Edited on Canva with my own photo.
Gardening has been a part of our lives and I can say that it plays a big role in our lives already. It seems that the green thumb has been passed down to us by our ancestors, because as I looked back through our history, our roots were farmers and gardeners. It's such a privilege to be part of the growing branches of our family who have an interest in this field. It makes me proud too.
There was an occasion here in our house last Sunday, and all members of the family were present. They came from various parts of the province, and I'm glad that they came. One of my aunts doesn't have their own means of transportation, so we decided to give them a ride going home.
Their house is just in the next municipality in the mountains. We also decided to do it since they told us to harvest fresh vegetables from their garden. I once lived in their place, and I know that the soil present there is ideal for growing good crops such as vegetables. Not like here in the plains, wherein the soils are not that conducive for vegetables.
We prepared ourselves for the trip, and as we arrived at their place, we rested a bit before going to their garden. It's just a one-hour trip, but I was bored already since the sun was giving off unbearable rays. I'm not overacting here because I used to be under the sun for hours working in the field, but the rays are just very different now, not like before when you could stay until 3 pm in the afternoon under the sun.
We were able to rest enough, so we decided to proceed with the harvesting.
The location of their garden is not that far away from their house, but for you to get there you need to cross a small bridge. Just be careful because it's an improvised made from bamboo, as you can see from the photo below.
I was very excited about picking those string beans awaiting us. The healthy leaves of various vegetables were already visible as we passed by on the bridge.
As you can see, you can already notice those hanging string beans. My uncle said that this is just a portion of his garden and that there's more at the back part near the river. We want to go there, but the products to be harvested are already enough and more than enough. That's my cousin and her mother together with her second child.
You may notice that their garden is not that free from unwanted weeds, and the reason for that is to maintain the moisture of the land since it hasn't rained there for weeks already. In this photo, we are inside the area where the string beans are freely hanging. I can't explain my excitement here. That's why I decided to harvest as soon as I took photos.
In just a minute, I had already harvested this many. I can't believe it anymore, and this many string beans already cost 30 pesos, or $0.60 USD. That is the provincial rate, and it's certain that it's higher within the city. If you're lucky, you'll be able to sell these string beans for 75 pesos per kilo, or nearly $1.5 USD. My uncle said he planted 500 holes with 2-3 seeds, so just imagine how much he'll profit in string beans if he's lucky enough.
I can't have a photo of myself harvesting those long green things, so I took the chance. My cousin took it for me. I can already get 10 to 15 pieces out of one pole, and there will be plenty more when the young ones mature.
Other vegetables in my uncle's garden are these eggplants and ladies' fingers.
The ladies' fingers were ready to harvest already, as you can see in the photo, so we collected some. There are others that are in the flowering stage, and in just a few weeks they will be ready again to be harvested.
As for eggplants, they are not yet ready to be harvested and their fruits are not that big yet, as shown in the photo below. Some of them were at the flowering stage also, so it's to be expected that they can be harvested within the next few weeks.
We finished the harvesting process, and look at how we harvested a lot from the small portion of his garden. I'm sure there's a lot more to be harvested on the other side. In my estimate, if we bundled the string beans, it would produce 30 pieces, which can cost up to $18 to $20 dollars. A good source of income already from the string beans alone.
When we got home, I decided to fry some of the lady's fingers as our vegetable for dinner. I faced a battle again when I did that since it really attacked me lol. We dipped those fried lady's fingers into a sauce made of soy sauce mixed with calamansi juice. I ate a lot, actually, and who will not eat a lot if that is your viand? Those who haven't tried it yet may not relate to what I'm saying, but to those who have already tried it, I'm sure they can.
The day ended with our tummies being filled with the blessings of nature, and it's something to be thankful for. I believe that nature can provide anything for us as long as we become responsible caretakers of it. So become one and nature will bless you.
Plant your own food and harvest it with your own hands. The feeling is just so satisfying.
All photos were taken by me.
Thank you for reading this far, friends.
