Tips to Gear towards PE & BCSE

Dear young friends appearing for PE and BCSE this year, I know you all are ferrying on a worrisome journey in your attempt to pave your way towards a brighter future as I had my share to get filtered through the same net. One of the Toppers has come up with his set of tips as I did and I would appreciate if others could at least inscribe a few words as every individual of us would have our own set of experiences and practices in gearing towards success. With the hope that some specific as well as generic tips I unfold here might ease you from the net of tension, I opted to inscribe it herewith;

1) The latest guide available for PE is inscribed in the blog post, The Best Guide to Excel Preliminary Examination in Bhutan by Karma Wangmo. It has all the details on the bookstores where the guide books are available, the details of PE coaching classes as well as the Mock exams. One of the PE mock exam is due on Sunday, 7.7.19. Tune in to the blog post if you want to glean in more details.

2)  A guide book that will ignite a spark for your success in PE is the book, ''The Perfect Guide to Preliminary Examinations'', written by Tandin Dorji,  Rohit Upret and published by Ngawang Tobgay. The team also conducts PE coaching classes and mock exams as mentioned in point number 1.

3)  There are guide books that will exclusively guide you to prepare for the BCSE. One such book is "A Guide to Success in the Bhutan Civil Service Examinations", by Tshewang Dorji (BCSE Topper 2010) and Ugyen Dorji (BCSE Topper 2011).

4)  Read through and get yourself acquainted with the tips laid out in Phurpa Tshering's blog (My Chronicle) titled, "How did I Prepare for BCSE?''. Phurpa is the General Category BCSE Topper in 2017.

5)   A simple and petty point that you will need to etch in your memory shelf that might not have even occurred to you is to print out several copies of the OMR sample sheet and then practice shading it. However, the soft copy of the OMR sheet seems to have been removed from the RCSC website, which was previously available. Nevertheless, you will be clear on the procedures to use the OMR by referring to the OMR Sheet Tutorial Video. To get yourself fully acquainted with shading; sit in a quiet place with the question paper laid and the OMR sheet clutched, set a time and race yourself against time in shading the circles swiftly but neatly within the set time frame. I guess the coaching classes also covers this section.

6)   Bear in your mind to practice shading the circles fairly dark enough; ensuring your shading doesn't encroach the area outside the boundary. Neither leave it half filled for the OMR reader might not recognize your answer if you commit to any of the aforementioned flaws.

7)   Keep on practicing this time and again until you are confident enough. This will also ensure that you don't panic and lay taken aback and deprived of clue as to how to proceed in the exam hall. I have heard of incidences where many spent their time rubbing and rectifying the circles rather than moving onto the next question which is why they ran out of time.

8) Acquaint yourself with the past question papers, BCSE Past Question Papers.

9)  Take tutorial classes only if you feel is mandatory or if you are not confident as to how to proceed. Otherwise, it is not necessary; especially youth outside Thimphu and the financially constrained ones. Don’t worry if you can’t afford  because I took neither of the PE and main examination tutorial classes. However, I am not ruling out the importance of taking one. Taking it and shedding your own sweat would be an extra boost to your performance.

10)  Don't get worried even if you are really weak, need tutorial assistance but don’t have anyone at Thimphu to base your stay. I know many of the graduates struggle to find an accommodation in the capital and they are deprived of some of the educational facilities that city-dwellers enjoy.

11)  If you find it extremely difficult to manage yourself with your distant relatives or village people, leap a step forward to visit the Department of Youth and Sports who will cater to your study needs and provide free accommodation in their hostels. You will also enjoy library facilities at the Harmony Youth Center (HYC), offering you reference books and compilation of past question papers. I spent most of my time at the HYC Library for it provided so congenial a place for me to study. So be a regular guest there if you are deprived of right environment at home and are situated in its vicinity. I quote Amrith Bdr. Subba sir ''We have the compilation of the past PE question papers with answers in the library. But since we have limited copies, we don't lend them. You can come to the Harmony Youth Center (below YDF and above Swimming Pool) during office hours to see and discuss the past questions. If you can't find the library, please call 328098 for directions". I hope the lines mentioned here are still valid.

