StrandjaBlog

Strandja’s Amazing Forests

Anja — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:29:22 +0000

Forests are among the most biodiverse habitats on the planet. But not all woodlands are the same. Most rich and important are old woodlands. Woodlands that have been there for a long time in the same place. And woodlands where humans have had very little or no influence. Because of the natural state [...]

Strandja Forest Honey

Anja — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:50:14 +0000

When you see the beautiful, flower-rich meadows that are still common in many places in Bulgaria, you will not be surprised to hear that Bulgaria has a high reputation as producer of honey of excellent quality. Moreover, most of the honey in Bulgaria is produced as a hobby or as a part time business, [...]

Firewood from Strandja

Dave — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:11:06 +0000

Our firewood for winter has just arrived. Ten cubic metres of oak from the forests of Strandja. That is a big pile of wood… Every year forest workers cut trees in the woodlands around the villages in Strandja. They leave it to dry in the forest for a few months. And in September they distribute it [...]

Cycling through the Strandja mountains

Dave — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 09:10:00 +0000

Many people we meet cycle through Strandja park. The Strandja mountains are very good for cycling, because an asphalt road (albeit with some holes in it that for some reason never get repaired) goes through the park from the Black Sea coast all the way to the border with Turkey. And many people continue from [...]

Permaculture in Bulgaria

Anja — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:51:27 +0000

One of the principles of permaculture is to avoid tilling the soil. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly it takes a lot of energy to move so much soil. Secondly, and more importantly, disturbing the soil, especially inverting it, destroys its natural fertility by destroying organic matter and structure. By digging into [...]

Shower in the sun

Dave — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:41:35 +0000

In the North West of Europe not many people I know of take solar showers. However, in Bulgaria it is quite common to heat your water by sunlight. Many people here have a solar water heating installation on their roofs, and there is also the oldfashioned system consisting of just a black-painted barrel on [...]

Houston, we have a problem

Dave — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:24:43 +0000

We found a small kitten behind the toilet. And it is ready to stay.

Poisonous things

Dave — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:39:06 +0000

Some things in the garden are more welcome than others. Things such as butterflies and kittens make you very happy. But what when you find Bulgaria’s most poisonous snake in your back garden? We had already heard some hissing, and we had noticed a snake was living near the pile of old and half [...]

Fire-dancing in the Strandja Mountains

Anja — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:36:17 +0000

A large fire in the village square slowly burns down into hot coals. It has been raining a little and mist floats into the valleys surrounding us while the sun fades. More and more people gather round the burning coals. Suddenly, the music that has been going on for the last hour pauses and everything [...]

Rhododendron ponticum – you love it or you hate it

Anja — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:47:21 +0000

While working in the South-West of England in nature conservation, I came across the plant Rhododendron ponticum quite often. In England, it is grown in many gardens for its beautiful flowers. Unfortunately, it has the nasty habit of escaping and invading the surrounding native woodlands. Once there, the species seeds itself in large amounts, and [...]