Keeping Say Grapes For A Long Period Of Time,

is difficult enough,

even if you have refrigeration, but in Afghanistan grapes and other fruits can be kept from when they are harvested in in autumn and kept fresh until next year’s spring season, the process is called gangina, this ingenious conservation technique involves sealing healthy grapes in a saucer-like container made of two layers of wet soil. The container is left in the sun to dry and then has to be kept in a cool place, away from direct sunlight, I could not find a credit for the above photograph, below Istalif Bastan,

“We should remove the broken grapes first, then put them in gangina. If we put the broken ones in gangina, it will spoil all other grapes,” farmer Abdul Manan said, adding that it is imperative that only healthy grapes be conserved this way, as a single spoiled grape can otherwise ruin a whole batch,

in winter or in spring, when the demand for fruits grows, and with it the price people are willing to pay, farmers like Abdul Manan bring out their stock of gangina-kept grapes and sell them for profit. Each container holds about a kilogram of grapes, “We are keeping lots of grapes in Gangina and will sell it in coming winter or spring,” grape farmer Askar told the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture. “By this method we will get a good income.” what a neat idea, I wonder what series of events led to the discovery of this method of storing fruit?