After having visited the Axpe winery, we went to visit a young man, Txomin Arregi, who is only 23 years old. He lives just outside the town of Markina-Xemein, but his caravan and his greenhouses are located above the town and we had to pass steep slopes in order to get there. My guide told me that Spanish youth, in general, don’t leave home when they are in their early twenties and that Basque youth leave home even later, which means that Txomin must be very independent. Impressively, he has also created his own workplace in a country with high unemployment.
The workplace of Txomin consists of a caravan where he lives together with two greenhouses, which are made of metal tubes covered by sheets of plastic. Inside, he ‘s growing vegetables like peppers, peas, tomatoes, and beans. The plants are suspended by thin ropes extending from metal bars located above the plants. The ground is covered by plastic with holes through which the vegetables grow and impedes growth of unwanted weeds. Irrigation is done by hollow rubber tubes with small holes through which water drops are applied to the plants.
During our short visit, Txomin collected two buckets with peppers and beans ready for sale. Since he lives some distance from the centre of the town, he brings his products in his van to local markets.
He’s collecting seeds from his best plants, while also exchanging seeds with other producers.
Outside the greenhouse, a group of turkeys and some chickens were walking around freely, while a group of chicks was growing up inside a box. Hopefully, they would be released soon.
