It is time to harvest the Arhar Dal or Pigeon Pea. But what we find is that there are still flowers on this bush, while some pods are completely dry! So we have no choice but to hand pick the pods. If they had all ripened at the same time, we may have cut the bush itself.
It is time taking, and laborious. About 3 farm hands for 4 days yield 20 kgs of final product. But its also a meditative experience. You have to pluck the pods without disturbing the flowers or the green pods.
Finally, the pods are all collected and dried on a tarpaulin. Given the strong hots winds that are blowing, this didn't take over a day. The pods are threshed by putting them into a sack, and beaten with a wooden stick. With each beating, more of the peas spill out, and finally you are left with the chaff of the pods. That chaff makes for a yummy snack for the cows.