12)  The center also has Internet cafe, which offers youth and or students to use its internet facility at a comparatively cheaper rate. In addition, it offers photocopying facilities at a reasonable rate.

13) However, the Library doesn't lend you its guide books and past question papers as it has very limited copies. I took snap shots in my mobile and then practiced the questions according to my convenience. You can grab some guide books from book stores like DSB, Junction book store, etc. In this way, you will be able to perfectly orient yourself towards intensive studies and accordingly the desired result because you will reap what you have planted.

14)   Read the book, “The Secret of Life” by Rhonda Byrne. It is available as eBook or in pdf version. Suck the nectar that is in store in each page of the book and relish yourself with the very essence of it. To quote a few lines inscribed in this book, “The secret is the law of attraction! Everything that is coming into your life you are attracting into your life. And it is attracted to you by virtue of the images you’re holding in your mind. Whatever is going on in your mind you are attracting to you”. After all, everything can be summed up and encapsulated in this single line, ‘Thoughts become things’. So with your efforts as back up, envision regularly that you have already achieved what you aspire to achieve.

15)  Another thrilling book that would propel you higher in your life is the ‘Master Key System by Charles Haennel’. Read these two books and align yourself with its contents, and take pleasure in reaping the benefits.

16)  Another book that I shall ever be grateful for in life is 'Earthing; The most important health discovery ever', by Clinton Ober, Stephen T. Sinatra & Martin Zucker. This fascinating book describes about the missing link or the disconnect between our body and the mother Earth being the sole cause of our illnesses, a finding out of decades of experimentation.  I quote, "The moment your foot touches the Earth, or you connect to the earth through a wire, your physiology changes. An immediate normalization begins and an anti-inflammatory switch is turned on. People stay inflamed because they never connect with the Earth, the source of free electrons, which can neutralize the free radicals in the body that cause disease and cellular destruction. I have benefitted a lot from the very practice of walking or sitting barefoot on the ground and I advocate everyone try this free technique to restore your body's normalcy or health, which will directly help you in increasing  productivity in whatever you do.

17)  If you are striving towards improving your vocabulary, I would recommend the book, ‘Word Power Made Easy’ by Norman Lewis. It will also boost up your level of comprehension of each term you lope across. Simply knowing the meaning of a word isn’t enough because it is equally subjected to deletion from the RAM of your brain. So the known word(s) shall be reinforced by integrating and reproducing in your own sentences.

18)   Record your voice on important issues. For instance, I recorded my own voice on the articles of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan and listened to it until I had it encrypted well down my memory lane. I did the same on so many topics like the MDGs, GHN Pillars, Domains and Indicators and the like. Doing so, you can also notice and reflect on the flaws in your pronunciation or speaking skills. It can also be a different approach in learning instead of running your eyes over scripts again and again and straining it.

19)  Watch in YouTube on the topics which are difficult to understand from text and grasp the content presented in the most palatable form in the videos. Make the best use of the internet facility available at your hand.

20) Meditate as frequently as possible- cleansing and refreshing your mind; instilling in your subconscious mind the firm objective to be achieved. Reaffirm in your subconscious mind the goal so that it manifests in reality to the world outside.

21) Never deceive or be on the pretext to mislead your friends. Often people have the tendency of telling, “I haven’t started to study yet/ why to struggle so much? / I don’t know or don’t have any information regarding this”. You are not going to benefit from this in any way. On the contrary, it is going to kill your moral and inner happiness because the guilt associated with it will do more harm to your intellectual well being than good. Rather, always encourage others to delve deeper and work harder. Find time to discuss and share on important topics with your friends, and together, you shall reap greater benefits.

