Photos I took while working in a garden with limited water, so they plant hardier species to cope with that constraint

As I mentioned, I was working, so I snapped these photos quickly. I noticed that, due to the lack of water, there were few plants—or only those highly resistant to drought. Among them, I saw avocado trees that were already bearing fruit.

I also spotted an achiote plant—not a very common sight, but widely used in cooking. It provides the onoto (annatto) that gives dishes, especially stews, their characteristic red color.

Finally, there were plenty of banana and plantain plants; some were already yielding excellent harvests for their owners. As I noted earlier, the abundance of these plants is partly due to the local water shortage; people make sure to reuse greywater from washing dishes or laundry to irrigate them. One detail I noticed, however, is that some plants are crowded too close together, which could potentially hinder their growth.

It is wonderful to be able to work while also visiting homes with such excellent gardens. Despite the challenges we all face, the desire to plant and harvest our own food remains strong—so we should never give up, but rather keep striving to achieve that goal.