Just like nature, we have been following winter’s rhythm and stopped posting on our blog for a while. During this time, we have been focusing our attention towards all the goodness that the past year brought to us, learnt from the lessons harvested and adjusted to some changes in the team in order to grow new strong roots.
This is not about hibernation though. Behind the scenes, just like in the soil’s depth, there has been a lot happening at Danyadara and the seeds of new projects are ready to germinate.
Our team has been busy pruning ancient olive trees following the precious guidance of Juan Casado, innovative land management expert and founder of Gesmontes. We now have an impressive amount of firewood to keep us warm, and around 800 trees ready to receive more sunshine, grow new branches and bear juicy olives for the next harvest. Once we finish pruning, Juan will show us how to produce a chemical-free fertilizer with ash, molasses and other natural earthloving goodies!
Last week we were blessed with rain which is turning our vegetable gardens into a lush explosion of greens, flowers, and to the sheer joy of Jacob, our farm manager, the first cilantro leaves! Still, there are no words to describe the great parties that slugs are having out there! Luckily, the harvest is plentiful to be shared and make lemon verbena and mint tea, green juices, smudge sticks, aromatic herbs mixes and delicious salads.
Taking care of our food forest, continuing the grazing rotation of our animals and sowing parsley, kale and lettuce in the greenhouse were also on our to-do-list.
We are very grateful to our amazing team of volunteers and Permaculture Design Course alumni who decided to stay on after the course to help out with the olive harvest and all the winter thrills!
Any place can thrive when the biodiversity of people and nature is valued and enhanced and we are lucky to see that becoming our reality day after day here at Danyadara.
Eduarda, one of our previous students, has recently moved onto new adventures after 5-months with us, leaving everyone wrapped up in her vibrant and warm energy. While in January, Leslie joined us as the new Programme Assistant. Thanks to her experience in managing training courses, environmental education and community farming, she will help run our inspiring Permaculture Design Courses and take care of the land. So, we are looking forward to the early Andalusian spring coming our way and the new developments it will bring.
If you are curious to learn how we manage our ecosystem, keen to get your hands dirty and immerse yourself in a stimulating environment join our 2-month residential Permaculture Design Course coming up in May! For more information, check out the course description and curriculum here. The limited places available are filling up quickly so make sure you send in your application in order to be part of an unforgettable experience!