22) It is always better to make your own notes; framing notes in a way that will suit your learning ability and habit. It will also do wonder in saving your time in revising. Arrange notes in a chronological order so that you have it staked in correct order in your brain for easy and faster retrieval when required. So make this habit of note making cling to your learning process like a shadow.

23) Many seems to be taking the Viva exam for granted. Indeed, it is one area where you can easily score high if given due diligence in its preparation. Practice speaking with confidence and try incorporating substance in what you speak. Nonetheless, never fear on the judgment the panelists may pass on your answers as no answer is 100% correct unless it's a very specific question. Everyone will have different opinions and your individual opinion will be respected. It all depends on how you meaningfully try to engage your panelists. Try to sit comfortably , relax and spend a few seconds in framing your response before blurting out in haste.

24) It is to be borne in the mind of every individual that success doesn’t come by default. It is a result of deliberate search and well-defined action. If you say success is luck, then I shall reiterate that luck is when preparation meets an opportunity. It is a blemish-free fruit borne by the tree well nurtured or nourished. It is not by chance but by choice. But during screening tests like the PE, it is important to use your analytical skills as well.

The statements stated herein aren't reflective of my association with the organisation (HYC) or any other mentioned herein. It is solely based on my past experiences, which I assumed would shed some light on others who are taking the same path. 

However, these techniques are not to be generalized for every individual will have their own technique or methodology of defining or targeting for success. I only intend to motivate others to define their own course of action for determining their success. Neither, these are comprehensive tips to help you score high for what I felt helped me to achieve success through my own  experiences might not necessarily apply to others. These are a reiteration of some very generic tips that helped me and some of us to achieve the intended target. 

I shall be enlivened even if a single individual benefits from my course of action and the experiences I have had. In fact, I was thrilled to know that the General RCSC Topper of 2017 followed the tips I have presented in my blog. I don't say that my tips has helped him achieve success but it would have certainly contributed some bits and pieces to his own techniques in gearing towards success. 

With this, we wish you all Luck and Success in the PE, BCSE and future Endeavors.

The Unforeseen Expedition

Thuenzang was knocked out of his deep slumber when the old man in his adjacent seat mumbled, “Lha Gyelo!” (Let the God Win).  As he stretched his strained body and widened his eyelids, he realized that he reached Kyikyi La, meaning the Dog Pass.

The road thereafter winded and twisted amid the serene blue pine trees. The trees flung their placid swing to the tune of the gentle breeze and the hymn chirped by the birds fluttering about its lanky twigs.

As he shifted the gear of his neck from left to right and then back again in awe admiration, another beautiful scene loomed into his vision. The Chamkhar River meandered on its course towards the never ending voyage. It appeared reluctant a chap to start its journey, rather plagued by sadness to leave its beautiful valley.

To the right, the Kharchu Dratshang; the Celestial abode of the Namkhai Nyingpo bloomed and flourished with prayer flags knitted into a myriad of networks.

To the left, the magnificent Jakar Dzong; the epitome of all the administrative activities of the valley crested atop the hill overlooking the peaceful valley.

To the front, he gleaned a view of the Rudungla; a pass known for hiking and trekking. The pass lay posing with pride, showcasing the tinge of white snowy fleck at its summit and the exquisite conifers adorning it along its stretch.

At the bus terminus, he was lost in tracking down his memory lane the list of mesmerizing scenery encrypted therein. Never was he amazed by nature and natural scenery to such an extent.

When he realized, everyone has left. He shook his head slightly, regained his composure and entered the heart of Chamkhar town. He walked from hotel to hotel, only to get the same response every time, “Gom mathrel lopen”, meaning “Don’t mind sir”.

He lounged over a bench that lay in front of a shop. He stood there with his eyes fury as a flame, forehead constricted into a number of furrows and his body disheveled as a beggar.

