The Joy of a Farmer: Cassava Processing

In my country Nigeria, there is a stable food that has no distinction among classes. That's to say it's a friend to the rich and the last hope of the poor. Before it is what it is, there must be a source which it taps from. This source is no other plant but Cassava. Cassava is well known in Nigeria as one of the leading grown crops across the nation. Its economic importance is seen in all parts and each part has their processing ways. Permit me to take you on a day with this grown crop.

On a fateful day, my Mother decided that she will go to the farm and harvest cassava for home use. I had no choice than to follow her to the farm. Approaching the farm, she is set to work making sure time is not wasted. The aim was to clear the first grown cassava and not to uproot the farm. I followed her steps and got results as expected.

Going back, it was time to process it into something edible. Apart from Garri, there is another product that we call Fufu. This product is formed from applying heat on the starch to form a jelly substance. This jelly product can be used with any soup of your choice. To work on the first step, we had to peel the cassava to reveal it's immaculate white edible part. Since the cassava was much, it took some time before we completed everything.

When we were done, my Mother washed the peeled cassava to eliminate dirts gotten from the peeling process or the farm directly. Then it was stored in a large containment or pot to allow the next step. The next step is putting in water and keeping it for at least a day. After a day it is being crushed, washed to eliminate shafts and the white starch is being revealed.

The process might be stressful but the result is something no one can afford to lose. The simple reason is that the feeling of satisfaction gotten from this delicacy is something unexplainable. Thats the dignity of a farmer because he or she is a food supplier. Without farming in a region, it is said that prices of food are likely to be raised.

My advice is that there's dignity in farming