July at Vinagra Village

Before & After Harvest

The scorching days of July in Alentejo resemble those of June, with temperatures consistently soaring above 37ºC beneath the blazing midday sun. Throughout both months, the mercury hardly relents, occasionally touching 40ºC.

Within the pastures of Vinagra Village, a mid-morning reprieve finds the sheep seeking shelter. The grass, once tender and green in April, has since May matured into yellow, losing its softness.

This July marked a significant event after a nine-year interval – the cork harvest from our cork trees. At the crack of dawn, around 6 AM, our neighbour António Parrado, along with his skilled team, arrived equipped with special axes to begin the process of peeling bark off our 46 cork oak trees.

This task demands both finesse and expertise. With practiced precision, Antonio wields his axe, deftly stripping away the outer layer of cork bark, leaving the trees unharmed. This mastery he has developed over more than four decades of cork cutting.

Once the cork is removed, a gradual regeneration process begins spanning another nine years before the next harvest. The lifespan of a ‘’Sobreiro’’ or cork oak averages around 200 years. As they age or become fragile they ‘’retire’’ from cork extraction duties, yet still contribute, by producing acorns and provide shade to the farm animals.

Beneath, a snapshot captures the yield of cork planks retrieved from our trees – a bountiful harvest totaling 4570 kg.

During lunchtime discussions revolving around, Regenerative agriculture, Antonio candidly shares his perspective. He notes that while the concept inundates conversations in his view it is like teenage sex: everyone talks about it, nobody really knows how to do it, and everyone thinks everyone else is doing it, so everyone claims they are doing it as well. He contrasts this with the ‘’Montado’’ which is an agro-silvo-pastoral ecosystem made of cork trees and holm trees. This natural regenerative system, shaped by human activity and managed in a manner to guarantee sustainability, with its medicinal and aromatic herbs, its mushrooms, used to nurture pigs fattened on acorns.

Though we refrain from challenging his wisdom, Antonio's mention of pigs, prompts me to announce a heartwarming update. Our expectant mangalitza pig has successfully birthed two piglets, a sight captured here. In the coming months, they will indulge in a diet of acorns, continuing the cycle.