My parents were farmers. This involved most times rearing animals and planting crops on the hillside. This was tough work but I did not grow up seeing my parents having any employer.
There was one thing that we had in abundance that was fresh food being on the table. In terms of fresh food I mean sometimes the pot was already boiling when my mother would go outside to dig the food from the ground or harvest what she desired.
My father never kept a pot out in the fields and sometimes on rare occasion he may make a small fire to roast some food.
My real exciting memory however is cooking out in the fields. Coconut oil was then sold in five gallon tins and an empty coconut oil tin was the pot. All that was need was water and salt. These could be had for free from any household that was near. The food is dug from the ground or reaped and there was always an abundance. Meat was an added luxury that no one fussed over.
We did not need plates out in the fields. Banana and coco leaves were placed on the ground and this was the table. When these were not available there was always a sweet wood tree some where nearby. all that was needed was to ensure that no dirt got onto the food.
The hands were always dirty so the fingers could not be used but a sharpened piece of stick does the same job as a fork. The greatest and most enjoyable drink ever made is water with sugar added and lime or sour oranges. When served with ice on a hot day out in the fields I am still to find any drink to compare to this.
It would be amiss not to mention roasted breadfruit and avocado pears.
The greatest joy being that anyone that was close by was always free to partake.
No comments:
Post a Comment