SEC - S15W4 : WE LOVE LOCAL PRODUCTS

Local products as said are loved by many but not all local products are as those living in and were brought up in urban areas know or have tasted 60% of these local products. They know 40%. In this post, I'll be showcasing some local products that I'm familiar with. Most of us are familiar with these local products but to get them from the source is a major problem. We prefer buying finished products as not everyone is willing to pass through such stress.

The current economic situation in Nigeria has made many living in urban depending on finished local products and from their classic meals change their ways of life... Why? The cost of buying these classic meals is exorbitant same with buying these finished products. They are now going into the farms to prepare the local products themselves. Let's see more.

Right from birth, I've been connected with local products as it was our major source of livelihood. Let's take the palm kernel as an example. This fruit gotten from palm trees can be eaten raw. When we were hungry, we would either eat the fruit or break the shell of the fruit's seed and then eat the condiment. This has been one of my major delicacy so to speak when I was young.

Another local product is the Beetle larvae gotten from the roots of these palm trees. We'll dig them out and then put them in a bucket back home. Our mothers would prepare them for us to eat. I bet people in urban areas would forbid eating such but this local product is very proteinous to one's body system.

Another of such is the mushroom and snail. These two things are the major ingredients used in cooking that's classical in rural areas. They'll use snails as meat and mushroom to prepare a very delicious meals. Most people dislike eating this local product that's rare in urban areas because they feel it's weed.

My exposure to these local products has made me improvise a lot and has connected me with the natural things created by God, from the source or root of it I must say. The fact that these local products don't depreciate easily like finished products and are in abundance marvels and fascinates me. These products are also the major form of survival for many including the rich. So that's why I love local products and it's very rare to take in local products like;

• palm wine
• crocodile meat and frog
• kernel and pumpkin
  and start developing illness of any form. It's those refined good that are exposed to a lot of things that may trigger diseases.

There are lot of reasons for supportinglocal products. One of such is that without most of these local products which seems to be people's means of surviving, a lot would have been long dead. Some of these local products like the kernel or palm fruit has a three to wish fuel wood is gotten and used in cooking food as the price of modern cooking methods now is high. So this has served a purpose in reducing high cost of living.

Local products like cocoyam and water yam can be used by anyone as breakfast, lunch and dinner as these products are very much satisfying that the normal yam and potatoes bought in the market. Experience would give you a try. Just a small produce of this water yam can go a long way. These two yams can also be combined together to prepare **a popular dish in my state called Ekpang.

Most local products like the utasi leaf, vinegar, hospital is too far and blood of Jesus serve a purpose as they are highly medicinal and are used to build one's blood up, build immunity and give one strength to do things**. It also fights diseases like malaria and typhoid. So these local products are very beneficial.

These local products has helped the growth of the local economy in the sense that since it's gotten directly from nature, you don't need to spend so much money to acquire it or process it. The price of a cup of Garri and many other commodities are high. So processing your own local products in the farm can give you food and reduce cost of living as well.

I'll start with Water yam. This is a natural form of yam in my country. It follows the class of normal imported yam and cocoyam. Most times these yam appear as weeds like the cocoyam but it's very nutritional than the imported type of yam. These local product is what most tourists find when they come visiting our village. They'll want to know how to plant the yam as it yields bountifully in a small piece of land and can be very economical and rich.

If these water yam are sold in the market, a small size would be as exorbitant as imported yams. I dug this water yams from this small hole. Do you know how many days we are this yam? We ate it for nearly 6 days before bit finished. It's very heavy and adds to one's weight.

Another is the pumpkin. This pumpkin to many seem valueless, as nothing but do you know the seeds if this fruit brings about vegetables we eat. The seeds are very much edible as it's my favourite among all other seeds when cooked.

This local product has seeds that a lot of people are looking for to plant. They rush it in an open market even when the rate of buying is high. That's the height of why our local products will always outstrip other kind of products in

My favourite local product is *cassava
This is Nigerian's survival hope. Our hopes are placed on the finished products of this cassava because if it's not available, most people would he long dead. It brings out the finished product called Garri, a yellow solid substance that gives life to the lifeless and hopeless. It's my mom's custom we go to the farm early in the morning to harvest cassava that would be used to prepare the finished products Garri.

	picture of me in the farm trying to get this local product
	picture of the cassava brought out from the piece of land harvested
	Picture of the cassava ready to be taken home for peeling.
	picture of me peeling the cassava brought
	picture of the cassava washed and packaged for grinding.
	Picture of the dry grounded cassava
	picture of me trying to sieve the unwanted part out of the pressed cassava
	picture of me trying to fry this cassava so it can turn into Garri
	picture of the finished product.

I invite @basil20, @vudeme123 and @alli001.
All pictures are from my phone