Product Not available!

Dear Suppliers & Buyers,

This blogger has stopped all enquiries related to apiculture products i.e Honey henceforth. Hence do not post your Honey enquiry.

ORGANIC TERRACE GARDEN PHASE 5-VEG YIELD

Final phase of the vegetables and greens grown in our terrace after a test growing of 90 days of trial and error. Though some of the plants didn't yield to much of expectations, the terrace garden is a source of joy for greens/leafy vegetables due to abundant sunlight available.

PIC 1: BEETROOT YIELD:

PIC 2: CARROT YIELD ( LSQ)

PIC 3: ROUND BRINJAL YIELD(FLOWER-FRUIT)

PIC 4: OKHRA OR LADY'S FINGER

PIC 5: CLUSTER BEANS

PIC 6: RED CHILLIES

PIC 7: FRESH METHI LEAVES

ORGANIC TERRACE GARDEN PHASE 4-VEGETABLE YIELD

METHI LEAVES: This green leafy vegetable is one of the most popular, grown abundant earlier germination from seeds and tasty to consume raw & half cooked either in curries, making parotas, salads etc.,

CORIANDER LEAVES: Usually used for aroma and garnished on top for salads,curries and any good food either vegetarian or non-vegetarian. A necessity daily for the kitchen.

GREEN CHILI FLOWERS

GREEN CHILIES: Used for curries,gravies and garnishing hot and spicy foods.

66th INDEPENDANCE DAY CELEBRATIONS!

GOOGLE'S IDEA OF NATIONAL BIRD-PEACOCK

India our motherland celebrates 66th Independence day celebrations and we wish our nation a very happy independence day . As we move on to our glory of freedom, a question always comes to our mind, 

what is that we look forward a nation to achieve this year? Areas to be looked..

1. Education & Empowerment in remote rural villages.

2. Eradication of Poverty.

3. Improvement in technology in Agriculture.

4. Effective Defense forces.

5. Science & Technology upgradation.

6. Social evils like Female foeticide , Dowry harrassment & Protection to aged parents.

7. New social issues like Male Protection in case of False Anti-Dowry Act.

8. Electricity ,water & sanitation facilities in rural sectors.

9. Non-violence in youth.

10. Misuse of Power,Black money and corruption in the democratic system.

..................

and the list goes on.

The day we are free to implement effective system to curb all the evils of these above issues ,then we can say  we are truly a progressive nation.

Jai Hind! Jai Karnataka! Vande Mataram...

Honey Bee busy on Almond Flower!

A honey bee sitting on an almond flower in the historical Badamwari in Srinagar on Wednesday. (UNI photo)

Older honey bees effectively reverse brain aging when they take on nest responsibilities typically handled by much younger bees, scientists at Arizona State University have found. While current research on human age-related dementia focuses on potential new drug treatments, researchers said that these findings suggest that social interventions may be used to slow or treat age-related dementia.

In a study, a team of scientists from ASU and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, led by Gro Amdam, an associate professor in ASU’s School of Life Sciences, showed that tricking older, foraging bees into doing social tasks inside the nest causes changes in the molecular structure of their brains.

“We knew from previous research that when bees stay in the nest and take care of larvae –the bee babies – they remain mentally competent for as long as we observe them,” said  Amdam.

ORGANIC TERRACE GARDEN-PHASE 3

The vegetable saplings have grown and has started blooming with flowers and fruits.Also leafy vegetables like spinach has started yielding seed formation. Another favourite leafy vegetable of mine is Lettuce which has started sprouting.

My experiment of growing vegetables on terrace under next phase has shown promise of growing more and more vegetables on terrace.

Tomato Fruits

Beans flowering               

Capsicum flowering

Lettuce

Spinach Seed Formation!

Seedless Red Lady Papaya!

What began my passion in growing fruits in our garden has become an eye-opener of nature's mysteries.

