Top 10 trees we found on our abandoned land in Central Portugal - Our Portuguese Homestead

Today Maarten gives you all an overview of some of the trees that we have on our land. These are all trees that were already here, not that we planted.
On the history of Eucalyptus in Portugal (in Dutch): www.mo.be/zeronaut/het-groene...
In English: www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/10/11/...
Want to support us and these videos? Find me on Patreon: / ourportuguesehomestead
New here? My name is Lea and I live with my partner Maarten and our toddler Puck on our land in Central Portugal. We left the rat race in the Netherlands a little over a year ago, and moved south in our old campervan. Last year we bought land in Portugal that had been abandoned for several decades. Slowly we are cleaning the land and building our dream off-grid homestead from the ground up. This channel documents all the different jobs we have to do, and sometimes some nice footage of this beautiful country we now call home. Want to see more updates? Don't forget to subscribe!
Instagram: / ourportuguesehomestead
Facebook: / ourportuguesehomestead .

[@klazyy641]

Good job narrating, Maarten! You do know your trees and products very well. Missed Lea but was very pleased to see you standing in for her and to give her a rest. Be well, you three!

[@andrewstrathdee1469]

Maarten - that was absolutely fascinating and exactly the sort of content I love to see. When Lea cannot [present she has a more than adequate deputy and I hope you will do make some more contributions on perhaps subjects such as your irrigation and water provision, as well as your construction activities., Thank you so much and best wishes to Lea - I hope she feels energised again soon and to Puck, as helpful as ever! Andrew

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thank you. I hope Lea lets me make some more videos in the future.

[@jnicolapires]

@@ourportuguesehomestead LOL. Maybe if you ask her nicely she will let you. Or if she doesn't, start your own channel.👍👍 Bring Puk with you.👍

[@Cate7451]

Our Portuguese Homestead I think that it is so sweet that you did this. Loved hearing about the trees! We have the arbutus in the west coast of Canada. Also the pine is used all over the world as a fuel. As well drying the wood out is a factor to prepare the wood. Where I live birch is favoured but poplar is very abundant. The birch when seasoned takes longer to burn, and burns hotter so less work to stoke your fire, poplar burns up very quickly. We have to clear out dead poplar which are then very dry so they burn very fast but I use that like kindling to get the fire going. To start your fire have a small amount of wood as a flame likes lots of oxygen. Yes I think pine will work if you know it's character and how to burn it. We have a special brush to clean out our chimney which requires two people to use. But looks very simple. So cleaning your chimney is a definit thing. Pine is used commonly to fire pottery kilns.

[@tramagacity]

Our Portuguese Homestead Nice place, how many hectares do you have? Be careful in summer time, the extremely hot weather brings fires all over the country every summer, clear around your buildings and any other valuables.

[@jmbpinto73]

@@ourportuguesehomestead If I may suggest, you could co-host the show, and share the camera. :) Just avoid the sun from 12-15h, we have very hot weather coming your way. Cheers!

[@kimmurphy6864]

We like seeing you too Maarten

[@slanwar]

I love the smell of eucalyptus, my mom used to burn dry leaves, moved to New Jersey long ago and still have the smell in my mind.

[@JAMDSF]

Marten, that was fascinating. You put so much effort, respect and passion into learning the History and potential of each type of tree that it across really well on the video.

[@user-uq4nv2ze6o]

Каю

[@user-uq4nv2ze6o]

Твщпокн шон18

[@carriestrongman7459]

thankyou maarten i liked hearing the history of the trees on your property the olive trees have certainly come away after watching lea cutting and pulling those brambles

[@jannetomlinson1831]

Coming from Australia,we love our eucalyptuses.very good for chesty colds and blocked noses made in an inhalation,especially for children put in a carrier salve and rubbed on the chest. Keeps bugs out of clothes in the outback.

[@johnsonr9]

You have certainly found a great homesteading environment. Great to see your hard work and perseverance paying off!

