Day 4 Cork Harvest in Sierra de San Pedro

This morning we left Caceres and drove to the cork forest. We left our bus and transferred to SUVs to ride up rocky mountain roads to the actual harvest. The road was so rough it almost felt like being on an African safari.

The cork harvest runs from early June to late July when the temperature and moisture conditions for both the trees and the land are best for harvesting. This is important because the bark is more pliable and it is easier for the harvesters to remove without scarring the tree. If the tree underneath the bark is scarred (see the scrape below), no bark will grow in the damaged area in the future.

Each cork tree is harvested by two harvesters using axes and a long prying tool to strip the bark from the tree. They buy the axe but each harvester makes his own handle for his hand size and grip.

Harvesting is like a synchronized dance. Both harvesters are swinging axes at the same time at the same tree which we suspect requires absolute trust in each other. The tree, which is very vulnerable to disease and insects after the bark is removed, must then be fumigated within five hours.

While the cork bark looks like heavy wood from afar it is actually very light. The picture below shows a worker tossing a piece to another worker to be stacked on the truck.

We drove back down the rocky roads to the highway and went to lunch at beautiful lakeside patio on the grounds of our hotel. Lunch included Spanish tortilla, and a traditional Spanish salad of potatoes onions, tomatoes, olives, sherry vinegar and olive oil. Yum!

After a short rest, we left to visit a small, husband and wife operated goat farm/cheese factory.  We were able to observe their 250 goats being milked and fed, 10 at a time. We were amazed about how organized the process was and how compliant the goats were. We tasted fresh, and aged goat cheese before leaving for dinner.

Tonight’s dinner was a three hour affair at a local restaurant that started at 9:00 pm. They specialized in game and mushrooms. The restaurant is closed on Tuesday nights but opened especially for our small group. The food, wine (Malbec, Tempranillo, Cabernet and Syrah blend) and company were a delight as we celebrated Ralph & Donna's 46th anniversary. We are so lucky that we have two great guides and a compatible group of 8 people!

Tomorrow will be all about cork making and Iberian Jamon.