ASPARAGUS

As I mentioned before, the vega around Huétor Tájar and Loja is renowned for the production of asparagus. The harvest has now started and yesterday we called in at one of the many co-operatives, where they were packing it, to buy a bunch. The variety grown here is special to the area and is green asparagus. There is espárrago verde and espárrago morado, which has a slimmer stem. The price was 5 euros a kilo, which was good value, and it was so fresh that you could eat the whole stem.

I cooked the asparagus by covering it with a little water and putting it into the microwave for a few minutes. When it was tender, I seasoned it and added some butter. It was succulent and delicious and better than any asparagus I’d ever tasted before.

Now that Spring has arrived and the rains have stopped, the countryside is a hive of activity. As well as the asparagus harvest being in full swing, farm workers are busy planting, ploughing and weeding before the Easter weekend. We were able to take some good photos in th Spring sunshine over the last couple of days.

SEMANA SANTA DE LOJA

As it is an historic town with eight churches and chapels. Holy Week is a significant event in Loja.and has been designated as being of important touristic interest by the Junta de Andalucia.
The processions start tomorrow evening, 26th March, with the Hermanidad de la Santísma Virgen de los Dolores from the Iglesia de Santa Catalina and continue for a week. The most significant one is Hermanidad de Ntro. Padre Jesús Nazareno which starts from the Ermita de Jesús Nazareno at 1030 on Good Friday and parades through the town visiting all the major churches and returning to the Ermita at 19.30. www.jesusnazarenoloja.com
We hope to post some photos next week.

BACK ROAD TO LOJA

This morning we drove along the country lane from our nearest village, La Fabrica, to Loja. A very pleasant drive through the vega – the flat plain surrounded by mountains – and probably quicker than going into Huétor Tájar and joining the motorway. It was a lovely, warm and sunny Spring morning and stopped to take these photos on the way. One is of workers in a field of artichokes near La Fabrica and the other is of Loja from the northern side of the Rio Genil.
After some shopping in Loja we called in one of the jeans factories. There are several of these here and you can buy very good quality jeans at the factory shops for around 15 euros.

MARKET DAY IN HUÉTOR TÁJAR

Even in winter the Tuesday market in Huétor Tájar is colourful and today’s welcome sunshine brought it to life. Fruit and veg, spices, sweets, shoes, clothes, leather goods and much more can be bought here at bargain prices. You will notice very few Northern European faces amongst the crowds but quite a few native South American. This is because some years ago there was large scale immigration here from Bolivia as labour was required for the asparragus plantations.

MONTEFRIO

Today is a public holiday to celebrate yesterday’s Dia de Andalucia and we decided to take an outing to the historic town of Montefrio about 20 minutes drive to the north. One brief visit is not enough to take in everything there is to see in this fascinating place. An Arab fortress crowns a precipitous rock beneath which the oldest buildings of the town are clustered. Climbing the steep, narrow streets, we kept coming upon intriguing corners with glimpses of the distant panorama. No shortage of subjects to paint or photograph in this most picturesque of Andalucian towns.