The Boars and the Bees

Jim's Nature Roundup

Hello, friends. We've been a little short on pictures lately (not so short on time consuming hard work), but here's a quick look into the nature side of life on the farm - the flora and fauna of Tuscany. We'll report back with a couple more well-focused nature posts, but for now this intro will have to do. My time spent at Alderleaf Wilderness College changed the way I see the world, and now, after slowly transforming Allie into a wide-eyed naturalist, we both constantly find ourselves on the lookout for sweet new flowers, awesome trees and mysterious animal tracks. Since we're still beginners, most of our enthusiasm stems from the fantastic idea of EDIBLE wild plants (and for me more than Al edible critters, too). In the right place with the right knowledge, a forest, meadow or coastline turns into a free trip to the best grocery store this planet has to offer. I love snacks, and Tuscany is full of them.

Here's a quick look at some of the wildlife we've found on our walks here at Barbialla Nuova.

Allie has seen a minimum of 16 wild boar out and about while we've been here - usually when walking trails alone between 3-6pm or so. At first it was terrifying but now we think of them as friends.

One of our major tasks lately has been clearing and remarking the extensive hiking trails on the property. No photographic proof yet of the pain endured during these excursions, but the picture above should give an idea of the way the nature defends itself and why certain things just aren't meant to be touched...even if the protected fruits are gross, slightly poisonous and mostly useless.

There are so many more plants and animals here, so we have some pictures to take! But until then - ciao ciao, ragazzi.

-Jimbo