I had planted red lady papaya seeds in our garden and the yield in all our papaya plants is seedless fruits. I am still unable to believe this. Can you believe from these pictures taken by me??

Also, I have round shaped red lady papaya fruit tree.

Ripened Red lady papaya fruit

                                     Seedless Red Lady papaya cut into two halves!


Round Red Lady Papaya Tree Yield!

ORGANIC TERRACE GARDEN-PHASE 2

My experiment with Organic Terrace Garden has borne fruit with 90% germination of the seeds and here are the different saplings we have got. With abundant sun and rainfall on the terrace, it is a pleasure to grow organic vegetables and fruits on the terrace.

BEETROOT SAPLINGS

BRINJAL SAPLINGS

CAPSICUM SAPLINGS

SPINACH LEAVES

TOMATO SAPLINGS

How does a Vegetable Lion Roar?

A lion created with vegetables is displayed at the 5th Vegetables Show in Kotagiri !


Pic courtesy: DH

Aam matters in USA

Washington DC: It was quite a sight to see American and Indian businessmen, lobbyists and journalists push, shove and grab their bag of free Indian grown mangoes at the US-India Business Council meet on the sidelines of the 3rd round of the India-US strategic dialogue in Washington DC.

Indian journalists mindful of cultural etiquette picked up just one bag while their ‘Aamerican’ friends snatched as many as they could. There was an ‘aam-bush’ at the table, where a former US ambassador to India was sighted dispersing ‘aamgyan’, to a PYT reporter.

Nostalgic: The two things that Indians in the US miss the most about their country is the smell of wet mud during monsoons and the mango season

Mango diplomacy is no aam matter, as one is well aware, in Washington DC. In 2007 the Bush government eased the way for the import of Indian mangoes to the US.

Irradiated Indian mangoes finally reached American shores but they were so expensive that nobody wanted to buy them. At $40 a box they lie in a corner in most grocery stores waiting for connoisseurs to pick them up. Indian mangoes like Alphonso and Kesar are soft skinned and when they are subjected to irradiation they can only be air freighted, this makes them too expensive.

Indians usually pick up the South American pulpy mangoes at grocery stores which cost half the price. And well, taste like orange coloured cardboard. At Indian restaurants order Mango lassi (or lassey as the Americans call it) and what you get, tastes like shrikhand, with colouring if you know what I mean.

It is no wonder that the two things that Indians in the US miss the most about India are the smell of wet mud during monsoons and the mango season which incidentally coincide, back home.

The Mango months from April to August are what make the Indian summer tolerable. God made it that way. Ask God or Hapoos if you don’t believe me. Over 1000 varieties of mangoes are grown in India but only about 20 varieties are grown commercially, and most Indians know their names by heart.

Having lived in the north but spent summer vacations in the south, I have been lucky enough to have experienced ‘mango cycles’ of both the north and the south. Though products of the north and south are transported fast enough, there is nothing as authentic as eating mangoes fresh off the trees. The Chausa, Daseheri, Langra, Safeda (Benishaan) of the north are fleshy and robust. The Daseheri is a cute and chikni-chameli of a mango.

The south, including the Deccan has the Hapoos or Apoos or Alphonso, Banganapalli, Neelum, Pairi, Kesar. The mangoes of the south are less fibrous and by and large sweeter (barring the Dusseri). But then one can argue till the sun sets which mango is pulpier and which is more fibrous, which is spongy and which has more flavors though less sweet.

Meanwhile besides the Indian mango, what is set to enter the American market is jackfruit. It is this giant fruit of the mulberry family that grows mostly in southern and eastern India, locally called kathal or halsinahannu.

It has a ghastly smell and traditionally is used in idlis, fritters, dried chips and traditional recipes that mostly aunts and grandmothers thrust upon their daughters and daughters-in-law. Now, some Harvard grad student (no less of course) is all set to bring this smelly fruit to the US. And this too shall grace the already crowded Indian grocery shelves. Viva la India! 

