fábulas sustentáveis

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.  Henry David Thoreau Harvester: The California Urchin Diver Experience from Highliner Studios on Vimeo . Urchins are simple animals one can take from the sea. They growth fast and have established populations. The fishery...or the harvest!?...is selective and has no side effects on the ecosystem. The fishermen, those special kind of people, are the last hunters we can afford. And sushi is not just about fish!

The sheep are the most sociable animal in the farm.   They are the sheep number 1, number 2, number 3 and sheep number 4 :)  I enjoy so much their company.  They have always something to say.  They seem happy and they are around all the day, eating and talking. At night, when I close the gate, they are usually inside, cosy and sleepy.  But sometimes they were outside for some reason that we don't know.  It feels that something is going on, maybe a  party ! Apart from friendship...they can also give you wool and meat. I definitely will miss these fellows when I will leave the farm!

Interesting combination between bankruptcy and fisheries! Here more about the WWF campaign. And here you can find the Portuguese petition with the same purpose. Sign it now!!!

Physicist Vandana Shiva *, in a video launching the global Seed Freedom Campaign , calls this ownership of entire new species a form of slavery, and calls upon farmers and consumers to fight the privatisation of the genetic commons.  Could it be that she is being naive? Facing the spectre of world hunger amid continued population growth, maybe we will have to let go of our sentimental attachment to traditional farmers saving seeds, and transition to high-tech agriculture so that we can improve yields per hectare.  After all, we cannot clear much more cropland at the expense of forests and wetlands.  And to finance the enormous long-term investment necessary to engineer high-yielding, drought-resistant, pest-resistant varieties, don't we need to enforce a strong system of patents?  This position seems reasonable, but it is fraught with assumptions that collapse under close scrutiny.  First and foremost is the notion that we need chemical pesticides, h...

 1. Mushrooms! *  There still some mushrooms in the forest. But the weather is getting colder and they will not survive to the frost. 2. Salad! I have learned with T., a friend that stayed with us for some days, how to use wild plants. He made this salad. They are everywhere and  this  one it is easy to recognize. One big difference is that they can have a bitter taste. 3. Sun-set! * If you are a PhD student and you don't know how to finish your thesis, just go outside and pick up mushrooms. The world stops, you start to see colors, sounds, soil and you want to find more and more mushrooms. Then you came home happy. You have yellow things to eat in the dinner. And the PhD thesis is the last thing you want to think again. 

A beautiful  documentary  about the beautiful Sado estuary. A major wetland of Portugal. Separated from the ocean by extensive dunes from the peninsula of Tróia, the estuary provides exceptional conditions for wildlife, especially aquatic birds. ...I wish I could also fly back home, and reach my fellows in the wildlife, between the sky and the ocean. But it's not yet my migration season. Soon it will come. I just need to find my way and follow the sun light, the stars and the coastline.

First decide what tree. It is a wild cherry . Then choose the location.  It may depend on the needs of the tree, the space you have, and the function you want for that tree. Dig. As deep you dig, as different soils you find, and worms and stones. Add rich soil and compost. Make a fertile and comfortable ground. Ask help for experts. They know important tips. Put everything in the same place again.  Rocky blocks can help to warm the ground. They concentrate the sun energy. Finalize with love. Hopefully it is all what a tree needs. Wait. And it will be fruitful next spring. *  There are three things every person should do in his or her life ...  p lant a tree,  write a book and  have a child... from   Jose Marti , a  poet and writer who led the Cuban independence movement . The first one it's done!

Some thoughts of a Portuguese girl living in Sweden... Para escrever algo sobre mim ou sobre a Suécia é inevitável falar acerca de peixe. Escolhi viver na Suécia por causa do trabalho e eu trabalho com peixe. Estudo a sustentabilidade da produção e do consumo de peixe em Portugal. Tenho o privilégio de trabalhar com uma investigadora especialista no assunto, no SIK – Institutet för Livsmedel och Bioteknik , num grupo de trabalho igualmente sensacional dedicado à produção sustentável de alimentos. Tal seria mais que suficiente para estar satisfeita com a minha decisão de viver na Suécia. Mas, para além do trabalho, viver na Suécia significa também ter uma vida mais sustentável. A minha rotina, os meus hábitos, a minha presença no mundo mudou. Dos pequenos hábitos ao sentimento de maior responsabilidade social e ambiental, várias coisas fazem agora parte do que eu sou: - Desloco-me de bicicleta todos os dias e os transportes públicos são bastantes fáceis e acessíveis de usar...

Some days I walk the dog...  ...most of the times the dog walks me. Bark, is his name.  He doesn't bark and he is loving. He is the best companion, any time, any moment. It's a good dog's life in a farm. And I hope we will share good times. 

It is the best fish just because it is catch with low impact fisheries. Gears that doesn't smash the fish, like trawl. Or that work in a small scale fishery. By the way, who in Portugal eat this fish? Chub mackerel, the cheapest and freshest fish one can find in the markets. But nobody cares about it!

I have seen a moose * in the morning walking to the bus! First time in Sweden... ...apart from the resident moose in Slottsskogen , in Göteborg.  The moose saw me. I didn't know what to do. And I remember S. words the night before: if you see a moose, run way :) But he run way before me...uf! Today there was some frost. The woods were white. The temperature went down. There is a special light and fog coming from the water. There is always work to be done outside. A woofer from France (J.) has been working to finish the sauna. And I have been working inside. It's never finished. * Find the moose in the picture.  It is in the middle of the green field.

: food that claims to be Sustainable, Organic, Local, and Ethical A new generation of food activists has come to believe that “sustainable farming” and “eating local” are the way to solve a host of perceived problems with our modern food supply system.  By combining healthy eating and a high standard of environmental stewardship, these locavores think, we can also deliver important economic benefits and increase food security within local economies. But after a thorough review of the evidence, economic geographer Pierre Desrochers and policy analyst Hiroko Shimizu have concluded these claims are mistaken. In The Locavore’s Dilemma , they explain the history, science, and economics of food supply to reveal what locavores miss or misunderstand: the real environmental impacts of agricultural production; the drudgery of subsistence farming; and the essential role large-scale, industrial producers play in making food more available, varied, affordable, and nutritionally rich t...

Some moments in the surrounds of the farm. The farm is near by the sea.    Takes 1 hour walking to get the bus to Göteborg.  But in the morning it can be a beautiful walk... ...and I can find some fellows :)  There is a forest in the back of the farm. Where we can pick up mushrooms and berries. Or maybe we can find some potatoes. If we know where they are and if slugs haven't eaten them yet.  Otherwise it's possible to find herbs and vegetables. These are tomatoes and rucula home produced. It's a good feeling to try to find nature to cook, inside and outside.

Fábulas has moved.  It steels in Sweden but more close to nature. Is living in a farm for the next 2 months, here . It's a beautiful place surrounded by nature, near by the sea, with a dog, a cat, hens, sheeps, bees, a women and a men. There are no rules. Everyday is different. The idea is to learn how to grow food. I will try share but it has been a busy life. I'm already in day 4! ...between the time outdoors, working and observing nature, and the time on the computer, there seems don't be any time left. I have already picked up mushrooms, berries, pears, and planted a tree! Everyday it's need to feed the animals, close and open gates, check for eggs, clean, cook...and be happy :) The easiest thing in this life.