For all its seasonal allure, the pumpkin is actually on offer all year round in Malta, and pretty much a staple, fail-safe vegetable season in, season out. True, it lends itself better to autumn-winter fare (soups, added to stews, and so on) but it’s just as available in peak summer in 40°C. It’s also everywhere; if you’re out and about in the countryside, you’re bound to come across roofs and walls with pumpkins lined up, picturesquely ripening in the sun.

The beauty of the pumpkin, despite being a rather bland veg, is that it’s cheap. Right now, it’s a snip at the price at 70c/kilo, which is a fraction of one I saw on sale in the UK last autumn. The Maltese actually eat pumpkin a lot, so it’s not sold at a premium lantern-making price – yet.

So, what is it turned into here? Well, Qargha (Maltese for not only pumpkin, but gourd and marrow as well) is a basic veg, so it dominates the medley that goes into Minestra (minestone), which is a regular, traditional lunchtime filler for many families. Pumpkin comes in both white (qargha torka) and orange (qargha hamra) fleshed varieties and adds bulk, and colour to stew (stuffat tal-Qargha Hamra). Occasionally, it’s made into pies, and among cognoscenti of celebrity chefs from beyond these shores, it’s turned into a mean risotto.

The small, rural locality of Manikata, in the North-West of Malta, holds an Annual Pumpkin Fair. It could be the place to work out what to do with pumpkin beyond making soup! The event, which starts at 10.30, Sunday 30 October, 2011, is run by the Manikata Farmers Cooperative; see their website for full details. The fair should prove an authentically seasonal outing for the kids this coming half term!

Start them young and you've a cyclist for life!

e-bikes, battery powered, green and clean – we loved this idea when we heard about it; a story of one young woman’s idea to build an ‘insider business’ founded on her sixth sense for Malta’s appeal to outsiders.  It’s innovative, niche and going places – literally. There’s an offer to take advantage of too  - read to the end.

“If you grow up in the Netherlands, cycling is an extension of you; it’s like an umbilical cord. You take kids to school on bikes, you go shopping cycling. It’s just natural to do,” says Lysanne Kerr, a Dutch national and the inspiration behind a start-up offering Island tours by electric bike, MaltAcross.

Cycling has taken off big time in Malta in the past decade, and there are several clubs dedicated to the sport. Before then, most cyclists would have been elderly men, farming folk mostly, wobbling along on rickety boneshakers from small-holding plot back home.

However, as Lysanne says, most cyclists you see today in Malta are Lycra clad, male, fit, sporty and out less for an ambling ride than some serious fitness building on Sunday morning. “As a cyclist who prefers a more leisurely pace rather than an elite cycling challenge, I realised that there were some amazing places I could get to off the beaten track where I could breathe in and experience a different side of Malta. I wanted to share them, showing visitors something that regular ”packaged’ tourist excursions just can’t.”

As a long-time foreign resident here (she moved to Malta with her parents while still a student) and now married to a Maltese, Lysanne is the epitome’ of an insider-outsider.  ”I’ve even shown locals some parts of the islands they didn’t know about,” she adds.  The tours are in fact ideal for local residents, not solely tourists. We can see them easily as gifts for birthdays or as a more active, off-beat activity for friends at weekends.

As she was forming the idea into a business, Lysanne realised too that holiday-making cyclists would be of differing fitness levels and that Malta would be challenging terrain – steeps hills would be unavoidable whichever route she took.  But hills also offer stunning scenery! So, she opted for e-bikes powered by a rechargeable battery of 36 volts.

“If you need the extra boost, you can use the power which allow you a top speed of 25km/hr. Otherwise, if you’re fitter, you can flick the switch off. This means everyone keeps up and groups can really enjoy the experience without individuals getting too tired – unless they want the challenge!,” Lysanne explains. The handlebars are upright, which makes this an ideal bike for sightseeing. Cycling on an e-bike is just like cycling on a normal bicycle; you still need to pedal as usual, and the bike has seven gears for comfort.

Where the tours go and what to see on them

“We start in Gharghur, an amazing high vantage point, and plan routes that head out well away from commercial and urban centres sticking to small lanes in open countryside and diving off down alleys and narrow streets of villages.  Tours are mostly half day (4 hours) but full day and tailored times can be arranged.

