Sowing to harvest, hard but necessary.

Dear friends, this Caribbean sun is intense. It is only slightly tempered by afternoon thunderstorms and the rain that falls generously to cool the atmosphere. So it was under this sun that my husband and brother planted rice.

Rice is the main dish on the Cuban table, the one that takes up the most space, then there are broths, salads, proteins and meats, but rice is the main thing. So you have to work hard to make it available all year round.

In Cuba in particular, rice is a very necessary product, but scarce and regulated. A supply card allocates 7 pounds per person per month at a very low price, but generally a person consumes more than that and has to buy it somewhere at a higher price, and the reality is that there are few places where you can buy it.

I tell you that in my family we sow it as a group, which is said to be an adjustment to avoid such complications and I assure you that it is not easy at all. It is already a family tradition to guarantee the sowing of rice for the whole year. So little by little we have learned the techniques. It is very hard work in the mud and water that covers the ankles. Little by little I will tell you how it is done.

It all starts one or two months before when a sack of rice grains is put to germinate and put in the ground to make a seedbed. With a few pairs of oxen and instruments such as the plow, the land is prepared to remove the grass, then some dams are made to pour water and it remains there in a dam. Afterwards, a process called "fangueo" is done, which is to make a soft muddy area to sow the rice that has been previously taken care of.

This way, men and oxen do hard work in the mud. It is also a bit dangerous because in this water there are often rodents that infect humans with mouse disease or leptorpirosis, so the planters must be vaccinated before starting this work to prevent these diseases that can be dangerous. Fortunately, the doctors at the office are attentive to those who carry out this work and immediately arrange for their vaccination.
Once the rice is planted, it must be protected for three months against parasites and pests, and against desiccation. After three months, the yellow ears are cut off and the ripe grains are threshed with a machine and put into sacks.

The landscape is very beautiful, with lots of greenery and slender palm trees, hills and thick vegetation, but the work is very hard. At the moment, I show you photos of the seedlings, but little by little I will show you the growth and the harvest. At least we can guarantee food for the family, which is very, very difficult to buy. Fortunately, this year it has rained a lot and it has been easier to prepare the soil and start planting. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Best regards and I look forward to your comments.

If you are interested you can read here
The images used in the publication are my property taken with my Xiaomi Redmi 12C cell phone.
English translation by Deepl Translate.