Why not take olive me? Pursuing Permaculture in Tarragona

I never thought it would happen to me. But this week it did. After so many years of living healthy and happy-go-lucky, I became the hapless victim of a blood-sucking arachnid. It was my first real-life experience with a tick, and it’s true that we grew to be very attached. Thank heavens I found the critter quickly, otherwise we would have had a far more difficult time severing our relationship. Not only that, but we would have had to perform the operation by candle light. It was bad enough, equipped with nothing more than the tweezers from my Swiss army knife, but the setting sun cast just enough light for a quick and painless removal process. Once the sun goes down, it’s a whole different story here. Living off the off grid, we rely on photovoltaic panels to deliver a robust and guilt-free current of solar electricity. But a couple days of dark clouds and rain can leave you feeling dark and dreary. Ninety percent of the year, residents of southern Catalonia withstand an over-abundance of sunshine, but January 2017 will be forever remembered as an exception to that general weather pattern. Still, the olives and almonds, which grow here in profusion, have relished the deep drafts of refreshing rain water. And the soil has dampened and softened just enough to make digging some vegetable beds an achievable project. This digging has also given us the chance to observe several gargantuan nematodes indigenous to the region, and also make a few encounters with the notorious tiger centipede, whose bite has been known to bring grown men to tears. But the orchards of outer Tarragona are more than just a hive of treacherous invertebrates and parasitic vermin. Much more. The kind people who have chosen to eek out a simple agrarian existence on this valley of the River Ebro have demonstrated themselves to be exceedingly good-natured and accommodating. Despite some of our early problems with heat and running water, and ongoing issues with electricity, they worked hard to ensure that our stay would be as pleasant and comfortable as possible. We connected right away on a wide range of shared interests, including Niederegger marzipan when they learned that we’d formerly lived in Lübeck. And we soon found more common ground in our obsessions with Star Wars and the Beatles. But homesteading on an 8-acre finca in northern Spain, it’s a passion for permaculture that keeps them pushing forward; and that’s something we too were eager to learn more about. These days, we need more than sustainable agriculture, we need regenerative agriculture. Centuries of irresponsible and shortsighted cultivation practices have left huge swaths of Mediterranean ag land terribly depleted in nutrients, with little or no topsoil. Permaculture methods aim to bring the soil back to health, recapture carbon from the ailing atmosphere, and increase productivity by adopting and adapting strategies and concepts seen in nature. It’s all fascinating and inspiring, although I spent most of our three weeks here chopping firewood and processing branches from the never-ending occupation of tree trimming. Even so, we’ve enjoyed the quietude of the orchards and grasslands, the starry nights and the mountainous skyline reminiscent of the high deserts of southern California. To the southwest, across the Ebro, we can see the historic castle of Miravet, a former stronghold of the Knights of Templar. Beyond that, further south, we can see the town of Rasquera, a rambling of stone houses and structures covering a small patch of otherwise tree covered hillside. Lured in by its scenic setting on the forested slopes, we eventually made our way downriver to Rasquera, famous for nothing but marijuana cultivation. We found no evidence of this on our visit, but we did come across some of the tastiest sweets and treats we’ve ingested on this entire journey. We still can’t speak a lot of Catalan, but we know enough to understand a sign that says “Hi Ha Xocolata Calenta.” So we walked right in and promptly ordered two hot chocolates, as well as a bag of chocolate chip cookies. Around here the hot chocolate is served thick, with a spoon and several slices of sweet coca bread for dipping. Words cannot describe the state of ecstasy to which our taste buds were then elevated. Perhaps it has something to do with the trace levels of cannabis always lingering in the local air, but for whatever reason, it is generally agreed that the chocolate pastries of Rasquera are exceptionally delightful. The Greeks divided the world into earth, air, water and fire. How the forefathers of western civilization could have overlooked olive oil and chocolate is beyond me, but we are not about to let their ancient stoicism hold us back. So if you’ve got an epicurean appetite like me, then I’d encourage you to head down to the rural hinterlands of the Tarragona province. Come for the olives, and stay for the hot chocolate. Unless you have a burning need to consume electricity by the gigawatt, this remote corner of Catalonia will not disappoint. If you want to learn more about the science of what goes on in your kitchen and garden, be sure to check these other articles.

• The Art & Science of Compost
• The easiest no-knead sourdough ever
• Lessons in Leek Chi
• Hot and Sour Kimchi

And for more incredible travel stories, check out some of these posts.

• In the Valley of the Yuccas
• The bus came by and I got on
• The best of Thuringia
• Midnight Run
• 6 Day Trips from Barcelona
• 7 Outings in Cerdanya