Marula Season

It is marula season.  They are ripening and falling off the trees in droves.  I was almost hit on the head on my morning walk to work today.  I have to step gingerly around then, to avoid slipping.  Occasionally, I will pick one up, break the skin, and suck the sweet/tart juicy pulp.  I don't see many people doing this, and am surprised that they are not scooped up and harvested.  The marula fruit is a great source of Vitamin C.  Each tiny fruit contains five times the amount of Vitamin C of a single orange!  They are also high in fibre, and can be dried, fermented, or cooked for jams or jellies.

One of our WUSC/Uniterra volunteers is working with a women's cooperative in Palapye to produce and market marula products  The folks in Gaborone, however, seem content to let them rot on the ground.  Maybe if I was here longer, I would learn from my friend in Palapye how to dry them or turn them into jam.

When I arrived here over a year ago, it was at the tail end of marula season -- and mango season.  I didn't know much about marula fruit then, but I knew I loved mangos, and I had the bright idea of making and canning mango chutney and salsa. However, by the time the idea occured to me, mangos were no longer in season. 

Again, if I were to stay longer, I would jump on the mango wagon and make some products to enjoy for future times.  I would also eat more watermelons when they are in season in April.  I love watermelons. Did you know that watermelons originate in the Kalahari Desert ? -- Botswana's sweet, juicy gift to the world !

I have learned that these wonderful treats come and go, and, like most of life's opportunities, you have to make the best use of them when they present themselves to you.  How many of life's opportunities do we let pass us by because we do not recognize how precious and fleeting they are or are not prepared to reap them when they are ripe ?

 

It takes a good year or more of living in a place to get a feel for the rhythm of the seasons. I feel I am just getting into the groove, so to say --- but now I have to get ready to adjust to an old, familiar beat, back in Edmonton.

I leave in just over a week....can you believe it ?  

Let's hope I remember to take the best advantage of Edmonton's seasonal offerings and any opportunites that come my way.