While you can use spices and herbs like tulsi to sprice up your morning cup of tea or sip on Kashmiri Kahwa, you can also get your much-loved fruit dose by making hot fruit punches

                                       10-best hot beverages 

                         

Winter is a season of indulgence. Period. Besides the numerous festivities, it is also a time when the body craves for hot and sizzling food and beverages, almost perpetually. You can’t help but cuddle on a sofa with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, or bite into golden fried pakoras and buttery parathas to keep the chill away.

The best way to heat up the body from within is to sip on hot beverages spiked with warming spices or even alcohol. Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and peppers work like magic, and the flavours are such that they easily blend in with other ingredients used for the making of the beverages, including coffee, tea and liquor.

While you can use spices and herbs like tulsi to sprice up your morning cup of tea or sip on Kashmiri Kahwa, you can also get your much-loved fruit dose by making hot fruit punches. If you are a chocolate lover, try using white chocolate instead for a little variation or playing around with spices and even chillies to turn up the heat. Those of you who prefer desi flavours, there’s nothing more satisfying than a strong cup of masala chai or kesari doodh to keep warm. Or if alcohol keeps you going in this cold season, you can make a number of delicious hot cocktails using rum, brandy and Bailey’s and get the party started.

We have put together a list of our 10 best hot beverages for winter to beat the chill. Here goes -

1. Hot Fruit Punch
Recipe by Chef Roopa Gulati

Stir up this soul soothing drink made with fruit juice and warm ingredients like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and jaggery. This will keep you cozy on those chilly days. For the recipe, click here.


2. Hot White Chocolate
Recipe by Chef Kunal Kapur

Blessing in a mug! That's exactly what this steaming, hot white chocolate is. All you need is four ingredients and 10 minutes to find your way to warm, woolly, fuzzy heaven. For the recipe, click here.



3. Kahwa
Recipe by Chef Kishore D. Reddy

A comforting hot beverage that hails from beautiful Kashmir. Here, Kahwa leaves are simmered in water with cinnamon, cardamom and the added crunchiness of almonds. For the recipe



4. Spiced Coffee
Recipe by Chef Roopa Gulati

Need your daily cup of coffee? Give it a desi twist using ginger and cardamom to turn up the heat



5. Kesaria Doodh
Recipe by Chef Niru Gupta

A hot milk beverage flavoured with saffron and cardamom.



6. Spiced Rum
Recipe by Shatbhi Basu

Dark rum blended with hot apple juice and cinnamon. Perfect to snug with on a cold evening.



7. Irish Coffee
Recipe by Aashna Ahuja

Irish coffee is a bewitching combination of sweet, whisky-laced coffee through softly-whipped cream. Very simple, very indulgent, very delicious.



8. Hot Apple Punch
Recipe by Chef Niru Gupta

A light and warm, apple flavoured drink to sip on when it gets chilly.



9. Bailey’s Delight
Recipe by Plavaneeta Borah

Sweet and creamy, with the kick of alcohol, this beverage is perfect for winters giving you something delicious to sip on as well as warming you up from within.



10. Masalewali Chai
Recipe by Chef Niru Gupta

Brew up an aromatic cup of tea made with the goodness of cardamon and ginger.

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The Date Harvest & Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Dates

The Date Harvest & Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Dates

                                         

The date season really begins early in the year when we clean up the trees after the end of the dormant period. At this time, we have to start by cutting the thorns off of the date fronds. They say that everything in the desert protects itself by stinging, biting, or poking. And the date trees are no different. They have thorns that are approximately 4 to 5 inches long, and can easily pierce thru a truck tire. So the very first thing we do is to remove the thorns to make it possible to work in the date trees.

 The Sex Life of a Date

Date Palms are unique in that they are either a male tree or a female tree. The male trees produce pollen, and the female trees produce flowers. Unfortunately, neither birds or bees are attracted to the flowers, so the females have to be hand pollinated.

During the later part of February we begin to watch for the sheaths on the male trees to begin splitting open. We check each tree every single day. As soon as a sheath on a male tree begins to open, it is tied with string to hold it together, and removed from the tree.

