Life on the Land | Tough Kraut

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Here you will find my most recent blog posts. Tough Kraut guides you from city apartments to homesteads. Explore our categories:

Homestead Chronicles: Follow our journey. Read “A Starter’s Guide” for basics or “Life on the Land” for real stories.

Cultivate & Thrive: Grow food anywhere. Try “Homegrown Harvests” for balcony tips or “Building Soil” for yards.

Self-Sufficient Living: Learn off-grid skills. Check “Water Conservation” or “Homesteading & DIY” for practical projects.

Farm Companions: Use animals and plants smartly. Explore “Natural Pest Control” or “Foraging” for free resources.

Permie Pantry: Cook and preserve. Start with “Garden-To-Table Recipes” or “Pickle & Preserve” for easy ideas.

Guides, tips, stories or recipes directly from our off-grid homestead. From newbie tips to pro hacks, our posts help you grow smarter, not harder.

A common starling sits on a horizontal branch with an open beak in front of weathered wooden slats.

Wild Neighbors: Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) On Our Portuguese Homestead

We first noticed them by ear. A tight, bubbling chatter mixed with stolen bits of other birds, coming from the olives and the line above the chicken run. Then we saw them: compact, dark, slightly hunched, walking rather than hopping.

4 days ago

Herman Kraut holds a zucchini leaf whose pale underside is packed with aphids and dotted with feeding damage.

Late Summer Pests: Who Still Matters in September

September still has an insect pulse. Warm days and tired, watered plants keep aphids, mites, and stink bugs moving until the first rains. Flip the leaf, name what you see, and decide: leave the hunters, slow the pests, or pull a spent vine. A short field guide for Mediterranean gardens.

Sep 11

Side view of Empusa pennata on fabric, showing its thin brown body, pale green wing edges, long legs, and upright feathery antennae.

Wild Neighbors: Conehead Mantis (Empusa pennata) On Our Portuguese Homestead

Some wildlife encounters happen because we go looking for them. Others apparently decide that our laundry is suitable habitat. At the end of May, I found a male Conehead Mantis sitting on my work hoodie, which I had left on a chair on our mobile home porch. At first glance, the bizarre head, impossibly thin body and huge feather-like antennae made it look less like a familiar praying mantis and more like something assembled from spare insect parts.

Aug 24

Moorish Gecko rests on a worn pale surface, showing mottled brown-grey skin, a curved banded tail, and splayed toes.

Wild Neighbors: Moorish Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) On Our Portuguese Homestead

Some wild neighbors make dramatic entrances. Others simply appear on a wall one evening, disappear into a crack, and leave us wondering whether we actually saw them. The Moorish gecko belongs firmly in the second category. We have spotted these chunky little reptiles several times over the years, originally around our old granite stone house ruin and now increasingly around the shipping containers we use for storage.

Aug 13

Single clematis bloom with soft pink petals and radiating purple-tipped stamens, framed by green leaves, wire, and a wooden post.

7 Plants That Keep Our Mediterranean Homestead Green

By midsummer, much of our Quinta turns golden-brown. The grasses dry out, exposed soil hardens, and the green hills of spring begin looking as though someone slowly turned down the colour setting. This is part of the natural rhythm of a Mediterranean climate. Long, hot summers and months with little rain shape the land around us in Central Portugal. That does not mean the whole homestead has to look tired. Over the past few years, several plants have continued adding green fo

Jul 30

Close view of a Buff-tailed Bumblebee pressed against a citrus flower, with its pale tail and wings visible between glossy leaves.

Wild Neighbors: Buff-Tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) On Our Portuguese Homestead

We have been noticing bumblebees more frequently across our Quinta, usually moving between flowering herbs, vegetables, wild plants and the more enthusiastically blooming corners of the garden.

Jul 28

Praying mantis perched sideways on a crate edge, showing a long green body, folded wings, and raised raptorial front legs.

Wild Neighbors: Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa) On Our Portuguese Homestead

We spotted our first ever praying mantis on the land after more than a year of watching soil, leaves, stones, chicken fences, and suspicious moving shadows. It was the end of September, which fits the season well because adults are easiest to notice in late summer and autumn.

Jun 29

Gray Eurasian Collared-Dove lying low on a dusty path, showing spread wing feathers and white tail edges in dry grass.

Wild Neighbors: Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) On Our Portuguese Homestead

Sometimes wildlife introductions happen quietly. A bird appears more often. A familiar call becomes part of the daily soundtrack. Then one day you realize a species has become a regular neighbor. For us, the Eurasian Collared-Dove became much more noticeable after a nearby stand of pine trees was removed for fire prevention.

Jun 23

Chicken run with hens behind wire mesh, straw-covered ground, hanging feeder, branches, crates, and a wooden coop wall.

Chicken Run Repair: The Predator Found the Weak Spot Before I Did

There are certain discoveries every chicken keeper dreads. An empty coop. Missing feathers. A broken fence. Thankfully, this story didn't end with any lost chickens. But it easily could have. A few days ago, while carrying out one of the most routine jobs on our homestead, filling fresh water for the chickens, I noticed something unusual along the perimeter of our chicken run. At first glance it looked like disturbed soil. A closer look revealed something much worse. Our chic

Jun 20

Mixed rural garden with paths, small trees, flowering yellow bushes, a wooden house, and a cream cabin among mature woodland.

