Today we had a great harvest of the bitter tomatoes (a small version of eggplant). It is one of the leading vegetables in tropical Africa. In the humid zone of West Africa it is mainly grown for its immature fruit (sometimes called the garden egg), in the savanna area frequently for both its leaves and immature fruits (called ‘djakattou’). And in East Africa, especially Uganda, it is grown mainly as a leaf vegetable (called ‘nakati’).
The immature produce are used as cooked vegetables in stews, and sometimes eaten raw. The leaves and shoots are used as a cooked vegetables as well. They are picked from the same bushy plants that provide the produce. These natural plant species are also maintained by cultivation and used as medicine in many African countries.
Entire families participate in the sorting and bagging of the green eggplant. The selected large bags are transported to the village market to be sold.
Fr. Francis says, “The rains have been good and we hope to harvest every week as long as the steady rains continue.
I am very much looking forward to seeing you in June.
Be blessed abundantly!”
