I woke up today with a different kind of excitement. Not the usual "work and camera" kind of day, but a "go back to the roots" kind of day. My uncle called me two days ago and said, "Son, the melon is ripe. Come and help us harvest before the rain spoils everything." I didn’t hesitate. As someone who grew up partly in the village, I know how important farm work is to family. It’s not just about the food. It’s about bonding, tradition, and showing love through labor.
I left home around 6:30am. The road was calm, with the morning air smelling of wet soil and palm trees. After about 40 minutes on a bike and then trekking a short distance, I arrived at my uncle’s compound. The first thing I saw was the big smile on his face. "Welcome o. You don’t waste time," he said and gave me a strong hug.
Aunty was already preparing garri and soup for when we come back from the farm. The children were running around, excited that "big brother" was around to help. After a quick breakfast, we grabbed our cutlasses, baskets, and headed to the farm. The sun was just rising, and the farm looked so green and alive.
10:00am: Entering the Farm - Melon Season is Here
Walking into the farm felt like stepping into peace. The sound of birds, the rustling of cassava leaves, and the smell of fresh earth. My uncle’s farm is a mix of cassava, yam, and melon. But today, melon was the focus.
Melon, or egusi as we call it in Nigeria, is a big deal in our area. It’s used for soup, and when processed well, it sells for good money at the market. My uncle has been farming it for over 10 years, and this year’s yield looked very promising. As we got to the melon section, I saw them, round, greenish-yellow melons scattered all over the ground between the cassava stems. Some were already bursting open, which meant we had to work fast. My uncle handed me a big basin and said, "Let’s start picking. Check if it’s matured. If it sounds hollow when you tap it, then it’s ready." I rolled up my sleeves. Time to work.
The Harvest Process: Teamwork Makes It Easy
Picking melon is not as easy as it looks. You have to bend, search under the leaves, lift, and check. But what made it beautiful was that we were doing it together.
The farm was fresh and green, and working under those cassava leaves felt therapeutic. No noise, no traffic, just family and nature. After about 30 minutes, my uncle’s wife, Aunty, and two of my younger cousins joined us. That’s when the real teamwork started.
We gathered around one big basin. Aunty was checking each melon, the boys were picking, and I was arranging. It felt like a village scene from the old days. One cousin, Udeme, kept making jokes: "Big brother, your back is not used to this o. Are you feeling it?" We all laughed. Yes, my back was feeling it, but my heart was full.
Aunty told stories while we worked. About how they planted the melon during the first rain, how they weeded it twice, and how they prayed it wouldn’t be destroyed by pests. Farming is faith, she said.
Team Lift: Carrying the Harvest Together
After about 2 hours, we had filled two big basins. The melons were heavy, but nobody complained.
This was my favorite moment. All of us, me, Aunty, and the two boys, lifting the basin together. We had to carry it to the edge of the farm where the truck could come. Nobody said "this is men’s work" or "this is women’s work." We just did it as family.
My uncle was so proud. He kept saying, "This is how family should be. When one person is down, others lift."
We made 4 trips like that. By 12:30pm, we had gathered a good number of melons in one place. My shirt was dirty, my hands had soil, but I was smiling.
Loading the Truck: From Farm to The house
Around 1pm, a small truck arrived. This is what we use to transport farm produce from the farm to the house or market.
Look at that! The truck was filled to the brim with melons. All our hard work in one place. My uncle said this load would go to Uyo market tomorrow. He was already calculating how much it would bring.
Loading was another team effort. The driver and my uncle lifted, while we passed the melons from hand to hand. The boys were shouting "E be like say we go rich o!" and we all laughed. Seeing the truck full gave me a new respect for farmers. This is real hustle. From planting to weeding to harvesting to transporting. It’s not easy, but it’s rewarding. My uncle gave me a bottle of cold water and said, "You have done well. This is how we survive."
Afternoon: Processing the Melon Seeds
After loading, we didn’t stop. The next process was to break some of the rotten melons and start drying the seeds. This is the part that takes the most time. We sat under a mango tree and started breaking the matured melons with stones. Inside each melon are hundreds of white seeds. Those are the egusi we use for soup. It’s messy work. The pulp gets on your hands, but it’s fun when you’re with family. Aunty showed the boys how to separate the good seeds from the bad ones.
By 3pm, we had a big pile of wet seeds. The next step was to wash them and spread them out to dry.
This is the final stage for today. The seeds were washed and spread on a big mat on the roadside to dry in the sun. In 3-4 days they will be completely dry and ready for grinding or selling. Aunty said the sun was hot enough, so they should dry well. She covered part of it with net to prevent chickens from eating it.
Reflections: What I Learned Today
Sitting on the veranda in the evening, eating hot eba and melon soup made from last year’s harvest, I started reflecting.
- Farming is hard work, but it’s honest work: My uncle wakes up at 5am every day. Rain or shine. There’s no "work from home" here.
- Family is everything: Without the kids, Aunty, and me, my uncle couldn’t have finished today. We did in 4 hours what would have taken him 2 days alone.
- There’s money in agriculture: Looking at that truck full of melons, I realized that if young people take farming seriously, we can create wealth and jobs.
- We must not forget our roots: As a photographer and content creator, I spend most of my time online. But today reminded me where food comes from. It doesn’t just appear in the market.
My uncle told me, "Thank you for coming. With people like you, our children will not abandon the farm." That touched me.
Evening: Heading Back Home
We finished everything around 5pm. I helped Aunty fetch water, then prepared to go back to town. Before I left, my uncle packed a bag of fresh melon for me and some dried seeds. "Take this. Cook soup and remember us." On my way back, I was tired but fulfilled. My body ached, but my spirit was light.
A Day Well Spent
Today was not about money. It was about service, family, and connection to the land. Helping my uncle pick melon reminded me that success is not only in the city or online. Sometimes it’s in the soil, in the sweat, and in the people you do life with. I’m grateful I went. I’m grateful for my uncle and his family. And I’m grateful for the lesson that hard work + family = harvest. Next time they call, I’ll be there again. Because that’s what family does.