“The beauty of the cycling pace is that you chance upon views and small hidden gems that you just wouldn’t reach by public transport as a tourist even if you knew about them, or a local for that matter.  Sometimes, a sight is as simple as a stunning view that you turn a corner and see unfold before you.  Other times, we pass specific historical places of interest such as prehistoric sites.  Since groups are small – max four, minimum two – and with myself as tour leader, we can tailor the route to suit a group’s pace and particular interests. For example, some people are keen to stop at traditional food outlets, others at crafts workshops, ” Lysanne says. Gozo tours are in the pipeline too.

Safety first

MaltAcross starts all tours with full instructions on the bike and a safety briefing including highway code points, and participants wear helmets. Bikes are for adults and adolescents but families with young children up to 15 kilo can use front baby seats.

What people say?

Lysanne’s venture started just this past summer, in July when her MTA licence came through, but already she’s had a good number of groups and gleaned positive feedback.  Her most unusual and telling testimonial came from a person who had a puncture. “It’s when something goes wrong that you learn the most about your business,” says Lysanne.

“Our very first time cycling in Malta was with MaltAcross and without any doubt a thrilling experience. The electric bicycle gives that little extra support to comfortably tackle the hillsides of Malta and still take in the scenery. We had the pleasure of getting a puncture at an absolutely marvellous spot where we had the chance to enjoy the peace and quietness of the area a little longer but were also shown that assistance and back-up are efficiently organized. All in all a memorable and recommendable day.”

MaltAcross Special Offer  - grab a friend and get cycling! 

Lysanne is offering a special discount to Malta Insideout site users of either 10% off the tour price of Eur 55 per persons or free pick and drop back from / to your residence, hotel or home. The offer runs for two months till end November and is for one-time use only per person.  Bookings can be made for groups of a minimum of two and a maximum of four people on the same tour.

To claim your offer, contact MaltAcross, or phone  on +356 77 66 68 33.  You can also reserve online. Quote either of these codes:

But in a couple of weeks, Zejtun, a village in Malta’s South, celebrates the start of the olive harvest in its now annual Zejt iz-Zejtun festival held this year on 24th – 25th September.  The event is about the humble but precious olive in all its glory from oil to olive breads and is a window on the industry in times past in Malta.

Zejtun has delved into its history to pull out pedigree origins to stake its claim to hold  the olive festival:  it takes its name from the Sicilian Arabic for “olive”- zaytun  and Zejtun’s etymology also stems from similarly sounding words for oil in Spanish and Portuguese, “aceituna” and “azeituna” respectively.  Zebbug means olive in Maltese, but the town of that name wasn’t first to bag the olive festival it seems.

I am always fascinated by the revival of interest in the olive oil industry in Malta, which dates back to Roman times. Especially as the islands today aren’t exactly thick with olive groves.  A large olive grinding stone was found near Burmarrad at San Pawl Milqi on the site of a largish agricultural settlement with villa.  Apparently, four agricultural villas dating from Roman times and showing evidence of olive oil pressing have been discovered on the islands. You can see the San Pawl Milqi stone in the courtyard of the Mdina Cathedral Museum.

There’s been an olive planting programme taking shape though: roadsides are home to a number of olive reforestation schemes, mainly because the trees make an attractive evergreen vista.  But there is another initiative that’s seeing Malta revive a truly ancient type of olive that can trace its roots to those Roman trees. Some 1,000-year-old olives in Malta’s north have provided the grafts to recreate that Ur-alt native olive which, it’s being proven, has some unique antibacterial properties.  Farmers have been keen to plant and harvest it. So the tide is turning and Malta is aiming to be a producer of a niche oil of exceptional quality and with some interesting properties.

Tapenade

Health benefits aside, my simple favourite pleasure in olives lies in Tapenade, a king of dips.  Tapenade is the Catalan and Provencal name for the gutsy paste made with capers, anchovies and black olives crushed up with a twist of lemon and olive oil.  No need for a recipe for this one, just rough measures:

• three handfuls of pitted olives (buy whole and pit them yourself for a better taste – painstaking but worth it)
• half a handful of capers (rinsed from salt or brine)
• as many jar anchovies strips as you fancy

Then whiz all these up in a food processor (or crush by hand in a large mortar) and add a squeeze of lemon juice and glugs of olive oil while whizzing until the Tapenade takes shape into a firm paste.  Top with some chopped parsley. Add chopped fresh chili if you like it hot.  Grab some Maltese Galletti crackers and set off on the black olive serenade!  Drink water all night if you put in lots of anchovies!

