Fire Water.

When André is not too busy pruning olive trees he likes to wear Esquilo scarves. This week I finished another scarf which you can find for sale in the store.

A few months ago we started picking Irish Strawberries (Arbutus Unedo or Tree Strawberry, Medronho in Portuguese), a very common fruit here in the Serra da Malcata and most of Portugal. A very expensive and sought after drink is made from this fruit, called Medronho. It is what we call a fire water, a spirit distilled from the fermented fruit that has an exaggerated percentage of alcohol, somewhere between 20 and 80%. After we picked the fruit, which must be ripe, we placed it in a large container and mashed and stirred it over several days and then covered it and kinda forgot about it for a few months. Meanwhile we started on the Olive campaign and had little time for anything else. That is, until last week. I organized for a lady from town, Maria Rosa, to come and help us distill the fruit mush. This lady had distilled Medronho before, a task she learned from her parents such a long time ago that she does not even really remember when. Distilling this fruit is very particular and much different from distilling aguardente made from the left overs of grapes from the wine making process, for example. 

The Still belonged to André´s granddad and is a piece of art, made from copper with brass handles. To seal the Alembic a paste is made from flour, ash and water. This paste is called "massa infernal", Infernal dough. We decided to distill using a wood fire as opposed to using gas, it required a little more attention and control from our part to make sure the fire was not too strong or too weak. But we felt this just made the experience more genuine and I felt like a true alchemist, who knows perhaps even channeled the spirit of Jabir Ibn Hayyan. Needless to say it was a huge success. The Aguardente is smooth and fragrant and no less stronger yet softer than its grape relative. And not only are we happy with our efforts but also thrilled that this task managed to revive the enthusiasm of some people in town to do the same next year but also recovered lost memories in some of making the same powerful spirit decades ago.

Somewhere between all this I managed to make another scarf and help a friend Alice make some blood sausages. And then the cold really finally arrived. This tuesday it might snow. But now we can drink our firewater by the fire and really warm up on the outside and on the inside. 

Meanwhile on the side, I found some interesting reading material relating to a Sir Richard Hawkins (an English seaman, probably a pirate), who had a Still on board his ship, that he may have abandoned in Brazil around 1590 (as you do), that was used to distill salt water to be made drinkable. Pretty impressive. The Brazilians of course used it to distill sugar cane and to make Cachaça. So I guess next time we drink a Caipirinha we must salute Hawkins and Hayyan alike! HAW HAY!

I Olive you.

Olives, olives, olives. Over this last month both waking and dreaming life have been filled with olives. This adventure started when after last year´s success with fermented olives led us to pick them again this year. However, we soon realized that we had far too many to ferment when every container we had was filled to the brim with the little buggers. So we decided that picking for oil was probably a good idea, until we realized that the minimum weights the press accepts in order for you to have your own oil were upwards of 300kg. We were looking at a yield of little more than 100kg.  

If we were to have oil as close as ours would be, if we had a greater quantity, we would also have to pick olives from as close to our trees as possible. As fate would have it, our neighbor, unable to pick her own allowed us to pick them. And then the neighbor next to her did the same. All of a sudden we found ourselves working from dusk till dawn atop towering trees that had never once been pruned. It was not an easy task, especially when the surrounding field had been sewn with oat which was already quite tall and our fear of destroying the crop coupled with our fear of falling from the trees made for an extreme olive picking experience. I am surprised I did not dream of porridge.

Each day after picking the olives we still had to clean them of all the leaves and other debris in order to bag them and have them preserve as well and for as long as possible. Experienced pickers with special machines pick over one ton in one weekend, but we actually think they lie when they tell us this is the case. We managed little more than half that in one month. But it was a very productive month and I still managed to weave 5 scarves. I was pretty happy with my efforts.

Much happier still when we weighed our crop and realized we had actually worked quite well considering, and when the oil started to flow it was incredibly rewarding. This year the oil yields were quite low, due to shifts in temperature during the maturation process, so we did not expect to get much oil. We were very happy when we brought home a whopping 75 Liters. This amount is more than enough for us to consume as well as to pay our "bosses" their part.

And as far as taste goes, well… it is outstanding. We have an extra virgin olive oil, with low acidity and with tropical fruit aromas (there is a touch of bananas in there). As far as pungency goes it is a two-cough oil, and because it has not been filtered we also have what is known as a cloudy oil. And just look at that colour. All we need now is some gold leaf flakes to add to it and it will be worth its weight of the same solid metal. We have a small amount of oil reserved for sale and if you are interested in having some of this precious liquid, let me know.

Now we rest by the fire. The one pictured above is not ours. Unfortunately our fire is nowhere near this towering inferno of warmth. And we brace ourselves for the frosty cold weather that will soon ruin almost everything in our garden but the cabbages and some resistant yet to be identified mushrooms.