Four Years on Our Quinta: Our Off-Grid Homestead Transformation So Far

On June 1st, 2022, MuDan and I spent our first night on the land. The evening light faded over our little patch of Central Portugal, and around us sat the raw start of a new life: a partially fenced property, a leaky granite stone house ruin, rough ground shaped by decades of sheep grazing, and more questions than answers. We had waited more than two years for this moment after buying the property.

Jun 5

Iberian magpie perched on a diagonal branch beside rustic wooden stakes, with dry grass and a plastic bottle behind it.

Wild Neighbors: Iberian Magpie (Cyanopica cooki) On Our Portuguese Homestead

We noticed the Iberian magpies from our very first days on the land. Before many trees were planted, before irrigation lines stretched across the terraces, and before the greenhouse stood where it does now, these blue-winged neighbors were already here watching us from fence poles and dry branches like tiny feathered supervisors.

May 21

Street scene outside Lisbon Oriente station with a patterned canopy, people waiting, and traffic moving past.

What Our Lisbon Airport Trips Actually Look Like from Central Portugal

When people imagine life on a Quinta in Central Portugal, they usually picture gardens, quiet mornings, long-term projects, and a slower rhythm. And yes, that is a big part of it. But sometimes rural life looks very different. Sometimes it means packing bags, locking the gate, driving out, and heading toward Lisbon because real life still runs through the city. Flights leave from there. Appointments happen there. Supplies are easier to find there. Friends and family often arr

Apr 27

Close-up of a summer chafer resting on fingers, highlighting smooth elytra, segmented legs, and antennae.

Wild Neighbors: Summer Chafer (Amphimallon solstitiale) On Our Portuguese Homestead

We first noticed these beetles the way most people do. Not by looking for them, but by almost walking into them. Warm evenings, fading light, and suddenly there is this low, slightly clumsy flight pattern zig-zagging across the garden. At first glance, it looks like a “random brown beetle.” Then you see another. And another. That is when you realize something seasonal is happening.

Apr 12

Micrommata ligurina resting on pot rim with surrounding foliage visible behind.

Wild Neighbors: Green Huntsman Spider (Micrommata ligurina) On Our Portuguese Homestead

We did not notice this spider in our first year. Not because it was not there, but because the land had not yet recovered enough to support it. The first sightings came in year two. Then more. And now, it has become one of those “once you see it, you see it everywhere” species. Especially during watering.

Apr 4

Common pill bug resting on a person’s finger beside a ring, highlighting its curved, segmented exoskeleton.

Wild Neighbors: Common Pill Bug (Armadillidium vulgare) On Our Portuguese Homestead

Some wildlife neighbors only show themselves when we disturb their carefully hidden world. For us, that moment happens every time we lift a pot, move a stone, or peel back a layer of mulch. Suddenly, dozens of tiny armored creatures scatter or roll into perfect little spheres. That is our daily encounter with the common pill bug.

Mar 27

Close-up of a Great Tit perched on a concrete surface, showing its black head, white cheeks, and yellow belly.

Wild Neighbors: Great Tit (Parus major) On Our Portuguese Homestead

Some wildlife neighbors arrive quietly. Others make their presence known with enthusiasm. For the last few days, two male Great Tits have been staging what looks like a tiny aerial boxing match right outside our new window. From sunrise to sunset they swoop, hover, and peck against the glass, flying up and down as if challenging an invisible rival. The reason turned out to be simple: our new window reflects like a mirror from the outside, and during spring breeding season,

Mar 10

Bright green Mediterranean tree frog sitting calmly on Herman Kraut's hand indoors in a greenhouse.

Wild Neighbors: Mediterranean Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis) On Our Portuguese Homestead

Some wildlife neighbors arrive quietly, blending so perfectly into the landscape that we almost overlook them. The Mediterranean tree frog is one of those subtle residents. Our first encounter happened during a routine morning chore around the greenhouse. While moving leaves near our sago palm and canna plants, a tiny bright-green frog appeared, perfectly camouflaged against the foliage.

Mar 6

Scarce swallowtail butterfly resting on mixed greenery with tails extended.

Wild Neighbors: Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius) On Our Portuguese Homestead

The first time we noticed the scarce swallowtail, it did not flutter nervously like many garden butterflies. It glided. Long wings stretched out, tails trailing behind, floating above our terraces as if it owned the hillside. Since we left large parts of our land untouched for four years, natural succession has taken over in many corners. Shrubs thickened. Wild herbs returned. Host plants appeared without us planting a single seed. And with that quiet rewilding came caterp

Feb 17

An Oriolus oriolus with vibrant yellow plumage resting in the foliage of a leafy tree.

Wild Neighbors: Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus) On Our Portuguese Homestead

Some wild neighbors announce themselves long before they show their face. The Eurasian Golden Oriole is exactly that kind of presence on our land. From May through late August, its rich, fluting song carries across the valley while we work, build, plant, or simply stand still and listen. For weeks, sometimes months, the bird remains unseen. This is always slightly baffling, given that the male is an unmistakable golden yellow with jet-black wings.

Feb 6

Side view of a Eurasian Hoopoe with raised crest and black-and-white wing markings on a sunlit lawn.

Wild Neighbors: Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops) On Our Portuguese Homestead

Some neighbors announce themselves loudly. Others slip in quietly, leave a trace, and vanish before you even raise the camera. The Eurasian hoopoe firmly belongs to the second group. We see hoopoes on our land throughout the year. In the heat of summer, they fly down into our deep granite stone well to drink. In winter and spring, they patrol our mowed pathways, walking slowly and deliberately, probing the soil with their long, curved bills. Compared to many other birds, t

Jan 18