Abundance Product of the Month
Have you tried our authentic sun-cured lemons preserved with Himalayan salt yet? They are bursting with flavours of lemons and are free from preservatives. Add them to your salads or curries to add a tangy depth. Home » Blog » Abundance Product of the Month Abundance Product of the Month December 2025 · AuroOrchard Salted & Sun-cured Lemon Have you tried our authentic sun-cured lemons preserved with Himalayan salt yet? They are bursting with flavours of lemons and are free from preservatives. Add them to your salads or curries to add a tangy depth. Order Here October 2025 Turmeric Flakes Our Turmeric roots have been sun-dried and turned into flakes that can be easily infused in some hot honey & lemon tea for the changing weather with a pinch of black pepper. Order Here September 2025 This cold pressed Coconut Oil has been made from coconuts picked from our Coconut poly-orchard with raised beds of bananas and several other plants to support the fertility of this orchard. With no preservatives added to this oil, it is a healthier alternative to the standard coconut oil available in the market. Order Here August 2025 Basil-Pesto Cashew Product Description: This pesto is rich with AuroOrchard Cashew and Basil both of which we have in abundance at the moment. We use very little oil (one-third) necessary for blending and preventing oxidation. Order Here June 01, 2025 · Anshul Aggarwal Over the last months, we have processed our fresh produce which is in abundance into a variety of products that are available directly from the farm. We hope to slowly expand this activity into a more consistent and significant part of the farm. As the consumption of Auroville produce continues to drop, we feel this is one way we can still offer Auroville grown produce to people within and outside of Auroville. Order Here Previous Article Featured Articles Abundance Product of the Month 05 Dec 2025 Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 28 Nov 2025 Glimpses of a solar futureㅤㅤㅤㅤ 05 Dec 2025 Flow of fire and water on the farmㅤㅤ 03 Dec 2025
Recipe Alert!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
It’s been one week since I arrived at the farm.I’ve just been watching. Slowing down. Learning the rhythm of the farm.Mornings begin with greeting everyone. Today when I walked in, I saw Anshul and Reuben sitting together (a rare sight, because both of them are constantly moving around the farm). When I reached them, I realised they were discussing: which greens to include in the salad box that’s Home » Blog » Recipe Alert! Farm Seasonal Salad November 2025 · Astha Khandelwal Base Shredded raw papaya Ceylon spinach Greens (all tender) A handful spinach A handful arugula A handful tender moringa leaves A few Malabar spinach leaves + tender seeds A few fresh chives A handful tender baby okra (thinly sliced and yes, you can eat them raw!) Dressing Fresh grated coconut Fresh roselle (petals or calyx) Fresh basil Few curry leaf Bird’s eye chilli Lemon juice Salt, to taste Garnish Hibiscus flower Butterfly pea flower Method: Place shredded raw papaya and Ceylon spinach at the base of a bowl. Toss in all the tender green leaves + sliced tender okra. Blend together coconut, roselle, basil, bird’s eye chili, lemon juice and salt into a coarse, bright dressing. Fold dressing into salad just before serving. Finish with hibiscus & blue pea flower petals on top. BTS It’s been one week since I arrived at the farm.I’ve just been watching. Slowing down. Learning the rhythm of the farm.Mornings begin with greeting everyone. Today when I walked in, I saw Anshul and Reuben sitting together (a rare sight, because both of them are constantly moving around the farm). When I reached them, I realised they were discussing: which greens to include in the salad box that’s launching next week. Anshul noticed me and immediately joked, “Reuben ask her, she only eats salad.” So we started listing every edible green that is currently growing.Then Anshul asked me to go around the farm and harvest whatever we could use to make a sample salad today itself. I was excited, but I wasn’t sure if I remembered all the directions properly. Luckily, Reuben became my saviour. He took me around the entire farm, plant by plant.We harvested together. Both of us were genuinely so happy because it’s been so long since we actually harvested something with our hands. There is something extremely grounding about directly touching the soil and the plants again. But I was also feeling a lil guilty like I was taking his kitchen time… but in that exact moment he said: “Astha thank you – I’ve been so occupied in kitchen experiments that I haven’t visited the farm, the soil in so long. It feels so good to be back.” That sentence relieved every bit of guilt. Then the whole team (Charan, Reuben and Ram) gathered around to see the final salad we made. We photographed it. We ate it. We LOVED the flavours. The next day again, we tested a second version.This time the dressing was even better. We also measured the exact quantity and box size.Now, it feels real. WHY WE MADE THIS SALAD: (…and here is where the science comes in) to honour