Want to see and taste Malta’s olives? 

Zejtun Olive Harvest Festival - more details here

ta’ Zeppi – a working olive farm in Fawwara, near Siggiewi, that produces its own organic oil and runs tours and tastings by appointment. Details here

Wardija Olive Oil: Sammy Cremona is the man credited with reviving Malta’s ancient olive root stock, a type of olive unique to Malta, with the help of EU, government, and private sector funding. His own olive farm in Wardija offers tours, tastings and a typical Maltese farmers lunch. By appointment only and usually for small groups. His wife Matty is a well-known local cookery expert. Call Sammy Cremona on: +356 79582294. See more about Sammy and the project here.

Merille Eco Tours - This is a niche, eco-tourism company that offers highly informative and off-the-beaten track eco tours including olive oil production and tasting and other itineraries including Maltese delicacy tastings. Details of the Olive tour here.  It caters to small groups and individuals.  Until 30 October, Merille is offering Malta InsideOut site users a 20% discount on its Maltese delicacy tasting tour. See Special Offers for details.

Photo: header courtesy Avlyxz

Blue Lagoon before the crowds

Comino, an isle known to Leslie Vella all his life but a place he’s never stayed on overnight – until recently. Here, he takes a walk on its wilder side at dusk and sunrise to capture a rare and precious insight into this still lonely isle that’s known mostly for its day-tripping crowds in peak summer. This is insider’s Comino.   We can’t do justice to all Leslie’s photos, so do see his Comino portfolio here.

The Mystery of Comino

Since my childhood, Kemmuna or Comino has always held a special fascination to me.  Snugly nestled between its larger siblings Malta and Gozo while, in turn, taking care of its own brood of tiny islets including the appropriately named Kemmunett or Cominotto, this small one square mile of Maltese territory possesses a uniqueness which makes it special.

Comino is near, but also far away. Contrary to what one would expect for one of the smallest islands in an archipelago, Comino is not in some far flung corner like Filfla, but just off the geographical centre of the Maltese Islands. In the days before ferries became widely available, for people like me Comino was a terra incognita, an island one got tantalisingly close to when crossing the Malta-Gozo channel, but never to step on.

From the Gozo ferry one could glimpse the almost bare rock of the island, the few stunted trees, the imposing Santa Marija Tower and a handful of other man-made structures.  One could also see the imposing cliffs, punctured by the occasional cave or grotto, and, between the thimbleful of rocky outcrops that separate Comino from Cominotto, a glimpse of that most unbelievably turquoise of shimmering water, the exotic and almost out-of-place Blue Lagoon, bearing the twentieth century and touristy name of a body of water otherwise matter-of-factly and aptly named “Bejn il-Kmiemen”, literally “Between the Cominos” by our practical, down-to-earth ancestors.

Musings on Comino as a day trip

My first forays to Comino actually consisted of the ubiquitous day trip to the Blue Lagoon.  A visit to this enchanted spot is truly an experience not to be missed, irrespective of the fact that it is currently being abused beyond the limits of sustainability by a myriad of boat operators who dump boatload upon boatload of day trippers onto the spot with its minute jetty and its postage stamp sized stretch of beach.  In spite of the crowds and the lack of space, however, swimming in the crystal-clear, transparent waters of this spot is a unique experience which one does not expect to find so far from the South Pacific.

Comino is not only about the Blue Lagoon though.  Beyond this gem there is so much more.

What is there on Comino?

Santa Maria Bay: like a paradise lost

Although its odd square mile is mostly garigue, it also features an amazing number of features, man-made or otherwise that increase its attraction and fascination.

It is one of those amazing places possessing one of a number of many things: one medieval chapel, one police station, one coastal watchtower, one permanent household, one hotel and one coastal defence battery.  It also contains one cemetery, one water pumping station, one abandoned pig farm, one lighthouse and one helipad.  Quite a list for a small rock.

I will not delve into the history of this small but fascinating island, as it has already been adequately covered in the excellent article penned by my old friend Evarist Bartolo, but will dedicate the rest of this short write-up to my own experiences and views.

To develop or not develop Comino?

“Comino is crying out for development!”  Thus uttered a work colleague who was my superior a quarter of a century ago.  My angry response to this statement was the equally emphatic, “Comino is crying out to be left alone!”  I still stick to this opinion after all these years.  Comino does not need development.  Comino does not need any further interventions.  Comino needs a simple and practical management plan.  Nature will do the rest.

