Well, there was a thought brewing in my mind for so long. It was about a visit to a unique farmland where I can taste a wide variety of fruits and vegetables according to my choice. Where I could see beautiful flowers and exotic plants which were not commonly available to all. To my surprise, my dream turned out to be a reality. It is when I was on my journey through Rajasthan, I get to know about a farmland in Jodhpur which is quite similar to what I had hoped for. Mharo Khet is the name of this amazing farm. Also, it is quite astonishing in these times that we get the chance to taste fruits and vegetables freshly plucked from trees and plants which were cultivated purely in an organic manner. A day in Mharo Khet in Jodhpur would surely be an amazing experience.
Jodhpur is termed the blue city of India as many of its buildings were painted in blue. This is a custom which has been going on for so long. Apparently, it’s been done to have relief from the hot temperatures of the day and it helps in keeping the interiors cool in the summer season. There is yet another reason to do so, many of the historical buildings were damaged by the attack of termites. It’s been believed that the blue colour would repel these organisms and protect the homes from their attacks. Having seen some of the most amazing overhead views of the whole of Jodhpur city from Pachetia, I decided to move towards the Mharo Khet to learn more about this amazing farm.
On the way to the farm, I saw some farmers on the field by the side of the road. They were harvesting carrots and upon my request, they allowed me to take the video. It was quite fascinating to see that the carrots were different from the ones we normally buy from the market. In fact, it is pink in colour and it’s larger than the normal size. They gave me some carrots to have and I took them with me and continued my journey.
Mharo Khet doesn’t allow private vehicles to go inside the farm and I was offered a tractor to get to the farm. The office building of the farm is a small mud house with lush sunflower plantations nearby. Mushroom cultivation was the first thing I saw on the farm and it is done inside wet rooms. There were two similar buildings close by and these were covered with jute sacks. These jute sacks are made wet with dripping water pipelines and this helps to maintain the required moisture for Mushroom cultivation.
When I took myself to have a closer view of mushrooms inside the building, I saw wet jute sacks lined within the inner walls of the building. Oyster mushrooms were grown in packets of hay hanging from the roof and they looked amazing. In order to help me in showing the farm, a guy called Prakash has been assigned to me and he was friendly and helpful.
The farm is on 40 acres of land and Rajnush Agarwal owns this fascinating Mharo Khet. His family had this land for so long and they were growing vegetables for their consumption. It is only recently that medicinal plants and several others are grown in a commercial manner. A whole variety of vegetables and fruits are cultivated on this farm and the pomegranate farm looked awesome.
The main highlight of the farm is that it doesn’t involve any chemical fertilizers or pesticides and they make use of pure organic farming methods in getting the yield. The pomegranates lack some colour in appearance, its because they haven’t used any artificial chemicals. In fact, these fruits are not sold in the market, instead we travellers have the option to visit this farmland and we can dine on the farm. People who look forward to seeing modern farming techniques and tasting a variety of organically cultivated produce, you cannot afford to miss out on Mharo Khet. They also have a website available for us to get these organic items.
I was taken next to an illustrious guava farm close to Pomegranates. Sweet and tasty Allahabad guava variant is cultivated here. It was quite refreshing to hear the sound of birds in the vicinity and it felt as if they have come to take their cut. I was quite fascinated to see that each of these guava fruits is covered with a green colour net. Since they were not using any pesticides, covering the fruits will get them protected from birds and insects. When I plucked one guava from a tree, Prakash who has been accompanying me as a guide told me to have it as the fruit is fresh and organic. The taste was superb and then I thought of having it with chilly powder and salt. In the midst of this guava farm, I saw the dining area for the visitors by the shades of these guava trees and it was quite unique and refreshing.
The next section I saw was the drumstick farm, we can buy dried drumstick leaves and drumsticks. When I was going through the farm, Prakash gave me the idea that the drumstick leaves are far more nutritious that the milk. We can make use of fresh drumstick leaves in making a variety of dishes that tastes well with rice. Drumstick trees on the farm are grown only for the leaves and these were pruned and made ready for harvesting leaves.
The lemon farm is another attraction, they have both normal variants as well as the Italian one on the farm and we can pluck it fresh from the trees. A couple of date trees are available on the farm. Apparently, one of them is male and the other one is female. Prakash has informed me of one fascinating feature of these trees, they wouldn’t pollinate naturally and we have to do it artificially.
Women from the local community work tirelessly on the farm in giving this barren land a lush green cover. While walking towards the vegetable farm, I saw a couple of gooseberry trees on the way. Freshly plucked gooseberries taste very sour and juicy. The vegetable farm starts with an area of red chilli cultivation which is indigenous to this part of the world. Unfortunately, sudden changes in climatic conditions made the chillies go withered. The chilli variety is called by the name Mathania chilli and in Jodhpur, there exists a chilli festival prior to the Holly season where people come in large numbers to purchase the chilli. Mathania chilli looks longer when compared to the normal red chilli and it’s more costly.
The Mharo Khet includes more items like beans, leafy vegetables, Spinach, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Beetroot, carrots and so on. Golden beetroot was quite new to me and I felt curious to check out its cultivation. I was given a roll of spinach leaves to taste and the fresh leaves had a slight salt flavour. Chamomile farm is yet another item which is so special as it’s been used for making relaxing chamomile tea.
That brought me to the polyhouse and the first variety I saw was the lettuce. Basil plants were also cultivated in polyhouse. Strawberry seems to be the main attraction of polyhouse and I took this opportunity to taste a few fresh strawberries and it was really tasty. Bell pepper, broccoli and cherry tomatoes were all grown inside the polyhouse. There were some flowers like Nasturtium and Dianthus which looked so beautiful. These are edible flowers and I have tasted Nasturtium flower which has a honey flavour. Parsely and Brussels sprouts were also available in Polyhouse. One thing I have to mention is the small resting shacks which are available across the farm. When we feel tired by walking through the farm, we can make use of these buildings to take rest and have some water.
After completing my farm tour, I had my food served by the guava farm where dining arrangements have been made below the shades of guava trees. The water served with herbal leaves like tulsi, mint etc and flowers felt so refreshing. The starter was stuffed Jalapeno with a mild spicy flavour served with cherry tomatoes and was quite good. Next came a cold soup-like dish made of millet and buttermilk, it has resemblances to that of a traditional Kerala recipe called Pazham Kanji or cold boiled rice with water.
Another special recipe made of carrots without wasting any part of the vegetable has been quite interesting. Even the peeled-off carrot skin is used in this zero-waste carrot recipe. Roasted cabbage and Rajasthani stuffed Daal Baati recipe was also available towards the end. A day in Mharo Khet in Jodhpur has given me such an enthralling experience. If you feel like enjoying a farm tour with your loved ones, Mkaro Khet would surely not disappoint you, in fact, this place would really bring you closer to mother nature.
How to contact Mharo Khet?
Website: https://www.mharokhet.com/
Contact Number: +91 99 500 231 21
Location:
