We rescued this goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) that stunned itself by

flying into a window. We left it for about half an hour in the shade of

a nearby tree after which it flew off and joined other goldfinches that

abound looking for small seeds in our fields. They are particularly fond

of thistle seeds, thence their scientific name that is derived from the

Latin Caardus used to describe a particular genus of thistles.

On the 14 and 16th of November two groups of students from Bilbao

visited the farm and dairy, from a course on Social Education.

On the 16th in the afternoon two member of the International Business

Developer company visited the farm and dairy to both find out about the

Vista Alegre Farm Project as part of a small project researching the situa-

tion of existing businesses and farms in the area and, particularly, innova-

tive projects in the Encartaciones area, a project financed by the Basque

authorities to try and identify ways by which the economy of the area

can be improved given that it is one of the most depressed in the Basque

Country.

Flower of the month.  Thyme-leaved speedwell Veronica serpyllifolia.

There are quite a few different speedwell species on the farm. The thyme-

leaved speedwell is native to Europe and prefers damper areas in fields and

woods preferring sunlight but tolerant of a certain amount of shade.

November started with very wet weather which was welcome given the

very low rainfall in October. However this weather was then followed by

a couple of weeks of very cold nights and clear sunny, if not overly warm

days, with our first frosts, Another big change in the weather then brought

warm southerly winds and higher temperatures for a few days, after which

the weather turned wintry and we had more rain, our first snow on the

hills and night time temperatures dropped to -1ºC. We collected a total

of 169 litres of rain in the gauge.

We went to the Farmers’ Market in Bilbao every Saturday and also to

the yearly farm fair in Sondika (November 12^th) and on November 19^th

to the responsible food fair organized by the local ecology group

Sagarrak (“apple” in Basque) once a year in Basauri.

Emily helped us set up a Linked-In site

https://www.linkedin.com/company/vista-alegre-baserria/

The cows grazed outside and we also gave them some dried alfalfa and pea

forrage, grass silage and a little feedstuff.

Five cows calved during November. Unfortunately one of the heifer calves

was still born. The heifer calf in the photo is a Frisian - Charolais cross-breed.

We carried on with round the farm chores such as topping fields, pruning

trees, cutting back hedges and general maintenance and repair work on

machinery.

Recipe of the month: Cheesy minced meat and spinach roll

Adjust the amount of each ingredient according to the size of roll wanted

and the particular taste desired: more/less cheese, spinach, meat, etc.

750g minced meat

1 medium sized onion, finely chopped

50ml milk

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Parsley, salt and pepper to taste

1 beaten egg (optional)

300g grated cheese (strong flavour)

400g spinach (if fresh, steamed for 30 seconds)

10 slices of bacon

Cling film or greaseproof paper, cut approximately to the size of a DIN 4 piece

of paper (or bigger if more ingredients are used)

Preheat oven to 180ºC.

Lightly fry the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent.

Mix with the minced meat, salt, pepper, parsley. Add milk and/or egg until a firm

but malleable consistency is attained.

Spread the mixture over the cling film and then spread the spinach over the top,

followed by the grated cheese. Roll up the three layers together using the film

to help until the roll is at one end of the film. Spread the slices of bacon out on

the film and roll the meat roll over it so that the bacon slices cover it.

Place into an ovenproof dish (without film!) and place at medium height in the

oven for about 30 minutes and/or until the bacon is crispy. Best served hot.