Suddenly a man sat beside him after a careful and prolonged speculation of his stance. The man, whom he was introduced to as App Kencho, was considerate enough to take him to his home. It was a 15 minutes drive from the town.

Ap Kencho was residing in a single storied bungalow, neatly maintained and surrounded by a fresh organic garden.

As Ap Kencho summoned, a girl in her late teens, clad with thick woven kira, and a white scarf (usually worn by Bumthaps) bound loosely over her silky hair cascading its way over her shoulder, hurried towards the house. Her ankle-length kira stained with muddy clumps around its rim ushered him with a tacit understanding of her having been tooling around with her garden soil.

“Lemo (a pet name indicating deep affection), offer a cup of tea for our guest”. She waved a brisk node of consent and disappeared into the kitchen.

 The very first glance of her sent his blood racing at an accelerated rate. His heart beat reached the zenith of its pace.

She returned with two cups of tea before he could even visualize how the minutes ticked by after seeing her. In another bowl, she brought ‘Zow Magey’, roasted rice blended with butter and sugar. The suja, salted buttered tea and the zow magey was a perfect blend for him. However, he was totally oblivious of the fact as to whether to attribute the savory taste to the real flavor or to the exhilarated state that he was in.

More than the innocent look on her face, which was a manifestation of her impeccable youthful beauty, her behavior and respect with which she embraced her father’s words or instructions dragged him intellectually closer.

The moment she walked out of the house, he couldn’t stop wandering his glance through the window for her presence around.

He saw her saunter gently amid the linear rows of lush leafy vegetable beds and speculate which one to pluck. She returned with her face adorned with a placid smile, holding a stainless steel bowl crammed with fresh vegetables.

As she caroled into the kitchen, she hummed a soothing tune; a tone that rendered him calm and relaxed. The whooshing sound of the pressure cooker and the sharp relishing odor that greeted his nose was indicative of something special being cooked.

In the mid of his consistent internal struggle as to whether to peep into the kitchen and say hi to her or would it lead to any undesirable consequence, someone halted at the doorstep. A tall man probably in his late twenties, masked with dark complexion aggravated by a firm patch of moustache stood at the door. As he bent to remove his knee-length gum boot clad with mud, Ap kencho exclaimed, “Get in faster Nado. It’s freezing outside”.

Nado stared at the stranger with an unflinching gaze as if to say ‘Who the hell are you here?’ He could feel a chilly tremor creeping along the length of his spine as Nado’s gaze became intensively woven with curiosity and suspicion.

His conclusion that Nado is none other than Lemo’s husband or would-be-husband plunged his heart into the deepest of agony. He felt his muscles twitch out of sheer insecurity and despair. He was numb for a moment.

Lemo wailed from the kitchen door, “Apa, the dinner is ready”. All of them orbited themselves around the bukhari( Iron structure with a hollow space to accommodate burning firewood used as heater). Lemo uncovered the lids of the mouth-watering dishes and served them.

He, being the guest in their house was the first to get Lemo’s warm serving. A plate full of red rice with sizzled pork and beef blended with long strands of dried chilli alighted in his hand. In another cup, she scooped a few ladles of Ema Datshi( green chilli blended with cheese and garlic) and a cupful of Daw( skimmed milk or the remaining extract after cheese is extracted out).

She spread two loafs of sweet buckwheat bread (locally called Khuley) in her father’s bangchung,a round-bottomed bowl made of bamboo shreds. The father chuckled to say, “I prefer this to rice”.

When everyone was engaged in gliding down what laid before them through their gullet, he managed to steal a brisk glance at her over the bukhari on the other side. He noted another important point that besides all, she was terribly an excellent cook.

After dinner, nothing much was left than to move to their respective beds. He was ushered into a room. A bed was arranged with the blankets neatly laid and coiled back into folds. Nado entered and started laying his bed beside him. No longer able to hide his curiosity, he inquired,”Aren’t you Lemo’s husband?”