[@janetanderson8719]

Y’all are doing a wonderful job with your homesteading. I’m sure it’s a learning process. It’s so interesting to see your advancements and how quickly you acclimated to your new surroundings.

[@saltycowgirl]

both of you are such lovely people and your blessed to be living out your dreams in an area you love.... awesome video's

[@rudolfmaj]

Really enjoyed your presentation, you are both natural presenters, no showing off - an absolute pleasure to watch.

[@Shambala_G]

Maarten you are a legend. So much knowledge and a great attitude to the life that surrounds you. It is heartening to see you step in for your beloved when needed and do such a brilliant presentation. Thank you 👍👍👍

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thank you for your encouraging words! Cheers, Maarten

[@manoelsilva3270]

Thank you so much for the educative video. I hope Lea has a fast recovery. It is great to see that you can fill in for Lea when needed. You, Lea and Puck make a great team and I look forward to seeing you all together in videos to come. Thanks Maarten!

[@antoniodasilva1230]

Lol you looked realy happy explaining the tree's very good job and i like the way you are thinking on keeping local speices

[@robertlemoine3500]

Nicely done Maarten the only thing missing is puck to start our day.thankyou

[@MikeyAware]

Thank you Maarten, what a lovely video going over the trees, and nice to see you taking over for Lea

[@umwzhills999]

Please remember to seal the tree where you cut or pruned it. Get some “tree sealer” and help heal the bark where the cutting took place.

[@NicholasKuhne]

I am looking forward to Top 10 shrubs next. Thanks Maarten!

[@RGPepler]

Thank you Maarten. You handled that very well short and informative. Such a diverse piece of land all the best to you as you develop it.

[@peterbassett2199]

Your, and Leah's English is outstanding. Maybe the best of any non-native speaker I've heard. Love what you're doing. Keep up the good work, leading by example.

[@bertieb9510]

I loved this episode. It should be a regular thing 😊

[@peacepoppy3809]

Very Interesting Martin. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Great to listen to the detail, origin and history. All good wishes to Lea and Puck x

[@ingeleonora-denouden6222]

Maarten, you do it very well too! You're a good story-teller!

[@Jon_Godfrey]

Brilliant, Maarten, love your local knowledge of the tress and environment. Living the dream. :-)

[@joannak4640]

Great job on making a video. I live in the very Southern United States , so I understand how hot it gets there. Keep up the good work. Look forward to watching you build up your homestead ❤️

[@oliveoil4487]

Thanks Maarten for the fantastic tour of your property. Please give Lea and Puch my regards.

[@tamaratharpe8189]

Maarten you are a good partner to know when Lea needed a break. I loved this video. You imparted a lot of information concisely and intelligently. Your voice is very warm and calming. Good job!

[@tinkerbell5433]

Fantastic video Maarten! It’s clear you learned a lot about all the trees you guys have in your property. It was good to share that info with all of us. Here in Canada we don’t have trees like those so I found this really interesting. I hope you do more videos. You’re a natural at it!

[@davideveringham4136]

Excellent video Maarten. I really enjoyed seeing the varieties of trees that you have on your property along with all of the information...very interesting!

[@colinfarrow923]

thanks for all that information on the trees. it was very interesting as we have all the same trees on are land here in Atilia do campo

[@jonleonard538]

Good job. You have a better on camera presence than you think. Good material about trees.

[@victorgoncalves2442]

Well done Maarten, loved the video . Exactly the same trees that we have down south in Alentejo ( Ourique area ). Love to eat "Marmelo" , and very nice Marmelada : " Medronheira ", my land is full of it , a few years ago ,we sold all the fruit , to make "Aguardente Medronho " ( Sao Marcos da Serra ) : " Azinheira " , the Acorn is sweet ( one variety is sower ) and you can eat raw, cooked on the oven or make flower . You guys stay safe .

