Rhythms and rituals of approaching spring (IV/X): new hothouses for cucumbers. Рытмы й абрады надыходзячай вясны (IV/X): новыя парнікі для вырошчваньня агуркоў.
Eastern Stolin District in the central Pripet Marshes (Polesia) has been renowned for private farmers’ production of cucumbers since the late 1980s. In March villagers of the area get to work repairing hothouses battered by winter storms or building new ones. The heart of cucumber country is the village of Al’shany — a village in name only since it now has more than 7,000 inhabitants. Most of the cucumber growers of Al’shany are Protestants with large families whose production of cucumbers is limited only by the reluctance of local authorities to lease them more land from the surrounding, moribund collective farms (Belarus’ authorities continue to apply the Soviet prohibition of ownership of land other than small acreage surrounding the home).
Al’shany 2016. New hothouse with a supply of wood to heat the stoves and force the early growth of the new cucumber crop. Note the large new houses in the background — emblematic of Al’shany’s prosperity and growing population since its cucumber farmers carved out a significant niche in the Moscow and St. Petersburg markets. Photo from March 2016.
Новыя вялікія парнікі й хаты адлюструюць росквіт фермерства ў Альшанах. Фота 2016 г.
Villagers in neighboring towns also build large hothouses where they can. Tsjerablichy 2016. Новы парнік, Цераблічы 2016 г.
