Hello, my dearest Hivers! How have you been? I’ve been thinking of you and hope everyone is doing well. I'm so excited to know how things are going on your end. For now, let me just share something with this vibrant community, Agricultural Mindset.
One thing that's really beneficial, especially when living in the countryside, is that you can plant what you want to harvest. There are a lot of farm fields where you can grow your own fruits, vegetables, herbs, or any kind of food. Like here in our place, people usually farm. Aside from that, it’s much more advantageous when we talk about fresh and healthy food. Now that everything’s so expensive, it’s better to plant in your own garden or farm rather than rely on store-bought produce, especially if you’re into fruits and veggies.
These are peanuts, and they’re quite expensive when bought at the marketplace. Speaking of which, peanuts have become especially pricey at bus stops. I once bought some for 20 pesos, and there weren’t even 20 pieces. It’s frustrating how some people resell them at a high price, while buying them from farmers at a much lower cost, which really isn’t fair, right? Beyond that, it costs a lot of sweat and tears. Thus, it would be such a blessing for all farmers, just like most people here in our little happy place, if the peanuts bear a lot of fruit, ensuring a good harvest that helps support all the hard work invested in it. In fact, these farmlands are not ours, so the farmers have to divide the harvest with the owner. But the good thing is they do not take a lot, as they recognized the labor of the people who planted it.
The same goes for corn. When living in the province and having enough resources, it’s really good to plant some corn. This can be a good alternative to rice, and you can actually save money on it. For farmers, it can serve as a good source for daily consumption and, conversely, can also be sold to buy some rice. I've grown up in this countryside, so basically, this is the life I've been used to. As for my parents, who are already embracing the same thing now, the act of growing our own food is incredibly fulfilling, as they are able to witness the direct results of their labor, and we can enjoy the fruits (literally!) of their hard work. That's why I'm one proud daughter of farmers, because we can also help our neighbors have food by letting them help with the harvest.
We also have some squash here. If you love eating vegetables, you can actually grow it in your garden. It'll spread, and you can get some squash anytime if there is any. I've known that squash is good for eyesight. No wonder the elders have better eyesight than I do, hahahahaha.
There are also a lot of bananas. Now that it’s a fruitful season, all the monkeys in the house, especially my nieces, are very happy. We love eating bananas, and it’s a good thing we don’t need to buy them in stores, as they are quite expensive right now. We also have some cassava, and there’s much more than what’s shown in the picture.
If you want some hot soup for your meal, consider adding moringa and spinach leaves. These vegetables offer many health benefits. Although I wasn't very fond of them before, I'm starting to love spinach, commonly known here as
alugbati. I've come to realize how nutritious they are and how they can help increase my hemoglobin levels. What makes it amazing is that if you want to eat something, you can just grab some fresh green leafy vegetables like this right from your garden. A good fact is that the reason older generations, our grandparents, enjoyed healthier and longer lives is that these are the kinds of food they’ve been eating. Compared to us people in this era, we mostly consume processed foods and convenience meals.
Here the last four photos can be a great combo for a meal. A lemongrass, papaya, and chicken for a yummy hot soup. If you know, you know. Oohhh! By the way, I always love papaya and picking the ripe ones fresh from the tree. In fact, that's what I always did before, looking for some ripe papaya to eat. I love it because it's sweet. We also got some chickens from the farm that will lay eggs, and we can use those fresh eggs for a delicious omelet. Plus, we can raise more chickens to expand our flock since there are plenty of other chickens on the farm. This way, we can enjoy fresh ingredients straight from our own backyard.