Exploring Comino – wild, without crowds and wherever the paths take you

Wander wherever the path takes you

This summer I spent my first ever overnight stay on Comino, staying in the charming, although showing the signs of wear and tear, four-star Comino Hotel.  All my previous visits had concentrated on the Blue Lagoon apart from one particular day trip sometime in the early 1990s when I had spent a day with Birdlife Malta volunteers who were ringing birds during the spring migration.

Extending one’s stay by an overnight on an island like Comino makes a huge difference.  Having a hotel room base means that one can extend his range, both in terms of time and in terms of distance, beyond the limitations imposed by a typical day-trip to the Blue Lagoon.  For although distances on Comino are invariably small, the summer heat, lack of shade and the rough dusty paths that constitute the island’s roads all contribute to making summer trekking a bit of a feat, ideally to be undertaken either in the early mornings or in the late afternoons and evenings.  The period between 09:00 and 17:30 is best left to swimming, sunbathing or relaxing in the shade of the hotel’s terraces!

• San Niklaw & the old Cemetery

Who is buried there?

Over the course of one short evening and an even shorter morning, I managed to explore around one half of the island.

In the evening I walked uphill from San Niklaw to the Santa Maria Tower on the high ground spanning the Malta-Gozo channel.

En route I took the short detour to the small enclosure housing the closed and abandoned Comino Cemetery. 

The walled enclosure which is sealed by a padlocked gate contains a small cross monument in its centre, a set of unmarked graves on the left (some with their top slabs broken, presumably vandalized) and disturbed ground on the right. 

The walls protect a group of gnarled and windswept cypress trees clinging for dear life on this harshly exposed hill.

• Old Hospital & Santa Maria Tower

Continuing uphill, one eventually starts walking on a pleasant dirt road which is lined by low pine and sumac trees on one side with excellent views of Gozo, Cominotto and the Blue Lagoon on the other side.  This road leads to the remains of the one hundred plus year old British Isolation Hospital built after a cholera epidemic and the splendid glory of the Santa Maria Tower.  The Hospital building and some adjoining structures are apparently used by the only permanent residents on the island as evidenced by the various positive and negative signs of human habitation ranging from some small carefully tended fields, clothes hanging out to dry, the odd free-range chicken, and also the amazing collection of abandoned vehicles, boats and other mechanical paraphernalia which look like a mini scrap yard.

The Tower, lovingly restored by Din L-Art Helwa is a joy to behold and climbing its steep staircase raises one to an altitude which gives an immense perspective overlooking the four main Maltese islands.  The same cannot unfortunately be said about the Hospital building which bears the signs of years of neglect and abandonment.

• Santa Marija Bay & Medieval Chapel

White washed as if it were in Greece.

On the way back I decided to go downhill all the way to Santa Marija Bay.

The entire road follows the natural course of Comino’s main valley which means that one side of the entire route is very well planted with a variety of trees and shrubs.

The lower part of the valley also contains a small batch of cultivated fields before opening up to the small beach and its tiny sand-dune habitat.

Two thirds of the way down one encounters the small and charming chapel, apparently of medieval origin, with its rough façade and three arched belfry: a very well maintained, impeccably whitewashed structure surrounded by a protective band of trees which is more reminiscent of what one expects on a Greek island rather than in Malta.

• Police Station

A lonely outpost for a lone cop

Past the chapel the valley widens to the full width of the Santa Marija Bay with its small sandy beach backed by a patch of tamarisk trees, apparently popular with campers, evidence of whom can be seen through the numerous remains of bonfires and other detritus left behind when they depart.  And here, another unexpected structure: Comino’s Police Station, another simple two-floor building complete with boathouse at the water’s edge.  A very photogenic building also reminiscent of decades back when Comino housed a community of around 50 to 60 rural folk engaged in making the most of the island’s scant agricultural resources!  The bay also houses the bungalows belonging to the Comino Hotel’s Club Nautico.

• Blue Lagoon: a gem without the Crowds

My morning tour started at an early hour: at 05:40 I started walking east along the lit coastal path towards the Club Nautico.  Reaching the top of the low slope at 06:00 I had a clear, unobstructed view of a glorious sunrise:  an experience which is unique every time you witness it.  After ten minutes or so of savouring the beauty and the solitude, it was time to take the twenty minute trek to the Blue Lagoon, walking along a path which is parallel to the Gozo coast a few hundred metres across the water.

