PAELLA VALENCIANA WITH RABBIT.

"Paella Valenciana",  is a typical  on rice based countryside food tradition. Paella was prepared outside on open fire  during the day  and served later under the fresh and cool shade which the green trees and plants gave. In rural areas  it's ingredients are still  from the local vegetable production  and the meat is rabbit or chicken or both mixed on the pan. The open fire from  dried grape-vine wood gives it the authentic Levantine  aroma .  

The Chef "Pepe "from Albatera cooking the ingredients on open fire.

"Paella Valenciana" redy for serving.

Finca Sofia Team enjoying the magnificent afternoon in Los Vives with  the Chef's family.

"Chef Thor" holding a functioning musket , which has been used in "Fiestas de Moros y Cristianos"  in Albatera.

FINCA SOFIA TEAM

"ZIMBABWE" CHICKEN'S WILD LIFE OUT OF THE HEN-COOP.

There was totally 16 eggs,and one egg rolled out from the nest, and was abandoned.

Three one day old chickens lurking under the "mother".

At last it was 9 chickens and 6 eggs was not fertilized.

The nine "braves" enjoying chicken life.

Outside the hen-coop the world is cruel. We have hawks, owls, foxes and cats and a small chicken cannot survive the total freedom.
                                   
                                     FINCA SOFIA TEAM.

"RAPUJUHLAT" ALSO IN SOUTHERN SPAIN.

We will imitate the old Finnish culinary tradition also here in southern Spain. We need to buy a variety of different kind of  fresh crabs, which we normally cannot have alive here in Costa Blanca . In Finland you never cook or use a crab as human food if the animal  is  dead.
Finnish "Rapujuhlat" ingredients are lot of "happy" alive river crabs. Lot of dill and toasted bread slices.
Lot of ethnic gourmands, a lake side place between birch trees and a mystic illumination with natural fires, and the Russian inherit for the  Finnish kitchen, French white wine or Champagne and ice cold Finnish vodka "Koskenkorva " schnapps .

A plate of Finnish boiled river crabs.

                   FINCA SOFIA TEAM

MIXING SPANISH,SCANDINAVIAN AND FINNISH TRADITION DURING THE MIDSUMMER EVE.

In Sweden and Finland  the Midsummer Eve,has a mystic atmosphere. After the long and dark winter this solstice day ,with half Scandinavia without night, and the area north of Polar Circle, without sunset, is something to experience .The towns look abandoned, everybody must smell the smoke from bonfires and the scent  of green leaved birch woods and hear the melody of the lake water breaking against the green beaches.To take this natural sensuality to Southern Spain is very difficult, but with good food and clean nature and smooth summer night air, like we have here in Los Vives, the magic transfers from Scandinavia to Spain.

A Midsummer bonfire by a lake in Finland.

Our Midsummer Mix is a traditional combination of Finnish gourmet.

Gravad lax,Smoked salmon and mussels,marinated herring,a big schrimp and a salad.

NIGHT STALKER AND A "BELLE DE JOUR"

The larva of Death's Head Hawk moth (Acherontia atropos)  eating olive tree leaves, which is an unusual  "menu" for it.

A colorful Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) sucking nectar from Geranium flowers.

Finca Sofia team is a community where everybody works for maintaining wildlife and nature for the future generations, so that also our grand children can enjoy the nature's magic and it's marvels.

REPTILES AROUND THE HOUSE

MEET THE OLD SEA BOTTOM AT 225M ABOVE THE SEA LEVEL.

Our finca in Los Vives is situated about 225 meters above the sea level and some 50 kilometers from the Mediterranean coastal line.Somewhere here near us the European and the African tectonic plate meets each others in subduction belt.It means that the African plate is diving under us, and sometimes we here it "making noise" when there is a small earthquake. The hot springs near us in Fortuna and Archena are consequences of the  cracks in the the earth's crust where ground water meets the magma.
If you climb towards  Cerro Agudo hill , and start to observe the stones, the more fossils you see the higher you follow the slope.Here are  my recently collected samples of different kind of mollusc and coral fossils.

                                FINCA SOFIA TEAM