𝕳𝖆𝖙𝖊 𝖒𝖊 𝕴𝖋 𝖀 𝖂𝖆𝖓𝖙 :
Listening to Yeboah Agyekum Francis reminded me of how my father preserved maize in our village growing up.
He had two methods.
The first method used no chemicals. After harvesting, he would not remove the husk. He arranged the maize carefully on a raised wooden hatch built above the kitchen area. Anytime people cooked beneath it, the heat and smoke rose into the maize, drying and preserving it naturally against weevils, rodents, and mold. Trust me, the maize could last over two to three years.
The second method was during a year of very large harvest. He still kept the husk on the maize but mixed DDT with water and dipped mainly the top and base of the maize into it before drying it outside on cocoa mats. He wore protective masks anytime he handled the chemical.
I once asked him why he dried it first before storage. Even though he never went to school, his answer made sense. He said the chemical had a strong smell, so he did not want to store it wet above where people cooked and inhaled smoke from.
Interestingly, he never allowed that chemically preserved maize to be used early. He stored it for at least one or two years so the chemical effect and smell could reduce before consumption. And before using it, the maize was washed thoroughly.
Looking back now, I realize our fathers understood preservation through experience, observation, smoke, heat, and careful handling long before modern agricultural education reached them.
2026-05-09 09:19:00