At this hour the Blue Lagoon was still devoid of people with the exception of a gang of cleaners who were busily and efficiently removing the copious remains left behind by the previous day’s visitors: remains comprising a boatful of plastic bottles, cans and ice cream packaging.  Some estimates suggest that up to 4,000 people a day visit the Blue Lagoon during the peak summer months.  Perhaps the time has come to consider establishing a capping for the number of such visitors, as the place definitely cannot sustain such a daily influx while continuing to ensure safety and a positive visitor experience.

When to visit

I shall definitely be back.  Perhaps in October before the hotel shuts down for the winter, or in May/June before the crowds start to peak and when the landscape is still full of life and wild flowers.  There is still more than one half of the island to explore.  I would like to revisit the Tower, hopefully when it’s open for visitors, hear Mass in the tiny Chapel and take a peek inside the Police Station.  I would like to revisit the Blue Lagoon at midday in autumn when almost no-one else is there and be able to hike across the island without having to avoid the unbearable sun.

My dream Comino

In the meantime I continue to dream about this tiny piece of Malta.  I dream of its continued protection and preservation from the clutches of vicious development.  I dream of its real appreciation and protection from the depredations of a few who exploit it without leaving anything in return.  I dream of the removal of unnecessary structures and rubbish, of the proper maintenance and preservation of its historic buildings.  For to dream is to hope for better things, as brilliantly expressed by George Bernard Shaw: “You see things, and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?”

Photos: all courtesy of Leslie Vella. See his Comino portfolio here. 

Live and let live: natural born survivors if we leave them be

We stumbled upon an unusual set of photographs by Leslie Vella that captures the beauty and wonder of Malta’s sand dunes.  We’ve covered beaches from the tourist facility point of view, but not looked hard and long at the habitats they provide for all manner of plants and wildlife.  What better time of year to draw attention to our need to preserve Malta and Gozo’s few sandy beaches than in peak summer when we’re packed on them and trampling around them. With more beaches seeking Blue Flag status, so far given to urban, part man-made beaches of St George’s Bay and Bugibba, it’s time to wise up on Malta’s natural beaches.

Sand dunes are one of the rarest and most vulnerable habitats in the Maltese Islands.  Since sandy beaches make up only around 2.4 per cent of Malta and Gozo’s coastline, it’s hardly surprising.  Originally scarce to start with they have come under increased pressure from tourism and leisure activities over the past sixty years or so.  In spite of such threats, a few sand dunes continue to thrive and marvel us with their diversity and adaptation.

Chief among these are the dunes at Ramla il-Hamra Bay in Gozo.  The depth and the deep ochre of the sand there, make the beach impressive even before you factor in the dunes at the back. Here, you’ll find a small, but almost perfectly preserved dune area which apparently plays home to an abundance of fauna and flora.  Other dunes, perhaps more a slope of sand though, are at Golden Bay, and if you take the back steps to the beach you’ll often pass white sea daffodils (Pankrazju in Maltese) in flower, even more surprisingly even in the middle of a summer.  Their determination to grow against all odds should prompt us to protect the dunes at all costs.

If you’re exploring the dunes while sunbathing this summer, please tread carefully and live and let live this rarest of Maltese habitats. Thanks Leslie for the photos, text input and drawing our attention to dunes.

Malta: a sandy beach guide  - a full list of all sandy beaches with tourist info and map.

More dune life photos from Leslie Vella here.  His portfolio is a flora guide to Ramla.

Photo: Left: Ramla il-Hamra Bay, Gozo; top right: Sea Medick; centre: Sea Daffodil; bottom: Prickly Parsnip. 

Fresh white and spring clean: daisies, in full flower in April

Finally, and suddenly, we can smell summer round the corner. But make the most of the fleeting spring warmth during April our weather man Tony Muscat says. Tony provides our daily weather – see sidebar below – driven by his sophisticated home weather station in Mellieha, run under the name it-Temp.com.

On 27 March, Malta put the clocks forward one hour like the rest of Europe and it felt like we’d switched-on summer. Temperatures went up to 23°C, the sun shone all day, and we had UV touching 7. To put this in perspective, the recommended sunscreen SPF for this level of UV is 20…and that was March!

