Solitude Farm

Category: 365 Days

  • Guava Leaf Powder

    Guava Leaf Powder

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    Sagar
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    Guava leaves can be consumed! Yes, that’s right! At Solitude, we use them in a variety of ways. One way is to dry them and make a powder. This powder can be added to water and consumed as a medicine. As well as helping stop diarrhea, it also helps balance blood sugar and cholesterol, is…

  • Life at solitude

    Life at solitude

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    Sagar
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    People often ask me, how do we control pests? In India, there is a famous saying that “Everything is God” (shabd Brahma hai). For mankind, though, everything is god except that which gets in his way. What is a pest? When farmers spray chemicals on their fields, they kill off insects that may have been…

  • Insects At Solitude

    Insects At Solitude

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    Sagar
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    When I look back on one of the very first videos we did at solitude farm, I see life. Insects, earthworms, mongoose, snakes, birds, butterflies, etc. The narrative of life is synonymous with well-being and has always been integral to the vision of solitude farm. Fukuoka said that “only a fool can understand nature; the…

  • Harvesting and storing mangoes

    Harvesting and storing mangoes

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    Sagar
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    Mango season is always an exciting season of the year when you see the fruits half eaten by squirrels. You can be sure they are starting to ripen, and it’s time to harvest.  The fruits need to be carefully harvested. If they fall from the tree to the ground, they will bruise and easily rot.…

  • Dried Aparjita flower

    Dried Aparjita flower

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    Sagar
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    There is real hype around the blue butterfly pea flowers. They can be found in restaurants, bars, terrace gardens, and especially on social media. Like any crop, there is a time were the plant yields many flowers. A great way to store these flowers is to dry them. At solitude farm, we harvest and dry…

  • Harvesting Cucumber seeds

    Harvesting Cucumber seeds

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    Sagar
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    Saving seeds is the pre-curser, to a whole civilisation. There are many steps, that must be followed to successfully save seeds. Most importantly, the vegetable should be fully ripe, this means not harvesting every last vegetable but selecting a few of the best-looking ones for seeds. The seeds should be removed and, in most cases,…

  • Broom

    Broom

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    Sagar
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    While grazing goats and cattle, Tamil ladies will often harvest a certain type of long grass used to make brooms. This grass is very hard and when bundled up makes an excellent broom. The grass is dried and then lightly beaten with a stick to remove the poky seeds. The stems are then bound together…

  • Plantain flour

    Plantain flour

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    Sagar
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    Plantain is an amazing food source. At Solitude, especially in the summer when it is really hot, and we have a glut of plantain, we make flour. Plantain is a great wheat substitute if you want to go gluten-free. This is truly something that anyone can do! First, peel the plantains. Slice them into thin…

  • DRIED HIBISCUS FLOWERS

    DRIED HIBISCUS FLOWERS

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    Sagar
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    I feel quite shocked when I go around Auroville and see people are not harvesting the hibiscus flowers. This beautiful flower is full of antioxidants, helps in vitamin C uptake, lowers the risk of heart diseases, lowers blood pressure, and is even an antidepressant. Simply harvest the flowers, remove the stamen, and make a herbal…

  • Tamarind rice

    Tamarind rice

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    Sagar
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    Wanna travel the world and worried about food. Wooaahhh, we have tamarind rice for the rescue. Tamarind rice is a common travel time food of south India, which can last for a couple of days, as tamarind acts as a natural preservative. Soak tamarind and make it as a paste using your hand. Heat oil,…