 Text Courtesy: Smita Prakash, Mid-Day.

Foreign envoys bowled over by mango magic

Bowled over by the taste of dussehri mangoes, representatives of various foreign missions, who were on a picnic to the orchards of Malihabad, gave a nod for the export of the king of fruits to their countries. 

Ambassadors and consuls of 14 countries who went on the mango-tasting trip were offered a “desi” lunch—besan roti, vegetables cooked over the wood fire, a splash of hot Pudina chatni (mint chatni with extra slices of green chilli) and a glass of cold lassi—not to mention mangoes from the orchards during their trip to Malihabad, 30 km from Lucknow. 

“The mangoes are delicious...the possibilities of their export are bright...I have come here to taste them and promote them in my country,” said Rostylslav V Zatsepilin, consular in the embassy of Ukraine. 

“The climate in our country is not conducive for growing mangoes,” he told Deccan Herald as he strained to climb over the bullock cart for a ride around the orchard.Algerian ambassador Mohammed Hacene echoed similar thoughts. “We grow only three varieties of mangoes back in Algeria. We will be interested in growing such delicious mangoes but we will have to see if it could be grown,”  he said.

Spokesman for the Mango Growers’ Association Siraj Mehendi appeared bullish over theprospects of increasing exports. “Dussheri has a unique taste. We have no competition. This is the first time so many foreign envoys have visited the mango orchard and tasted the fruits,” Mehendi said.

He said the envoys would also be given mango saplings. Visitors to the mango-tasting trip included envoys from Algeria, Iran, Tajikistan, Malawi, Ukraine, Eritrea, Fiji, Surinam and Sri Lanka.

London's Big Ben to be renamed Elizabeth Tower!

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's landmark Big Ben clock tower adjoining the Houses of Parliament will be renamed "Elizabeth Tower" to mark Queen Elizabeth's 60th year on the throne, a parliamentary official said on Tuesday.

The announcement follows four days of celebrations earlier this month to mark the 86-year-old queen's Diamond Jubilee, only the second to be celebrated by a British monarch.

"The House of Commons (parliament) commission welcomed the proposal to rename the clock tower Elizabeth Tower in recognition of Her Majesty the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and will arrange for this decision to be implemented in an appropriate manner in due course," a House of Commons spokesman said.

The ornate, 96-metre high neo-Gothic tower features four gilded clock faces, and was completed in 1859. The tower took its name Big Ben from the giant bell inside, which chimes the famous bongs heard around London's Whitehall government district.

"I think it is a fitting tribute to the Queen and the service she has given to our country in this jubilee year," Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman quoted the prime minister as saying.

Text Courtesy: Yahoo!

Women and their Inventions!

Mary Anderson -Windshield Wiper

Elizabeth Lee Hazen and Rachel Fuller Brown- Nystatin

Stephanie Kwolek -Kevlar

Marie Curie-Radium

Josephine Cochrane- Dishwasher

Hedy Lamarr-Spread Spectrum Technology

Grace Murray Hopper-Compiler and COBOL Computer Language

World Environment Day!

WED A-Z

It takes only a few simple steps to easily green your daily routine and make good eco behavior into a habit!

A Adopt as many eco-friendly lifestyle choices as you can and make them habits for WED!

B
Buy FSC certified products and decrease the trade of exotic wood from endangered forests.

C Create a greenspace wherever you can from the car you drive to the building you live in.

D
Don’t run the water when brushing your teeth. You will save as much as 3 gallons every time! Only 2, 5% of the world’s water is drinkable.

E
Engage in an environmental activity like school or neighborhood beautification or tree planting.

F  Form a tree-planting group with family and friends and commit to planting and maintaining these trees together.

G
Green your office: print double-sided, turn off monitors, start an office recycling program.

H
Host a World Environment Day celebration. Clean up your neighborhood, carpool with friends, have a vegan (no animal products) dinner party!

