Palm Work

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Palm trees are a type of grass and they have to be trimmed regularly. At least twice a year men climb the date palms to cut off the older fronds. These are then hauled into the villages, often either by camel or if there is broader access, by mule and wagon. In the village, people do the initial processing by trimming off the softer leaves and then drying the rib that supports them. Later the ribs will be cut and made into furniture, boxes, or used in walls. The soft leaves may be shredded for upholstery material, woven into baskets, or mats, and so on.

Balancing Act

If you live in Egypt, you've seen the donkeys piled high with berseem clover in the winter, a block of beautiful greenness that extends way beyond the donkey's sides and high into the air, often with a young boy perched on top. How do they do that anyway? It's all in the packing. The berseem isn't tied but merely balanced.

Granaries

At one time the pyramids were known as granaries, though you'd be hard pressed to get much inside them...or get it out. These, however, really are granaries, although they are fairly small. The grain is poured into the hole in the top and can be reached through the door at the bottom.

The Argument For Slow Food

I LOVE our vegetables. They make cooking an almost spiritual experience. These are all fresh, less than a day or so from the fields, and there isn't a speck of wax on them. Yum.

That Time Of Year Again

It's May and the wheat is being harvested and threshed in the fields by the tiny portable threshing machines, nothing at all like the huge combine harvesters of North America. If you have the misfortune to work on the harvest, or even to have to walk or ride through the cloud of dust downwind from the machine, it isn't wonderful. Your skin, hair, eyes, teeth, clothing...everything is full of dust and finely chopped wheat stalk. From a distance at the right angle, however, it is magical.