CORK HARVEST AT FINCA Al-MANZIL - EXTREMADURA

Cork trees (Spanish alcornoques,another arabic word) can only be cut every 9 years so this is our 2nd harvest at the finca. We don't have that many and they are widely dispersed over 20 hectares so there's not as much impact as a cork harvest in the nearby dehesa which is a magnificent sight, thousands of freshly cut boughs dancing in terracotta glory.

Still our trees are a delight to see among the green foilage and craggy rocks of the mountain side.

Just a glimpse of a freshly cut cork tree above the swimming pool

Very hard work in the heat of July, the cork cutters are very skilled in removing the bark, if cut too soon the whole tree can die.  As most of the cork trees grow up on the mountain side and higher peaks we use a neighbours' lovley white donkey for bringing the cork down to the trucks for transportation to a local cork treatment centre where it is steamed and flattened ready for using , mainly for bottle corks.