As we move into and through April, temperatures will slowly start to creep up, with typical daytime highs of 20°C, but with the odd day being as high as 26°C. However, it can still feel rather chilly at night with temperatures of around 13°C. Rain showers may still occur, but generally will be less frequent and intense than in March, with April being the last month in which there will be any significant rainfall before summer.

The sun will shine for longer, around 8 hours a day, so the temptation to lie on the beach after the winter months will be greater. However, like last month, only the brave will swim, as the sea temperature will be only a fraction higher than last month at around 16°C.

Photo: courtesy Gege Gatt

A rare glimpse of Medieval Malta: the gem wayside chapel of Hal-Millieri

Malta has some hidden gems that most island visitors and even us locals miss. Ħal Millieri chapel dating back to medieval times is one of them. Its importance among Malta’s numerous historic sites far outweighs its size. It houses some rare frescoes that were almost lost to time.

For a glimpse of them and an excuse to visit Malta’s south, catch the annual Open Day at Ħal Millieri on Sunday 27 March (9.00 – 18.00), timed to coincide with the celebration in honour of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, the tiny chapel’s patron saint. The chapel is open the first Sunday of every month (09.00-12.00), if you miss the open day event.

A potted history
The chapel of the Annunciation at Ħal Millieri is a prime historical monument of Malta’s medieval past. The present building dates to around 1450, and excavations have shown it to have been built over the site of an earlier, possibly 13th century chapel, and a much older late-Roman rural complex.

The Ħal Millieri chapel is best known for its medieval architectural elements, and more so for the unique set of frescoes which adorn the side walls between the springing of the arches. The anachronistic cycle of effigies of saints, which is believed to have been copied from the earlier primitive chapel, have been expertly restored through the efforts of Din l-Art Ħelwa (an NGO and ‘Malta’s National Trust’), as Malta’s best example of medieval vernacular religious art. For a full history of the chapel, click here.

Open Day Info
Holy Mass will be celebrated at 10:00am, followed by the blessing of the adjoining churchyards. The service will be conducted by Rev. Fr Raymond Cassar. Din l-Art Ħelwa, the volunteer heritage organization that holds the chapel in trust, will be offering two guided tours of the site by historians Dr Stanley Farrugia Randon at 11:00am and Mr Salvator Mousu` at 3:15pm. See also, Din L’Art Helwa.

How to Get There
The chapel can be reached from Imqabba Road at the Żurrieq end of Blue Grotto Avenue, or from Diamond Jubilee Square (tal-Mentna) at the end of the Imqabba bypass.

Malta's golden spring flowers that herald the coming of summer

In Malta, spring comes early. At a time of the year when the countryside in most European countries is still dormant, the Maltese countryside thrives under the magical combination of rainfall, sunshine and generally mild temperatures. The result: a multi-hued carpet of green that appears in late autumn and explodes into a riot of wild flowers from January until May. Then, in complete contrast to nature on the European continent, the Maltese summer comes, and with it a period of dormant nature which shrivels up and goes underground in reaction to the merciless sun and the total absence of rainfall.

Malta is blessed with hundreds of wild, flowering plant species which is a bit of a paradox considering its small surface area, its relative isolation from the mainland and its high population density. The number of wild plants is truly amazing and compares quite well to numbers found in much larger countries such as the UK and Italy. Owing to our insularity, some of these plants are also endemic, which means that they are found nowhere else. Other species are not necessarily endemic but are limited in spread to a small neighbourhood near Malta, such as Sicily and the smaller Italian islands located to our south-west such as Lampedusa and Linosa – a relic perhaps of a time of much lower sea levels when all these islands formed part of a larger, and now mostly submerged, landmass.

As is to be expected, some species thrive far better than others. The rarer ones tend to be limited to threatened or scarce habitats such as wetlands and sand dunes, of which there are only a handful in the Maltese Islands. Others, such as the French narcissus, have been reduced to an endangered species through indiscriminate picking for selling. In spite of this, however, one finds the success stories, consisting of species which continue to thrive in spite of all the adversity thrown their way: species which not only cling to their preferred natural environments but also adapt and spread even in the most disturbed and damaged of habitats. One such species is the crown daisy, the Maltese Lellux.

The crown daisy is undoubtedly one of Malta’s commonest flowering plants, embellishing the countryside with yellow flowers between winter and early summer. It vies for attention and competes for space with another common species, the cape sorrel, another yellow flowered species. But contrary to the cape sorrel, which is an invasive species that originated in South Africa, the crown daisy is a definite local, being found all over the Mediterranean.

