Goat Poop

Above: farming on contour! on steep mountain sides! onions, tree tomatoes, and hot peppers by a big avocado tree.

Below: a hillside covered in cabuyas. This native plant can also be found in Mexico, can be "milked" for its sweet sap, used for compost, made into twine, and used for firewood.

After our visit to Yachana Wasi, Diego took us up the side of the mountain to Don Virgilio's goat pen. There were actually three pens; one for all the sheep, their lambs, the goats, and their kids, one for the big papa pig, and one for the mama sow and her piglets. Cute and super smelly.

Also at the pens, were a group of women from Llano Grande, part of an organic gardening coop, there to collect good goat poop. They told me that this poop helps produce the sweetest, tenderest lettuce. It was this impressive group of women who we had come to join in our personal quest for manure.

The manure of the goats and sheep (below) was shoveled into these sacks (above).

And then, one by one, these 75lb bags were carefully carried down on bent backs. I think I made two trips before wiping out. These women (and my dad) did trip after trip until all 83 sacks were piled at the bottom of the hill ready to be picked up by a big truck.

Above: Don Virgilio and Mercedes (kind of the leader of the group of women), counting sacks.