what the land is offeringplants produce more secondary metabolites when they grow in season + in their home climate + under their natural soil conditions. seasonal harvest → higher polyphenols → higher antioxidant potential. to eat greens in a way where nutrients are actually preservedvitamin C, folate and many carotenoids are heat-labile.raw + same-day harvest = maximum micronutrient retention (vs boiled sautéed steamed). raw papaya has digestive enzymesraw papaya contains papain + chymopapain (proteolytic enzymes) which assist protein breakdown and have shown benefit in clinical studies for reducing bloating and improving transit. greens contain chlorophyll — and chlorophyll is molecularly very similar to hemoglobinchlorophyll = tetrapyrrole ring → Mg in centerhemoglobin = same ring → Fe in centerthis structural kinship is why greens are studied for supporting hemoglobin status, antioxidant defense, and binding of dietary mutagens inside the gut. Previous Article Featured Articles Abundance Product of the Month 22 Oct 2025 Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 22 Oct 2025 Recipe Alert!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 01 Dec 2025 The Flying House 01 Dec 2025
Recipe Alert!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
Stir Fried Sweet Potato leaves with Tofu One of my all time favourite meals that is extremely easy and quick to make is plain rice with some stir fried greens with an Asian style seasoning. Home » Blog » Recipe Alert! Stir Fried Sweet Potato leaves with Tofu September 2025 · Anuja Khokhani One of my all time favourite meals that is extremely easy and quick to make is plain rice with some stir fried greens with an Asian style seasoning. My universe of greens that one can consume expanded quite a bit when I moved to Auroville, but more so when I travelled to Thailand last year. I was mind-blown with the variety of greens I got to eat as a vegetarian in a country that predominantly enjoys non-vegetarian cuisine. Now, I grow Pumpkin, Pok Choy, Chinese Mustard Greens in an attempt to stir fry them, replicate the flavours and think of the good times I had on my travels. The newest addition to this list of greens are the Sweet Potato leaves that I recently got in my basket from AuroOrchard. Here’s my version of this Asian dish with a little protein added to it – because Protein!! 😀 Ingredients: 250g Sweet Potato Leaves 100g Smoked Tofu 3-4 cloves of big Garlic pods 1 chopped Green chilli / Red chilli ½ tbsp Mushroom sauce ½ tbsp Light Soy sauce ½ tsp Dark Soy sauce ½ tbsp Sugar ½ tsp Rice Wine Vinegar 1 tsp (Toasted) Sesame Oil for the sauce ¼ cup Water 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil to stir fry Method: This step is very important to remove dirt – take a large bowl and fill it with water and salt. Submerge the leaves and wash them thoroughly. Wash again with clean water and remove the leaves and put them into a colander to drain off excess water. Now, chop these leaves and stems into 2 inch length, discarding the thicker and fibrous stems. Mince the garlic pods and chilli and keep them aside. Also cut the Smoked Tofu into similar 2 inch long pieces. You could use regular tofu instead, but I like the flavour smoked tofu lends to this dish. In a bowl add the sauces, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil and water and keep it ready for stir frying. To a wok, take ½ tbsp oil and on low to medium heat, stir fry the leaves till they wilt slightly. After which, remove them from the wok and keep them aside. Now to the same wok, add the rest of the oil, saute the tofu till it browns slightly, then add the garlic and chilli into it. Saute for about a minute. Now add the stir fried leaves and mix them well with the tofu and garlic-chilli so everything gets mixed evenly. After about 1-2 minutes the leaves will wilt even further. At this point push them on one side of the wok and pour in the sauce mix and stir fry everything thoroughly for another minute and then turn off the heat. Adjust the seasoning if required and serve it with some sweet chilli sauce if you’d like. Feel free to swap the oil to any neutral oil of your choice, the vinegar could also be plain vinegar and the mushroom sauce can also be replaced with some more soy sauce. Mushroom sauce adds a bit of umami so I like to add it. Previous Article Featured Articles Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 19 Sep 2025 Abundance Product of the Month 18 Sep 2025 Recipe Alert – Stir Fried Sweet Potato leaves with Tofu 22 Sep 2025 Food and Agriculture in Auroville, India 18 Sep 2025
Lime Gojjuㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