[@kmurphy7740]

Loved this! Great job Maarten.

[@PedroEduardoBraz]

Such a great work and fantastic lessons you are giving us all. We are learning a lot from you . KZbin vídeos Will be the greatest harvest for you, for Portugal and for everyone

[@quitemountainwoman1592]

You are so blessed to have established fruit trees on your property. Where we bought the fruit tree had already died but the area of the Smokey's we are blessed with naturally occurring black walnuts, paw paws, muscadine Vines, persimmons and hickory nuts.

[@megseggs5803]

Thanks Maarten really interesting. Really enjoying the videos and the land looks fantastic you can see all the work you both do.

[@rosamperez233]

Excellent description of the trees, thanks for share your family and knowledge with us

[@dwaynemontanye5274]

Great to see you Martin. Look forward to more visits with you.

[@noahgeorge67]

Just found your channel, your videos are absolutely wonderful, I think it’s awesome that you’re showcasing the ups and down of this sustainable lifestyle!

[@blowfeld38]

Best video yet! Very informative and useful for my plans for a food forest in 🇵🇹 Please can you do more of the videos Martin?

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

If Lea will let me haha, I will think about it. Thank you for your encouragement :)!

[@SN-gc3vc]

Another great video! 👍🏻Good thing you are getting rid of the eucalyptus trees. I’ve been reading they are a big problem with wildfires in every country they grow.

[@Gonzo76Lx]

They are easy to catch fire... Big problem here in Portugal. But the lobby of the paper industry have lots of power

[@Jesuscger]

They should leave one or two, because its leaves tea is great for our health, even the eucalyptus charcoal plaster is great to treat some infections.

[@davidford694]

Delightful to discover that you are as charming as Leah, Maarten. I agree with those who suggest that you make more videos. A way to cope with the resinous nature of pine is to use it for quick, hot fires. The technology which can help with this is the rocket stove, designed by a physicist in Cottage Grove, Oregon, not far from here but thankfully on the other side of the border. It comes in many variants, one of which is used for cooking and would likely work better than your wood stove designed for heating. Another is a mass heater, where a fire is burned for a short time every day and heats a large thermal mass, which provides gentle heat for the rest of the time. As a very strong introvert myself I sympathize with Leah!

[@ericbailey3125]

Thanks for the lesson about trees. I learned a lot.

[@ToddHenshaw]

Great to see you Maaten - both of you are so inspiring! It's great to see how your home is coming on, one day we hope to be homesteading in central Portugal too!

[@janetissabelle]

Such a nice gift for us and for Lea,beautiful trees,the homestead is thriving already.

[@violetraton8731]

You’re doing great as a host Martin.. love those trees. Great job what you’ve done in your homestead so far. Keep up the good work

[@deidrespencer5467]

Maarten, you are so cute! Thank you for a wonderful video, it was very interesting. You were also lovely to give Leia a break. Love from Australia. 💞

[@stephaniewilson3955]

That is a coppiced willow. Coppicing is good for willow and will make it live longer (as in thousands of years). How lovely to see that you are encouraging native growth.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

One day I hope to learn how to make baskets from the willow shoots :)

[@iconentertainment4939]

Hi Martin, it was great to see more of your passion for the land and your humor!

[@carlamarlene2927]

i have totally fallen in love with you guys!!!

[@kimmurphy6864]

AMAZING MAARTEN..... YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL KZbinR!

[@rlrafter]

Maarten it was nice to hear from you today. Informative change of pace. Best wishes to you and Lea. I enjoy your channel.

[@thomascallaghan5988]

Good job you were nervous but very good and I think we should see more of you,it was very interesting learning about the trees,please do some more videos.thank you for your precious time,kindest regards tam 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿❤️

[@picoislandholidayexpert-ca8474]

You are a natural Maarten! Awesome information! You should do a few more videos.

[@yevpt]

Once again great knowledge on the environment around you. Thanks. Inspiring .

