Trouts ponds and the maca

The last few weeks have been busy, but have also had times for relaxation. I was only able to spend 10 days in Totorani due to meetings scheduled the following . The 10 days I spent in Totorani were full of work and new projects.

          I arrived in Totorani just as the sun was setting and all of the farmers were coming back from the fields. I talked with German and his family for a little while before retiring to bed.

          The project we started on the following day was constructing the frame for a greenhouse. The greenhouse is made with simple materials, with the most expensive part of the project being the special plastic used as the top. All of the parts will be transportable, sort of like a tent. I spent the majority of the day bending rebar into loops that will be used to fasten the plastic and the frame to the ground. I bent the rebar by hand using a cheater when I could, then I hammered the rebar into shape after bending the loop.

          I was only able to accomplish bending the loops during the 10 days, but I hope to continue on the project the next time I return. The greenhouse will be used to grow tomatoes, peppers, and maybe strawberries. These can only be grown in the summer months when the temperature is higher during the night. In the winter the greenhouse can produce onions, carrots, lettuce, beets, garlic, and few others, these can be grown at a faster rate than they would outside.

          Another project that we completed was constructing two trout ponds that have cement linings. The trout ponds used before were only dirt and were much smaller than the new ones. The ponds are 2x15x1.5m, and each can hold about 100 trout depending on the size of the trout.

          We took a break in the middle of constructing the ponds to clean maca in the river. We did this by placing the maca in woven plastic bags in the river and letting them soak for a few hours. Then we came back and began washing the maca by pressing on the bags with our feet. The water was cold, and only became bearable after my feet became numb. After washing the maca in the river we set it out to dry in the sun for a week or so depending on the size of the root. The maca harvest isn’t over, so I know more foot washing will be present in the coming months.

          I was able to speak to some more of the community members during my time; I was trying to gather information about the history of Totorani for a presentation I had to give the next week. I talked with Francisco, a potato and sheep farmer that lives across the river, about the history of Totorani. Like the rest of the people I have talked to about this, he only knew the age of the community, nothing specific. I still enjoyed the conversation even though I didn’t gather new information.

      A picture I took while walking around on my free day. The adobe brick is the material used to construct houses in Totorani. 

          One of the days I worked on the school’s garden, preparing the soils for carrots, onions, beets, and winter lettuce. The work is hard because of the large amount of rocks that are in the soil. I found that breaking up the soil with a pic and then using the shovel to sort the soil from the rocks was the best method. My hands were full of blisters after that day, and I had only prepared a small portion of the plot. I want to remove the majority of the rocks because carrots and other root vegetables will produce better if there are fewer rocks.

          I left Totorani feeling like I was leaving home, which I think is a good feeling to have. I am slowing becoming more accustomed to the culture and the calm life that Totorani offers. I am also becoming more excited about the upcoming projects, and I am slowly building stronger relationships within the community.