Lentil Soup

Lentils have been part of the human diet since the Neolithic times....about 13,000 years.  But they were not being grown in my part of Saskatchewan until 10 or so years ago.  We used to focus more on wheat, barley, flax, durum when I was a child, but while I have been away there has been a shift in farming, and mustard, peas, and lentils are part of our farm now as well.  Lentils, as you may have heard, are very high in protein, and a staple food in parts of the Eastern Hemisphere.  Around here, we grow 'em, but outside of lentil soup I don't think they have ever showed up on a dinner plate around here.  But since we are growing them, I guess we should think about why people are buying them.  Lentils are about 30% protein -- very nutritious, a good choice if you are a vegetarian, bodybuilder, in a developing country, or just health conscious.  Lentils have a low glycemic index, which makes them great choice for diabetics as well as those looking for good options to held shed a few pounds.  They are rich in iron, minerals, Vitamin B1, folate for you mom's to be.  Yummy goodness really.  And if you are a farmer, you also like lentils because they do something really nice for you too -- they lay down lots of nitrogen to help your crop the following year.

 

So, I spent a day in the field watching the lentils be harvested.   The picture below shows my dad combining some up.  For me it was interesting to see this -- a change from tall golden wheat to a shorter, flatter, browner crop of lentils.

 

This next picture is taken from on top of the combine (I suppose that is rather obvious), but the intent is to show the density of the crop next to the bare area that has just been cut, and how short it is.

My brother George was home on this day as well, and so his combine was working the same field.  I just took a quick snapshot of him from the cab of dad's combine.

So basically, the combine cuts and separates the lentils and holds them in a tank on combine called the hopper.  When it's full, you "deploy the auger" (said in best Captain Kirk voice)...actually you swing it out to the side, and transfer it into a grain truck...which as I have said before is mostly semi trucks and trailers now.

Bushels and Bushels of soup bits!

On this day, harvest was just on, but still in the early stages.  Everything was looking great, and everyone was happy to work until well after sun down.

 

Sunset

A view of an area with lentils and some undesired wild growth

You might think fields would get done in no time, with these big combines zooming around them.  But the funny thing about combines is....they don't really zoom.  I mean, they have the ability to move somewhat speedily relative to the large size...but the speed is dictated by a lot of factors...the thickness and height of the crop, the terrain, the moisture content...if you go too fast, you may decrease the amount in your hopper.  4 mph can be too fast.  Sometimes 3 mph is too fast.  And so, the little big combines crawl across the field in the day, beyond the sunset, and into the night.  Until they are done, or conditions say they are done.  Harvest days are long days for farmers....but they do love it!



 

There are bright lights, but it is definitely easier to combine by day than by night.  On this day, a full truck at night seemed like a good spot to end the day on.

Home time -- loved this image of the semi roaring to life.