In common with the cape sorrel, it is distinguishable through its tendency to carpet entire areas, such as is usual during this time of the year. Although very common, it does tend to be quite selective in its growing requirements, preferring fields and soil-rich disturbed ground while avoiding areas rich in clay or the harsher garigue environment.

The crown daisy comes from the sunflower family from the group collectively known as chrysanthemums. The word chrysanthemum is a composite of the two Greek words chrysos and anthemon which mean golden flower. Its Maltese name, lellux or lelluxa seems to derive from the word tlellix which means to shimmer, possibly in view of the shimmering effect caused by the huge carpets of flowers rippling in the spring sunshine. The plant’s Maltese name is however more than aptly used in the expression “isfar lellux” which literally translates into “as yellow as a crown daisy”, implying the plant’s traditional placing as the yellow flower of Malta, before the cape sorrel’s introduction.

A countryside walk at this time of the year in an area with fields will undoubtedly feature huge swathes carpeted with lellux. It is yet another common plant which we tend to ignore, pass by and take for granted, but which can provide a source of relaxed fascination if one merely stops to admire its simplistic beauty even for just a few minutes. Its predominance indicates that the Maltese early spring is already at its peak while also indicating that the dry, hot months ahead are only eight to ten weeks away.

Go out and spend thirty minutes enjoying its splendour before this year’s cycle comes to an end and you have to wait until early next year for the spectacle to return!

Photos: courtesy Leslie Vella

Winter's crowning glory: the Cape Sorrel

One of the most common flowering plants at the moment is the Cape Sorrel which grows abundantly in most types of ground.  This plant is so well spread in Malta that one would automatically assume it’s a native species.  The truth, however, is that it’s only been on the Islands for two hundred years.

The Maltese call the Cape Sorrel Haxixa Ngliza; literally, the English plant.  It is also called Qarsu from the Maltese word for sour, due to the sour-taste of its stalk which can be chewed for an acidic sensation.  The plant is in fact a strong source of oxalic acid.

The Cape Sorrel which we today take so for granted as part of our winter landscape, is in fact of South African origin from the Cape area.  This area, source of so many modern day quality wines, boasts a Mediterranean climate which makes one understand why the Cape Sorrel adapted so easily to the Maltese environment.

Why do we call this plant the “English Plant”?  According to tradition, the plant was introduced to Malta in the first years of British rule by an English lady who was convinced of its ornamental qualities.  The lady gave a few samples to the curator of the Argotti Botanical Gardens in Floriana but the plant subsequently escaped from the gardens and proceeded to spread across the Maltese countryside at a very fast pace.  So fast was its spread that within a few decades it had established itself as Malta’s foremost wild plant, surpassing the local crown daisy.

As if this was not enough, the plant eventually also managed to escape from Malta and spread along the entire Mediterranean basin and up the Atlantic coast of Europe to colonise even parts of South Devon in the United Kingdom!  It is an amazing fact when one considers that a few samples from South Africa that managed to take root in Floriana eventually spread over such a huge territory.  All the European Cape Sorrels in existence today may lay claim to being relatives of the Floriana specimens originally introduced by the English lady two hundred years ago.

Another interesting observation relating to the Cape Sorrels of Maltese origin is that since the original specimens introduced by the lady were all of the same gender, the plants only reproduce asexually, that is without producing seeds.  The Cape Sorrel in Malta, the Mediterranean and Europe in fact only reproduces through bulbs of the same gender as the original.

The Haxixa Ngliza is so common that one rarely ever stops to notice it.  In some places it literally forms carpets of delicate flowers that light up in a fluorescent yellow once bathed in sunlight.  The flowers close at night to reopen again once in the sun’s rays.  It is at its peak from late December to February.  So do stop and have a good look at this unassuming invader which has so easily established itself as part of our natural landscape, and which has used this small archipelago as a springboard to launch an even bigger colonisation of an entire region!

Abandoned but not forgotten: a Girna once used by farmers now preserved in Malta's Nature Park.

I have to confess a certain bias when it comes to Mellieha, conditioned perhaps by the fact that I own a second home in the village. My love affair with Mellieha stems primarily not from its proximity to the sea and its choice of sandy beaches, but due to the varied natural environments with which it is blessed: environments which have even gained international recognition through the inclusion of this area in the EU’s EDEN network of European Destinations of Excellence.

