Visiting an Aloe Vera Plantation

Hurray! I'm back! My computer needed a major upgrade. My computer guru is a genuis, and consiquently, is much in demand! I had to be patient and wait in the queue for his services! My life used to function perfectly well without a computer, but now I have much basic information stored on it, like addresses and family birthdays; so I'm lost without it!

Since my last post, our local Gardening Club arranged a visit to the nearby Aloe Vera plantation. The thick fleshy outer leaves were being harvested. The 'baby' plants around the base are collected and planted for the next crop.

For reasons of hygene, the girls working on the aloe leaves worked in a glassed off area, and wore overalls, plastic aprons, caps, gloves and rubber boots. We were able to watch each step of the preparation process. The leaves were scrubbed individually. Then both ends were sliced off before being passed to the next cubicle. There, the side spines are trimmed off.

Next, the girls used VERY sharp knives to 'fillet' the leaves, to remove the inner jelly from the tough outer skins on either side. The knife was used towards the left hand, so I was glad the girls wore a protective metal chain-link glove to protect it! The aloe jelly is put into a plastic box ready to be sent to Germany, for processing into medicinal and beauty products. The trimmings of the leaves are not wasted! They are chopped up, and are returned as an organic mulch to fertilise the growing aloe plants!

We were invited to taste the aloe gel cut into cubes. I had heard of aloes being very bitter, so I expected it to be quite unpalatable! I was surprised! It was quite bland, more or less tasteless. However is not put on the market in this form. Many products are made with it. We were invited to taste the delightful fruit drinks that have excellent anti-oxydent effects. We could also buy the skin care products, and the leaves or plants. Visitors are welcome, and the website of the SantaVerde company is http://www.santaverde.es/

Red Palm Tree Beetle

(Apologies for the long delay since I last put up a new Post! I had a computer glitch, repeatedly sending the same Email from Outlook Express. My computer was in 'shop' for nearly a week being fixed!)

In the last few years many of the Canary Palm trees of the coast have been destroyed by the dreaded Red Palm Tree Beetle. It attacks the growing part at the crown of the tree. Healthy palms can be killed in a couple of weeks! The effect can be seen in an old avenue of palms now leading to a new development.

Bahia Dorada palms have not escaped. The photo on the left shows one that is now a mere stump. Infected palm can be saved if treated in time with sprays. It is vital to do it, as infested trees soon infect healthy ones around it.

A Tree Surgeon recently gave a talk to our local Gardening Group. He told us that trimming palm trees is partly responsible for the spread of Palm Tree beetle infection. Pheramones are released when the palm is cut, which attract the Red Beetles. It might be less tidy to leave old fronds hanging down. But that's better than having trouble with the Red Palm Tree Beetle!

Prickly Pears! (Chumbas)

The Prickly Pear is a formidable thorny cactus that makes a useful hedge. The fruits on the edge of the lobes are delicious. But beware! The fine hairs on them are painful and difficult to remove! I have an ancient pair of 'chumba' tongs for picking them.









Take care when skinning the 'chumbas' too! Cut off the two ends; slice top to bottom, and open them.
However the easy way to enjoy them, is to buy them from a street vendor! He'll skin them for you.

Prickly pears are perfect at this time of year! The fruit tastes sweet and juicy, but it does have hard seeds embedded in them. So mouth it gently - rather than chew!

Spectacular flowering trees and shrubs

One of the things I love about living in Spain is the exotic profusion of beautiful trees and flowers!

The mass of blossom that looks like pink orchids, may be a variety of Bauhinia. (One of my readers says it may actually be a Bombax.) The tree I photographed in Estepona seems to be in bloom for much of the year! Surprisingly, the trunk of the tree is studded with hard thorns!

Its fun to walk around Bahia Dorada with a digital camera and take pictures of the many gorgeous trees and shrubs in the gardens. The plant with the big yellow bells is Datura. They can also be white or pink.

The usual Bouganvilla colour is deep purple, but it can be in shades of red, pink or orange!







They make a showy contrast to the misty blue of plumbago! The gardeners like to be tidy and formal, and trim the shrubs like a hedge. But when they do that, there are no flowers as the flower buds grow from the tips of each shoot! I like the wild natural shapes - with flowers!