Our Inheritance - Part Deux.

The fruit trees are not the sum total of our inheritance.  Our farm belonged to the parents of the french farmer who sold it to us.  He is still our closest neighbour and had used the property to over-winter his small herd of charolais cattle before we moved in.  Although he cleared most of the manure piles, he has left us plenty of rotting down manure, in the barn...

And also under the polytunnel...

We managed to sell the polytunnel - a monstrous 15 x 10 metre construction with a 4 metre height. Three frenchmen turned up with a small Peugeot van and plenty of Gauloise cigarettes.  There was much scratching of heads, heated discussion about the best division of labour, and then shirts were removed, cigarettes lit, and with the help of our JCB, they dismantled it in a day.

We were just left with the task of moving the huge steel stock bars, and were then able to see the extent of our slowly rotting 'black gold,' perfect for the new vegetable garden.

The JCB was also employed as a crane to move the huge concrete tank, formerly used to mix the weedkiller for the plum orchards. It was lifted and moved into position in the new vegetable garden.

It holds 1700 litres, and will be ideal not just to collect rainwater, but also to store agricultural water to use for irrigation.
As the property was formerly a working farm with 60 acres of orchards, maize, sunflowers and wheat; it was supplied with agricultural water, piped underground to 4 huge taps along the perimeter of the property.

We have retained the rights to use this agricultural water and at less than 5 pence per bathful, it will be an extremely cost efficient method of irrigating the gardens, and a great bonus for us.

We have also identified the two large mature trees planted beside the houses.  They are both Linden trees (Lime trees)

These were traditionally planted when a house was built in the Perigord, to provide shade for the heat of the summer days.  When they come into flower in late Spring they produce a nectar that is irresistible to the bees and butterflies. It is quite amazing standing under the tree when it is literally buzzing with life, the noise all around you as though the tree itself is emitting the low humming.

The blossom is used to make a herbal tea - an infusion popular in France, and known as tilleul.  It is known to help indigestion and to help promote sleep.  Interestingly it is also used with distilled water as a facial tonic for skin, soothing and relaxing tissues.  It would be lovely to provide guests at the holiday cottages with natural products made on the farm, so an area to explore for the future...

And for those times when a herbal tea is just not enough, we seem to have a huge blackthorn hedge surrounding one of the fields...

Which is absolutely full of sloes, although at this point they have been sucked dry by thirsty wasps and butterflies.

Next year, we will gather early, and steep with gin and vodka for a deep syrupy Christmas tipple!