Did you ever wonder about the origins of that idiom? It’s a little unthinkable that any self-respecting Indian would say something like “namma uurugai-la chenthutom!” or “hum aachaar me hain” and still be thought of as sane, Home » Blog » Recipe Alert! Lime Gojju September 2025 · Deepa Reddy Did you ever wonder about the origins of that idiom? It’s a little unthinkable that any self-respecting Indian would say something like “namma uurugai-la chenthutom!” or “hum aachaar me hain” and still be thought of as sane, right? An old Bon Appetit magazine article cites the venerable OED tracing origins to a strange poem from John Heywood’s 1562 Proverbs and Epigrams, which just needs to be quoted at length: Time is tickell [uncertain] Chaunce is Fickell [fickle] Man is Brickell [brittle] Freilties pickell [frailties preserve] Poudreth Mickell [≈ ‘crap piles up’] Seasonyng lickell [joy decreases]. “Frailties preserving” is interesting, possibly relates to the idea of perishables lasting longer in pickles, but being that being in a pickle is not a good thing like that. It’s the Dutch “in de pekel zitten” that produces the modern meaning of being stuck in brine that’s now pickling you! Thousands of saplings Lettuce bed To pickle the limes before you wind up in a pickle with too many limes, here’s a simple gojju recipe. Gojjus are the Kannada equivalents of thokkus: cooked pickles with a paste-like or finely-minced texture, spiced variously and sometimes thickened with masala powders. So: Lightly toast and powder: 2 teaspoons each chana & urad dal, dry coconut; 1 teaspoon each jeera & dhania; a small handful of dry red chillies Do a quick tempering with mustard, red chilli and curry leaves Fry a few minced onions until translucent, then add the powdered mixture. Follow with 2 cups of lime juice, a cup of jaggery (or to taste), and salt. Allow this to thicken slightly on the flame and then switch off, cool, bottle. This gojju is fantastic with hot rice and ghee or on sandwiches for that spicy-citrus kick! Make it while it’s still raining limes! Previous ArticleNext Article Featured Articles Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 19 Sep 2025 Abundance Product of the Month 18 Sep 2025 Recipe Alert – Stir Fried Sweet Potato leaves with Tofu 22 Sep 2025 Food and Agriculture in Auroville, India 18 Sep 2025
Recipe Alert!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
We get asked this question quite a lot! As Permaculture becomes more and more popular and perhaps projected as a wonderful solution for diversity and abundance, it is a general perception that “being a Permaculture farm” is the next big innovation in farming. Home » Blog » Is AuroOrchard a Permaculture farm? Odia Poi Ghanta (Vegan) August 2025 · Deepa Reddy This is one of those classic mustard paste dishes so beloved in the Anga-Vanga-Kalinga region that is modern-day Bihar, Bengal, Odisha; its constitution changes across borders and becomes a virtual vocabulary of love in its various regional inflections. I’ve made it here following a recipe from Ritu (find the video on her page). Malabar spinach leaves and stems are the dish’s eponymous heroes, but I’ve also used Siru Kizhangu/Potato Yam/Dioscorea Esculenta and tender eggplants. The rest are “desi vegetables”: ridge gourd, red pumpkin, potato is beloved, raw banana wouldn’t be out of place. Roots, shoots, leaves and all besides. Badis (lentil dumplings) are customary in the absence of shrimp – but I didn’t have any, so went without and without complaint. How? Make a paste of 1T each black+yellow mustard seeds, 1T cumin, garlic; leave to bloom. Prep the vegetables, fry the spinach stems and eggplant separately, boil the root vegetables until half-done. Tempering is panch phoron (mustard oil of course), followed by chopped tomatoes. Then the mustard paste, a little water, jaggery, the half-cooked roots in relatively quick succession or mustard turns bitter, the gourds held in reserve. Once those are tender, add in the fried stems and eggplant+the spinach leaves. Mix, simmer, eat with rice! My thanks to Ritu Apa for inspiration+guidance and Lopa & Sheetal for connective details that brought it all together in my head and on my plate. Previous ArticleNext Article Featured Articles Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 19 Sep 2025 Abundance Product of the Month 18 Sep 2025 Recipe Alert – Stir Fried Sweet Potato leaves with Tofu 22 Sep 2025 Food and Agriculture in Auroville, India 18 Sep 2025
Our experiments with food processing
At AuroOrchard, the rhythm of the seasons is not just something we observe—it’s something we taste, preserve, and share. And nature loves being abundantly oversharing. As the farm chef and someone deeply involved in food processing, I have the privilege of working at the convergence of fresh harvest and long-term preservation. My role is about transforming nature’s abundance into flavors that last, while compromising as little as possible on sustainability and nutrition. With mango season in full bloom, every morning I’m met with crates and crates of ripe produce. But as anyone who’s worked with fresh food knows, nature doesn’t wait. Nature loves being abundantly oversharing. That’s where food preservation comes in—drying, fermenting, pickling, and freezing are just a few of the methods we use to stretch the season’s generosity across time. Home » Blog » Our experiments with food processing Our experiments with food processing August 2025 · Reuben At AuroOrchard, the rhythm of the seasons is not just something we observe—it’s something we taste, preserve, and share. And nature loves being abundantly oversharing. As the farm chef and someone