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Yesterday& #39;s eyebrow raising news about the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) had me wondering about how we will feel the implications of this in our lives...
& it had me remembering a story about KMC from a lifetime ago
Bungoma, bumper harvests & burning bean cobs
A story thread
& it had me remembering a story about KMC from a lifetime ago
Bungoma, bumper harvests & burning bean cobs
A story thread
Many years ago I lived in Bungoma, working for an NGO.
At one point I was assisting with research looking at kitchen gardens, and how HIV/AIDS in the area was affecting farming...who was doing the farming, what was being grown, what it was being grown for...
At one point I was assisting with research looking at kitchen gardens, and how HIV/AIDS in the area was affecting farming...who was doing the farming, what was being grown, what it was being grown for...
It& #39;s been over a decade, but this particular story I haven& #39;t been able to forget
An elderly woman was telling us about the ways in which they used to farm & cook when she was much younger
Bungoma is lush with a treasure trove of delicious and nutritious indigenous vegetables
An elderly woman was telling us about the ways in which they used to farm & cook when she was much younger
Bungoma is lush with a treasure trove of delicious and nutritious indigenous vegetables
Litoto (Amaranth), Namasaka (Black Nightshade), Sikhubi (Cowpeas), Kimiroo (Crotolania), Malenge (Pumpkin Leaves), Tsisaka (Spider Plant), Murenda (Jute Mallow) & many more
Most of these grew easily, were drought resistant, highly nutritious and often had medicinal properties
Most of these grew easily, were drought resistant, highly nutritious and often had medicinal properties
The elder was telling us how growing up, how beloved & valued these vegetables were.
She told us how you& #39;d just pick what was growing around and then put it in a gourd over a fire, and let it slowly cook as you went about your business
She told us how you& #39;d just pick what was growing around and then put it in a gourd over a fire, and let it slowly cook as you went about your business
You cooked them with munyu mesherekha and added soured milk - the slight fermentation made them even more delicious & kept them preserved for days & days & days.
Munyu mesherekha is high in potassium, it tenderizes tough leaves & adds a smoky flavour to the dish
Munyu mesherekha is high in potassium, it tenderizes tough leaves & adds a smoky flavour to the dish
To make the munyu mesherekha, you gather bean pods, groundnut kernels, maize cobbs...you dry them in the hot sun until they are paper dry
Then you burn it up till it turns to ash, adding little sprinkles of water as it cools down
Then you burn it up till it turns to ash, adding little sprinkles of water as it cools down
So the elder was telling us about how things were before...
then one year, she remembers that the colonials brought with them kale, and & #39;convinced& #39; them to grow these in the farms
Strangely there was a bumper harvest that year, at the kale DID SO WELL!
then one year, she remembers that the colonials brought with them kale, and & #39;convinced& #39; them to grow these in the farms
Strangely there was a bumper harvest that year, at the kale DID SO WELL!
Now there was an abundance of this one crop - but it just wasn& #39;t very tasty 
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Even when they added their munyu mesherekha, the kale was just....well...bland
However, they discovered that kale didn& #39;t take long to cook - which meant they used up less firewood...
Even when they added their munyu mesherekha, the kale was just....well...bland
However, they discovered that kale didn& #39;t take long to cook - which meant they used up less firewood...
They figured out if they added tomatoes, it made it more palatable, and the colonials told them if they cooked it with fat instead of munyu mesherekha, it would be tasty
it& #39;s true, with fat & tomatoes it was tasty
Just that many people didn& #39;t grow tomatoes or make their own fat
it& #39;s true, with fat & tomatoes it was tasty
Just that many people didn& #39;t grow tomatoes or make their own fat
They& #39;d have to trade or buy it...
At the same time as the bumper harvest of kale, she remembers that the Kenya Meat Commission made an appearance into Bungoma
And many people were & #39;convinced& #39; to sell their livestock
At the same time as the bumper harvest of kale, she remembers that the Kenya Meat Commission made an appearance into Bungoma
And many people were & #39;convinced& #39; to sell their livestock
And so many many many people ended up selling their cows
This bumper harvest encouraged people to grow more kale....and to do so they needed seeds...they needed to buy seeds
Whether they got money....what they did with the money...
This bumper harvest encouraged people to grow more kale....and to do so they needed seeds...they needed to buy seeds
Whether they got money....what they did with the money...
(maybe they bought kale seeds, maybe fat, maybe tomatoes, who knows...)
But she said after that, she remembers their diet began becoming less varied
But she said after that, she remembers their diet began becoming less varied
Many decades later, she told us she wished kale had never been introduced, because she& #39;s seen how the community& #39;s health has been affected by this over-dependence on one type of green
This memory that she has of that specific time is one that was repeated by other elders within her age-set
She felt this moment was such a pivotal moment, and the appearance of KMC and Kale had such long-lasting effects on their lives
She felt this moment was such a pivotal moment, and the appearance of KMC and Kale had such long-lasting effects on their lives
I& #39;ve never been able to forget that story (and I can still taste the smokiness in the mrenda she served us)
(I know this, and yet) It is so striking to see the tangible ways in which decisions made by others up there have such real life impact on people
Fin
(I know this, and yet) It is so striking to see the tangible ways in which decisions made by others up there have such real life impact on people
Fin
