S2E12 A Village Wedding

S2E12 A Village Wedding

The first social interaction we had in the village was attending the wedding of our nightwatchman and first employee Sunil. We had known Sunil from the time he first joined us, and seen him mature into a responsible householder over the last 7 years. The wedding was replete with old world rituals, little children running around, a shy bride & groom, a traditional baraat and festivities. We were welcomed into this gathering with open arms & warmth which is hard to find in urban families today. . . . 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/]

S2E11 Joy is not a Strategy

The dog and cat population on your land can quickly spiral out of control leading to uncared for dogs, accidents and incidents with stray dogs. While we enjoyed having small puppies and kittens to play with we realised over time that 'joy' was not a management strategy. We needed to keep only as many dogs and cats as we could care for and feed well. We started spaying and neutering all of them, and turned to local NGOs working in animal welfare whenever our stocking rates fell below optimal levels.  . . . 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/]

S2E10 The Eggy Business

Raising hens or chicken was challenging for us. Desi/ native hens would often lay eggs but not sit on them to hatch into chicks. And day old chicks available commercially would have very high mortality on the farm. We were keen to integrate hens into the farm at a moderate scale to get a steady supply of eggs. But, we did not meet with much success. A visit to Kegg Farms in Gurgaon taught us a thing or two about the chicken & egg business. . . . 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/]

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/]