S2E5 Cow Manure or Biomass?

S2E9 The Art of preserving Abundance

When we first began harvesting significant quantities of fruits and vegetables from our farm, we faced an unexpected challenge: we had more produce than we could consume, and no easy market to sell it. Living in Gurgaon at the time, we needed a way to ensure that the harvest did not go to waste. That journey led us into the world of traditional food preservation—pickles, jams, chutneys and preserves. In this episode, I talk about how our surplus produce became a valuable lesson in seasonality, self-sufficiency, reducing waste, and adding value to what the land provides. We discuss traditional preservation methods, the joy of sharing homemade products with friends and family, and why every farm should learn to celebrate abundance rather than fear it. A conversation about food, gratitude, and making the most of nature's generosity. . . . For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com [hello@aanandaa.com] and +91 62838 99456. To take courses on permaculture visit www.permaculture.co.in [http://www.permaculture.co.in] Follow us on our social media handles FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/ [https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/] IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/ [https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/] YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa [https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/]

S2E8 Managing Fruit Trees

While planting an orchard of fruit trees, one has to keep many factors in mind. The quality and variety of the sapling really matters, as does the care one takes of the graft as the tree grows. Many trees need special pruning or trimming seasonally, and one must have skilled people to manage that. I made a lot of mistakes with my fruit trees and learned the hard way! I wish someone had guided me better, but I was caught between monoculture orchard managers, and unskilled labour! . . . For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com [hello@aanandaa.com] and +91 62838 99456. To take courses on permaculture visit www.permaculture.co.in [http://www.permaculture.co.in] Follow us on our social media handles FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/ [https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/] IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/ [https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/] YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa [https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/]

S2E7 Mangoes-The King of Fruits!

First year of being around the mangoes - so many varieties - so much fruit! We were taking basket fulls back to Gurgaon and could eat a couple of quintals just by ourselves! We had planted a wide variety of mangoes at the start of Aanandaa, but lost track of which is which. We had to re aquaint ourselves with all the trees, and discovered that many were just the root stock and the scion stock had been cut off somewhere along the way! . . . For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com [hello@aanandaa.com] and +91 62838 99456. To take courses on permaculture visit www.permaculture.co.in [http://www.permaculture.co.in] Follow us on our social media handles FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/ [https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/] IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/ [https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/] YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa [https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/]

S2E6 My first Farm Tour

A Vegan get together resulted in a farm tour at Aanandaa. For the first time I took a group of visitors around the farm explaining to them the permaculture design principles in action. I learnt to articulate concepts and show them in motion. I had never planned to be a permaculture teacher or influencer - it is not something you can plan for. You can only practice to be one on every opportunity you get. And then one day people may want to listen to you and learn from you. . . . For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com [hello@aanandaa.com] and +91 62838 99456. To take courses on permaculture visit www.permaculture.co.in [http://www.permaculture.co.in] Follow us on our social media handles FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/ [https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/] IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/ [https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/] YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa [https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/]

S2E5 Cow Manure or Biomass?

When I look back at photos of 2016 onwards, I see a lot of animals at the farm. Cows were especially kept for cow manure and cow urine which was used to make jeevamrut. It was my belief back then that organic farming runs on these two ingredients. Over the years, I have had a change of heart. A permaculture farm does not run on cow manure - it runs on biomass. That is what makes the farm regenerative, and food highly nutritious. . . . For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com [hello@aanandaa.com] and +91 62838 99456. To take courses on permaculture visit www.permaculture.co.in [http://www.permaculture.co.in] Follow us on our social media handles FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/ [https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/] IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/ [https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/] YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa [https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/]