Author: Sagar
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Acerola Cherry / Barbados Cherry
Malpighia emarginata The Acerola is a shrub-like plant which is believed to have originated in southern Mexico and the Caribbean,It thrives here in India as well. It blooms in delicate clusters of small, pretty pink flowers that go on to produce delicious, tart cherry-like berries. The berries have been used in modern and folk medicine.…
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Pumpkin soup
Pumpkin can sometimes be a tricky vegetable. It is difficult to incorporate new foods into your diet when you are not used to it. Kids love this Pumpkin soup with coconut milk. It’s a simple and subtle way of trying new vegetables like the pumpkin. In this bio-region, pumpkins are quite commonly grown, but people…
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Taro / Arbi
Colocasia esculenta Taro is believed to have been one of the earliest cultivated plants. Arbi is how it is known in Hindi, and Seppankizhangu in Tamil. It is thought to be native to Southern India and Southeast Asia, but is now widely naturalized, including in Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas. It is one of…
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Plantain chips:
In this Tamil video (with English subtitles), Deepa shares with us how to make delicious Plantain chips. These chips are a wonderful substitute for Potato chips which have a huge ecological cost. (Carbon footprint) Why? Because potatoes don’t even grow in this bioregion! Understanding local foods means undermining the industrialization that is eroding our well-being…
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Eating Neem Leaves
After the monsoon, the Neem tree begins to sprout delicate, tender new leaves that have traditionally been eaten as a gut cleanser and blood purifier. As a health tonic It is recommended that you eat the freshly plucked tender Neem leaves during 9 days of the Chaitra Navratri festival that occurs sometime around March-April (according…
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Palmyra Fruit Juice
Panaipazham Juice In today’s day the conventional way the fruit of the Palmyra tree is eaten is when the outer casing is still unripe, while the seeds are eaten as the fruit, known as ‘Nungu’. Although, if the entire fruit is left to ripen, the fibrous outer layer can also be eaten raw, boiled, or…
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Papaya Peppy Pasta Sauce
Local Name of item/recipe: Papali (in Tamil) Common Name of item/ recipe: Papaya At the Solitude farm, there is a Papaya bonanza and we are literally flooded with Papaya during the summer months. Papaya fruit can be made into a smoothie, one can eat it as is, make a fruit bowl or make jam. However,…
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Ragi Choco Crepe
delectable, nutritious food for children Ragi! What’s that? Well, it’s a millet. And millets are seeds that are grown in large fields like grains, but with much less water. Millets formed the foundation of agriculture in India and were traditionally part of the Indian palate. We make fermented porridge, ragi balls and roti out of…
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Drumstick Leaves
Moringa Oleifera ‘Murungai keerai’ Moringa Leaves have been rapidly earning a global reputation as a ‘super-food’, and one can find articles written about them even in lifestyle magazines these days. Yet, this food has been the very foundation of Tamil nutritional cultural heritage. Ironically though, one can’t find these leaves being cooked in any restaurants.…
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Tamarind Leaf Dal
In Andhra Pradesh this preparation is called Chinta Chiguru Pappu, meaning ‘tender tamarind leaves with lentils’. It is a delicious way to include this abundant, natural, medicinal resource in our diets, and thereby quite literally, and practically apply the ancient wisdom of food being one’s medicine! The preparation: In a pot add ½ cup of…