Not much grows at such high elevations. Summertime does bring some vegetables from their gardens, so you'll see potatoes, turnips, carrots, peas and a green leafy vegetable similar to spinach. Tsampa is made by roasting barley in a pan of sand, sieving out the roasted barley and then grinding it into a powder or flour in a water mill. It is then eaten in a variety of ways, including just plain. It also finds its way into soups, cakes, gruel and the ever-popular butter tea.
Butter tea is made in a rather narrow wooden churn similar to a butter churn.
A strong tea is poured into the churn along with salted dzo butter and a little tsampa. After it is churned, it comes out more like a broth than a tea and the Ladakhis love it, drinking it all day long. Not to be left unmentioned is their chang. It's often referred to as beer but in my opinion is more like home brew. It is made from barley and millet seasoned with pepper and sugar.