Greetings at the beginning of the month of March, one of the most beautiful months of the year, full of abundance and good energy. Here I am again to participate in the initiative that my friend @mypathtofire offers us every week. Here I share the invitation he made:
I live in a tropical country, where technically there is no spring. In Venezuela we only have two seasons a year, not four as in the countries that are located in the temperate zone. For us, half of the year is devoid of rain (summer), and in the other half it rains very frequently (winter). The summer months go from November to April; and those of winter from May to October; although this may vary according to the climatic phenomena that affect this area where I live, known as "La Niña" and "El Niño"; In any case, I have adapted to these two very different seasons, and I have learned, especially in recent years, to enjoy the best of each season.
If we compare the spring time in the terrestrial Northern Hemisphere, which is where Venezuela is located, Spring would begin with the Spring Equinox, which according to astrological calendars, for this year 2023 will occur next Monday, March 20, at 21:24 UTC, so for me it coincides with my dry or summer season.
After this explanation, I am going to respond to two of the ideas that @mypathtofire raises in his invitation post, and these are:
Do you have any local foods that you enjoy in springtime?
How do you enjoy those foods?
Do you have any local foods that you enjoy in springtime?
I live in the Venezuelan plains, an area that is eminently agricultural, or was, would be the most appropriate term. Before, years ago, huge tracts of corn, sorghum, and various legumes, such as beans, were planted; but since the communist regime has been destroying the country, planting has stopped. Farmers do not have the means to plant, and if they do so, when they harvest they cannot sell their products at a good price, and they lose out. This area was also used to raise cattle, with a dual purpose (milk and meat), but this activity has also decreased considerably. And it is that it is very difficult for any economic activity to be carried out in the countryside, if you are exposed to being extorted, robbed, robbed, killed; And in the event that this does not happen, you cannot go back and forth from the countryside to the city or town either, because the roads are destroyed or because there is no fuel, or because your transport unit was damaged and you cannot get spare parts, rubbers, oil, etc.…
As you can deduce, any agricultural or livestock activity is very difficult to carry out, however, there are people who have decades, and even their families have centuries on the land, and continue to sow small areas. And I give all this explanation, because it is thanks to these people that we can find some food in the markets. In my case, I live in a town, not in a city. This area is eminently rural, so there are several small and medium-sized producers, both on the outskirts of the town, and in areas further away from here, who for this time of March, harvest and sell tomatoes, chili peppers, bell peppers, onions, garlic; and it is these items that I take advantage of and buy to be able to eat and process and store them.
How do you enjoy those foods?
Well, that depends, but I try to eat frequently what is harvested at this time, and I also like to save for the next few months. For example today, I was processing tomatoes, I was drying them. Today I also processed sweet peppers; and days ago I dehydrated onions and made tomato sauce. And I do this because I can buy them at a good price, and since I can turn them into long-lasting food, I do it and I can enjoy a good supply of these products in my pantry all year round. This is one of the reasons why I enjoy the first months of the year, because from the end of January to April, there are abundant harvests. It is also possible to get many melons at a good price, which are juiced or dehydrated as well.
This has been my participation in the weekly activity proposed by @mypathtofire, which I really liked, because I can share with you, part of what is my Springtime. A big hello to all.
These photos are my own, and were taken with a Xiomi REDMI 8 A phone
The dividers used are courtesy of @eve66 who shares beautiful designs that embellish the layout of our post.
In case it is required to use the content or images of this post and of my other publications, I would appreciate if you could refer to my authorship (Fabiola Martínez) and cite the corresponding link. Thanks.
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Thanks for sharing the experience of the Spring equinox in your country. I am sorry to hear about the problems with corruption there making farming difficult. Those tomatoes look great and it is great to see that you are able to prepare food to fill your pantry to supply you all year round.
Today I was actually making a tomato sauce and also a dish with bell peppers! lol
Thank you for your participation in #edtopic.
Hello, what a coincidence, hahahaha. The tomato sauce is delicious, I always prepare several liters to have in the pantry.
Yes, my country is very destroyed, I can tell you with complete objectivity, because I live here. The propaganda that there is that Venezuela is fine, that it has recovered, is absolutely false; however, I am privileged compared to other people, who don't even have enough to eat once a day, the basic salary doesn't even reach $10, and here there is hyperinflation...
Thank you for your comment and thank you for having this initiative, which brings us a great topic every week. Greetings.