Given its isolated location, the Azores have traditionally focused on self-sufficiency when it comes to food production. In the countryside, a farm garden behind the house, is still very common. This consists of a somewhat maintenance-intensive combination of both an orchard, vegetable garden, kitchen garden livestock and grape (fields). This is only suitable for more structural use and maintenance.
“On the sheltered southern walls of plots, among other things, consumer grapes are grown, and in the lava fields close to the sea for their own use also wine grapes. “
In most cases, cultivation and livestock farming is primarily functionally oriented and does not also consider that a garden can just look good in all seasons with beautiful sightlines and vistas. There are only few parties available on the islands who can do a good garden design, and/or a nice reconstruction of a neglected farm garden that is also of attractive beauty year round, preferably reasonably low maintenance.
Be advised that locally here and there they can be rather easy and generous with pesticide use. Although recently people are also becoming more aware that this affects not only crops, but the entire food chain, and is downright carcinogenic to humans as well.
If you want an organic or biodynamic garden, that will have to be actively included in the approach from the beginning in how it is set up and completed. An important rule of thumb in an ecological approach is to leave room for nature, starting with allowing naturalized areas in the garden. Good organic compost can be made in-house by allowing organic waste, plant residues and manure to ferment quietly in a secluded spot.
Large livestock are normally kept outside, and fed on what the soil yields. So just fresh grass and homemade fermented food with no chemicals or bics added, with forage corn and hay with herbs set aside in rolls for the winter months. To help the smaller producers, cattle can be taken to higher-elevation community lands owned by the state during the summer months. Under their controlled management, these cooler soils actually have nice juicy, tender grass in summers.
Here, calves are often kept close to their mothers in pasture until they become fully food independent at the end of the season.
Pigs are usually fattened in pens at the back of the garden with what is left over from the vegetable garden. Unlike in the past, nowadays cattle may only be offered to the butcher. They can still come to your home to do this. Meat processing is then done in-house, right down to the smoked sausage.
Chickens eat everything, and are therefore often used to naturally weed the orchard. Crops grown in the vegetable garden include beans, yam, various kinds of potatoes, squash, melon and various types of cabbage. Tomatoes are even found here feral, their cultivation is therefore quite easy.
On the sheltered southern walls of plots, among other things, consumer grapes are grown, and in the lava fields close to the sea for their own use also wine grapes.
