The Boars and the Bees

Tuesday, June 26, 2012


Jim's Nature Roundup

Hello, friends. We've been a little short on pictures lately (not so short on time consuming hard work), but here's a quick look into the nature side of life on the farm - the flora and fauna of Tuscany. We'll report back with a couple more well-focused nature posts, but for now this intro will have to do. My time spent at Alderleaf Wilderness College changed the way I see the world, and now, after slowly transforming Allie into a wide-eyed naturalist, we both constantly find ourselves on the lookout for sweet new flowers, awesome trees and mysterious animal tracks. Since we're still beginners, most of our enthusiasm stems from the fantastic idea of EDIBLE wild plants (and for me more than Al edible critters, too). In the right place with the right knowledge, a forest, meadow or coastline turns into a free trip to the best grocery store this planet has to offer. I love snacks, and Tuscany is full of them.

Here's a quick look at some of the wildlife we've found on our walks here at Barbialla Nuova.
Allie has seen a minimum of 16 wild boar out and about while we've been here - usually when walking trails alone between 3-6pm or so. At first it was terrifying but now we think of them as friends.


One of our major tasks lately has been clearing and remarking the extensive hiking trails on the property. No photographic proof yet of the pain endured during these excursions, but the picture above should give an idea of the way the nature defends itself and why certain things just aren't meant to be touched...even if the protected fruits are gross, slightly poisonous and mostly useless.

There are so many more plants and animals here, so we have some pictures to take! But until then - ciao ciao, ragazzi.

-Jimbo

Simplicity

Saturday, June 16, 2012

When you take a quick glimpse at our lives here at Barbialla Nuova and compare it with our city lives in lovely South Boston, there's one key theme to how our current life differs. Simplicity.  We have been relishing in the simplicity of our lives here, and really allowing ourselves to live this 180-degree change to its full oppositeness. There have been a couple drawbacks to this (you can't put up a weekly blog post when you're mostly ignoring technology - whoops!), but for the most part it's been a great way to get to know our new home in the best possible way.

Besides the obvious fact that we're living on a farm rather than in the hustle and bustle of a city, here are some of the reasons we've been forced to simplicity:
  1. No cell phones
  2. Very slow internet connection
  3. No vehicle
  4. Five day wardrobe
  5. No TV
  6. No income
Doesn't this list seem generally negative? I think I would have thought so if I looked at it a couple of months ago. But au contraire!  I love (almost) everything on this list.  It eases the mind to have limited options and less going on. It's amazing to now know so clearly the difference between things we need and things we want. We have only spent money on food since we've been here (and barely any at that), and instead we've had time to read, and learn, and spend time with our new friends and neighbors - and of course, each other.  No TV means more reading, no cell phones means people need to actually be there when they say they will (how lovely!) and less clothes means no morning battle with myself over what to wear.

So with that, here is a list of the simple things that we are loving here at Barbialla:
  1. fresh fruits and veggies
  2. spending time outside every day
  3. kind friends and neighbors
  4. the delicious scent of wildflowers
  5. wild cherry & mulberry trees
  6. cute kids experiencing their first ladybug/apricot/snake in the grass
  7. waking up to the rooster crow
  8. one pot meals with 5 ingredients or less
  9. gardening & hiking
  10. books to read, sheltering arms, and a cozy bed
(To name just a few).

And here are some more simple meals and moments from our time here so far.







More to come next week - Happy Father's Day!!


Valli Valli Bonci!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Wow - a full 11 days that we've been here! Can you believe it? On one hand I feel like we've been here forever, but on the other we could have just gotten here yesterday...time is weird.



We're really getting a hang of things now. Each morning after some Italian caffĂ© and some breakfast (fruit and/or farm fresh eggs) we take the 5 minute walk down the path to reception/the farm. Depending on the day, Jim and I will either get started on some task together, or he'll help out with the veggie garden/compost pile/landscaping while I help out with checking in guests/weeding/various reception activities. At lunch we head up to Vallibonci (home) for a yummy meal, or join our hosts at the farm for a shared one.


The afternoons are extremely varied, but more often than not we head out together to explore and clear one of the many trails on the 1200 acre land (one of our favorite responsibilities here!). We stop by the farm afterwards to say hi and check in, snag some greens from the garden and some wine from the organic farm shop, then head home for an long and lovely dinner (I cook, J cleans!). Infine, we play Uno/identify wildflowers & animal tracks/watch Game of Thrones (con vino, naturalmente), then head off to bed.



For today I wanted to give you all a closer look at Vallibonci, our home!


We live in a lovely one-bedroom apartment on the second floor, next to our neighbors Mary (motorcycle mechanic/singer) & Francesco (bee keeper/truffle hunter), and above the communal kitchen where weekly lunches are served and where the sourdough bread is baked. There is also a bedroom on the ground floor for any additional volunteers who come during the summer.



The back yard is a magical place, especially when the sun is going down and there's a constant warm breeze flowing from the hills.
















My favorite things about Vallibonci are Bobby (who greets us happily outside every single morning and night), the sunny spot near the wind chimes, and our awesome neighbors. We'd hardly met Francesco when we walked up to our door last week and he handed us an uncorked bottle of red wine that he'd been bottling outside (made by a friend, apparently). A couple of days later Mary is handing us piles of greens from her garden and 1/3 of a bottle of Vin Santo (made by the same friend), and asking me to get the chickens back in the coop for her since she's running out the door. I love farm-neighbors!

My less favorite things might be the hit-or-miss hot water and the mysterious odor that wafts from our shower each evening (fondly dubbed the Night Stink - sung by Bob Seger). But we'll take it :).



Before we part, here are some cose di interesse:
  • Have any of you ever seen a mulberry bush?? We have one up near the Brentina apartments, and mulberries are delicious. Somewhat bland, but fruity & sugary - who knew? Happy Earth also has good tips on veggie gardening that I'll be checking out again.
  • I came across this article just after having a conversation with our hosts about how "Italian" food in the states often means adding too much cream to pasta dishes or adding Italian dressing to salads. Ivano made the good point that naming an unhealthy pasta after "Alfred" seems just plain offensive. I'm sure with the mix of people who are always here I can look forward to plenty of our own Italian table talks.
  • This post summarizes the month of May for us, as we patiently awaited our adventure! Glad to be here at last. 
Ciao, amici!