[@cryptojack3529]

Just love what your guys are doing!

[@darrenmcdonald3697]

Martin- I enjoyed your informative video. I learned a lot. I hope you can do more information videos about your land and homestead projects. Best wishes and keep up the good work.

[@deborahcarter8554]

thank you for the tour it was very interesting.

[@michaelhopkins4296]

Maarten. You can use the pine needles to make teas. I am used to the red and white pine variety. You can study this. The tea is loaded with lots of good vitamins and minerals. You can google this. Its a cheap tea. Clover, St. Johns wort, strawberry, raspberry, chamomile flowers, black berry leaves can also be used for teas. Just put the flowers in a paper bag and let dry. You can hang the St. Johns in bundles to dry. No reason to buy teas.

[@bigmamma6946]

Absolutely amazing vlog loved this video very interesting content. Thank you for sharing this.

[@geoffreywoodfield2180]

Welldone Matin it's a pity that you will not see has much of you in the future in front of the camera. You should be up for the Oscar for best new actor.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

That is very kind of you haha.

[@jmunsamy]

Would like to see more of you both on these videos.

[@davetrev4328]

You're so knowledgeable, More Maarten. love you to lea. Peace

[@RunningDuckPetSitters]

Love to Leah and missed lil Puck 😁🇿🇦

[@rpreto72]

Fig tree, give her love. She'll give your tender moments. Pingo Mel are out of this world. Keep them cool, in the freezer. Marmelo!! My mother does delicious marmelada. pro tip, marmelada and cheese... try it :) Medronho :) Have you tried the aguardente? you've covered all of the really important ones :) All the best :)

[@Jesuscger]

Medronhos are great, but aguardente is realy bad for our health.

[@forestfamilyadventures8956]

Thanks Maarten.. I loved all the info on the trees.. Hope to see more videos from you.. Don't be shy

[@annamariaiannacito5291]

Thank you for the interesting information, and your calmness is enjoyable. The two of you are the perfect match and your lifestyle is enviable, and inspiring. I am glad to have found you.

[@lukeandsarahsoffgridlife]

Thanks for this video , very good info about the trees, we are off gridding it close to you guys i guess and our bush and trees are the same and it is so great to see what you so with them .keep up the great videos

[@brianjohnston9822]

Great video, keep popping in once in a while.

[@catmandoo7835]

Thank you Maarten very interesting and educational.

[@maggierayner9408]

Another interesting and informative video. I enjoyed seeing the panned views of the landscape of different parts of your property with an overview of all the trees from a distance.

[@thisorthat7626]

Super interesting video! So many of the trees also grow in California so I recognized them. Thank you for showing us your homestead!

[@alunjones2550]

Fantastic video. As someone who'd love to move to Portugal and start a life of self-sufficiency this was very informative.

[@russellsmith8609]

Great video Maarten. I liked your calm and relaxed voice. I think Puck will have great models on how to approach life as she grows up. Not to put Lea out of a job, but I do look forward to more videos from you. I liked the way you interacted as a couple on your "Answers to your questions" video, so maybe you will be able to make some videos together. From watching other channels, I was surprised at the end of the video that you did not chant the You Tube mantra, like, subscribe and share this video". I think it shows how real your videos are. Thanks for taking the time to show us around, cheers, russell.

[@shahannagrey8427]

Maarten, please come back now and again to tell us what you’re projects are. Be safe you 3, and pets, bye from Australia.

[@janp7943]

Great info Maarten! Thanks!

[@hdagent8080]

You folks have a beautiful family and life-adventure. I wish you peace, health and success!!

[@HowlingWheelsAdventures]

That was very interesting episode.. you should do more videos.. it's also very sweet that Lea could get some break.

[@sempi8159]

Great video! Nice to see the other side! I like the informative style!

