Country life

Knoflook

I have often shown you our vegetable garden and cannot resist doing so again. As much as possible, we grow our own vegetables. In the warm Spanish climate we can plant and harvest all year long. At this moment onions are ready for drying. Potatoes are stored inside and heads of garlic are strung up. Soon we will gather the tomatoes, carrots, kohlrabi, fennel and the beans. And in winter, of course, oranges. It is a luxury to grow everything you wish for your dinner table in your own garden. We really enjoy the country life!

Vegetable garden

Portrait at the waning moon.

Portrait at the waning moon.

Time has come again: I have packed my suitcases and tomorrow I am off to Burgundy to start my workshops portrait painting. But as always, before I can leave, there are still dozens of things to be done at the very last moment. This morning, the soil of the kitchen garden had to be plowed so my wife can plant leeks and some corn. That was not possible earlier this month because of the new plants must be placed at waning moon. And that’s now.

plowing the soil
Last minute job: plowing the soil

In this village, where everyone has a vegetable garden, people live by the rhythm of the lunar cycles and not just for seeding and harvesting;  reeds for beanstalks also must be cut according to the lunar calendar. All for an optimum and sustainable yield. Whether it really matters I don´t know. Once I wondered if a portrait painted by waning moon would look better than one done at crescent moon. During my workshops I certainly will not talk about these things. Students might suspect things ain’t cooking in my kitchen and think that they have landed in the wrong workshop. 

Once back from France I will continue with my series about the likeness.