Paul, Portugal
PAUL, PORTUGAL August 1-7, 2011
(FOR INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT IS COVERED IN EACH & EVERY WORKSHOP, CLICK HERE)
I am extremely excited to be going to Portugal to teach a straw bale workshop this summer. This will be my first time teaching in Europe and I’m very much looking forward to it. The 7 Day Straw Bale Workshop is being held in the beautiful mountainous region of Serra da Estrela, rich in natural beauty, cultural heritage and history. The Serra da Estrela area is a wonderland of mountains. Clean air, crystal-clear streams, and the ubiquitous sheep make it a magical destination. This workshop will be taught in English. Here is a description of the project from the host:
Brief Description of the Workshop Building
“Quinta da Calma ” is mine and my wife’s life project. It is nestled at the foot of of the Serra da Estrela mountain, northeast of Portugal, with an altitude of + – 500 mtrs. The project we are undertaking is now in its initial phase, infrastructure development and acquisition of natural resources, allowing us to develop as self-sufficiently as possible, within the criteria of Permaculture.
Its purpose embraces the transformation of 40 hectares of wild land, abandoned and in constant danger of fire. Its present vegetation is pine and eucalyptus, but also arbutus and some old chestnuts that have survived oblivion. We want to recover the indigenous forest of Chestnuts and Oaks, and in some areas, creating conditions for a food forest. The land is rich in water, springs and a creek, which has enabled us to grasp it in a pond.
Currently, we are rebuilding a 100 year old stone house typical of the area. A Mongolian Yurt, two dry toilets and solar showers are our contributions to the infrastructures … and nature does the rest: A hammock rest area beneath the mimosas, a river and waterfall to cool off after work, shady and wet areas for summer … a snack under the Linden.
The agricultural project is based on the production of organic honey and related products (pollen, wax, propolis …) and the production of Shiitake (Lentinus edodes) an edible mushroom native to East Asia highly appreciated for its antiviral and anticancer properties.
During the workshop, we will be building a straw bale barn which will be used to incubate the mushrooms. The barn has 200 m2 (20m x 10m) with a timber frame structure and straw bale infill. Half of the barn will be used to grow the mushrooms with an irrigation system inside to control the humidity in the environment. The other half will be a workshop.
You can find my farm on this map:
The closest village is Paul and is also close to Serra da Estrela, the highest mountain in Portugal. The closest airports from my farm are Lisbon and Oporto (both around 300KM away). To get here, one can take a bus to Covilhã or Tortosendo or a train (if coming from Lisbon).
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