October 2010, Changilo

October is the hottest month in Central province. The temperatures reach little higher than the typical Virginia August yet seem unbearable given the relative lack of respite afforded by an uninsulated hut. Water is in shorter supply, it hasn't rained in six months, and I find myself stretched out on the concrete floor throughout the midday hours for no one is out working in the heat. The most discouraging aspect of the only real hot season month in Mkushi has to be that acceleration of decomposition; the speedy destruction of my perishable pantry. This year I built a simply clay pot refrigerator to prolong the shelf-life of my precious fruits and vegetables and found that it worked so well I could even keep dairy for about a week. The unit is composed of a small inner pot nested in sand inside a larger one and covered with a lid. The sand is then saturated with water and as this evaporates through the unglazed pots and sand to the the outside, it takes the heat energy from the center chamber and leaves the contents nicely chilled. MIT's Alternative Technologies program pushes this system as a low cost way for vendors to keep crops on market longer. My fridge works well enough that several residents of Changilo, and a census worker, want to put one together themselves. I'm just happy to have chilled fruit after a ride back to my house in the sun.

October is also a time when a lot farmers in my area prepare for tomato season. The process entails the hiring of piece workers in most cases as the sheer amount of land to be prepared by hand is staggering. To help cover this expense and feed these workers (often distant relatives) my family began harvesting cassava. Cassava grows under almost any condition, requires little care, and can be harvested anytime after two years. The root must be soaked and rinsed to remove harmful toxins and can then be pounded into flour for nshima or roasted. It has virtually no nutritional benefit but functions well as a food security crop as it can be grown with such little upkeep and I find it filling and delicious. The Bembas of Luapula are known to mix serious amounts of cassava with their maize flour when making Nshima but its a little harder to find down here in Mkushi and I'm enjoying a little something different.

My family got a new friend this month and although I've had difficulty in determining his species (most locals say they haven't seen this type of primate before), the kids and I refer to him as Pickles. Caught in a snare deep in the bush, his foot was cut nearly in two when a young trapper found him and brought him to me. Bembas find monkey meat to be a delicacy and my family had no qualms with purchasing Pickles with the intention of eating him once he gets bigger. I'll admit I'm curious about the dish but right now I'm more worried about healing that foot and making friends.