| About Us Haritha farms have been said to be one of Kerala's best kept secrets .But we make no secrets of our aims here , amongst the treasure trove that is at the heartland of this fertile area .We grow spices , food and fruits , that were once an integral part of the landscape and we are returning to our roots by re-planting many of the crops which were lost to the rubber plantations .This is so different and more environment friendly than growing spices and crops in the cleared forest ranges in the mountain or the filled mangrove forests in the backwaters .Stay at the Pimenta in one of our four comfortable bungalows and you will experience the sights ,sounds and tastes of original Kerala In short we are combining local agriculture, traditional wisdom and local cuisine presented in the true way |
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| Background Why The Pimenta ? This page is about what we do here and why we do it. If you want to know more please read on (Sorry needs patience to read). Combining the local agriculture, traditional wisdom and local cuisine presented in the real way. This is an alternative to mass tourism in Kerala from Haritha Farms. In the early 14th century, Kerala was ruled by three major kingdoms; Travancore in the south, Kochi in the middle and Zamorin of the Calicut in the north. These kingdoms also had very powerful principalities inside them. One of the principalities of former Travancore is called Vadakkumkur, comprising the present day Muvattupuzha, Thodupuzha, Meenachil areas. The Pimenta was the name for the area called Vadakkumkur of the Travancore Kingdom where the world's best quality pepper is grown. This land was the European explorer's dream and Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese captain, discovered Kerala and Pimenta. Today's traveler can find Kerala but is not able to explore the treasure trove of the Kerala Midlands because the "Lonely Planet" and most of the other so called guidebooks and accommodation directories have not discovered this place or any of the other interesting places in the Midlands. This gave us the idea of opening up a place in our garden for travelers, which is in the heart of The Pimenta, formerly known as Vadakkumkur. We named it "THE PIMENTA" and it is a place where you can genuinely experience the culture, cuisine and life of the Kerala Midlands using the principles of sustainable as well as responsible tourism. |
| The Pimenta Background The midlands of Kerala are the place where spices, food and fruits were naturally grown in homestead forest gardens that were eventually lost to rubber plantations. Spices were moved up to the hills where the forests were cut and plantations were established, damaging the ecosystems in a significant way (monoculture plantations e.g. tea, coffee, pepper and rubber). Here, we are making an effort to bring back the glory of the Midlands by establishing a homestead forest garden (with bio organic farming) and growing spices in their natural habitat. This is quite different and environmentally more sensible than growing spices and crops in the cleared forest ranges in the mountains or the dense mangrove forests in the backwaters as a monoculture. We are also trying to conserve the bio diversity of the region by raising lots of medicinal herbs in the garden itself; a self financed economically viable conservation initiative by the family in the region. As part of the conservation activity, we also preserve the recipes of the region and use them on a day-to-day basis. Of course, this is something different for travelers who like to enjoy variety and experience in depth. |
| Philosophy HARITHA FARMS HARITHA (meaning GREEN) is a spice and coconut garden of 2.5 hectares situated on a hilly area of land facing paddy fields and a small hillock. Established in 1962 as a rubber and coconut garden, sustainable farming techniques were introduced in 1990, and the use of pesticides and weed killers was stopped. In 1993,the rubber trees were removed and we stopped using chemical fertilizers for effective sustainable farming while maintaining the bio-diversity. Plants now include coconut, pineapple, bananas, different types of yam, tapioca, spices such as pepper, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, turmeric ,vanilla and other tropical fruit trees and medicinal herbs. We utilise the bio waste for the biogas for the kitchen and compost to the garden. Our endeavor is to develop a role model for economically viable eco farming. This is simply a return to traditional farming system called ‘The Thodi’ (tropical home garden or forest garden). Better described as an improvised homestead garden, which was the backbone of the Kerala agriculture and ecology In 1995, we started day visits to the farm for travelers who are deeply interested in the culture and food of this area. The pressure from the travelers led us to open accommodation to guests in 1996, to supplement the farm income. Thus, we became pioneers in eco- agro-tourism in South India. The response from the early visitors was inspiring and encouraged us to continue. The interactions were also very beneficial to both sides. Now the accommodation is offered in newly built cottages, named as 'The Pimenta' close to the farmhouse, but at the same time ensuring the guests' privacy. |
| Minimum number of guests We take care to keep the number of guests limited so as to serve them better and to minimize the impact on the village. This also helps to create an atmosphere of informality or a" home away from home", yet maintaining privacy among guests as well as the hosts. There are also possibilities for study groups such as university students or people interested in development studies, school students etc to make day visits and have lunch at the farm. The day visit groups are restricted to one group per week. |
| People behind the project The forest garden is run by Mrs. Mathew, wife of late Prof.T.C.Mathew, her son Jacob Mathew an ex - lawyer and his son Ranjeet Mathew Jacob who is a school student. She is helped by Mr.Madhu Shanker who is responsible for Guest accommodations and food, and by Mr.Chandran who takes care of the day-to-day activities on the garden. Helpers from the local area are also part and parcel of the activities on the garden when we need more human labor, such as at planting and harvest times. |
| Acknowledgement To the almighty who made possible this small venture and still go in the same way we planned .We really thank the guidance, inspiration and appreciation of all the guests who have been with us. A lot we owe to our earlier guests who helped by creative criticism which helped us to stay in the position as well as continuing the effort we are doing now. Lot of thanks to every one who contributed pictures to the site as well as personal collection and those who helped with the creation of this website. |
| ©Haritha Farm's -The Pimenta, Kadalikad Post -686670,Kerala,India Tel:-+ 91 485 2260216,+91 485 2263006, +91 9249124206 Mobile +91 (0) 9447302347 Email harithafarms@yahoo.com www.harithafarms.com |
| The Pimenta A bed and breakfast with all meals in the spice garden bungalows, just an hour drive from the Cochin airport in Kerala We also do vegetarian Kerala cooking holidays |
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