HOW WE DO PORTUGUESE CHRISTMAS ON OUR FARM IN CASTELO BRANCO - CENTRAL PORTUGAL HOMESTEAD

Hi there! I am Joseph.
I have been an immigrant, or expat, living in central Portugal along with my beautiful Portuguese girlfriend Mariana for six years now.

Together Mariana, my father Clinton and myself, would like to show you a bit of the daily goings on around our Portuguese farm / homestead / smallholding and all of the work we are doing whilst renovating, starting building projects, working with our livestock, DIY and trying to grow our little families own food!

In this episode we welcome you to join us this Christmas time as I give you a virtual tour of my morning routine with my livestock around our cherry farm near Fundão, in a central Portuguese rural mountain village.

We start our day out by heading up to the sheep barn on a brisk, Winters morning. Christmas day is no different from any other in terms of morning chores, the animals need feeding and cleaning out just as with any day of the year. It is actually a little different as I have a peppy spring in my step and a pocket full of carrots, treats for our flock of 14 sheep.

I walk up past the main cherry orchard, stating how chilly it has gotten this morning, with mist rolling in through the valley, dew drops clinging like mini icicles to every blade of grass and my breath starting to steam up as I slowly make my way up to the sheep barn.

Once up at the barn we can hear the lambs and the sheep eagerly awaiting the doors opening so they can run out to their pasture. I give Godfrey a carrot or two as I try to make sure each sheep gets one Godfrey headbutts them out of the way to get the lions share. I push my way past them all inside the barn, where I top up their manger and grab the pot of pigeon food I have stored inside.

I walk around to the pigeon loft and top up their feeders and make sure the water level is full. Godfrey follows me as he wants to clear up any fallen pigeon grain, a perfect morning treat for him, smart ram!

After the sheep and pigeons are all cared for I make my way down past the cherry orchard again, down to the poultry pasture. Once down at the chicken shed I open up the geese first, then the other poultry and explain why I separate them for the first hour of every morning, keeping them fed separately and allowing everyone to get their fair share of grain, veggies and fruit.

As I make my way up to the farm house I let Mitzy and Lilly the dogs inside the house, where they make their way straight for the sofa near the fireplace, I do not blame them, a perfect place to perch yourself on a morning like this. I leave them both there whilst I head to the kitchen, where I explain about the festivities I have planned for the afternoon. Family and friends are coming and they all need feeding.

At the kitchen table I lay out all our ingredients for Christmas dinner, roast duck, parsnips, potatoes, honey, spices and more! We have a very seasonal dish on the menu today, home reared roast duck, raised on pasture - there is no taste like it. Accompanied by chilli buttered parsnips, roast potatoes cooked in duck fat. Yum!

My good friends Miguel and Tish arrive with their daughter Akari, they walk in the door and give me hat back that I had left at their farm. They bring gifts like the three kings, how festive. Miguel is a very adept chef and brings a few ingredients along with him to add to the festive feast. He heads to the kitchen with me and whips up a butternut squash gnocchi and a beautiful fig, cranberry and port reduction for the duck.

Next the door is knocked again, Vera and Constança, Marianas sister and our niece arrive. They brings gifts and are welcomed inside to see Chloe for the first time. We were so excited to show her to them and it is a pleasure to have Vera and Constança staying with us for the Christmas period.

We serve up the dinner and have a very, merry time. For dessert we have a whole two year aged presunto leg which was gifted to us by some very dear friends. Along with some regional cheeses, wines, home made olives, pates and crackers.

It was a wonderful Xmas and we thoroughly enjoyed sharing it with you all, I hope you all have a very, merry Christmas this year, with your family and friends. Much love to you all, thank you for watching. Have a wonderful day my friends.
Love from us all here at the farm, Clinton, Julie, Joseph, Mariana, Chloe and of course Mitzy and Lilly the dogs too...

See our journey to self sufficiency / permaculture / organic farming as expats living in Portugal, trying to produce as much of our own food planting vegetables, growing fruit trees as well as looking after all our animals, such as our chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, quail, rabbits and sheep - Shortly pigs too!

Hobby farming in Fundão
- Growing vegetables, raising meat and foraging on our cherry farm in Portugal’s Beira baixa.

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Видео HOW WE DO PORTUGUESE CHRISTMAS ON OUR FARM IN CASTELO BRANCO - CENTRAL PORTUGAL HOMESTEAD канала Farmer For Fun