cardamom

GW grew cardamom, a sort of cousin to ginger-which is well known in Chinese cuisine, ginger ale and gingersnaps, for instance. I love having some roots around for various other uses, though.

I remember seeing it growing, many years ago while I could still walk. It was in M's plantation on the road to Esmeraldas. But at that time I didn't know much about it at all.
Also, I didn't pay much attention to it because the plantation was incredibly beautiful, but dedicated to something quite different: African palm.

Those palms were quite old, and therefore tall, and because of that their fronds did not obscure vision.Underneath them grew a jungle of ferns in the shade created. There were birds all over the place,which my friend E. told me came from a neighboring protected primary forest patch.

E. told me that next to the banana plantation there were no birds.