Sherpa Potato Crops

Early in the spring, the Sherpas in the highland villages will set out to plant and care for their vital crops, the potatoes. This is by far their most fundamental food source and they resourcefully make the best of the steep, rocky soil to produce a great bounty in the late Summer. Most of the land in the region is set on the sides of mountains with steep slopes but very rich soil. The Sherpas have worked hard to create terraced fields reinforced with stone walls. Each small field (usually less than 5,000 square feet within each set of rock walls) is used to maximum efficiency. The women perform at least as much labor with the crops as the men. In March after the fields are cleared and the soil is turned by hand tools, the leftover seed potatoes from the previous year are planted and fortified with compost fertilizer. Since there is no concern about moisture in the soil there is not much work to do through the summer. Perhaps once a month a crew will pass through and pull out any weeds in the fields.

In late August, the crops are ready for harvest, so the potatoes are pulled out of the soil using hand tools. Based on their size they are separated for different uses: small for feeding to the livestock, medium for seed, and the large ones are left to eat. The large potatoes are still small by some standards, but they are very robust and flavorful. Mixed in their crops they find will yams or "tho" that are very small, but they are considered a delicacy. They love to make noodles with them. The potatoes need to be stored over the season, so the Sherpas will did a great pit in their field to bury and hold them. They will also use a sort of cellar in their homes where it is cool and dark to store them. In their diet they go through a lot of potatoes on a daily basis, so they have to be mindful of their supplies.