Been more than two years since I last visited my parents in the village. The last time I did was when I was about graduating from the University in 2019. Since then I have been far from home, busy with life and it's hustle.
So I decided to take a break and go see them last Friday. They really welcomed me very well , as they gave me a break. However, with a lot to be done on the farm, my break came to an end today, as I had to follow my mom to the farm to help in planting akidi — black beans or turtle beans.
We are only into the cultivation of some crops in my place — Adaba, in Enugu state, Nigeria. We major in crops such as cassava, yam, corn, plantain, and so on.
Due to the old age of my parents, they only focused on cassava while planting some crops like maize, and akidi, at the early stage of the farming.
I came back a bit late, as we were already approaching the ending stage of the farming season. The picture below shows our farm having just cassava.
So today we came to replant the black beans, as the ones planted earlier couldn't germinate for some reasons.
For the sake of this write-up, I would be guiding you through the planting procedures.
The planting procedure is a very easy one. All you need to do is to open the ridges with the help of a cutlass, a bit — about 2.5 cm deep, and then pour one to three seeds inside. Then use the cutlass to cover back the opening. To plant the next, leave a space of about 10 to 15 cm on the ridge.
The germination period of black beans is about 10 to 14 days. So I believe by next week, I should be updating you all on the germination progress so far.
Our work ( mine with my mom's) was really stressful but I was more stressed than my mom. Maybe because it's been a while since I engaged in farming activities. I was profusely sweating, haha — kinda enjoyed it though.
A little note about black beans or Turtle beans and its medical benefits
Black beans is a leguminous crop known for its high content of protein and fibre. It is also known to contain several key vitamins and minerals. Its health benefits include; maintenance of healthy bones, lowering of blood pressure, managing of diabetes, prevention of cancer, warding off heart disease, weight loss, and so on.
From the above you can see it really has a lot of health benefits, guess that's why my people really value and eat it very well. As for me, I really enjoy it too, especially when it has a lot of palm oil.
I would be staying about two weeks in the village, and this two weeks, I am expected to be going to the farm to help out. So, I will be making some posts to let you all know what I am up to.
Thanks for coming around.