Here you get a much better view of the pollen because the sheath is split wide open. Once the sheath on the male tree opens, we will cut the whole sheath out of the tree, then hang it upside down to dry. Once the pollen has dried to a very fine powder, we sift it into a large air-tight container for storage.

A male sheath that has been removed from the tree. Notice the small split where it is starting to break open. This sheath probably weighs close to 10 pounds.

The Female trees have the same kind of sheath, and as they begin to flower, we will remove the sheath and separate each strand.

We then tie the strands together and hand pollinate the flowers using the fresh pollen that we have collected from the male trees. We use a small ketchup squirt bottle for this process. We pollinate each female tree at least three times.

 

Around April or May, as the fruit begins to "bud" on the strands, we will begin the thinning process.

First, we open up each bunch of strands that we have tied together, and cut out the middle, leaving only the outside strands. Then we remove about 60% of the dates from each strand. This allows better air flow, and the chance for each individual date to grow to it's optimum size.

It is not unusual for the temperatures to be above 100 degrees during May when we are thinning, and closer to 120 degrees during the date harvest, so most of our date workers will wear long sleeved shirts and long pants, and cover their faces with bandannas to protect themselves from both the sun and the heat.

This is a strand of Medjool Dates before being thinned. By removing the majority of the dates, the ones that are left will have enough room to grow to a much larger size.

This is the same strand of dates. As you can see, there are a lot less dates on the strand, but the number of pounds per tree will be the same, it's just that the dates will be significantly larger.

 

Watering and Irrigating the Date Trees

Date trees take as much water as a willow tree, yet they cannot tolerate rain or humidity. That's why dates have to be grown in the hot desert, where our average rainfall is less than 3 inches per year, and our summer temperatures reach nearly 120 degrees.

The ground around the date trees has to be kept clear of grass and weeds which cause humidity. Special "borders" are built up around the trees in order to flood irrigate and contain the water at the root of the tree.

This special border disker scoops up the sand and forms a border around the date trees.

These borders keep the water where it is needed, at the root of the date trees. Each tree requires approximately 60,000 gallons of water per year, but only at its roots!

You could think of it as someone who likes to wade in the water, but doesn't want to get their hair wet!

 

The borders help conserve water and eliminate grass and weeds throughout the grove.

Bags & Bunches

Our foreman is holding a small "bunch" of dates that has been cut down from the tree. Notice the thickness of the main stalk. This picture was taken early last August, before the dates had ripened.

A bunch of dates (not Medjools) just prior to the date harvest.

 

Around the beginning of August, the Medjool Dates are covered with a white muslin bag to protect the dates from birds and insects. The bags also help to catch any dates that ripen prior to the beginning of the date harvest.

Because each bunch is quite heavy, the fronds below the date bunches are positioned to help hold the weight of the dates.

 

Transplanting Date Pups

All of our date trees are grown from pups (offshoots from the parent tree). This guarantees that both the tree and the fruit produced will be identical to the parent. It takes between 6 to 8 years before the pups will be big enough to transplant, and then another six or seven years before they will begin to produce.

 

To make it easier to separate the pups from the parent tree, we have attached a special chisel to the backhoe. The backhoe can exert quite a bit more force then an individual worker.

 

A date pup partially separated from it's parent tree.

 

After the new pups have been planted, they are given a "flat top" haircut, and wrapped in cardboard to protect the heart. They will receive a constant flow of water thru a drip irrigation system.

 

The Date Harvest

Although many date farms still use ladders, we use a U-Shaped basket on a forklift to reach the dates. We will be able to utilize this method until the trees are approx. 40 ft. tall.

 

The forklift will be parked at the base of the tree, so that the tree trunk is positioned between the forks. The basket will then be lifted to an appropriate height so the dates can be easily harvested.

 

As the basket is being lifted into the tree, the pickers are holding plastic trays that will be suspended from a branch so that they will hang underneath the date bunches while they harvest the dates.

 

Once the trays are in place the pickers will untie the bottom of the bags covering the dates and shake out any dates that have already ripened and fallen off the strands.

(If you look at the bag to the far left side of the picture, you can see that all of the dates have ripened and fallen to the bottom of the bag. This is unusual, as most Medjool dates have to be individually removed from the strands by hand.)

