The once occasional rattle of a pot or the scrape of a spoon was stiring memories of past meals and had me in rapt inticipation of a good meal that was soon to come. Soon even the occasional noise was being replaced by the waft of Jamaican spices that signaled the coming together of fresh foods and spices in a way only a Jamaican can do it.
The anticipation of a good meal was now getting the better of me so I decided to go to the kitchen and poke my head through the doorway to see first hand how a good cook practiced his craft.
On the way to the kitchen, I passed a table where Freddy had some of his necklaces and other pieces displayed. Freddy makes some of the most beautiful "natural" necklaces that I have seen anywhere. He mostly just makes pieces for friends but he will sell them if someone wants one. He will even supply the seeds and a mounting wire where you can make your own distinctive piece.
When I am in Accompong Town I often pay some youth to go out in the bush and collect some natural seeds for Freddy. Here on the table I saw those seeds fabricated into finished pieces. Cacoon seeds, Nickle seeds, Horse Hide and Lucky Beads are the main components of most necklaces many with a carved wood center piece like an Ankh.
Every type of seed has a story behind it. I don't know much about the Lucky Beads as I think they are just pretty and the Nickle Seeds are just called that because of their shape but I am going to look into that further. The Horse Hide is a tough nut and young children rub them quickly over their clothes and heat them up so they "burn" their classmates when they touch them with one.
The Cacoon Seed is very familiar with me as the Maroons have used them in many capacities over hundreds of years. The Maroons draped the cacoon plant around their head and shoulders to camoflage their positions along the trails of the British Soldiers during the war. The seeds contain a meat that after leaching can be eaten as food or used as a medicine. The most facinating usage is as a determiner of water quality when traversing the Cockpits. They would throw a seed in standing water and if it sank; the water was no good to drink. If it floated, the water was safe to drink.
Suddenly, Freddy surprised me with a plate of cooked food along with some natural juice flavored with tangy ginger. I was home now and blessings abounded.
"Give thanks and Praise!"
