I was excited to learn some more about beans and how they get from the field to my mouth. Here's a brief overview of the process, along with some pictures:
Step #1: Plant beans. This happens twice a year, and I haven't seen this step yet. Martha, Alejandro, and David have promised me that I can go with them when they plant in May, though...so expect an update on step 1 in May!
Step #2: Let beans grow. Pretty self-explanatory.
Step #3: Hike up to the fields where the beans are, wearing long sleeves and pants. Once you reach the field, you'll realize why you have long sleeves and pants on - in addition to the bean plants, there is a large amount of super prickly stuff intermixed with the beans. Ouch.
Step #4: Step on super prickly stuff, reach down, and pull out bean plant. Beans grow in little pods, which are on a small plant. When you pick it, you just pull the whole plant (including roots) out of the ground. You pick with one hand while you hold all your picked plants in the other hand, until you can't hold them anymore. Then you go put them in a pile to collect later.
Step #5: Pick the little pods off of the plant, and put them in something to carry them home.
Step #6: Open up the pods to get the beans out. Put the beans in one container, and the pod covers (my bean terminology is not very good. Sorry.) in another one to throw out. This step takes a deceptively long time....
Step #7: Wash and cook your beans!!
Step #8: Eat your beans!
Needless to say, I really do appreciate beans more now - and am still enjoying eating the beans I picked! It took a long time, though - we picked beans for about 1.5 hours, then it took at least 30 min to fill my backpack with beans (with 3 of us working on it), and then it took me a good 4 hours to granar the beans (take them out of the pod). I've enjoyed some beans Nicaragua-style with cheese and tortillas, and also made some pretty delicious chili for more of a taste of home.
The day before I picked beans, I watched a pig get slaughtered....and then ate part of him for lunch. That process, however, is not going to get its own blog entry, since it's kind of disturbing. However, I really do appreciate any opportunity to learn more about life here, and since many families have and slaughter pigs, it was an interesting insight. I was slightly worried it was going to make me become a vegetarian again...but never fear, I'm still eating meat!
This will probably be my last blog entry before winter break, unless I blog from the States - I head off on break on Thursday! Thanks for keeping up with me these past few months on my blog, and I wish each and every one of you a merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!
