A vida no agro e o contorno/ Agricultural life and environment
[IES Pintor Colmeiro, Silleda, Galiza]

Casa / Home

Galego

English

As tarefas que se fan na casa veñen de sufrir un cambio bastante importante coa incorporación de novos produtos e máquinas que axudan pero que ao mesmo tempo rompen co equilibrio do contorno. No pasado, os métodos empregados eran naturais, sacados do mesmo contorno e, polo tanto, respectuosos con el. A casa agrícola funcionaba como un microcosmos integrado no seu contorno, todo se aproveitaba e reciclaba e os métodos empregados eran os que se podían atopar preto dela.

Household activities have changed greatly with the introduction of new products and machines that help but at the same time these new techniques have broken the natural equilibrium with the environment. In the old times, the ways of working were natural, taken from the very environment and so, preserving it. The agricultural house worked as a microcosmos inserted in the natural environment. Everything was put to good used or recycled and the resources used where those found near the house.

O lavado da roupa

The laundry
Foto 1. Lavando no río.
Unha das tarefas cotiás no mundo agrícola era o lavado da roupa. Era unha tarefa doméstica e, polo tanto, a cargo das mulleres da casa, pero tamén unha ocasión para o xuntoiro e o intercambio de novas. O lavado da roupa tiña lugar nos lavadoiros. Estes podían estar nas casas pero o máis frecuente era que houbese lavadoiros públicos construídos a carón dun regato ou dunha fonte.


Foto 2. Lavadoiro de obra.
Ás veces, coma na foto 1, era unha sinxela pedra lisa colocada nun remanso do río, outras veces as contrucións eran máis complexas, con verdadeiras pías de pedra construídas preto da casa ou na aldea.
 
Foto 3. Lavadoiro da casa.
Nos lavadoiros xuntábanse as mulleres da parroquia para lavar e ao mesmo tempo intercambiar as novas. As mulleres levaban a roupa en tinas, lavábana e logo  estendíana ao sol. Unha técnica natural empregada contra as manchas era o clareo, que consistía en enxabonar a roupa ou botarlle limón e poñela ao sol para que este a clarease. Hoxe en día a cantidade de produtos de limpeza substitúe a este sistema.
 
Picture 1. Laundry in the river.
One of the usual tasks in the farm was doing the laundry. It was a household activity and so women were in charge of it. It was also a chance for getting together and exchanging news. The washing took place in the washing places. These could be in the house but most often they were public washing places built near a brook or spring.


 
Picture 2. Built washing place.
Sometimes, like in picture 1, the washing place was a single flat stone placed in a still pool of the spring, some other times they were more complex, with real stone sinks built near the house or village.

Picture 3. Domestic washing place.
The women of the parish got together to wash and chat. Women carried the clothes in pitchers, washed them and then hanged them out in the sun. A natural way of getting rid of the stains was the "clareo" or sun bleaching. People put soap or lemon on the clothes and placed them in the sun so they were bleached naturally. Nowadays, this system has been replaced by a wide range of washing products.

Foto 4. Facendo xabón.

O produto natural utilizado para lavar a roupa era o xabón que se facía na casa. Era un produto feito cos refugallos de outras actividades, principalmente a graxa que ben podía vir do aceite usado na cociña ou da graxa animal. A esta  engadíaselle sosa caústica e algún colorante (azulete) e aroma natural.

Picture 4. Soap making.

Homemade soap was the natural product used for washing. It was a product made of waste of other activities: fat coming from the cooking oil or from animals. Then, caustic soda was added, together with colorant (indigo) and natural aromas.
Foto 5. Produtos de limpeza.

Hoxe en día son poucas as casas onde aínda se fai xabón de xeito tradicional. O normal é que os produtos de limpeza industriais ocupen o seu lugar. A comodidade e a efectividade fan que sexan máis populares nos fogares. Esto ten a súa contrapartida na contaminación química das augas e a proliferación de vertedoiros onde se acumulan os envases de plástico.

Picture 5. Cleaning products.

Today soap making is rare at home. It is more usual to have loads of industrial cleaning products. They are more popular because of their easiness and effectiveness. This has an enormous drawback in the chemical pollution of waters. Rubbish tips full of plastic containers are also increasing in number.

A conservación de alimentos

Food preserving

Foto 6. O salgado.
A conservación dos alimentos era unha das tarefas principais de cara a afrontar o inverno. Unha das técnicas máis comúns era o salgado. Con este sistema conservábase principalmente a carne de porco e o touciño. Ao día seguinte da matanza, as pezas seleccionadas levábanse ao salgadoiro.

