tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85403523455655131152024-02-19T20:55:58.102+05:30Under The Mango Treefacilitating trade...improving lives...protecting bees to protect ourselves..Under The Mango Treehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11838347131808664973noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540352345565513115.post-39366793281535332362012-03-12T21:55:00.000+05:302012-03-12T21:55:52.952+05:30A dip deeper into my bottle of honey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IN">We just came back from our first training programme for farmers living on the Gujarat-Maharastra border. The field trip was an eye-opener: honey doesn't just come with a bottle. It also comes with a story, a wrap of lives in our natural environment, the knowledge of which makes me appreciate my bottle even more.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IN">To share: visiting the homes of the farmers who supply UTMT was key to my perspective. We drove for miles through clusters of villages spread out between large areas of hilly, arid landscapes that looked all the same to me, a city person. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IN">The dry heat of course didn't faze the farmers who squatted under the chaya (shade) of the trees around sucking on caju, the fruit of the cashew tree. The red softness of the skin was like an entree for the yellow juicy flesh inside – a treat for the palette when dipped in salt!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IN">I found the juice energized me enough to climb a hill in search of a natural beehive (although I was not quite at the pace of the farmers who strode through effortlessly.) At the top of the hill, inside a rock, we found our treasure: a beautiful home of the cerana indica, a local bee of Indian origin who prefers to hide in the dark. How were we going to harvest the honey and transfer the bees to a new home (the bee box) in an ahimsa-ic (non-violent) manner? Attar-ji, our scientist-trainer, demonstrated ways that did so with minimal confusion to the bees.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IN">Domesticating a beecolony, I learnt, involves first capturing the rani (queen) whose hormonal powers are enough to suade the rest of the colony into following her helplessly into her new home. While identifying the rani was easy - the biggest and fattest of all the bees - catching her was hard. Only the bravest of the farmers, Manik Aiyer, felt ambitious enough to extend his hand all the way inside the rock while others retired to watch him. Manik's nonchalance for the bees that swarmed all around him and his well-oiled hair (a guaranteed bee irritant), won him the prize and, a crowd of fellow-farmer admirers who ran in exclaiming, “rani pakad gaya! Manik ne rani pakad gaya!”(the queen has been caught! Manik has caught the queen!)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IN">Though the pride of our conquest was high, we were humbled by the beautifully intricate hive the bees had created with pockets of exquisite tasting honey and pollen all mixed together. After Attarji transferred it into the bee box in the gentlest manner possible, I excitedly reached out for a taste of the remainders; only to find the flavor and texture quite delightful and very familiar – much like fruity bubblegum from my childhood days! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IN">The farmers too, were very familiar with this taste but because of a long relationship with these gifts of the land. I admire the closeness they share with the earth: such that they can tell, even with eyes closed, the type of flower the bee has fed on just by tasting the pollen. Or even, the way they can tell a beehive lies inside a tree trunk just by listening closely to the sounds around them. The farmers know every inch of their land as we know our homes and it is this long-developed connection that make them the region's best custodians. Going green in our developmental policies, I realized, is inextricably linked to going local; protecting our environment over the long term requires everyone to be a part of the process. The farmers, UTMT, and me, as a consumer of that bottle of honey...</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span lang="EN-IN">A Field Visit Report, Maya Pillai, </span></div></div>Under The Mango Treehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11838347131808664973noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540352345565513115.post-24278458738580235162011-04-23T13:09:00.000+05:302011-04-23T13:09:28.820+05:30Why do we exist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I am often asked why what we do Under The Mango Tree. <br />
Farming is the main income source of 80% of India’s rural poor. Declining agricultural productivity has put unbearable stress on farming livelihoods, forcing farmers into cycles of debt or abandoning farms to migrate to cities. <br />
