The Marocco-story (3)
| Sometimes the seedling just rapidly shoot up, sometimes they grow laterally before they shoot up. These variables have to do with temperature, humidity and hours of sun. Farmers prefer to see plants initially grow wide before they shoot up, just like we do. But the strange thing is, in the end it really doesn't make a big difference in weight, as long as no extreme droughts happen. |
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and becomes more easy to sieve. |
| About 50 to 60 days after germinating the women enter the field to pull out the male plants. Here and there one is left, because pollinating is supposed to supply the farmer with seeds for the next season. Apart from that, it's virtually impossible to spot all the males in a field this big, not to mention the neighbouring fields. In other words, I have never succeeded in growing sinsemilla in Morocco. The plants that are used are not suitable for growing indoor under bulbs. Although the plants produce lots of resin, are easy to sieve and usually have pretty potent resin, it would do no good trying to grow them indoor at home. Once the plants have survived the storm of 'male-killing women's hands', they receive a little more space and light, and once the weather has improved, the growing starts to go real fast. Some fields are sold already before the harvest. Sometimes because the plants look exceptionally well on a terrain that has not yet been exhausted by overcropping, mostly because the farmer needs the advance badly to maintain his family. |
| Harvesting is mainly a job for women and children. Using a simple sickle, the plants are cut at the base of the stalk and left to dry in the field. Sometimes (too often actually) they are pulled out with the roots and left to dry, which usually results in lot of soil spilling over the plants. It is not just probable this is done on purpose: it is absolutely sure, because the extra weight the sand brings along is more than welcome. After three days of drying and turning, the kif is bundled and brought to the drying shed, sometimes using mules or horses, but mostly on the backs of women and children. |
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The drying shed is a space that is easily shut off from light. There are wooden pallets on the floor to avoid cold or humidity creeping up. The bundles of kif - weighing between 1 to 1,5 kilo dry weight - are put on the pallets in an interwoven pattern and piled up all the way to the ceiling. A fermentation process takes place, even though the plants have been left for three days in the field. Fortunately the farmer knows exactly when the kif is too humid for stapling. However, the taste of Moroccan is absolutely impressive when it is pure and well sieved. For me it remains one of the best!
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