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My first day of work at Cortijo Vera was one to remember. After finishing breakfast and my morning cup of tea in my caravan I made my way down to the house. Taking in the fresh morning air I watched a band of orange sun light just begin to illuminate the top of Cerro Negro and the distant terrace where I had risen only the morning before. I walked into the kitchen bidding good morning to the family to find a new face sitting among them. He was busily sharpening an old looking knife upon a small stone he held in one hand. Before him sat a small array of knives variying in size. “This is Tadik, he has come to slaughter one of the billy goats” Andy, the owner of the farm, informed me. Thankful I wasn’t a billy goat today, I shook hands with Tadik and sat down to watch him sharpen his knives.

Tadik had a special talent, they told me. He was able to kill the animal without letting adrenaline be released into the muscles. From what I gathered from it all he cut the throat in precisely the correct place to instantly drain the blood from the brain.

During all this explaining and tea drinking Tadik was growing impatient, and spoke something very quickly in Spanish that I did not pick up. “We have to hurry and make the kill before the sunrises on us”, Andy interpeted for me. I followed them to a clearing beneath a large olive tree and watched him hang a braided rope from a massive grape vine. Andy produced a young goat from an adjacent field. Pointing it towards mecca Tadik made a few quick precise motions with his knife and the goat’s head remained conected by only the spinal cord.

The blood that was once feeding it’s brain now lay upon the light green blades of grass in thick red dropplets contrasting the two rich colors of life. For some time the goat lay kicking and convulsing. “The goat is dead, these are just muscle reactions that indicate that it is healthy”, Andy translated again.

Tadik worked quickly and efficiently displaying considerable skill skinning and gutting the animal. The entire process took him no more than 20 minutes from start to finish, which wasn’t a lot considering the amount of work it was. I later learned that he was taught as a young boy in the traditional fashion and has since become an expert.

The rest of the day panned out analogous to a typical day here at Cortijo Vera. Under the guidance of Carroll, Andy’s wife, I worked on various projects in the garden.

Andy, originally a chemistry teacher in England, and his wife Carroll who worked as a social worker also in England moved here almost 18 years ago. Tired of life in the city they sought to reconnect with the land and try a different, more natural approach to life. Like many I have talked to in this area they came as city dwelling idealists without any knowledge or skill in farm life. Learning from their mistakes and talking with the old locals they turned seasoned farmers as the years progressed.

They had originally hoped to achieve complete self-sufficiency here, but this dream quickly dissolved in the face of reality. Even in this part of the world, corporate influenced bureaucracy and politics have all but completely destroyed the ability for small farmers to sell their goods. An extremely important aspect of sustainability that I will go into more thoroughly in another post.

The terraces here are an odd mix of permaculture, biodynamic, and more traditional “western” farming techniques. At the house their main source of power comes from the sun though they use butane for cooking and heating the water for the shower. Solar heating systems are expensive and without the right contacts it is difficult for the average farmer around here to get a decent system.

As on most farms all the animals here serve a purpose. The 5 now 4 goats are kept for producing meat, milk, and cheese. The mule is used for plowing and hauling materials. The 30+ chickens are kept for eggs and meat. The border collie “Zora” is used for herding the goats and keeping stray dogs off the property, and excels as a companion especially while working all day in the garden. The cats are excellent at being cats. They even catch a few rats in between naps in the sun.

My experience here at Cortijo Vera has been tremendously educational.
Andy and Carroll have been very forth coming with their farming knowledge and techniques, and have put extra effort into teaching me new skills and concepts. It has seemed that everyday here has been full of tons of great information, from cheese and wine making, to plant care, to the many histories of Andulucia. As my journey progresses new dreams and goals for my future are developing and I am enraptured by the possibilities that unfurl before me with each new skill I gain and ability I acquire.

Though I would have like to have spent more time at Cortijo Vera the time on my visa is running short and I must be off to Morocco. During one of my adventures in the area I gained a contact who owns a house close to the main city in Morocco that I will live at for an unspecified length of time. I am very excited at the prospect of seeing yet another world quite foreign (as I’ve been told it is) to the one I am from and all the educational aspects that it proposes.