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Additionally, bee populations globally are under threat. Their role in agriculture is critical – four out of five foods depend on bees for their reproduction through pollination - their impact on agricultural productivity therefore significant. <br />
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UTMT develops capacities of poor farmers with annual incomes of USD450 add indigenous beekeeping to their activities. Village-level, farmer-friendly training incorporates local knowledge, so that bee management is learned and experienced seasonally. Sustainable support is ensured by a local cadre of “bee-doctors”, intensively trained to support and expand the activity locally. Farms are certified organic & fair-trade, honey and beeswax aggregated by farmers is sold directly to UTMT ensuring buy-back at premium prices. <br />
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</div>Under The Mango Treehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11838347131808664973noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540352345565513115.post-53089658142371048922010-12-22T09:27:00.002+05:302010-12-22T09:27:47.328+05:30Case study of our Bees for Poverty Reduction pilot up on Beekeeping Times....please read about our amazing farmers...<a href="http://beekeepingtimes.com/index.php/news-&-events/development-news/63/304-bees-for-poverty-reduction-pilot-utmt-case-studies">http://beekeepingtimes.com/index.php/news-&-events/development-news/63/304-bees-for-poverty-reduction-pilot-utmt-case-studies</a>Under The Mango Treehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11838347131808664973noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540352345565513115.post-5631033270958415062010-11-24T08:30:00.000+05:302010-11-24T08:30:22.252+05:30What's with our name?People often ask us how we came on the name - <strong><em>Under The Mango Tree</em></strong>. The story goes as follows:<br />
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In Indian villages, especially those located in drought-prone semi-arid regions (60% of India), a tree stands out in the dry space, often a mango tree. <br />
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Under the shade of a mango tree, men and women farmers rest awhile, children tired after playing in the sun take a break, women returning home after filling their water containers stop for a breather. A community bonds. Wandering traders eyeing a potential sale – stop by offering their wares...<br />
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There is discussion, learning and sale...villagers learn about the world outside their own, its changes and its needs...traders understand the life of the rural producer...<br />
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There is trade and sometimes barter...<br />
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Each group - rested, more learned… moves on.<br />
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For a moment in the heat of the day, the shade of the mango tree offers respite!<br />
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And so “Under The Mango Tree” is a metaphor highlighting our mission to support rural livelihoods.Under The Mango Treehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11838347131808664973noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540352345565513115.post-91373433575221972192009-07-09T22:35:00.002+05:302009-07-09T22:38:46.529+05:30Questions we are often asked about Honey<strong>Why do small crystals sometimes form in clear honey?<br /></strong>Around 80% of honey's composition is natural sugars, transformed by the bees from nectar. These natural sugars, which are mainly fructose and glucose, remain liquid at room temperature, but at colder temperatures, the glucose separates from the rest of the sugars and forms small crystals. These are harmless. If you want these crystals to dissolve, simply stand the honey jar in your airing cupboard or a basin of warm water for a little time and - hey presto - they'll disappear!<br /><strong>Should I be worried if my clear honey goes cloudy?</strong><br />No. Any cloudiness in clear honey comes from molecules of air trapped in the thick, golden honey. The flavour is not affected at all. To help these disperse, simply put the jar in your airing cupboard or a basin of warm water for a little time. Is that clear?<br /><strong>Why does set honey sometimes go hard?</strong><br />If you store honey at very low temperatures, it 'frosts'. Frosting is harmless and happens when the natural crystals begin to bond together to form a lattice network - the colder the temperature, the stronger the network, the harder the honey. To soften a frosted honey, it just needs a gentle warming in somewhere like the airing cupboard for a day or so.