2011 Summer Harvest
This year I arrived in Armenia on July 4th. This may not sound significant as I was thousands of miles away from the U.S. but the Fourth of July is quite eventful in Yerevan. I’ve been told that the second largest American Embassy in the world is in Armenia (and I will leave it up to you to decide why this tiny country the size of Maryland hosts the second largest American embassy) but parties on the 4th are pretty awesome with the bars filled with expats drinking their favorite beers.
The morning of July 5th started out a bit rough at the cannery. Lousik, one of the employees who had always brought me home -made buffalo yogurt whenever I visited, was no longer working at the cannery. The yogurt problem would get resolved soon enough though – a very pretty young lady came forward and volunteered that her mom can make yogurt better than Lousik. I welcomed this new taste challenge with open arms and am guilty to have flattered the girl by saying that her mom’s yogurt tasted much better. News like this sets fire as I am sure the village ladies delivered this news to Lousik which she would not take well at all. I still watch out for Lousik when I am in the area as the long arm of yogurt justice is taken very, very seriously in Armenia.
On July 6th, we headed for the villages which I always look forward to because the weather can be unbearably hot in Yerevan, the capital city. Driving north into the mountains, it only takes one hour for beautiful landscapes and vistas to appear - I often think that the impressionist painters would have found the rugged mountains of Armenia a great aspiration to them.
We stopped on the road to have warm, roasted corn on the cob sold by an old woman and her granddaughter, a very shy, pretty young girl of 12. I asked the woman if her business was doing well even while I was complaining about my thirst and the hot sun. I did not notice the little girl running but, in a moment, she came back with a cold glass of water for me. I had tears in my eyes seeing her excitement to be of such help to a stranger. Our driver - who was quiet the whole time - told the girl a very beautiful, old Armenian expression used when someone gives you water: “May your life be as clean and fluid as the water”.
Returning to the car and for the remainder of the trip, I tried to explain to the driver and Harvest Song’s senior preserve maker what is dental floss and how I wished I had it with me after eating the corn. The topic got to be too exasperating and after half an hour of driving in silence our preserve maker (who always has an answer for everything which makes me annoyed at him most of the time) said, “Sylvie, don’t worry, soon we will ask the villages to give us sewing thread for your teeth”. The stories of Armenia are countless.
The harvest was wonderful this year. The branches are heavy with sun drenched fruits and, once again, our farmers are happily reporting that due to Harvest Song and the huge growth and widespread love of the product, more and more trees are being planted in Armenia every year.
Thank you for enjoying Harvest Song, crafted from fresh, hand harvested fruits.
Sylvia
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