Cheese making ala Carlos

One day Carlos came in from Lubljiana. We started speaking about various things one speaks about  when one doesn't know each other. In short time he mentioned he could make cheese. He came in two hours later than the message from Sinisa we would get three goats as a present from him. I mentioned that to Carlos. And i grabbed our special goat recepee book from the bookcase. All pretty amazing. Then and there we decided we would arrange a cheesemaking workshop.

Bringing milk to temperature, keeping it there 15 minutes, coagulating the milk, putting in forms, putting under pressure in a cool place for a time. To age the cheese. Enjoy!

Max and Sinisa came from Blatusa to join as well as Anja our neghbour. All in, the cheese is maturing in the larder now. Goats will be coming shortly. We will make a nice house for them. And know how to make cheese.

Eten vinden wij belangrijk

De keuken krijgt smoel. Het werkblad in de keuken is een oud blad uit de school uit Leiden waarin de vader van Rozemarijn les gaf. Een oud loodzwaar beukenblad waarvan we er twee in Kroatie hebben. Leiden leeft voort. De stad waar we graag zijn. Tegelijkertijd is het project en onze tijd in Kroatie een enorme verrijking. Het werken aan dit project is zeer inspirerend. Nog even en we kunnen boven koken.

Croatia working with Galicia

Working together on acacia balcony. In the foreground you see a very focused Carlos. He comes from Galicia. He has many specialties. Cooking, forests, making cheese among others. Today he suddenly was playing quite a good harmonica. He has many surprises. In the background Mile and Mirko are positioning acacia parts in the grid. Mirko uses a broad ax or bradva. It is a very old style tool. There are some tools that just are extremely effective. They are I can tell you ancient. This tool has appeared maybe a 1000 years ago. Maybe longer ago. The tool Carlos is using is much older. I don't know for the ax. It can be it's older than i think. I just can't find it.

You are welcome!

This area is dedicated to be a place to lounge, dine & receive guests, having a green world hanging from the glass house frames and so creating the atmosphere of a small paradise. The water comes from the roofs and is collected in an underground reservoir. It will be filtered through reeds and sand. We will also let it fall to create a water sound. The stove that is now in the new kitchen will be our outdoor stove. It will be replaced by a design that more fits inside climate requirements. A combination between heating, cooking requirements & beauty.

Luck

One day we were discussing what we would put in the vertical plane of the glasshouse this winter. That same day Mile and I went to the local school. Windows were being replaced. Of the whole school... I looked at Mile and smiled. What will they do with that, we asked. It turned out we could get the whole lot. With the frames. They were sawed trough because of removing from the wall. But there is so much material that we can build three glasshouses. Barbara was already on the road to inform about closing material. We were already discussing solutions. And down came this bonanza! Sometimes one needs a little luck in a project. By the way it saves about 25000 kuna's. More than 3000 euro's. Mile's diplomacy did a lot for us to also get the old vacume windows. Excellent material for any next project. Like toilet, shower and water house.

Croatian hospitality

Mile's family and Pieter from Belgium. On the table a meal fitting Breughel. Home made sourkraut, pork and potatoes. To be flushed away with either rakia, beer or wine. The whole day had been occupied with the butchering. Hard work if you consider the temperature and the weight of the animals. They had been born in spring. They walked around on the terrain for the whole year and have been fed only natural ingredients. The mother spawned 13 piglets. All had been sold except what was kept for personal consumption. This cooperation and the feasting afterward one sees whatever they do together. Sitting together at the end of the day comes with a lot of socialising. All the elderly walk in and join in whatever conversation. Always a little jesting a little remembering and at our adress a lot of questions. How is it going? What are you building?

Constructing a greenhouse

Building of a glass house that is to harbour our guests in a green surroundinig next year. In it is also the place were water is gathered from all the surrounding roof surfaces. Next year water sound will fill the glasshouse and it will also will be a place where we have our outdoor kitchen. It will be a small paradise where when it rains we can still eat outside. Almost every house in Croatia has an otudoor kitchen. In Istria at a house of friends of mine they have a roof on the north side, specially for being outdoors during warm periods.