We have started thinning out the babul trees (Vachellia nilotica or gum arabic trees) on our land. They grew on their own, and really took over the landscape, which we have been very thankful for these past few years when we didn’t have our own trees. But now it is time to select, prune, and chop. Some are quite mature, and we are dreaming of the things we can make with the wood once we can get it over to a sawmill. Babul is a hardwood, and though it needs good treatment, the grain is supposed to be very beautiful. It’s naturally termite resistant and good for furniture, construction, agricultural implements, and more. And, we are planning to save a few trees for playground use. Exciting!!
We finally managed to get our rice milled. Locally, however, this is done with a single machine, and the product is white rice. We are not sure how to get brown rice yet, with the technology available in our area. More research is needed. But the rice we did produce is pretty tasty!
(above) Birds enjoy the fallen husk after the milling.
(right) The wheat is coming up! Such a lovely green. This season’s vegetables are overwhelming us: eggplant, cauliflower, beans, tomatoes, and a variety of lettuces and other salad greens. The carrots, horseradish, potatoes, and onions are soon to make an appearance!
(below) We are making good progress in taming the jungle, with Sunil cutting grass for a few hours a day. We can actually see the surface of parts of the land that have been hidden for months! The next step will be to fill all the pits and trenches and do the next step of tree-planting. We also have to finish tackling the mud-shifting and rainwater harvesting in preparation for this year’s monsoon. More on all of this soon!
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