“Yalama Lopon(Oh my God!, sir), I am just a worker here”.

Was he to believe this or not but the response he got brightened his face with unprecedented happiness.

Just then, the door hinges creaked as Lemo stepped inside.

“Lopen, zimchang zhey”, said Lemo with a timid grin. It was a tradition that many of the local people cling to where ara or locally brewed wine is offered before bed as zimchang for inducing sound sleep.

Though drinking was completely out of the list of his habits, a kind offer made by the girl he was irresistibly drawn to was simply undeniable. He gulped it down and accepted yet another cup. He could feel the liquor seeping down, its effect radiating to every part of his body.

Nado was laughing incessantly at him. All he could perceive was Nado’s palm tapping on his shoulder and a blurred motion of his lips in intermittent giggling and mumbling.

“Please take me to Lemo’s room. I won’t be able to sleep if I miss the chance of talking to her. Please Nado!” groaned he in his companion’s lap.

“Shsssh! Be quiet or else her father will bash you out”, flew the response that knocked him down.

“Please Nado, I am clasping my two hands into one. Help me please!” wailed he in utter desperation.

‘Well, I am certain that you won’t get to see Lemo. She is too young to counter such venture with you for now. If you really want, I will take you somewhere not far from here”.

“Really? But where Nado?”

“Zip your mouth for a moment and follow me”, was all that Nado uttered.

Both of them slid off their blankets, pushed the door aside cautiously and slipped their way out into the freezing midnight breeze.

“It is extremely cold outside Nado”.

“Don’t worry Lopon, it won’t be the same inside”.

He pursued all the instructions showered upon him by his guide and so did he make a victorious journey. He succeeded in sprawling, clinging and leaping over a two storied traditional Bhutanese house.

Positioning himself near the window, he called out, “Yangki, open the window. Please let me in”.

After several attempts to lure her being turned topsy-turvy, he lost his control and baffled out loudly, “Open the window or I’m going to break it”. He tapped harder and harder until the window opened to his delight.

He was greeted with a jug of chilly water being splashed against his face. Another bucket of cold water over him drenched him to freezing. He lost his grip as a whip hit his hand fierce-fully with a simultaneous hoarse voice of a woman that pierced right through his ears,”Yaa Tae-nyen choe”. The phrase says, ‘you deserve this, you notorious creature’.

The next morning, Ap kencho’s summon dragged him out of his fantasy world. “Lopen, you ought to get ready. You have to be at the bus terminal by 6:30 am”.

He felt an excruciating pain as he tried to stretch his legs. When he got out of his bed, he found himself limping. He was astonished to hear the whole account of the story from Nado. All that he could recollect was Lemo standing aside his bed and pouring him the wine.

Nursery Raising in the Cold December Month-the Magical Spark of Poly-tunnels (Part 1)

Have you ever wondered how farmers of certain pockets do well in farming? Did you have had the slightest of idea as to when they actually start toiling hard on the hardy encrustation of earth to make their produce fetch premium price? Did a question sweep across your mind as to who were the persons actually tilling the land in bringing the fresh vegetables at your visual display at the Yusipang market shed beneath the roadside?

The query would have probably rung your curious mind if you were someone to frequent the Thimphu-Wangdue highway. I assume that many would have cursed the vendors for the produce being overpriced. It was also disheartening at the same that some simply left the place with a display of dejection on their face, unable to digest the fact that heir auditory canal perceived about the price.

Well, if you have been the one to wonder or else ambitious enough to start your own kitchen garden, let me unleash some points here. Don't be deterred by your opinion that winter is too cold for everything to surface out from soil. It isn't for Yusipang residents, elevated at 2700m above sea level, with severe frost almost every night, has already taken a step forward.

The residents, despite the shrill chillness; the icy water; the frost-glistened ground & dusty arid gust have been busy for the weeks of the cold December month. They first dug out a small portion of their garden designated for nursery raising. The area for cole crops nursery shall be an area that wasn't grown with any Brassica crops in the preceding season. 

