Threading Paprika
Donja Lokosnica, Serbia, 2018
Pepper fields as far as the eye could see. Farmers and their families were hunched over the 3 foot tall pepper plants stripping the bright red peppers by the wagonload. I picked peppers as a girl on the farm and while it is easier than picking cotton, the pepper harvest is repeated weekly until a heavy frost whereas picking cotton is a one-time affair followed perhaps with a gleaning.
A Serbian grandma sits alone in the barn, dwarfed by a mountain of peppers. She has a ball of twine the size of a 5 gallon bucket and a needle the size of a knitting needle. All day she sits alone and threads banners of peppers to hang in the sun to dry.
A Farmer’s Work is Never Done
The farmer’s wife picked peppers as fast as she could. It was nearly lunch time and soon she’d have to get lunch on the table. Oh, let’s hope she has a crockpot or whatever they call them now!
Main Street Donja Lokosnica
Donja Lokosnica houses resplendent in a hula skirt of peppers.