I
Identify the nature that surrounds you – take note of the beautiful plants and animals that you may not always appreciate. Learn about the amazing ecosystem services they provide.

J
Jog outside and save the energy you would have used on the treadmill!

K
Kick the habit! Don’t print unless it’s absolutely necessary. And when you do print – always print double-sided!

L
Learn more about Brazil, this year’s host country.

M
Mobilize your networks! Message your friends about WED – facebook, twitter, orkut, SMS, text, phone, email – it doesn’t matter how, just get the word out!

N
Nominate a WED Hero from your world. Notify us about the great environmental work they’re doing and why they should be a WED Hero.

O
Optimize the use of your washing machine – use the cold-wash option and significantly save energy and reduce your daily carbon emissions.

P
Plant a tree this year!

Q
Quantify how much money you could save each cold winter if you lowered the temperature inside your home by 2 degrees Celsius. It could reduce your energy consumption by 14 percent!!!

R
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

S Switch your lightbulbs to energy-efficient LED’s. You will see substantial savings on energy bills!

T Think outside of the bottle! Bottled water costs 1900 times more than tap water.

U Use rainwater for your indoor plants – they love it, and you’ll save water at the same time.

V
Visit the Go-Green.ae website regularly and see how you can get involved! Book mark website, subscribe to RSS, Twitter or facebook

W
Whenever you feel like buying books, magazines, or newspapers go to your local library or borrow from friends and neighbors.

X
X-plore! Get out into the forest and enjoy what our planet has to offer.

Y
YOU!

Z
Zip around town on your bike, on public transport, or your own two feet.
Avoid your car whenever possible – it’s cheaper!

Why did the British call "Mango" a Bathroom Fruit?

A bathroom fruit?! The British tried to distort the name for mango, the king of fruits. The late Dr. M S Randhawa once wrote that the British did not savour the sight of Indians squatting on the floor and sucking on mangoes, with the juice flowing down their elbows. They often referred it to as the 'bathroom fruit.' And they would ensure that the Indian staff in their houses (during the British Raj) would eat mangoes only in the bathroom.

Indian culture is replete with references to the mango. Found in art, poetry, literature and anecdote, the mango has come to symbolize the coming of summer, the season of romance, and a time of abundance when everything is in bloom and the air is rich with the joyful singing of koels.

Indian literature is replete with imagery of mangoes and the koel which signifies spring and the stirring of summer, where all trees are loaded with flowers and everything everywhere is in bloom, with the koel singing from every branch. The koel and mango are entwined to depict bountiful times— a time of joy and plenty.

The mango trees have flowered,These are times of togetherness, and my beloved is not very far..."

Kalidasa and the mango romance. Kalidasa’s lusty-busty verse is ripe with koel-mango references. In one of them, the male koel is drunk on mango nectar and recharged , he begins the courting.The aroma of mango buds only heightens this effect.

Courtesy: Yahoo!

Congratulations for our Alphonso Referral!

Our 2nd winner for referring Alphonso mangoes to their friends,family and neighbourhood.

Sapna Shankar wins 1 box of Alphonso goodies.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! and many more to follow.

Day 13-Alphonso Mango Customers!

Our Repetitive Customers for Alphonso & Raspuri :

Sapna Shankar, Max New York Life Insurance.

Day 12-Alphonso Mango Customers!

Our Repetitive Customers:

1. Nilgiris

2. Max New York Life Insurance

Day 11-Alphonso Mango Customers

Our Repetitive Customers:

1.Sapna & Shankar-Max New York Life Insurance.

2.Mrs.Pavithra

TajMahal in Sweet Limes!

A replica of Taj Mahal created with sweet limes at the 52nd Fruit Show in Coonoor!

Day 10-Alphonso Mango Customers!

Our Repetitive customer:

Mrs.Manju, HSR Layout.

 

Day 9- Mangoes in Supermarkets!

Our customer 'Nilgiris' who tasted our mangoes have become our 'client' to stock and store as a retail outlet for mangoes .

