Finally to the garden

Maybe things are getting better.  Hannah finally arrived today on the World Food Program Plane.  She wasn’t the only one stuck because of it–she flew in with the Governor of Agadez who was also delayed in Niamey for two days.  We decided to go straight out to the garden since this trip had been postponed several times.  We had to stop to register her arrival with the police and pick up two guards to accompany us out of town.  I stayed to arrange the guards while Alhassane went to get gas.  Afite 30 min I called to find out that Agadez was OUT OF GAS.  Well Alhassane finally succeeded in getting some–I did not ask how.  And we went off to the picnic.

I thought the harvest looked pretty great, except the price is so low this year that onion farmers are committing suicide–this is a rather drastic reaction that I keep hearing about farmers and herders to failing crops or pasture.  I think I’ll refrain from resorting to this.

Aboli our cook and the guy who organizes just about everything with Mamane, the gardener and the next batch of onions waiting to be harvested.

I suggested braiding the onions and hanging them to try to hold them longer until the price goes up, but we are going into the hot season.  I also thought to try drying them, but nobody seems to think that would work.  New ideas are not easily introduced.  Our solar oven for cooking sits there because women prefer gathering wood, paying for gas and sitting over a hot stove/fire stirring their cooking rice or sauce or pasta than sitting in the shade waiting for it to cook itself.  They believe the flavors won’t blend if you do not stir constantly.  Ok I guess every cook has their own way of doing things.

Oh well pretty onions anyway.