Message from Krishna

Dear Friends,

Recently I read an article about Farmer Suicides. The statistics in India vary but some figures suggest 400,000 suicides since 1995. In America there is a hotline for farmers to help them, this is a global problem. It is not only in India.
When we understand that our cultures; all over the world emerge from a relationship with Mother Nature and a deep connection to where our food comes from, we see that  farmers are the custodians of our Culture. They know how to grow all the traditional plants that use less water and are a solution to climate change, they understand the medicinal and nutritional values of many semi wild plants as they are still related to the land. If we, as consumers would understand the values of local foods, we would address Farmer Suicides.
When a farmer is pushed into growing foods dependant on chemicals, hybrid seeds and  techniques that undermine soil fertility and biodiversity, foods that is priced by an arbitrary economic model of supply and demand, then it is we, the  consumer who are complicit in this tragedy.
Local foods are a solution to every problem that man has brought about on this planet, because they bring us back to the foundation of our collective needs, nutrition. We must find ways to help farmers develop basket services, to help farmers provide local foods to local schools, to help farmers gain secondary income from flowers, seeds and Ayurvedic leaves and roots and to help the farmer find his voice and create community around him because without community the farmer can not compete in this cut throat corporate world of economic gain. This is something we can address and change!

  

Yours,   
Krishna

“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.”
― Masanobu Fukuoka, The One-Straw Revolution
 

Community Supported Agriculture | Fruit & Vegetable Basket

Our super sweet chickoos are back on the menu and lettuce is now regular addition in our salad bags along with rocket and soon to come basil. Sweet Potatoes, pumpkins are a new staple and eggplants is slowly replacing the wing beans. 

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. We are able to value these foods because we are creating a community around the subject of nutrition. The longer participants subscribe for the baskets the cheaper they are and the closer their connection with the farm and their understanding of these local foods the more we can offer. 
Baskets are available for pick up from the farm on Monday and Friday and there is a Pondicherry pickup Wednesday afternoon.

Please email solitudepermaculture@gmail.com for sign up. 

Field Notes
Pumpkin Nests

February is the last month when we can still get quiet a diversity of crops planted. The coming months get very hot, if the plants are establish they can make it through. Mulching the plants is an absolute necessity: Reducing soil temperature, surpassing weeds, returning organic matter. Collecting the mulch from, like dead banana leaves also creates light for other plants and in other places sweeping up the leaves cleans up the farm. As in these pictures when we create these nests around pumpkins they also get shade in the initial couple of weeks. Mulch is a must!

Solitude Farm Cafe

This week we had a new guest in the cafe, who will be around for the next month, Sweet Potatoes! In the last week we have had them plain boiled, finger chips and as a south indian vegetable. Today they will be served as a mixed vegetable and another day they will go in a curry. 

The air potatoes has also been a big hit in the cafe, we serve them several time as a south indian vegetable dish and last week, Deepa sliced and marinated them, roasted them on dosa tava. They become very crispy and tasted much like potatoes, only they grow semi-wild and are highly productive. 


Root crops are really establishing themselves on the farm this year. So far we have had Air potato, Elephant foot yam, Potatoes, Sweet potatoes, three types of Radish, Tapioca and Turmeric. 

Jerusalem Artichokes and Taro still to come. 

Solitude Farm Cafe - Open | Mon-Sat | 9AM - 3PM

What is happening on the farm ?

Regular Workshops 

Every Saturday 11:30 A.M - Weekly tour and introduction to the Solitude Farm

Every Friday 9:45 AM | Natural Soap Making Workshop 
It is imperative that we stop polluting our water sources with chemical soaps. By making our own soap with natural local resources, we can recycle all our waste water to grow food. The Process is simple, easy and fun. 

Every Wednesday  9:45 AM | Secrets Of Our Salad: An Introduction to Permaculture 
Secrets of our Salads is an exploration of the values of local food which is at the very heart of permaculture.

Every Tuesday 9:45 AM | Cooking With Local Food
The wealth of local foods, their nutritional and ayurvedic values reflects the greatness of this culture. Many of these foods have been eclipsed by the industrialised agriculture and this workshop aims teaching people how to revalue them in traditional and fusion cooking styles.

Please email us at solitudepermaculture@gmail.com to sign up for the workshops. 
Contribution required  for all the workshops, except the weekly farm tour. 



3 Day Intensive Permaculture Workshop 
People have so many concepts about everything even about Permaculture! It means different things for different people. For me permaculture really boils down to the food on the table. This is a photo from the Secrets Of Our Salad, which is one of the module from 3 day Intensive Permaculture Workshop which is happening next on 27th to 29th March 2020, 10th to 12 April 2020. All this produce was harvested by workshop participants and transformed in the most amazing salad that demonstrates all the important characteristic of local food, include a direct solution to climate change. Learning about local foods in this very practical way starts to integrate permaculture in your daily life. 
Please email us at solitudepermaculture@gmail.com to sign up

Update on Mid-Day Meal Scheme: 
We are looking for an enthusiastic, pro-active individual who is willing to intern for three months to help facilitate preliminary mapping and analysis. This internship would provide the opportunity to experience starting with the ground work to run the pilot project. 
Skill: 
1. Fluency in English and Tamil
2. Advanced computer skills, data compilation and analysis and creating presentations
3. Grant writing and project report writing. Any experience in facilitating a project, background in social work, development studies will be added advantage. This position is open for candidates in and around Pondicherry.
Interested candidates who meet this criteria can email their CV to solitudepermaculture@gmail.com