2023 Kanoka Assam

We apply organic principles, using smoke, chilli ginger spray and black pepper water to treat insects. The land is fertilized with the dung from our seven cows, and we sometimes place dung in cow horns which, when buried, creates a bacteria that you can spray. My belief is that after 4 years of following a pattern of farming you have reset a cycle. Keeping environmental harmony is the most important factor in long-term organic farming

Further insight from our time at Kanoka 
[not in the book!]

Michelle : 'One of the most wonderful parts of travelling to source tea are the delicious treats cooked up for us in the Tea House kitchen.  Extraordinary dishes are predominantly [but I will add not exclusively] whipped up for us by the women in the community and wow can they cook.  Generations of knowledge is passed down, an understanding of local ingredients and how to live by the seasons governs the menu. The snacks at Kanoka were really quite legendary. This was Pompee's story : many of you enjoy our version of her black rice porridge everyday at the Tea House.'

Pompee [pictured below] : 'My full name is Pompee Borah.  I was born in a small village called Tengapthar.  My father is a teacher and my mother is a housewife.  Traditionally we call boiled black rice 'Kheer' and the Assamese name of the small sweet syrupy balls that I made for you 'Rasgulla'.  I really love to eat rasgula with tea.  It was my mother who taught me how to make black rice khreer'  

Like many of the skilled and smart women I meet at smaller tea gardens Pompee works alongside Pallab at this small garden.  She also undertakes other activities in the vicinity of the garden that aim to improve life for others in the area.  One such initiative is the management of an NGO to help poorer children in the area to be independent and improve their prospects to earn in the future