Usually, the site planted with potato (Solanaceous crop) ranked first in its picking. This is to avoid the occurrence of any pests or diseases in the nursery seedlings from its previous crop (same host).

The dug earth should be brought to a fine tilth by breaking the clods. A nursery bed of 1m width & convenient length shall be raised to a height of about 30-45 cm. All the sticks, pebbles & the like shall be removed to render the soil porous & fine for the easy emergence of the seedlings. 

Prepared nursery; soil brought to a fine tilth

Then, the nursery bed is sterilized by means of igniting the raised bed stacked with piles of dried bamboo sticks, woods & or dried weeds. This is an act to sterilize the soil so as to render it free of any pathogenic spores (resting spores) or resting stages of pests (pupal stages).

The sterilization was just done a day or two before the actual day of sowing. The raised, sterilized bed is drenched with water. A fine flow out of the nozzles of rose can is recommended so as to avoid soil being eroded. This is probably done in the morning. In the late afternoon or before sunset, make even furrows of 2-3 cm depth at an interval of 10cm.

Furrows for seed sowing

The seeds are then evenly dibbled along the lines. The sparser the seed count, the better the growth & vice-versa. However, it should not be too sparse as it will consume space. The optimum stand would yield more vigorous seedlings. This will also be a check against the rapid spread of disease (damping off which is very common in nurseries). A 10g seed may be filled along 14 lines of each 1m length.Gently sweep across your fingers in filling the soil in the indented furrows over the seeds. If the seed size is too small, mix it with fine sand or soil and then dibble along.

Optimum density of seeds

Ensure to moisten the soil well before sowing, for liberal watering after seed sowing will wash away your light & tiny seeds. For the subsequent watering, add a layer of mulch material. It can be anything from a jute bag or a thin spread of any organic matter like saw dust, artemisia leaves, chopped paddy straw or husks. This layer will be of utmost advantage in ensuring the safe deposit of your seeds in soil. So you don't have to worry about the seeds being splashed away by water. It also improves the micro-climate of the soil- retain moisture, heat & help in weed control.  

Watering over the mulch of jute bag

However, don't forget to remove heavy covering like jute material after the emergence of seeds as it might hamper its growth & access to sunlight.

Now the task of tilling the soil & depositing your seeds in the soil has been done. Now what next to guard it from the ritual of white frosty encrustation almost every night? Well, there is nothing extraordinary to do than what we humans do to keep ourselves warm. And here comes the trick played by the polyethylene (plastic tunnels). 

Bamboo sticks shall be erected at one side of the bed at an interval of 20-30 cm. The other end shall be pegged into ground on the other side of the bed. This will form a dome-shaped supportive framework for the polyethylene sheet. Also place an additional bamboo piece on the top of the dome-structure & tie it firmly at regular interval.

Bamboo sticks

Pegging down of Bamboo Sticks

Place the polyethylene sheet over the supportive frame-work. Stretch it gently & cautiously to avoid any tear. If the sheet happens to be torn, better have it replaced, else the defect will duly reduce temperature (through the escape of long wave radiation) as well as act as a suture for the entry of frost or rain droplets if any. To avoid such undesirable circumstances, have all the sharp edges or spikes protruding from the supporting framework removed or subdued beneath rubber tubes.

Completed Supportive Framework of Bamboo

Bury the plastic sheet well into the soil on all its side leaving no loose ends. Our work is not yet done even with poly-tunnels set up to perfection. The seedlings would still succumb to chilling injury if we leave it to the mercy of the protection provided by the plastic sheets. Their shed needs to be augmented with layers of jute bags & blankets. Just as we humans lay buried under piles of blanket, so is their stance during such freezing period of the year.

