Savory Brittleness Scale, and its implications for our farm design and management.

When we shifted our focus from trying to generate a ‘forest garden’ to a ‘grazed orchard’ and introduced grazing animals, holistically managed, we quickly saw the return of Semilla Besada’s landscape to robust health.   Four years have passed and the results of our management is startling when compared with the landscape that surrounds us, which shows increasing bare ground and only supports grasses which are sown annually and fertilised with chemicals.    By contrast the foreground shows perennial grasses, which have been managed with holistic planned grazing, together with a vineyard of over 100 plants.   See the photo at the top.

Aspen

Holistic Management in Europe

The second Holistic Management seminar is being hosted at Semilla Besada, and it’s only four days to go.   Earlier in the year we hosted people from France and Italy, and this time, we have participants from Spain, Italy and Norway.   It’s exciting times!   With so much of the dryland areas of Europe under threat of desertification, it is encouraging to know that there will now be people out there using the pivotal insights that are Holistic Management’s cornerstone.   There are now 12 million hectares (30 million acres) of land under Holistic Management worldwide and desertification, which has defied the UN attempts for a solution for over 50 years, is being reversed, providing new lives for people and communities in Africa, Australis and America.

Aspen, looking forward to facilitating the next Holistic Management seminar in Europe.