deeply involved in food processing, I have the privilege of working at the convergence of fresh harvest and long-term preservation. My role is about transforming nature’s abundance into flavors that last, while compromising as little as possible on sustainability and nutrition. With mango season in full bloom, every morning I’m met with crates and crates of ripe produce. But as anyone who’s worked with fresh food knows, nature doesn’t wait. Nature loves being abundantly oversharing. That’s where food preservation comes in—drying, fermenting, pickling, and freezing are just a few of the methods we use to stretch the season’s generosity across time. Each batch of preserved food is a quiet thank-you—to the land, the farmers, and the unseen hands in the cycle. We do our best to make sure nothing is lost and everything is shared. Whether it’s a jar of lacto-fermented beans, a bundle of dried flowers for tea, or salted pickles that brighten a cold, rainy day, these offerings carry a memory of the sun. Cooking with produce we’ve grown and preserved on-site allows for a deeper, slower relationship with the land. As the seasons turn, I’ll continue sharing small windows into the kitchen and the work behind it. There’s always more to learn—and like nature, I hope to keep being abundantly oversharing. Previous ArticleNext Article Featured Articles Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 19 Sep 2025 Abundance Product of the Month 18 Sep 2025 Recipe Alert – Stir Fried Sweet Potato leaves with Tofu 22 Sep 2025 Food and Agriculture in Auroville, India 18 Sep 2025
Mambazha Morkootan or Pulissery
Choose good quality mangoes-they should be ripe, flavorful, and sweet. This dish relies heavily on the mango taste, so the better the mango, the better the pulisseri. Home » Blog » Mambazha Morkootan or Pulissery Mambazha Morkootan or Pulissery July 2025 · Deepa Reddy Ingredients 2 large and very ripe mangoes ½ coconut grated 1 cup of thick yogurt ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder Salt, to taste A little jaggery to balance the sourness of the mango, if necessary To roast 1 teaspoon raw rice ½ teaspoon fenugreek or methi seeds 1 red chilli (or 1 whole green chilli-add that to the ingredients to grind) To temper 1 tablespoon coconut oil 1 broken red chilli ½ teaspoon mustard seeds ½ teaspoon urad dal ½ teaspoon jeera or cumin seeds A pinch of hing A sprig of curry leaves paticheri_Mangopulisseri Method Choose good quality mangoes-they should be ripe, flavorful, and sweet. This dish relies heavily on the mango taste, so the better the mango, the better the pulisseri. [If your mangoes are on the raw-side-of-ripe, follow the cooked pulisseri method linked below] Peel and chop the flesh or extract pulp by hand. Set aside. Dry roast the rice, methi and red chilli (if you’re using the green, add it to the blended ingredients in the third step). Once the rice turns opaque, transfer to the jar of a blender and pulverise to a powder. Now add the green chilli and mango pieces/pulp to the rice-methi powder; pulse to combine. Add the coconut and pulse again. Add the turmeric, salt, and jaggery to taste, followed by the yogurt. You want the sweet of the mango to stand out, but with hints of chilli, the flavor of methi, and the tang of curd enhanced by salt. Transfer to a serving dish. To temper Heat the oil in a small tempering pan to almost smoking point, and then add the spices in quick succession: red chilli, mustard, urad dal, jeera, hing, curry leaves. Once the curry leaves are crisp, pour this over the pulisseri. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold – but always with warm sevai or hot rice. Previous ArticleNext Article Featured Articles Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 19 Sep 2025 Abundance Product of the Month 18 Sep 2025 Recipe Alert – Stir Fried Sweet Potato leaves with Tofu 22 Sep 2025 Food and Agriculture in Auroville, India 18 Sep 2025
Recipe Alert!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
Golden milk is a good start in the morning. It’s good for gut bacteria and has a lot of benefits. Home » Blog » Recipe Alert Golden milk (turmeric milk) June 01, 2025 · Natalia Why Golden milk? Golden milk is a good start in the morning. It’s good for gut bacteria and has a lot of benefits. Golden milk is a traditional Indian drink that people make with turmeric, which gives it a yellow or gold hue. Golden milk may have several health benefit Boosting the immune system Preventing cell damage Improving mood supporting brain function and improving memo Preventing heart disease Possibly reducing the risk of cancer Lowering blood sugar levels Lowering blood sugar levels Boosting the immune system Improving bone health Aiding digestion How to make it? To make golden milk, a person will need: ½ cup non dairy milk, such as coconut or almond milk 1 tsp turmeric 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp ginger powder 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 pinch ground black pepper (optional) 1 tsp honey Star anise cinemon 1 tsp moringa powder I just add moringa and star anise because I have access to it and it’s healthy – you can add what you feel for. Combine all the ingredients in a pot. Next, bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes or until it is fragrant. To serve, strain the mixture through a fine strainer to remove the spices. Golden milk will keep in the refrigerator for around 5 days.https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/ Previous ArticleNext Article Featured Articles Abundance Product of the Month 22 Oct 2025 Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 22 Oct 2025 Lessons from Auroville Farm Assessment 2023 22 Oct 2025 Recipe Alert!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 22 Sep 2025