[@perunut4656]

Well done for stepping in! Lots of useful information and really interesting to see you have a diverse range of trees. I would like to see how you make acorn flour and alcohol of course :)

[@robertalynch5433]

Sweet! You Maarten. Trees are the bedrock of your land. Plant more that you can eat from.

[@IrelandGoldsluice999]

Thanks for the tour marteen, so many famous trees well done

[@maodonimega]

Thanks for the great information!

[@ciaobella8963]

Thank you Maarten. That was very informative. I enjoyed it. I only have 5 mature olive trees in my small garden in northern Tuscany in Italy, but some years they produce a lot! Every year is different.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

You are welcome! It was also very educational for me to make and I really enjoyed it as well. Tuscany sounds nice!

[@ciaobella8963]

@@ourportuguesehomestead Tuscany is not so far away from Portugal. :-) Maybe when the world settles down you can come to Tuscany and stay for a little while. Can't leave your animals for too long though. ;-)

[@anniemac3075]

Thank you Maarten, a really interesting video, you're as good as Lea at this presentation business!

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Haha thank you, this was my first video on the channel and I have become much more comfortable in front of the camera since then. Cheers, Maarten

[@davidburke3368]

great tour, loved it

[@redcorsair14]

This was a fun relaxing video. I needed that

[@tonyhussey3610]

You are a natural behind the camera too, definitely suggest you make some more videos if you can 👍👍

[@timothyjones314]

I loved the video Maarten! Super interesting. I’m looking to buy land in the region so loved learning about local/alien flora. The shot of your olive grove was quite breathtaking! Seeing how much work you guys have done on the land is incredible. It is entirely transformed! Next time you shoot a video it’d be great to hear your clearing process and plans for the land in the future. Lea, hope you’re recovering!

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks Timothy! It has been a team effort. We are thinking of making a video on our vision for the land. It’s important to me to note that everything we do is a team effort. We discuss everything we do and make plans we both stand behind and make contributions to. So if/when we make a video about the future plans know that this is a product of us together. Enjoy your day, Maarten.

[@timothyjones314]

Our Portuguese Homestead that’s totally appreciated on my behalf! I find Lea’s attitude to work super inspiring.

[@JensHeijkoop]

Awesome Maarten! I am cutting the Eucalyptus away as well and keep it local as possible! Sad in the beginning but worth in the end. Succes.

[@vesnasuselrozman7659]

I think if you cut vilov down in next year will come more like bush and make lots of nice soft branches for make baskets and stuf like thet. Also pauderd villov is a groving hormon for anykind of cuttings. You made a great job there, wish your family alllll the best and love from Slovenija!

[@mikedee4449]

First I really enjoy your videos. It looks like you guys are having as much fun as possible when there is so much work to do. I did want to say that I live in Arizona and everyone here goes up north where it is cooler to go camping and fishing. For over fifty years my family has burned pine without issue indoors in cabins and outdoors in the camp sites. No problem ever with burning pine. Just make sure you cut it down ahead of time to make sure it is completely dry because of the sap.

[@magicwendy210]

great info, very interesting, good to see you taking over the videos sometimes :D

[@angelapalmieri3883]

What beautiful tree you have on your property..great job on the video Martin......🥰❤hugs to Lea

[@shellicooper4944]

I would like to learn more about the hedge tree that you lie down and it grows!? Great video! You two have alot of knowledge ! 🌲🌳

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

www.conservationhandbooks.com/laying-hedges-ancient-craft/

[@slowandwilder]

This video is so helpful. I love trees and their folklore too.

[@Sean-hf5mn]

Thank You. Very informative.

[@elizabethhernandez4273]

You are a very good teller, thanks for share your knowledge of your paradaise, greetings to your parentes.

[@faithrada]

Well done Martin... you two make a good team... how sweet of you to pitch in with the KZbin "chores". Do 'drop in' any time. Really enjoyed all the info... especially about the marmalade and the Cork Oaks. : )

[@sherryc2443]

Excellent content. Thank you.