 

Once the tray is full, it will be lowered down and an empty tray will be sent back up.

 

The full trays will be emptied into a larger screened tray, then taken to the processing area for sorting.

 

The dates are brought in from the grove in either these large wooden screen trays, or else in smaller black plastic trays.

 

Most of the dates come in from the grove already ripe, but occasionally we get some that are still yellow. These yellow dates have to be left out in the heat (not the sun) to finish ripening.

 

(We do receive a lot of requests for "yellow dates" but we don't sell them at that stage because it is impossible to guarantee that the dates will not have finished ripening by the time they are received.)

 

The dates that have to be left in the heat to ripen have to be sorted individually as each date will ripen at its own pace.

 

The dates are then emptied from the trays onto a shaker table that rocks gently back and forth. The table is covered in wet terry cloth towels. As the dates roll very slowly down the table, they are cleaned by the wet towels. (Of course, the towels are changed frequently throughout the day.)

 

The dates then roll onto a conveyor belt where they will be sorted by size and quality.

 

From there the dates are then packed and moved into cold storage until they are sold.

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Neem Tree Helth benefits of Neem Tree Agreeculture of India

                                         Neem 

 Neem also known as Azadirachta indica, Nimtree, and Indian Lilac is a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is one of two species in the genus Azadirachta, and is native to India and the Indian subcontinent including Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It is typically grown in tropical and semi-tropical regions. Neem trees now also grow in islands located in the southern part of Iran. Its fruits and seeds are the source of neem oil

Neem is a fast-growing tree that can reach a height of 15–20 metres (49–66 ft), and rarely 35–40 metres (115–131 ft). It is evergreen, but in severe drought it may shed most or nearly all of its leaves. The branches are wide and spreading. The fairly dense crown is roundish and may reach a diameter of 15–20 metres (49–66 ft) in old, free-standing specimens. The neem tree is very similar in appearance to its relative, the Chinaberry (Melia azedarach).

The opposite, pinnate leaves are 20–40 centimetres (7.9–15.7 in) long, with 20 to 31 medium to dark green leaflets about 3–8 centimetres (1.2–3.1 in) long. The terminal leaflet is often missing. The petioles are short.

The (white and fragrant) flowers are arranged in more-or-less drooping axillary panicles which are up to 25 centimetres (9.8 in) long. The inflorescences, which branch up to the third degree, bear from 150 to 250 flowers. An individual flower is 5–6 millimetres (0.20–0.24 in) long and 8–11 millimetres (0.31–0.43 in) wide. Protandrous, bisexual flowers and male flowers exist on the same individual tree.

The fruit is a smooth (glabrous), olive-like drupe which varies in shape from elongate oval to nearly roundish, and when ripe is 1.4–2.8 centimetres (0.55–1.10 in) by 1.0–1.5 centimetres (0.39–0.59 in). The fruit skin (exocarp) is thin and the bitter-sweet pulp (mesocarp) is yellowish-white and very fibrous. The mesocarp is 0.3–0.5 centimetres (0.12–0.20 in) thick. The white, hard inner shell (endocarp) of the fruit encloses one, rarely two or three, elongated seeds (kernels) having a brown seed coat.

Neem oil is a vegetable oil pressed from the fruits and seeds of the neem (Azadirachta indica), an evergreen tree which is endemic to the Indian subcontinent and has been introduced to many other areas in the tropics. It is the most important of the commercially available products of neem for organic farming and medicines.

Neem oil varies in color; it can be golden yellow, yellowish brown, reddish brown, dark brown, greenish brown, or bright red. It has a rather strong odor that is said to combine the odours of peanut and garlic. It is composed mainly of triglycerides and contains many triterpenoid compounds, which are responsible for the bitter taste. It is hydrophobic in nature; in order to emulsify it in water for application purposes, it must be formulated with appropriate surfactants.

Azadirachtin is the most well known and studied triterpenoid in neem oil. The azadirachtin content of neem oil varies from 300ppm to over 2500ppm depending on the extraction technology and quality of the neem seeds crushed. Nimbin is another triterpenoid which has been credited with some of neem oil's properties as an antiseptic, antifungal, antipyretic and antihistamine. Neem oil also contains several sterols, including (campesterol, beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol).

