Hello Steemians, I'm here to join in the contest of photo of the week. So I had been planning to visit a friend's village for long and due to work, I was unable to, but since it was Easter holiday, I used the opportunity to achieve things I wasn't able to during the work period.
I started my journey from Uyo at about 12pm and the journey took about 45 minutes. We arrived at the village and met some people we were supposed to, but my friend's mother wasn't around but she later came back and received us with joy. I was even asked to changed from my travelling clothes into something casual but I refused because I needed to go back in some hours. In the compound, there were all kinds of vegetables planted and fruits of all sorts. First, we were given apple fruits, then my friend's mother offered us tea and bread. It was after eating she let us know she wanted to prepare pumpkin soup and I decide to help her in some things.
Pumpkin soup is one of the delicacies in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The ingredients are pumpkin leaf, water leaf, stock fish, kpomo, that is cow skin, periwinkle, crayfish, oil, Maggi and water. So I picked the vegetable and water leaf, washed it and shredded or cut it for her while she cooked. In the village, the major means of cooking is by firewood. When she finished, she prepared garri, that is swallow made with cassava and we ate to our satisfaction.
After cutting the leaves
PALM KERNEL SEEDS
My friend's parents have a large farmland where they harvest palm kernel from. The palm tree is very good because all parts of the tree is useful, the leaves, the seeds, the water etc. So palm kernel is usually harvested and processed into palm oil and sold. Now, when the seeds are processed into palm oil, apart from the red oil which is removed from the seeds, the seeds itself has another oil that can be made into vegetable oil or even engine oil, Abd also other medicinal oil. The seeds can also be eaten. The shell of the seeds is sold or used to ignite fire while cooking, so in their verandah and at the backyard, they had processed the palm kernel and kept there, it was really much and when I asked questions, I was told that it would soon be taken to the mill to make into oil.
Palm kernel to be processed into palm oil
I also saw something I had never seen in my life before, beehive. I was told bees live there and they make honey. Before now, I had never seen bee or where they live before, but in their backyard there was beehive and I could hear the murmering of the bees. I went to take a shot but was warned not to go too close lest I got stung. It was nice seeing bees from afar for the first time and I was told the extraction of the honey takes place at night and when there is no moon, that one needs to cover up from head to toe to be able to extract the honey.
The beehive
Palm kernel shell used to ignite fire or as firewood.
I invite @Yucee
@Victorlives
@bela90 to join in this contest.
Thank you for tagging me I feel so honored and I'll definitely honour your invitation and participate.
This is quite amazing and interesting and wow I'm glad I stopped by to read
Thank you. Wish you the best.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful routine with us. Honey is very useful for us.
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Your photos are really interesting, ma. From the cooking of Edikan Ikong soup(a very delicious delicacy) to seeing something new;the beehive. I would love to also see what a beehive looks like physically and to observe how the bees behave also.
All the best, ma.
Thank you. You can only observe the bee from a distance
I didn't know that pumpkin leaves can be used to make such a tasty soup and it is clearly visible how tasty it will be because you have a lovely smile on your face when you are separating the leaves from the pumpkin stalks. You have also shown how palm oil is extracted. It is really a best photo.
Have a nice day
Thank you