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.
Collaboration with el Club de Leones
Finca Encuentro had an important collaboration with the Lions Club at the end of 2023 with whom they organised two donations. The first, of three hundred and eighty lettuces to the San Antonio de La Vera school. The second, of twenty lettuces and four banana plants to the school of Punta Brava.With these contributions, both schools have increased their organic garden and continue their educational work.
Garden to vegan plate – brunch workshop
Following some impressions on our garden produce to vegan plate brunch workshop. In this workshop we took participants to our garden and explained the selection of veggies and fruits which we would later convert into the vegan brunch. The elaboration took place in our workshop kitchen prepared for these types of events.
Rose Water and herbal sirup Workshop
The 14.11.2023 was time for a new workshop being done in our workshop kitchen. Together with our visitors we showed and elaborated rose water from our garden as well as the production of herbal syrup. We have to emphasis the luxury that we feel being able to educate people into producing their own food and being able to showcase it with our self grown ingredients. For more details on how to make it yourself please check our newsletter for the next workshop :)
Visit and presentation of the ecological and sustainable farm to the official language school of Icod de los Vinos.
Finca Encuentro was delighted to receive 20 students from the EOI (official language school of Icod de los Vinos) to show the ecological and sustainable practices applied live. The Finca Tour also included an introduction to the organic farming of the Canary Island banana and its importance on a national level. Following the tour of the Finca was a tree planting workshop using the “Ellen white method”. The visit ended with a homemade snack made with ingredients from the garden to get strength again and show the result of agriculture in a delicious way. Introduction of organic banana farming in the Canary Islands and its importance at the national level Explanation of recycled materials and circular economy Preparation and explanation of planting and required materials Planting a “false pepper” Hands in action Ellen White method for planting Pizza snack with ingredients from the finca Materials for planting Gracias por la visita EOI – Let´s bee green together!
Interactive permaculture principles workshop
Finca Encuentros first real permaculture workshop hosted by Patrick permaculture coach & teacher in the making. In this first workshop we covered the permaculture ethics and principles. Our workshops are designed to be as interactive as possible which means that our participants are as much involved as they can be. We reasoned the principals together and brainstormed on our recycled chalkboard. After the first brainstorming and theoretical part we endeavoured through our finca applying the first principle of “observe & interact” to try to find examples of the implementation of the other principals. To finish up and chit chat what had been learned we closed the workshop with a lemongrass Tee from our finca.