Garden.

The ground around our house lives up to Lanzarote's nickname—the Rock. 

Whenever we want to plant a tree, we pray that we've picked the right spot so we don't have to resort to drilling. Once we've cursed and dug enough, we add in good quality soil.

For that we need Juan Vicente & Co. They are five brothers who live just up the hill. They all love driving heavy machines and own a serious machine park. They adore their work and always smile but … they’re very difficult to pay! Just don’t have time to produce bills. A very unique business.

So anyway, by now Juan Vicente & Co. have brought us some hundred tons of soil and about forty tons of picón, volcanic ash. Most of it was used to create a homogeneous base for the vegetable garden.

The soil usually comes mixed with local goat poop. Once it’s ready, we cover it with a 15 cm layer of picón. This black and sometimes red volcanic ash covered the most fertile part of the island during the eruptions of 1773-1776. The desperate farmers first tried to remove it but the sheer quantities made it impossible. There were layers up to three meters in some places! Then they discovered that picon was actually useful! It protects soil from heat and absorbs and maintains the humidity . So the picón was left to work its magic.