For centuries, Mallorca used to be an agricultural community, reaping the fruit of the land: carobs, almonds, olives, oranges, wine, apricots, potatoes, tangerines, lemons, capers, you name it.

But with more money being made in the tourist industry, the campesinos‘ sons and daughters found it too much hard work to till the land. The younger generation now prefers to work in hotels, bars, restaurants, or in the transport or travel business, and with taxis and buses. The boom brought with it a boost in the construction industry; more hotels needed to be built and a bigger airport, and then an even bigger one. More jobs were created, with agriculture going into decline. The land does not feed the farmer any more, it is said.

Unless, that is, unless one changed the way things are done. Agriculture in Mallorca has always heavily depended on the circle of things, the pattern of nature, the cycle of the elements. The lunar calendar was always a very important instrument in the consideration of the farmer, and is now again important in a new way. A new approach to agriculture is being tried here and there, with old, half-forgotten vines being reintroduced into Mallorcan wine making, and with old, indigenous fruit trees being recuperated from oblivion, such as traditional apples, pears, apricots, cherries or olives. This innovative approach to agriculture may reap fruits with a lesser yield, but may make for a better quality product, and greener, more organic food.

One way to approach agriculture may be to return to the very old ways, by following the lunar phases, the planets and stars and their constellations, the weather pattern and the dynamics of biorhythm. Two very useful books are on sale now, the one shown here (in Castilian), following the Rudolf Steiner way of looking at nature and the influence of the moon, and the second one, even wider in its approach and spread of information (Calendari Mallorqui de 2009, albeit only in Catalan), at a newsagent near you.

From the information gathered there you will learn that, with half moon waning and the Last Quarter Moon coming on Sunday, January 18th, now is the time to prune your vines, for instance. If you own a vineyard and you want to harvest some top grapes in September, for a good quality wine in a year or two years’ time, get your pruning shears out and tend your vines over the next eight days or so.

The photo was taken near Can Pastilla, Mallorca, Spain. The date: January 2nd, 2009. The time was 16:34:24.