Congratulations to 'Nilgiris' for trusting us and winning the customer's confidence.

The following variety of mangoes is available in 2kg family boxes in Nilgiris.

1. Alphonso

2. Raspuri

3. Sindhura

Congratulations to our Alphonso Referrals!

When the product is good it sells itself ! This was the marketing jargon text I had read during my MBA classes and now I am seeing and experiencing it. Seeing is Believing!!!

Customers who have tried and tasted our Alphonso mangoes are buying repetitively and also volunteering recommendation of the product to their friends and families.

We @ Aam-Sutra sincerely thank all our referrals and we have induced a appreciation gift of 1 free Alphonso box for every ten family boxes of mangoes.

Our first team winning for this weekend are:

1. Ms.Pavithra

2. Prof.Balagangadharan

3. Mr. Ashok

4. Mr. Prakash

Note: Photo exhibits of today's winner of free Alphonso box in Photogallery page.

Day 8-Alphonso Mango Customers

Our Repetitive Customers:

1. Organisation-NIFT

2. Mr.Nambiar , HSR Layout.

Our Referral Customer-Organisation:

Mrs.Pavithra , Max New York Life Insurance.

Fresh Mango Stock arrived!

Raw organic mangoes of different variety have arrived today from Srinivasapura for grading ,packing and distribution to several outlets from our office.

The varieties are :

1. Alphonso

2. Raspuri

3. Sindhura

The mangoes are graded and collected in different crates to identify the variety,size,ripening condition,colour code etc.It is then weighed /packed for distribution.

Here are the Exhibits.

Raspuri Mangoes                                    Sindhura Mangoes

    Alphonso Mangoes in Crates   

         

Semi-ripened Mangoes in Crates

Day 7: Alphonso Mango Customers

Our Repetitive Customers:

1. Organisation: NIFT

2. Organisation: BWSSB


New Customer:

1.Organisation : Rippsons

Day 6-Alphonso Mango Customers

Our Repetitive Customers:

Organisation: NIFT

Organisation: BWSSB

Day 5- Alphonso Mango Customers

Our Loyal Customers:

1. Mr.Sachin

Referal Customers from Organisations:

1. Max New York Life Insurance

SUPERMARKET: NEW CUSTOMER

NILGIRIS

Day 4 : Alphonso mango customers!

We thank our repeated customers from the last year who bought alphonso mangoes and have shown loyalty this year also.

1. Mr.Nambiar, HSR Layout.

2. Organisation- BWSSB

3. Organisation- NIFT

4. Organisation-EFI

NEW CUSTOMER:

1. Organisation-Max New York Life Insurance

Day-4 Alphonso Mango Samples to Mumbai !

'Alphonso' mangoes, grown in Kolar have been despatched today to my client in Mumbai. Hope they like our mangoes and my dreams of exporting Karnataka grown 'Alphonso' mangoes comes alive!

Organic Mango-Live packing and grading at our office!

Organic Mangoes from Srinivasapura are popular for its taste and pulp. The farmers this time have made up their mind to do live packing,weighing and grading at our office for the benefit of customers to earn their trust in quality and delivery.

The mangoes are of without 'carbide' used for ripening and they are allowed to natural ripening devoid of any chemical substance.

Good step from the farmers of Srinivasapura! Here are the exhibits of today's activity at our office.

GRADED ALPHONSO MANGOES: EXPORT QUALITY

Exhibit 1: Farmer Grading the mangoes.

Exhibit 2: Farmer weighing the mangoes in an electronic weighing machine.

Exhibit 3: Farmer packing the mangoes.(Family pack of 3.25kg)

Alphonso Mango stock arrived!

Alphonso,king of Mangoes season has started and what a joy to inhale the aroma of the fruit.

Our family and friends who have tasted the mangoes last year are revisiting again this year to buy the mangoes.

Welcome King of Alphonso.