Hello  

August has arrived, and you know what that means—our first big harvest of the season is just around the corner! In about three weeks, we'll kick off the grape harvest for our natural wines as part of the São Mamede Wine Project, the new offshoot of the Quinta Project.

But that's not all—it's also time to start planning for the olive harvest! This has always been a time to celebrate community and the joy of being together.

This year, we're harvesting a bit earlier: in November. That means less oil, but the oil will be spicier, more robust, and peppery.

We can't wait to revive this ancient tradition with a week full of festivities, celebrating our togetherness as we harvest olives to make oil and some to brine and salt.

Join us for this special time!

Olive Harvest Week

3. – 10. November, register here

The olive harvest, a much-loved tradition in southern European countries, marks the finale of our harvest season. It’s a time when we all come together, sharing the fruits of our labour with friends, dancing, singing, and celebrating the bonds of love and connection. It’s our way of preparing for the winter that lies ahead, and we do it with joy and togetherness in our hearts.

During the Quinta’s Olive Harvest week, we come together to harvest the olives from the land. Olives are symbols of friendship and reconciliation, cleansing and healing, light, abundance and, above all, a sign of peace. Oil can bring us food, light, beauty and touch. It is sensual.

This week, we’re embracing our roots and celebrating the beautiful traditions of harvest. We’re full of joy to gather our queer* community on the land for this special time. We’ll roll up our sleeves to work the land and pick those olives, and we’ll come together for a joyful celebration of our deep bond with nature and with each other. It’s a week of togetherness, fun,  dancing and singing, sharing food and love, and honouring the traditions that make us who we are.

Arrival/Departure

Please arrive on Sunday afternoon. If coming by bus from Lisbon, we can collect you from Marvão. We will have a tour of the land and the facilities at 16:00, followed by a dinner together.

Departure is after brunch the next Sunday.

Facilities/Accommodation

The accommodation will be in shared sleeping spaces in the main house.

There are 12 spaces available.

Food

All food during the week will be shared (vegan)

Location

The Quinta Project, Marvão, Portugal

Price:

All gatherings are free to attend. We ask for a deposit of €100 to secure your space. This deposit will be returned to you when you attend the gathering.

If you fail to attend, we will donate the deposit to a queer* charity. You will not be charged for food or accommodation. We cannot cover travel expenses to/from the Quinta.

Registration process:

This is a living, experimental space where we work together to practice and model the kind of interactions we wish to see more of in the world. Before applying, please consider whether or not you are committed to participating in a way that honours and celebrates the multi-faceted mission of the Quinta and that you are willing to co-create the week with your fellow participants.

Volunteering

This autumn and winter we are looking for people who are interested in: 

– planting trees and landscaping

– pruning, land clearing

– natural winemaking, vineyard management

The "big project" is planting two new areas of new vines. The other plan is extensive land clearing on some parts of the Quinta property to restore the ancient farmland. 

For more information about volunteering, have a look at: 
https://quintaproject.org/volunteering/

Keep an eye out for the next "Queering Permaculture" series starting later this year—it's going to be awesome!

I was also thrilled to be a guest on the Naked Men Talking Podcast. We chatted about eco-sexuality, natural wines, and connecting with nature. If you get a chance, give it a listen on Spotify or Apple.

Can't wait to welcome you to the Quinta or the São Mamede Wine Project soon!

With love from the land.