Recipe Alert!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
An ordinary omelette with some not-so-ordinary additions, both telling the story of a farm and how it functions except you’d have to take several bites and think on all the different taste-textures that meet your tongue Home » Blog » Recipe Alert! Rocket & Agathi Omelette Feb 14, 2025 · Deepa Reddy An ordinary omelette with some not-so-ordinary additions, both telling the story of a farm and how it functions except you’d have to take several bites and think on all the different taste-textures that meet your tongue—the creaminess of fresh farm eggs; the soft, layered, lightly bitter bite of the petals of Sesbania grandiflora flowers (agathipoo in Tamil), the crunch of onions and the sharpest burst of rucola flavor—to know what I mean. Rocket grows bountifully in AuroOrchard in this season. A few leaves pep and omelette as you see or a sandwich, a few more make a rocket-lifting salad or a pesto, and even more are a simple addition to the humble sambar. True, it’s a pity to cook arugula, but when there’s more than we can use that’s exactly what we do. Thought sambar was just an idli accompaniment? Nah. It’s the medium through which to consume all kinds of usual and unusual ingredients. And rocket has all the virtues of cruciferous vegetables (think: broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts) plus being from your local Auroville farm. It’s also said to reduce insulin resistance, which means it’s good for diabetics and better for general nutrition. Rocket is the cultivated half of this story, agathi flowers are its wilder counterpart, bountiful in this season, too. The trees are a nitrogen-fixing barrier between two planting areas. Locals know the greens as potently medicinal, eaten infrequently to keep GI tract in good health; they’re usually cattle fodder. The flowers are gentler but pack a nutritional punch: high in Calcium, protein, vitamins A and C plus a range of trace minerals the body needs to stay in good overall health. And if not on an omelette, then stir-fried with beans! So, the wild and the cultivated, the raw and the cooked, the bitter and the sweet, the sharp and the creamy—everything in their right proportions for good health and happiness! Previous ArticleNext Article Featured Articles Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 19 Sep 2025 Abundance Product of the Month 18 Sep 2025 Recipe Alert!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 22 Sep 2025 Food and Agriculture in Auroville, India 18 Sep 2025
What’s in seasonㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
Rucola, also called Arugula, is very tasty and delicious. And Auroorchard offers fresh organic Rucola of the best quality. You can eat it raw in salad, pizza, wraps etc. This green nutrient dense food is high in fiber and phytochemicals. Home » Blog » What’s in season What’s in season Feb 07, 2025 · Fresh Arugula from Auroorchard · Natalie A Rodriguez Rucola, also called Arugula, is very tasty and delicious. And Auroorchard offers fresh organic Rucola of the best quality. You can eat it raw in salad, pizza, wraps etc. This green nutrient dense food is high in fiber and phytochemicals. It has several vital nutrients including.Arugula is a member of the Brassica, or Cruciferous, family. This classification includes mostly cruciferous vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, and broccoli. Fresh Arugula salad with tomatoes, olives oils and pomegranate, and so healthy and delicious. Harmony is the key for me. As I joined the management core team of the farm years ago, I discovered the incredible perspectives of what we call “the others”. The difficulties to communicate between different cultures and backgrounds when you have no clue, when you don’t know the codes. I could really sense the various parameters related to the local culture and get rid of many of my conditionings, beliefs. Rucola Has benefits like Calcium, Potassium, Folate, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Vitamin A. Some research associates a high intake of cruciferous vegetables, like arugula, with a lower risk of cancers, including cancers of breast, bladder, lungs, and prostate. (Source: https://www.healthline.com/) Previous ArticleNext Article Featured Articles Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 19 Sep 2025 Abundance Product of the Month 18 Sep 2025 Recipe Alert!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 22 Sep 2025 Food and Agriculture in Auroville, India 18 Sep 2025