Needless to say the next scarf woven will be olive inspired.

A merry festive season to all.

More scarves for sale.

As promised here are some more scarves for sale. You can find them at my Etsy Store. Follow the link here.

As per usual I hope you like these scarves and if you have any questions fell free to get in touch.

New scarves for sale!!!!

I have been very busy with so many things lately that I have not had the time to keep you posted. But not to worry. Here are three new scarves that you can buy for your loved ones this Christmas or for any other occasion you think appropriate. As per usual they have been handwoven using 100% Portuguese wool. If you live anywhere near this part of the world then these scarves will come in quite handy right now. It is very very cold outside and trust me, having to light your fireplace before 10 o´clock in the morning is not romantic. 

As per usual the scarves are for boys and girls. André kindly offered to model the three scarves. Small portuguese country towns are notorious for their lack of models of any kind. Needless to say that the individuals willing to model will do just about anything as you can see from the results and André was wonderful to work with.

You can see more photos of the scarves as well as all the information you need at the Esquilo Handmade shop. Here is the link, https://www.etsy.com/shop/EsquiloHandmade.

You can also custom order if you have a particular color or size in mind. Send me an email.

Thistle, rug and clogs.

Declared a pest in Western Australia, the artichoke thistle (Cynara Cardunculus spp. flavenscens) is used in Portugal as a rennet substitute when making cheese. The flower of this thistle is very large and in bloom at the moment. It looks just like an artichoke in everyway except for the nasty thorns. Traditionally the bluish purple petals are collected and allowed to dry. Then, in a clay mortar with wooden pestle, the one pictured above was actually used for the purpose, the petals are ground. Some say that the lower part of these petals, the brown seed part can also be used. All agree that you need quite a lot of the plant in order for it to have the desired effect. I collected these for my cousin who has a goat and wants to try making cheese. Perhaps she can use these two flower heads for seed instead and hopefully they will not grow in biblical pest proportions. As an extra note on the wooden pestle, the smaller one I bought from an old craftsman from Salvador, a town nearby. When I asked him what this bit of carved wood was used for, his answer was specific, "a pestle for grinding thistle", not coriander and garlic, "thistle". I thought it was a small rolling pin used to make zig zag patterns on pastry or something like that. I should have stuck to my archaeological roots and said it was used for ritual instead.

I have never been a fan of cheese, but I wouldn´t mind learning how to make it. I imagine it is not difficult, but like anything it would require a lot of practice. After all, the ladies in town that still make cheese, mostly these days with store bought rennet, are 80+ years old on the majority. I estimate that is at least a 65 year cheese making career. They may not be the best teachers, as often is the case when teaching things that are done so intuitively and with techniques and ways that have been passed down through the times that no one really knows why they are the way they are anymore, just simply that they work. And curiously enough these days science always has a good explanation for it all. Science has not yet managed to explain why changing the water of fermenting olives on a windy day is a no no, nor why the wind gets inside the olives and makes them soft. But I assure you that everyone you ask in town will agree this is the case. What say you Science?

The question of whether my teachers will be good or not is irrelevant. I need teachers or I may become one of these fools that Hunter S. Thompson referred to. "He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master".  This does beg the question, can the teachers in turn be themselves self taught. I assumed it was implied that this should not be the case.

A close up of a slice of zucchini, a nice pattern that would make a pretty tile for, say, a kitchen wall.

From one close up to another. This time we have a close up of a small rug I finished today, again made in an effort to better my skills at using and teaching how to use this loom. I threaded the warp incorrectly, doubled up on a heddle, and the result is that white line you see. It was not done on purpose and it does not bother me much, it is very Saori after all, and will serve as a good example to show my future students. I wanted to replicate a small rug we have that has seen better days. I can´t stand T yarn, I know it is a good way of recycling and all that, but I can´t stand everything about it, the way if feels the way it looks… But for the purpose of this particular piece it works perfectly, it is cheap, has the right weight, grows quickly… blah blah, can´t stand it.

My new clogs look quite good on the new rug. I also want to learn how to make clogs. So many things to learn.

Rags and Weeds.

My task of fixing and setting up the loom I told you about in the last post is almost complete. One loom (there are actually 2 to fix) is fully operational now and I just really need to focus on the easiest and best way to set it up so that I can teach those who will be using it. I have been learning a lot, especially about how to set up the loom from front to back. It is true that you stick with the way you learnt first, for me it was from back to front. So it is all a little upside down for me right now.