This external covering of blanket needs frequent supervision-its removal every morning upon the descend of sunny rays & back to place when the rays bid good bye for the day. This routine continues until one is confident of not being greeted by frost, & subsequently, the seedlings are transplanted.

Poly-tunnel with extraneous cladding of blankets/ clothes.

When almost everyone remains hibernated under the warmth of their blankets and or sits ideally around electric or kerosene hearters & bukharis, the residents here are out, meddling hard with the arid ground. They are involved in a continuous cycle of activities with the soil. The cold weather-bitten skins; the frayed garments with discoloration & the crack-laden fingers are indicative of their daily association with the earth.

We would have never imagined how difficult it is to produce a kilogram of fresh onion or tomato or cauliflower & so forth. And I bet we won't unless we step our own feet into the soil. On account of these reasons, I feel the need to applaud the farming community for putting in strenuous efforts to earn their living as well as bringing at our doorsteps fresh & healthy vegetables.

This is an account of what the farming community at Yusipang area are up during the cold December month.This activity usually starts in December & continues till February. So if anyone elsewhere aspires to reap a bit early crop than the preceding years, why not try this? You have ample time till February after which you can resort to sowing under normal conditions. Anyways, I will keep you updated on the succeeding activities. I just wanted to stir the people in other parts of the country to attune themselves with nursery raising under poly-tunnels.

Dried Vegetables- Save Money & be Healthy

Dried, packed Spoinach (Left) & Caigua/Ola-choto (Right)

Have you been the one to munch on imported vegetables during the lean season? Well, there is no doubt that the price stands at a comfortable rank compared to our local products. But are we aware of the fact that we are consuming pesticide residue laden products? Anything that fills up your vegetable rack during such season would be imported ones. Have you been one of the agent spiraling the vegetable import rate? Well, why not we opt to at least curtail the rate if not put a halt to it? But how? I will unfurl a very simple answer to it.

Vegetable drying is a very simple process. Nothing new or different from what our forefathers resorted to. Neither would it demand for any sophisticated equipments. If you are in possession of a simple dryer; like the one the National Post Harvest Centre provides on cost-sharing basis, is well & good. But even if you don't, the job can be done. Only the pace at which you achieve your end result would differ to a slight degree. You can always rely on the Mr. Sun to do you a favor as long as he acts gracious enough to emanate his radiance. A brief highlight on the sequential steps to be followed are as follows;

1. Washing

This is the foremost step required to rid your produce of any dirt or filth. Trim all the unwanted parts. A simple rinsing will do as many of your produce will undergo a process called blanching that will cleanse the produce anyways.

2. Chopping/shredding

Chop your bulky vegetable produce into thin shreds of the shape & length of your own choice. Thinner the shreds, faster the drying is. But don't make it too thin that it disappears when dried of strong wind blows it off.

Sliced Broccoli(left) & Tomato(right)

3. Blanching

This involves immersing your chopped vegetable produce in hot boiling water augmented with a pinch of salt or in hot steam for a brisk span of time. It means scalding of the produce with hot boiling water or steam. But the blanching time should be very specific or else your produce will get cooked instead of getting blanched. The blanching time & method may vary with each vegetable as illustrated in the table beneath:

Vegetables	Categories(Sizes)	Blanching time(Mins.)
		Boiling water	Steam
Cabbage	Shredded	1.5	2.5
Cauliflower	Sliced	3	-
Broccoli	Sliced,stripped	3	5
Peas	a) Edible pods	2-3	-
	b) Green (shelled)	1.5-2.5	3-5
Turnips	Sliced	3	5
Spinach & other greens	Shredded/whole	2	3
Summer squash	Sliced	3
Carrots	a) Diced/strips	2	3
	b) Small, whole	5	8
Egg plant/brinjal	Stripped/sliced into slender pieces	4	6
Beans		3	-
Asparagus		2	3
Caigua/Slipper gourd(Ola-Choto)	Stripped	2	3

Why is blanching recommended or advisable?

