The first Tropical Brunch was held at Finca Encuentro
Finca Encuentro welcomed spring with a great proposal: Connection with nature through a guided tour accompanied by a brunch.People arrived with great expectation. Both Patrick and David, founding partners and hosts, received them with enthusiasm. They toured the farm, explained the principles of permaculture and the characteristics of the project. SPRING GREENHOUSE During the morning participants enjoyed a delicious vegan brunch in the greenhouse that was set up and decorated for the occasion.The menu consisted of plantain tacos, homemade soybean stew, tofu and hummus, beet mayonnaise, overflowing chard stalks, fruit salad and cold infusions. Both adults and children savored the gastronomic proposals of Cristiano, a specialist in vegan food who gave a talk. All the vegetables were picked directly from the garden.The evening was enlivened with live music by Matías, an experimental musician.
ASHOTEL and Finca Encuentro look for ways of collaboration
Enrique Padrón and Vicente Díaz from Ashotel, the Hotel and Extra-Hotel Association of Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, visited Finca Encuentro. David, founding partner, gave them a tour of the space and then they talked in the greenhouse.The conversation revolved around the possibility of joint collaboration in the Circular Tourist Communities programme, which manages waste, according to their website, “to convert it into compost for the organic cultivation of fruit and vegetables, which will form part of the gastronomic offer of these same participating hotel establishments”.
ERASMUS+ Students visit the Finca
This week we were visited by a group of ERASMUS+ students from Poland to learn more about permaculture. ERASMUS+ is an EU programme for education, training, youth and sport. The group, composed of psychologists and occupational therapists, is running a course in Tenerife on the application of permaculture in the rehabilitation of patients with addiction problems.Founding member Patrick, a permaculture teacher in process, led the activity. He welcomed them in the greenhouse where he showed them the basic principles of permaculture. Then they had a tour of the farm, got to know the working methods and had a breakfast prepared by our cook Cristiano.Finally they did a workshop on Bokashi, a Japanese method of fermented compost. It has several advantages over traditional composting, it can process a wider range of organic waste, the fermentation process is faster and it is suitable for both large and small gardens.The students were satisfied with the knowledge acquired.
Banana donation to the canary foundation Jose Montesinos
Donation of banana also in February to the foundation Jose Montesinos, what we like so much is the super nice and grateful people doing a very good job in the foundation that we like to support.
Finca Encuentro promotes networking and cooperation
At the beginning of February, the farm organised a meeting of Ecofincas in Puerto de la Cruz, with the farms La Castaña, La Canopea, Balayo, Vidabuena, Maravilla, Valle de Guerra, Ravelo and Casa de Brana. David and Patrick, founding partners of Finca Encuentro, gave a tour of the space and showed the work carried out. Then in the greenhouse they moderated a round of introductions, the participants explained who they were, what they did, their stories and their comments about the work on the farm. They came to an agreement to use the energies, to form a community and to help each other. The evening ended with a dinner prepared by Cristiano, the cook, in a relaxed atmosphere.
Solidarity Finca
Finca Encuentro made, at the end of 2024, it’s usual donation of bananas to the NGO Montesinos, which has a beautiful work with its food bank.
Body lotion workshop
The week started with a body lotion workshop by Andrea, a naturopath with more than 10 years of experience. Participation was limited in order to provide a unique experience. The day consisted of three parts. Visit to the garden.There Andrea explained to the participants the characteristics of the plants, their properties, history and “felt” them (saw, smelled, touched). The participants collected the plants. Workshop.To start with, they served tea prepared with lemongrass which helped to further relax the atmosphere.The aim was to create two lotions. One with coconut oil, aloe and lavender for the boys and the other with coconut oil, aloe, thyme and rose essence for the girls. Andrea shared all her knowledge in a very practical and dedicated way. The particularity of these preparations is that as they are chemical free they can be edible. At the end each participant took their own lotion. Dinner.After the workshop, Cristiano prepared dinner using the rest of the herbs that had been collected previously.
Aromatic and medicinal plants workshop
Plants were the protagonists this week. David and Delphihe gave us a plant workshop in which they showed us their benefits and properties. They started with lavender, a rustic wild shrub that flowers in summer. It is relaxing, hypotensive, digestive and healing. It helps reduce stress, relieves migraines, improves heavy digestion and cleanses the skin. And of course it provides its distinctive aroma. Next was rosemary, another type of aromatic shrub, which requires a lot of sun. Apart from its pleasant taste, it is also stimulating, anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, fungicidal, antiseptic, healing and digestive.They then talked about basil, the main ingredient in one of the most famous pasta sauces, pesto. Another way to consume it is as tea and oil. It stimulates the immune system and prevents premature ageing, facilitates digestion, stimulates appetite, prevents and stops vomiting, relieves heartburn, clears mucus from the respiratory system, calms asthma and relieves pain.Then it was the turn of citronella, caña santa or caña limón, also known as lemongrass, with leaves in the shape of very long ribbons and a marked lemon scent. It is very popular in Asian and African cuisines. It is also used as a repellent for mosquitoes and other insects. It is antiseptic, antibacterial, fungicidal, sedative, analgesic and antidepressant.They finished with coriander, a very aromatic herb, present in the gastronomy of Asian, African and Latin American countries. It has digestive, stimulant, bactericidal and antispasmodic properties, combats bad breath and can be used as a natural body deodorant. It helps reduce cholesterol levels and has bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effects. The day ended with a green curry workshop led by Cristiano, who shared his secrets and tips for preparing this dish. Some participants collected citronella and coriander from the garden, which underlined the importance of zero km consumption.
Workshop with the gold of the canaries – Alternatives to prepare plantain – From the garden to the plate
The workshop with the most iconic fruit of the Canary Islands tried to inspire our participants on how to use the banana in a less conventional and more varied way. From one point of view, the reduction of meat and fish consumption relieves human pressure on our special planet and provides a sustainable alternative. For that reason our workshop focused on how to work with the green banana and especially with the banana flower. The flower or acorn as it is called we used it in our workshop to show how to make a vegan fish and chips. The acorn is used as a vegetable meat that has the texture of fish. The process involves removing the bitterness from the acorn and marinating it with seaweed and other ingredients. The green banana was cooked and baked to create a delicious texture next to the potato completing our fish & chips dish. Our workshop had the goal of educating people on the use of the canary plantain and giving knowledge and inspiration on how to use the plantain. The workshop also included the harvesting of the plantain from our garden and some information about the significance of the plantain in the Canary Islands and nationally.
Aloe Vera workshop medicinal and food uses.
On 30.11.2023 Finca encuentro organized a workshop on Aloe Vera which grows semi wild on our Finca. In a one-hour workshop we elaborated the medicinal and nutritional properties of Aloe Vera. We started with a sample of cutting and application to the skin. Then we explained more details about the use and the way to process the Aloe Vera for different uses.