For a second project on this loom I decided to use more traditional materials to simulate possible future works that might be carried out. I hope I am not conditioning the loom in any way, a bit like growing tomatoes in used tomato cans. I always have lots of bits of fabrics lying around and some really not so pretty ones that are perfect for using in rag rugs. The trick is not to be too lazy like me and tear the strips of fabric as these tend to fray and make the whole process so much slower. I suggest you take the long road and cut with something sharp like scissors. I also used some wool I got from the blanket workshop I did last year as well as other bits and pieces of wool I had left from the scarves. I essentially made a sampler of leftovers. It was also a good opportunity to try out some different finishing techniques. I normally use the Peruvian twining stitch to finish the scarves, I find it is neater, but for rugs hemstitching works quite well.

It is always fun to get my very patient model André to believe that he starting a new trend. Last Summer he wore a thick woolen jacket. This summer he believes rag rugs are the latest in headdress, for the sun conscious. Ah, of course! Who would have thought.

And then there is the light, thanks to which we can see clearly that it is all so worthwhile.

To finish, a nice plate of weeds and assorted greens from the garden. When picking weeds for your next meal, make sure you know what you are really picking. Remember the importance of calling "…each thing by its right name."(Pasternak, Dr. Zhivago) Not doing so, in the weed picking context, could have unforeseen consequences. Eat your weeds. 

I´m back.

It has been far too long between posts. But as they say "better late than never", whoever `they´may be.

Back home on the farm and things are moving at a snail´s pace, especially now that the heat has arrived in force and working after lunch with a full belly and tired body seems almost impossible. That said, the mornings have been very productive. Particularly productive for the ants that insist on stealing all the seeds that I sow, single file of no particular style, into some yet to be discovered super secret hideout.

To begin with, a close up of a hand woven bed spread, that was made as a souvenir from a town called Sarzedas. It says "gratidão", which means gratitude. The colours are bright electric and the whole piece  is woven always using the 2 colours meaning the bobbles can be raised on the same warp pass in either green or pink. I decided that because this bead spread was too small for my bed that it would look better hanging on the wall. It has helped reduced the echo in the room and given it a warm and cosy feel. Not sure this was such a good idea going into the warm weather, the room has become far too inviting for naps and possibly a lot warmer than would be desired for this time of the year.

As a goodbye gift, before I left Sydney, my good friend David Loong gave me the most wonderful gift. A pendant that is a small pot for flowers. It holds several very small flowers of your liking and even water so the flowers stay fresh. It is very beautiful. If you like this piece go and check out David´s page on Etsy, where you can see some more original and creative designs. All hand made. I have my eye on a pendant called "squirreling" that has the following, most wonderful, story attached:

"While squirrels enjoy the nutritional rewards that come from collecting acorns, their primary concern is to amass as large a reserve as possible of little acorn hats, which they wear almost every day if possible. Whilst in size this headwear is more suited to young squirrels, at some point in the distant past adult squirrels took to donning acorn caps as a fashion statement, and the trend has continued unabated for thousands of years. As the small size makes them hard to secure, it is very common for squirrels to go through four or five caps every day simply through accidental loss, so gathering as many as possible when they are in season is essential for any squirrel who wants to look good in public." (David Loong)

While in Sydney I came across a wrap around wool skirt by a Designer called Donald Davies. You can read about him at the Vintage Fashion Guild. Most likely my skirt is from the 1970´s. It was most certainly designed for a very tall lady who also very likely wore platform shoes. It actually fits me as a dress! The Davies duo, Mary his wife was the designer, came up with the best color combinations, something that I sometimes get stuck with. I instantly found them inspiring for my rigid heddle loom. The pieces I weave on this loom, as some of you may already know, are always plain weave and so what makes them interesting in my opinion are the color combinations. And so the first pice off the loom was a kind of replica of this Davies design. All the colors are just slightly enough different for it to look nothing like the original, and this is a good thing I guess. I made a small scarf that I gave to my friend who lives in Berlin for her birthday. I am sure it will come very handy in a few months time when she needs to brave the cold weather while riding her bike listening to minimal electro or techno music (take your pick, I picked electro).

I have been asked to help fix and set up a loom. I used this opportunity to try to weave with these grasses that are commonly found around here. The loom I am fixing has 2 shafts and a metal beater and so I can weave things that don´t really work on my loom. I am really happy with the result. I made a table runner that doubles as protector so I can put hot pots and pans on it. That is the plan anyway. The loom is still not fixed and working properly, it has the worst system for raising and lowering the shafts I have ever seen and I will have to be very creative if anyone is going to be able to use it, myself included.

In the background of the photo where you can see the grass runner on the table are two framed prints. These artworks are screen prints by an artist from Porto called Rodrigo Neto. If you like what you see, also in the close up, you should check out his page where you can purchase these prints, t-shirts, prints of his wonderful animal painting series as well as organize to have your work screen printed. Check the Ofi Atalaia shop. Do it. Buy one.