Eat Your Greens

We all know that an apple a day keeps the doctor away and that we should drink anywhere from one to three liters of water a day.  With all these tips to keep in mind, some people forget the importance of greens in their diet.

Uganda does offer overcooked leafy greens that somehow have no taste.  Now if you prepare them with a little garlic, onion, and tomato and make sure not to overcook them they are quite delicious.  Plus they are full of fiber, iron, and vitamins.  Unfortunately many Ugandans consider greens a poor people’s food so you will not always find it readily available.

Well lucky for me, I will be eating my greens on a regular basis.  Located about 45 minutes west of me in Rubirizi District is The Cave.  I have yet to go to The Cave but what I do know is that the man who works there, David, has fresh produce ranging from cherry tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, and a wide assortment of herbs. 

Now thanks to the extensive Peace Corps network, I was put in contact with David.  Clair, a fellow PCV who lives close to me, and I put in our order, and boy did he follow through!  He delivered a gigantic box full of fresh herbs and vegetables, some of which I am having to Google to figure out what they are.  

I called David to express my thanks and he was incredibly appreciative and humble.  I told him that I wanted to pay him more as he only charged Clair and I a total of 10,000 Ugandan Shillings, or $3.77 USD.  He insisted that it is his pleasure and that it was no problem. 

I anticipate that this is only the beginning to my regular delivery of greens.

This is only half of the goodies and doesn’t include the cherry tomatoes, which seriously taste like candy.