This season chart we developed last year is a glimpse of seasonal food produce that are value-added in the different women’s groups we work with. You can see why so many of our food products are so often out of stock – it is because they have a narrow harvest season; and since we do […]
A Calendar of Wild Foods Read More »
Every story of every woman at the heart of the enterprise, is a symbol of hope and resilience for us at Forest Post. One winter, we noticed that a Kadar elder we knew in Sholayar grated her East Indian arrowroot (Manjakoova) harvest in the most crude and cumbersome way and ended up with injuries on
The mellow coolant from Sholayar Read More »
Guest Blog by Maya Matthew Bamboo is etched in the cultural identity of forest-dwelling tribes of Kerala. The ornamented combs of the Kadar and Muthuva communities in the Cochin forests have seen mention in old British records. The wearing of the comb has been found among the Kadars of the Cochin State, the Australians,
In search of the Puhaari Read More »
The Muthuvar people in the upper catchment of Chalakudy river (tributary of Periyar in Kerala) are unique in more ways than one. Unlike the Kadar people of the region, who were documented in depth by British anthropologists and surveyors, the Muthuvar folk are agrarian. They largely occupy forested valleys in the neighbouring districts of Idukki
The Edamalayar People Read More »
Receiving the Outlook Traveller Responsible Tourism award under the category of Sustainable Leadership and Conservation got us a bit reflective. The forest produce based enterprise building at Forest Post is an effort to securing Adivasi livelihoods. Although we aren’t sure how much our network of harvester men and women actually understand Forest Rights per say,
Lessons in sustainability Read More »
One December morning, we take a short jeep ride from Vazhachal for a trek up Iruppupara (literally “the rock for sitting”). The agenda: to document the harvest of wild tubers, as part of the People for Nature Fund Fellowship of Reshmita Raman (courtesy Keystone Foundation, Nilgiris). Her father Raman and uncle Jayan lead us through
A HARVEST OF WINTER WILDS Read More »
A short trek along Choorathala trail in the regenerating buffer forests of Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary in the Karuvannur river basin of the Western Ghats. 26th October 2021; Guest Blog: Dr Sreeja KG This far gone into the monsoon, one can spot signs of a forest readying itself for the summer. The wild ginger shoots had
Field Notes from Chimmony Read More »
A friend once suggested I send postcards to the women in these villages, to find out about a harvest season or to intimate them of a production schedule. I just wasn’t sure how many days that would take, or was there a way to ensure it will reach them! And then, would they write back?!
