No. 42, Chowdary Nagar Main Road,
Valasaravakkam, Chennai-87
Cell: 78109 86933 / 78108 96933 / 93810 61000
E-mail: kumaarholidays1.com
Website: www.kumaarholidays.com
Over twelve varieties of spices including ginger, garlic, cardamom, vannilla, pepper, cinnamon, coffee, tea, clove and nutmeg is cultivated in Munnar and its neighbouring villages.
Cardamom
Temperature : 10°C - 25°C.
Rainfall required : 1500 mm.
Propagation : Seedlings and vegetative propagation.
Pollinating agent : The honey bee.
Harvest season : October to February.
A cardamom plant normally starts bearing capsules from the third year of planting. The harvested capsules are rubbed on wire mesh and polished before they are graded and stored in polythene-gunny bags to retain the green colour and to avoid exposure to moisture.
Pepper
Temperature : Tolerance -10° C to 40° C. (Optimum -20°C to 30°C)
Rainfall required : 2500 mm.
Propagation : Stem cutting.
Important varieties : Panniyur -1, Karimunda, Kuthiravally, Arakkulam Munda, Balankotta and Kalluvally.
The pepper plant grows best in a warm and humid climate. Berries mature and are ready for harvest in about 180 to 200 days. Black pepper is produced by sundrying the mature pepper berries for 3 - 5 days after they are separated from the spikes by threshing and white pepper by retting mature berries in clean water for 5 - 7 days, removing the outer skin and drying the seed after thorough washing.
Clove
Clove trees begin to bear flowers 7-8 years after planting. Unopened flower buds are carefully picked when they turn from green to pink. The buds are then allowed to dry for 4-5 days till they become crisp and dark brown in colour.
Vanilla
Rainfall required : 1500 -3000 mm
Propagation : Shoot cutting.
Pollination : Artificial.
The rostellum of the flower is pushed back with a pointed bamboo splinter and the overhanging anther is pressed against the stigma with the thumb, thus smearing pollen over it. The ideal time for pollination is 0600 to 1300 hrs.
A tropical orchid, this requires a warm climate with frequent rains. Vanilla grows best in uncleared jungle areas where it can get filtered sunlight. A creeper, the plant requires support up to height of about 135 cm. The plant usually begins to flower by the third year. The bean takes 10 to 12 months to reach full maturity.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon plants are ready for harvest about 3 years after planting. Harvesting is done twice in a year - in May and November. The bark of the cut down shoots is split on the day of harvest itself and dried in the sun for 2 - 5 days. The dry quills or bark are packed in bundles for trade. Leaves and tender twigs are used for extraction of oil by distillation.
Nutmeg
The Nutmeg tree bears fruit throughout the year, but peak harvest season is from December to May. The nuts split open when the fruits are fully ripe. After dehusking, the red feathery aril (mace) is removed, flattened out and dried in the sun for 10 - 15 days. The nuts are dried separately for 4 - 8 weeks till the kernels rattle within the shells.
GINGER
Ginger is the rhizome of the plant "Zingiber officinale", consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It is from the family "Zingiberaceae".
Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and
galangal. Ginger cultivation began in South Asia and has since spread to
East Africa and the Caribbean. It is sometimes called root ginger to
distinguish it from other things that share the name ginger. Ginger
produces a hot, fragrant kitchen spice. Ginger powder is also used in
certain food preparations, particularly for pregnant or nursing women.
Fresh ginger is used for treating acute bacterial dysentery, baldness,
malaria, poisonous snake bites, rheumatism, migraine headache, and
toothaches. Dried ginger is used for chest pain, low back pain, and
stomach pain. Some people pour the fresh juice on their skin to treat
burns. The oil made from ginger is sometimes applied to the skin to
relieve pain.
GARLIC
"Allium sativum",
is the scientific name of garlic, is a species in the onion genus,
Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and
rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, Garlic is widely used around the
world for its pungent flavor as a seasoning or condiment. Garlic is rich in antioxidants,
which help destroy free radicals -- particles that can damage cell
membranes, interact with genetic material, and possibly contribute to
the aging process as well as the development of a number of conditions,
including heart disease and cancer. Free radicals occur naturally in the
body, but environmental toxins (including ultraviolet light, radiation,
cigarette smoke, and air pollution) can also increase the number of
these damaging particles. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and may
reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause over time.
COME & ENJOY MUNNAR
THE AIR IS FULL OF SPICES
KUMAAR HOLIDAYS
No. 42, Chowdary Nagar Main Road,
Valasaravakkam, Chennai-87
Cell: 78109 86933 / 78108 96933 / 93810 61000
E-mail: kumaarholidays1.com
Website: www.kumaarholidays.com
No comments:
Post a Comment