<br /><strong>Why does set honey sometimes go runny? </strong><br />Usually, heat is the culprit. Honey exposed to direct sunlight or strong heat softens and melts. To make this honey set again, it needs a spell in the fridge for a few hours, after which it'll be perfectly happy - and perfectly delicious - at room temperature.<br /><strong>Why is honey not suitable for infants under 12 months?<br /></strong>Honey is a completely natural food, harvested from some of the world's most beautiful, remote spots. The fact is that an infant's digestive tract isn't quite ready to process some of the naturally-occurring constituents in honey, and this inability could potentially cause constipation followed by general weakness which would, of course, stop baby feeding properly.Under The Mango Treehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11838347131808664973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540352345565513115.post-40447807697843634762009-02-20T19:33:00.007+05:302010-11-24T08:31:38.715+05:30Our Annual Subscription offerTry our sweet subscription offer, where you will receive a new variety of honey every month for the year home delivered. Or gift your loved one a subscription. At Rs. 1700/- inclusive of home delivery (out of Mumbai pay actual courier costs) its an opulent gift full of natural goodness, what better gift for your loved ones? We start with fresh mango honey in march, followed by sweet clover, litchi, mahua, desert bloom etc.<br />
Please call us at 9833154478 or email us at <a href="mailto:utmt.in@gmail.com">utmt.in@gmail.com</a> for more details.Under The Mango Treehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11838347131808664973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540352345565513115.post-62594324545613854972009-02-17T09:04:00.004+05:302009-02-17T09:13:47.777+05:30Of Bees and Honey...at the Kala Ghoda Festival 2009<p>Of bees and honey…<br />Kala Ghoda Festival 2009<br />Sunday, February 8th 2009, 11am to 1pm<br />Parking Lot (opp Rhythm House)<br /></p><p>Under The Mango Tree (UTMT) and Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC) invite you and your family to celebrate bees and honey with us at the Kala Ghoda Festival.<br />Here's a lil' something for everyone…</p><p>Tent I (For Adults)<br />11.00– 11.45am: Prominent Nutritionist Ms. Rujuta Diwekar (Author of forthcoming book, "Don't lose your mind, lose your weight" will talk on why honey is good for you!<br />12.00-1.00pm: 'Cooking with honey' by gastronomy writer and well known food columnist, Ms. Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal, along with tastings.</p><p>Tent II (for Children: 5-10 years)<br />11.15-11.45 am: Face Painting, Slide Show, Web of Life Activity, Bee Dance<br />12.00-1.00pm: Drawing and Painting focusing on bees and the environment.</p><p>Do call Maya (9833666585)/ Sujana (9892005220)/Vijaya (9833154478) for further details. </p>Under The Mango Treehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11838347131808664973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540352345565513115.post-21988618521214359832008-11-26T15:03:00.007+05:302008-11-26T15:29:20.289+05:30Upper Crust 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1Ju1M02YX89tcRs9dh3ellzI8JbJDOYKVtCU_oGN6XzcrjfmhaGgqD6W-gaO4pdMzRw1uT1e3e2ypY0ln8zqISG_qkdtZ_4zEnv3sw32FQmwd7Ks8anw4Kb9ByoZ3vJ_bn_Q3g8-_2Q9/s1600-h/card%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272903492236358834" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 281px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1Ju1M02YX89tcRs9dh3ellzI8JbJDOYKVtCU_oGN6XzcrjfmhaGgqD6W-gaO4pdMzRw1uT1e3e2ypY0ln8zqISG_qkdtZ_4zEnv3sw32FQmwd7Ks8anw4Kb9ByoZ3vJ_bn_Q3g8-_2Q9/s400/card%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Catch us at the Upper Crust Show from December 5th to 7th at the World Trade Center, Mumbai.<br /><br /><br />We will have a variety of honeys on offer - each as distinct as its floral source. In addition to our regular range, we are introducting some newly sourced honeys: Desert Bloom, Chambal Gold, Himalayan Flora and Coorg Coffee. Also available are honey based salad dressing and zippy marinades.<br /><br /><br /><br />This year, in addition our honeys and just in time for your Christmas baking needs, we have organic certified vanilla beans from Gods Own Country as well as Vanilla Bean sugar.<br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>Indulge your gifting sprit by gifting the wealth of nature's bounty to your loved ones... Create personalized gift packs - mix and match honeys with honeycomb beeswax candles made by tribals supported by Keystone Foundation put together in a beautiful hand-crafted jute box. </div><br /><br /><br />See you at our stall this December.</div>Under The Mango Treehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11838347131808664973noreply@blogger.com1