Picture 6. Salting.
Food preservation was one of the main tasks when facing winter. One of the most common techniques was salting. Salting was mainly applied to pork meat and bacon. After the slaughter, selected meat chunks
were taken to the salting place.

Foto 7. A artesa.
As pezas de carne metíanse nunha artesa de madeira ou "baño" de pedra e cubríanse de sal. Así gardábanse ata o seu consumo. O salgado tamén se utilizaba para o peixe, en concreto para o bacallau. No interior, era a única maneira de atopar peixe para o consumo.

Picture 7. The trough.
The meat chunks were put in a wooden trough or stone "bath" and were covered with salt. Salting was also used on fish, especially codfish. In inland, this was the only way of eating fish.

Foto 8. O afumado.
Outra técnica tradicional de conservación de alimentos era o afumado.
Esta técnica utilizábase preferentemente para os embutidos e os lacóns. Os embutidos colgábanse do canizo da lareira onde se afumaban ata que estaban listos para o seu consumo.

Picture 8. Smoking.
Another tradictional preservation technique was smoking. It was used for sausages and front legs of the pig. Sausages were hanged in the fireplace and they were smoked until ready to eat.

Foto 9. Chourizos afumados.
O afumado aplicábase principalmente aos chourizos. Despois da súa elaboración colgábanse dunha vara no canizo. Logo facíase un pequeno lume debaixo, de maneira que lle chegase o fume, pero non a chama. Ás veces tamén se lle colgaban polas de loureiro para darlle aroma.

Picture 9. Smoked "chourizos".
Smoking was applied mainly to the "chourizos". After making them, they were hanged from a stick in the fireplace. Then, a small fire was made underneath so smoke could easily reach them but not the flames. Sometimes, bayleaves
were used to give aroma.

Foto 10. O fume.
O primeiro lume facíase normalmente con polas de loureiro, que daban moito fume e ao mesmo tempo daban aroma. A operación repetíase varias veces ao longo de varios días ata que se consideraba que estaban feitos.

Picture 10. The smoke.
The first smoke was made with bayleaf branches because they produced a lot of smoke and aroma. This process was repeated for a few days  until they were ready.

Foto 11. O curado.
Algúns produtos como a cachucha, o xamón e a costela pasaban polos dous procesos. Primeiro salgábanse durante un tempo e logo pasaban ao afumado onde se acababan de curar.

Picture 11. Curing.
Some products such as the pig´s head, ham and rib went through both processes: salting and smoking. First they were salted for a time and then they were smoked until totally cured.

Foto 12. O conxelador.
Hoxe en día xa non é necesario salgar e afumar todos os productos. A chegada do conxelador fixo que xa moita carne se conserve fresca no frío. A pervivencia do salgado e o afumado  é máis unha cuestión relacionada co gusto que coa necesidade.

Picture 12. The freezer.
Today it is not necessary to salt or smoke these products. The introduction of the freezer changed the old ways and much meat is now preserved frozen. Salting and smoking is, however, still surviving but it is now mainly a question of taste and not of necessity.

A reciclaxe

Recycling

Foto 13. A reciclaxe natural.
Tradicionalmente nada ía ó lixo na casa, todo se aproveitaba. Os refugallos orgánicos aproveitábanse para alimentar aos porcos e galiñas. Os poucos envases que había (de vidro ou lata) reutilizábanse como recipientes. Calquera outro resto (cascas de ovos, café, restos vexetais) tirábase na corte para facer esterco.

Picture 13. Natural recycling.
Traditionally, nothing was thrown away, everything was put to good use. Organic waste was used to feed pigs and chicken. The few containers (glass or tin) were reused as recipients. Any other waste (egg shells, coffee, vegetables) were thrown on the stable to make manure.

Foto 14. Lixo.
Hoxe en día o sistema natural de reciclaxe estase a perder. Os animais aliméntanse de produtos procesados e os residuos orgánicos acaban mesturados cos inorgánicos nos cubos de lixo. A recollida de lixo chega xa a todas as aldeas facendo máis fácil o desfacerse dos refugallos.

Picture 14. Rubbish.
Today, natural recyling is being lost. Animals are fed with processed products and organic waste is thrown away mixed with inorganic waste in bins. Rubbish collection reaches all villages so it is easier to get rid of all waste.

 

Start | Partners | Introduction | Video | Thanks | Creators | Bibliography | Terminology | Songs