We went to the organic fair in Urduña on May 3rd and on the 15th to

the fair held in Karrantza.

A family of three from Barakaldo came to visit us on May 3rd and then,

on the 10th, several families from Greater Bilbao.

Lastly, on the 31st a group of friends came to see us, also from Bilbao.

The weather in May

The weather continued to be very unsettled with quite brusque

changes in temperature and highs and lows that varied between 13.5

and 24ºC during the day and 3.5 and 12ºC at night. There were some

sunny days, but the weather was generally cloudy and damp.

However, we only collected 36 litres of rain in the rain gauge during

the first three weeks of the month, but then over 40l during the last

few days of the month. We also had high south winds for several days. 

Leire, from the Alavan village of Oiardo, spent four weeks with us doing

work experience both on the farm and in the dairy as the final part of a

course on agroecology run by the Arkaute Agricultural College. We wish

her luck for the future.

Flower of the month: common milkwort Polygala vulgaris.

This species is found throughout Europe. Its name has given rise to

some interesting anecdotes:  for example, this plant was thought to

have been used to increase the flow of maternal milk, thus the name

"milkwort". In Scandanavia, on the other hand, the plant used to be

called "Freyja's hair", Freyja being the goddess of love, sexuality,

beauty and fertility, amongst other things. However, when Christianity

spread through Scandanavia the plant's name became associated

with the Virgen Mary. It is thought that the common Irish name for

the species, "the four sisters" is due to the four colours the flower

may be: blue, purple, lilac and, occasionally, white.

What have our cows eaten in May?

The dairy herd was able to graze quite a lot this month, despite the

rainy weather. As in April, we also gave the cows fresh green grass,

grass silage, alfalfa and about two kilos of feedstuff (per cow per day).

The dry cows, heifers and calves grazed most days. In May one of

our heifers slipped into a swallow hole, a reminder of how dangerous

these geomorphological features can be. One of the ever present jobs

on the farm is repairing fencing around such holes.

We once again took advantage of the sunnier days to make silage.

The allotment is finally planted, even though much later than usual due

to the unsettled and unseasonably cold weather. Moles are causing

trouble as they persist in turning up young plants as they tunnel

through the allotment.

This year we are spotting many snakes, particularly the slow worm,

(Anguis fragilis), but also others such as the smooth snake (Coronella

austriaca). This snake is often confused with vipers.

We saw this European green lizard on the compost heap in the

allotment (Lacerta viridis).

As is usual at this time of year many moths and butterflies settle on

the walls of the dairy or can be seen in the fields and allotments. The

Silver Y moth (Autographa gamma) is migratory, heading north in the

summer and south in winter (it cannot resist frosts).

We also spotted the pale tussock moth (Calliteara pudibunda). The

larvae of this moth feed on deciduous trees, particularly oaks,

willows, hawthorns and birch.  It's presence in Karrantza reflects

the degree to which such trees are still to be found in spinneys, woods

and hedges and underlines the need to protect such habitats.

We have also seen many different sort of beetles... if anyone can

help us name these we would be grateful.

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 sprigs parsley and thyme

grated zest of 1/2 lemon

sal and pepper

2.5 cups water

4 sliced leeks

Sauce:

2 cups natural yoghurt

1 teaspoon mild mustard (optional)

4 beaten egg yolks

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mix first five ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for

10 minutes and then strain, keeping the liquid

Put the leeks in the pan with the strained stock, bring to boil, then cover

and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the leeks are tender. Drain and place

on a plate

In the meantime, to make the sauce combine all the sauce ingredients,

heat and leave to simmer 10-15 minutes,  stirring continuously. Pour the

sauce over the leeks and serve hot.

Parameter

Result

Optimum result

Result for premium

Fat

3,74

>3,70

>3,70

Protein

3,26

>3,10

>3,10

Bacteriology

11.000

<10.000

<100.000

Somatic Cell Count

328.000

150.000

<400.000