Casalinho

Author: Andrea

  • Too Close for Comfort

    Our volunteers wrote a lovely tutorial on hot composting for me to post here, but anything hot doesn’t seem appropriate after yesterday afternoon! We had our first forest fire of the year, the closest to Casalinho we’ve experienced. One of our visitors raised the alarm, and whilst another phoned the emergency services I drove down more »

  • In the Kitchen: Dolmades

    Finally, despite some pretty rotten weather earlier in the year, our vines are looking lush and green. Of course the goats adore them, but I see no reason why they should get all the fun, particularly as they get so many at harvest time. It’s quite possible to harvest a reasonable number of leaves from more »

  • How to: Make Compost in Just 18 Days

    One of the practical sessions during our Permaculture Design Courses is often the building a hot compost heap. Pretty much any organic materials left in a pile will compost eventually, but by carefully shaping a heap with the optimal mix of ingredients we can ensure that it creates heat, speeding up the composting process and killing weed more »

  • A Visitor’s Perspective: The Land of (Goat’s) Milk & Honey

    This is part of a series of posts where we ask one of our volunteers or visitors to say a few words. Max was with us for a marvellous six weeks, and wrote this piece the evening before he continued his travels.   A Visitor’s Perspective: The Land of (Goat’s) Milk & Honey   Six weeks more »

  • Doing Battle with Broom

    We’ve obviously had weather conditions perfect for broom this Spring, because the hillsides are entirely yellow at the moment. Although beautiful when all in flower, broom is a plant that proving difficult for us to keep under control. I can fully understand why, in some parts of the world, it’s considered an invasive pest. As more »

  • A Visitor’s Perspective: Serge’s Diary (part 5)

    This is part of a series of posts where we ask one of our volunteers or visitors to say a few words. Serge is one of our longer staying volunteers, and has kindly agreed to share his diary.   A Visitor’s Perspective: Serge’s Diary  A week has passed since my latest trip back to Lisbon more »

  • A Visitor’s Perspective: Musings on Goats

    This is part of a series of posts where we ask one of our volunteers or visitors to say a few words. The spectacularly named  ‘Horatio Lovejoy’ (he’s shy!!) has been volunteering with us for around 6 weeks now, plenty of time to get to know the goats.   A Visitor’s Perspective: Musings on Goats   more »

  • A Visitor’s Perspective: Serge’s Diary (part 4)

    This is part of a series of posts where we ask one of our volunteers or visitors to say a few words. Serge is one of our longer staying volunteers, and has kindly agreed to share his diary.   A Visitor’s Perspective: Serge’s Diary  I came back from Lisbon one week ago to find Casalinho more »

  • Volunteer / Training Space Update – Door

    Our intended training room has served multiple uses since we completed it; volunteer hang out space, kids party venue, bedroom, storage space, cinema and even a training room where we’ve hosted three Permaculture Design Courses. But all would probably agree that proper doors would help no end with keeping the temperature steady. Cue Pete, recent more »

  • Showered with Good Fortune (part 2)

    We’ve won the 2013 WWOOF Host Grant, which we’re thrilled about. This is the story of the new shower block we’re funding with the grant.  I recently posted pictures of the intended site of our new shower block, which demonstrated the huge amount of sheer hard work required  before building could begin. We’ve been blessed more »