How rice is harvested?

After eating mountains of rice for two meals a day since arriving in Gorkha (that’s over 150 platefuls), I figured it was time to figure out where, exactly, this rice was coming from.

Jeanie, Kelly, and I made the trek to the neighboring village of Swara to see the endless steps of rice paddies and to pick a few of the famous Swara oranges.

Our question was answered during our impromptu “tour” of the fields given to us by the husband of Jeanie’s co-teacher. He explained how rice is harvested between October and December, using only a sickle, and spread out to dry in the sun. It is then gathered into bundles and beaten against the ground to separate the grains from the stalks. Unfortunately, rice harvesting is also the reason many of our students won’t be showing up to school during these next few weeks. Families may require their children to stay at home, rather than going off to school, to help in the fields while the crops are ripe.

As our tour continued, I was a bit embarrassed to admit that my knowledge of fruit-bearing trees is mostly limited to the produce aisle in the grocery store. Our guide pointed out every tree we walked by, and asked, “Taha chha? Do you know?”

Each time we scanned the branches, looking for a plump, if somewhat unripe, answer to his question. The banana and orange trees were easy and the pineapple plant was unique enough to spot. But the root plants were a bit more challenging. I’ve never seen a ginger plant before but was promptly introduced. We even enjoyed fresh peanuts, straight from the field. He dug them right out of the ground, and after brushing off some of the dirt, dropped a few into our hands. They were the most delicious peanuts I’ve had. No roasting. No salt. Just a few grains of dirt to give them a little crunch. Mmm-mm!

Like every good tour guide, our friend saved the best surprise for last (and no, we never ended up in an overpriced gift shop). We rounded the corner and came across a giant wooden rotating ping swing, which resembles a Ferris wheel with swings for seats. Two men were busy operating it by quickly jumping on each of the spokes as it circled by, making the kids scream with delight as they flew precariously through the air. After some pushing and shoving by the crowd that had gathered, the three of us found ourselves clinging our small benches and hurdling around in circles –picture an old rickety rollercoaster without seatbelts!