Carob Tree

The pineapple arrived in the Azores in the 19th century—as an ornamental plant. Its success was so remarkable that it replaced the declining orange industry.

The army brought him from Mealhada to the Azores, and by São Miguel, he decided to stay.

António Gaudêncio, born in 1968, has had a thousand and one different ventures. A true entrepreneur, he has worked in hairdressing, aluminium, and more—until his passion for plants finally took centre stage. Behind his house, he cultivates a garden and grows seedlings, which he then sells to both locals and tourists at Mercado da Graça.

Gaudêncio walks through his garden, speaking about the plants as though they were old friends. Alongside the endemic Azorean species, around one hundred varieties, everything grows here with lushness and vigor. The mild climate and humidity nourish the greenery, contrasting beautifully with the blue of the sea just on the horizon. You’ll find coffee plants, palms, ferns, camellias of all colors and shapes, banana trees, Araucarias, Galician lemon trees, and even ora-pro-nobis growing in Gaudêncio’s garden. And if we listen to his advice, who knows—they might even bear fruit in our own pots or flowerbeds.

Dairy farming and beef production are the main agricultural activities in the Azores. Some say that the cows of São Miguel are the happiest in the world. They graze freely in an extensive system on the island’s green fields, with views of the sea, and with minimal environmental impact. The cow is an integral part of the São Miguel landscape.

The pomegranate tree grows spontaneously in the Caldeirão mountains, without the need for care or treatments. A rainfed crop, the pomegranate tree is a hermaphroditic plant. In autumn and winter, it bears fruit and adds color to the landscape.

With twisted trunks and generous shade, fig trees spread across the Algarve like silent guardians of the landscape. At the end of summer, the sweet smell of ripe figs fills the warm air, announcing harvest time. Between low walls and dirt paths, the fruits are picked slowly, as if time had another rhythm. They are dried in the sun, turned carefully, and stored for the colder days. Each fig, an earthy sweetness, carries the taste of the land and the memory of past summers. In the Algarve, fig trees are not just trees — they are part of the home, the childhood, the life.

In the winter months, when the sky is clearer and the air cooler, the orange trees of the Algarve paint the fields with color and promise. The branches laden with fruit illuminate orchards and gardens, and the citrus scent mixes with the sea breeze.