The “rainy season” is a term greater than what actually happens in Cape Verde.
A Fogo already see the first drops in June in the north of the island (which is rightly more prosperous and cultivated in the south), while in the south you have to wait the end of August and September.
The rainy season coincides with the passage of disturbances coming from Africa into contact with the ocean can turn into tropical depressions, tropical storms, and continued on their way to America, get to be hurricanes that bring a lot of damage in the the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.
Rainfall, often in violent bursts typical of tropical areas, are expected by the whole population that counts on the rain for the annual harvest season.
The campaign is sown at the first notice of clouds carrying rain, and quickly change the view of the island, the first dry and brown, so lush and green that seems to be in Ireland.
Corn and beans are the most common plants, but not limited to: pumpkins, cabbage, tomatoes, cassava and much more, allowing the population a variety of products for daily nutrition. Do you count the mango trees, papaya, bananas and cajù giving a production of fresh fruit that covers the entire year, but you can also enjoy peaches, apples, pomegranates, melacotogne for “marmelada”, figs, strawberries, pineapple , watermelons and grapes.
All organic fruit that is the basis of our jams and our spirits.
“Progress” has enabled also allowed us to develop agriculture is no longer based solely on the rains, the construction of wells allows you to have enough water and the “technology of drip” to use it sparingly on individual plants. We then discover the island small plantations of fruits and vegetables active throughout the year.
Maize (Fogo the white variety) is the base of Cape Verdean cuisine. The traditional dish, “cachupa” is a soup of corn and legumes that depending on the place is enriched with meat, fish, fruit and vegetables.
The different types of grinding corn are used for different dishes: xerem, farofa, pappa etc..
So the beans are grown in 6 different types and, unlike how it is used in Europe, with multi-year plants that are pruned periodically.