This is a prerequisite step for vegetables to be dried & or frozen on account of the following reasons;

It rids the produce of harmful microbes to around 99%.

    It slows down or inhibits enzymatic activity which otherwise would result in loss of flavor, color & texture.

      It helps in color retention of dried produce, especially of the greens.

      It shrivels/wrinkles the vegetables to be dried for the ease of packing.

Blanching of Broccoli ( A pinch of salt added to boiling water)

4. Cooling & Staining

Cool immediately in cool water for the same time used in blanching. Stir the vegetables thoroughly during cooling. Stain or drain out the water properly.

5. a) Packing & Storing

The blanched produce then can be either frozen or dried.  The produce can be packed into containers or freezer bags after pressing out air & sealing tightly. However, this is not so common in our conditions as much as the produce are being dried. This also escalates cost on initial investments.

5. b) Drying  Packing

Spread out your blanched produce onto a tray or woven out bamboo mats. Cover it with a net (I prefer mosquito nets) or a clean transparent cloth to avoid dust & other foreign material from drifting into your produce. Stir occasionally to achieve uniform drying. The produce can be shade dried once it is seemingly free of excess moisture as long duration exposure to sunlight bleaches the produce & results in colour loss. Dry your produce until it is completely rid of moisture. You can also hang the partially dried produce in perforated containers if there is less space for you to spread it. This is a vital step as the shelf life of your dried produce will be determined by the degree of its dryness.

Drying of various vegetables; Products covered with a net (image on the left)

6. Packing

Once you get a signal of the produce being completely dried, pack it in airtight containers. However,dried products remain edible forever when & only when kept dried. So it is crucial to seal it in airtight containers; be it plastics or jars. If not, the hygroscopic nature of the produce will take a toll on your efforts & produce, & the next time you try to cook something out of it, you will be demoralized to find your produce engulfed by fungal hyphae. Make sure that your dried products  gain an entry card into plastic containers or jars & then seal it. If you possess a sealing machine, it is well & good. But you aren't rid of options at any point of time or instance. Lit a candle or a flame & sweep the folded edge of your product-filled plastic over it. This will equally do a magical job of sealing your produce airtight.

Dried cabbage

Dried Red chillies (Left) & Parboiled Shurkam (Right)

Dried shredded Beans (Left) & Onion leaves (Right)

Dried Garlic (Left) & Tomato (Right)

Dried, packed Cauliflower (Left) & Broccoli (Right)

Now, you have the liberty to stack your dried, packed produce on your shelves for use during the lean season or to gift it to your friends & or relatives. Believe me, it is easier & delightfully lighter to carry elsewhere. I am not exaggerating as whatever I have penned down has been a shedding  from my own experience.

There are many advantages associated with vegetable drying. This is not just confined to vegetable drying but any horticultural produce, which are highly perishable in nature.

Ø  Dried products has higher content of vitamin, minerals, protein & fiber content.

Ø  It incurs minimal expenses compared to other preservation techniques such as freezing & canning.

Ø  Reduced import, minimize outflow of Rupee. This might even lift the economy of the country in its own small way.

Ø  A step forward for keeping the  crippling & hazardous  agro-chemical laden imported vegetables at bay.

Ø  A brave step towards Self-sufficiency ( as I would rate myself so in this regard).

Ø  Above all, you can dwindle the outflow of money from your own pocket.

We can dry surplus vegetables when its production phase shoots up. There is no limit to the kind. You can dry anything. You might not have seen dried tomatoes, dried broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage, dried carrot & or garlic, dried onion leaves & the list stretches on an endless knot. Neither to the quantity. Once it has been rid of moisture(dried) & packed properly, these are going to remain on your shelf for years together. There is no fear of your product being succumbed to fungal attack or having to dump it in the waste bins. So try this out & minimize your expenses on the purchase of imported vegetables.