At the start of rainy season, on evenings after heavy rains, we often get thousands of large flying termites swarming around our outside lights. Growing up in Ivory Coast, I learned that these little buggers are edible. If you put a bucket with water below a light you can swat the flying insects into it […]
Nile Monitor
This is a Nile Monitor (Varanus Niloticus). I was thrilled to catch it today with the help of some Ghanaian friends. It had run up from the river, into our yard, and was hiding behind some wood leading against our house. The monster measured almost a yard in length and was actually much more docile […]
Dog Meat
As in many places with large Muslim populations, the local butchers observe halal practices, meaning that the meat is slaughtered and prepared according to the Islamic dietary law as dictated by the Quran. In Nalerigu, our primary butchers are in the central market and only deal in cow, sheep and goat meat. For “unclean” meat […]
A Tour of Nalerigu’s Market with Heidi
Watch a video in which Heidi takes you around our local market and explore a photo gallery of images from market day.
Farming Yams in the Front Yard
My friend Ibrahim gifted me some yam seedlings after his harvest last year and we’ve had them in storage in the pantry for months. Now that the rains have started, our babysitter Talata suggested I plant them. The next day her husband James showed up with two hoes and we got to work! Twenty-one mounds […]
Dry Season Gardening
It seems a bit counterintuitive, but some of our best, locally-grown veggies only show up at market in the dry season. You’d think they’d be abundant in the rainy season but too much sporadic rain during and a multitude of pests make gardening difficult. Farmers are also more focused on ploughing, sowing, and weeding their main […]
All There Chop Bar
Every Sunday when we get back to Nalerigu from attending church in a village, we swing by ALL THERE CHOP BAR to grab lunch. Our friend Candy runs the business which is across the street from the Presby Church. The ladies there prepare local staples fufu, banku, kenkey, tz, and rice along with light soup, […]
Farm Food
During this time of year, most families in our region are going to farm. Ploughing, weeding, sowing, weeding, weeding, more weeding. Most folks walk several miles to reach their farms where they will work all day. The women will bring cooking pots and ingredients and fix their lunch right out in the farm. After sowing corn […]
KJ Tries Solid Foods
Excited to try solid foods! …but not so impressed with it.