In spite of its relatively small size, the territory covered by Mellieha features a wealth of natural diversity. The area contains no less than three of the ridges which characterise northern Malta: Bajda Ridge (from Xemxija to Ghajn Tuffieha), Mellieha Ridge (from St. Paul’s Islands to PopeyeVillage) and Marfa Ridge (From L-Ahrax to Cirkewwa). Between these ridges one finds fertile valleys such as the Mizieb Valley, the Imgiebah Valley and other small ones such as Cirkewwa’s Musa Valley with their chequered fields and small holdings.

On the coast, one witnesses cliffs, clay slopes, rocky foreshores and sandy beaches ranging from the one kilometer wide Mellieha bay to smaller beaches such as Armier, Paradise Bay and Imgiebah Bay to mention but a few.

There are also vast stretches of garigue over-run with fragrant wild-thyme and other species (from which the delicious Saghtar Honey comes), stretches of woodland old and new including Mizieb, Ahrax and the newly planted Foresta 2000 in Qammieh.

Mellieha also sports its own wetland: the rare fresh water lake habitat housing the Birdlife Nature Reserve and giving the name to the area around Mellieha Bay, L-Ghadira which literally means “the lake”. In short, a diverse landscape within a small place which is around twice the area of Comino.

One of the latest achievements in Mellieha’s long list of environmental jewels is the designation of a huge swath of land extending from Manikata and Ghajn Tuffieha to Anchor Bay on north-west coast of the island into a protected area which has been baptized the Park tal-Majjistral or the North West Park; Malta’s first national park. Formerly earmarked for a range of different development options including luxury accommodation and a first class golf course, the Park was born out of the Authorities’ recognition of the increased level of public awareness in favour of protecting what’s left of Malta’s highly shrinking countryside.

One of the worst things you can do when you have the luxury of exploring Malta without the constraints of a brief visit is the “do” the place by car. Already small as it is, the island becomes reduced to a forty-minute-drive when viewed in its totality. Within this definition, il-Park tal-Majjistral is reduced to a seven-minute drive: hardly Yellowstone!

So what is the fuss all about, you may ask? My answer is that a park like il-Majjistral is not the sort of place you drive through: it is meant to be enjoyed on foot. Scaling down from four wheels to biped immediately extends the scale of the park from minutes to hours of exploration. And this is definitely the way to enjoy it.
As it currently stands, Park tal-Majjistral is still a raw jewel. Within its boundaries one finds the widest range of scenery ranging from pristine landscapes to mounds of building rubble; from lovingly kept fields to numerous trappers’ hides scarring the landscape. Unkempt paths lead to crumbling military architecture and the ubiquitous RTO sign scrawled on walls is a grim reminder of the hunting activity that takes place both legally and illegally within its borders.

In terms of its major attractions, I would list the dramatic coastal scenery including the beautiful, deep, blue Mediterranean, the fantastic sunsets, the views of Gozo’s majestic Ta’ Cenc cliffs, the rich flora and the sense of timelessness that the place possesses. Walk there on a crisp winter’s day with nothing but the wind whistling through your ears, seeing the waves pounding the broken coast and the sensation is exhilarating. Go there on a summer’s evening and wonder at life’s tenacity on a dry, sun-burnt landscape.

Take time to enjoy the small things: the Orkida Hamra

The Park is under the collective administration of three NGOs, namely Din L-Art Helwa, Nature Trust and the Gaia Foundation. Plans are in the making for the clean-up and maintenance of the site and the introduction of sustainable forms of human activity including educational, leisure-related and agricultural. Given the credentials of the NGOs concerned, I have no doubt that they will do an excellent job.

In a strange sort of way, however, I long for this area to remain as it is: unknown and undiscovered except by the happy few who are aware of its charms and wonders. I hope that it will not become too popular and accessible, and I also hope that the signs of modern human activity will not become too overwhelming. Let us remove the dumping, let us restore the heritage and let us maintain and restore the paths. But let us not install lighting, or picnic tables and signposting to point to the obvious. Let us retain a small corner of this island of ours where one can stand and stare and lose track of time. Let us do this in il-Majjistral.

More Info
Il-Majjistral Nature & History Park website has details of where to walk, fauna and flora, events and more.
For more stunning views of Il-Majjistral, see Leslie Vella’s photos on Flickr.

Photos: courtesy Leslie Vella.