Neem oil is not used for cooking purposes. In India, it is used for preparing cosmetics (soap, hair products, body hygiene creams, hand creams) and in Ayurvedic, Unani and folklore traditional medicine, in the treatment of a wide range of afflictions. The most frequently reported indications in ancient Ayurvedic writings are skin diseases, inflammations and fevers, and more recently rheumatic disorders, insect repellent and insecticide effects.

Traditional Ayurvedic uses of neem include the treatment of acne, fever, leprosy, malaria, ophthalmia and tuberculosis. Various folk remedies for neem include use as an anthelmintic, antifeedant, antiseptic, diuretic, emmenagogue, contraceptive, febrifuge, parasiticide, pediculocide and insecticide. It has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of tetanus, urticaria, eczema, scrofula and erysipelas. Traditional routes of administration of neem extracts included oral, vaginal and topical use. Neem oil has an extensive history of human use in India and surrounding regions for a variety of therapeutic purposes. Puri (1999) has given an account of traditional uses and therapeutic indications and pharmacological studies of this oil, in his book on neem.

Names for this plant in various languages include;

• Arabic - Neeb, Azad-darakhul-hind, Shajarat Alnnim
• Assamese - Neem
• Bengali - Nim
• English - Margosa, Neem Tree
• French - Azadirac de l'Inde, margosier, margousier
• German - Indischer zedrach, Grossblaettiger zedrach
• Gujarati - Dhanujhada, Limbda
• Hausa - Darbejiya, Dogonyaro, Bedi
• Hindi - Neem
• Kannada - Bevu
• Kiswahili - Muarubaini
• Malay - Mambu
• Malayalam - Ariyaveppu
• Manipuri - Neem
• Marathi - Kadunimba
• Myanmar - Burma- Tamar
• Nepal - Neem
• Persian - Azad Darakth e hind, neeb, nib
• Portuguese - Nimbo, Margosa, Amargoseira
• Punjabi - Nimm
• Sanskrit - Arishta, Pakvakrita, Nimbaka
• Sinhala - Kohomba
• Somali - Geed Hindi
• Tamil - Veppai, Sengumaru
• Telugu - Vepa 
• Thai - Sadao
• tulu-besappu
• Urdu - Neem 

As a vegetable

Neem is used in parts of mainland Southeast Asia, particularly in Cambodia aka sdov Laos (where it is called kadao), Thailand (where it is known as sadao or sdao), Myanmar (where it is known as tamar) and Vietnam (where it is known as sầu đâu and is used to cook the salad gỏi sầu đâu). Even lightly cooked, the flavour is quite bitter and the food is not enjoyed by all inhabitants of these nations, though it is believed to be good for one's health. Neem gum is a rich source of protein. In Myanmar, young neem leaves and flower buds are boiled with tamarind fruit to soften its bitterness and eaten as a vegetable. Pickled neem leaves are also eaten with tomato and fish paste sauce in Myanmar.The tender shoots and flowers of the neem tree are eaten as a vegetable in India. A souplike dish called Veppampoo charu (Tamil) (translated as "neem flower rasam") made of the flower of neem is prepared in Tamil Nadu. In West Bengal, young neem leaves are fried in oil with tiny pieces of eggplant (brinjal). The dish is called nim begun and is the first item during a Bengali meal that acts as an appetizer. It is eaten with rice.

Benefits

1.Neem is used in vitiated pitta conditions, hyperdipsia, leprosy, skin diseases, eczema, leucoderma, pruritus, intermittent fever, wounds, and ulcers, burning sensation, tumors, lymph tuberculosis, anorexia, vomiting, dyspepsia, intestinal worms, liver, cough, bronchitis, inflammation and fatigue.

2.Neem products have medicinal properties that have proven to be anti-diabetic, anti-fungal, antiviral, antibacterial, and sedatives and anti-fertility.

3. Patients suffering from chickenpox are recommended to sleep on Neem leaves.
Are known to neutralize more than 500 worldwide pests, including insects, mites, ticks and nematodes, affecting their behaviour and physiology.

4. Neem tree Gum is used as a bulking agent to prepare special food for diabetics. