http://www.vivasayeeslife.in The *.life extension was an expensive one and the purchase 2 years back when we launched the store was an impulsive buy, because it seemed unique. In order to rationalize costs, we have moved to a local lower-cost *.in domain. Please note that there are no hyper-nationalist sentiments behind this move. 😂 If you…
Tangy & Spicy Tamarind Rice, புளி சாதம் Recipe
We have two mature Tamarind Trees in our farm. But, only one of them fruits well. It more than suffices for our personal consumption. We have been selling this super sour Tamarind to our friends, family and via our online store. The processing of the tamarind to deseed is not similar to the flattened ones…
Do we need to thank the green revolution for India being food self-sufficient?
“Thanks to the Green Revolution, India is food self-sufficient”. I am tired of reading and listening to variations of this statement of gratitude. What do these journalists even imagine? Do people really believe that before the British colonialized India, Tribes, Rajas and traders were importing food from the rest of the world to feed the…
Rising from the Rain : Our Compost Toilet Chronicles! December 2023
We lost our compost toilet’s walls, partially, and roof to the torrential downpour over the session that lasted 36+ hours in our farm between 16th December evening to 18th December noon. The deluge that occurred in Tirunelveli and neighbouring districts has been atrributed to cyclonic storm near Sri Lanka. We had transplanted our rice saplings…
Organic Vs. Natural Farming : What is the fuss all about?
Peepalbaba of GiveMeTrees trust recently highlighted an interesting point, asserting that the primary distinction between Organic Farming and Natural Farming lies in certification requirements. While this holds true, the intricacies of the comparison warrant further exploration. 1. In contrast to Organic Farming certification, which lacks explicit recommendations on reducing tillage, Natural Farming advocates stress the…
Transformation from Rice Fields to Forest Garden at Vaanavil Farm & Food Forest
Back in 2018, we were skeptical when we wanted to convert 40% of erstwhile rice fields to a bio-diverse forest garden comprising of fruit trees, timber trees, herbs, spices and more. Typically, rice fields are plots which get flooded because of proximity to a river, irrigation canal, pond or any major water body. Also, to…
Rice field preparation 2023
We have cultivated 2 varieties of rice for the last 4 years – a white rice variety and a red rice variety. The reason for choosing 2 varieties is to bring diversity to our plates. For my entire childhood and corporate career, I had never had red or black rice. So, when we started in…
What is the big deal about not tilling our soil?
I remember learning about top soil erosion during the environmental studies in class 5 in school. But, beyond that i don’t remember having any discussion about soil health or top soil loss in any other forum during classroom education. This is unfortunate, given that our existence is still dependent on us consuming food and not…
Lourdusaami, our farm’s Palmyra hero
Lourdusaami, take a bow. He is about 70 years old and he still climbs 5 palmyra trees, every morning and evening, 6 months of the year. Out of the 6 months of the year, he converts the palmyra sap to palmyra jaggery about 4 months of the year. That is when we have more than…
Veganism – Fad or here-to-stay? : A vegetarians’s perspective
Prior to starting our farming journey, from the vegan movement in the west, we had formed the impression that humans steal milk from cows. But, our judgement and inference over the last 3 years of gathering knowledge and experience, seems to suggest that the actual reality is much more nuanced than that. Disclaimer : I…
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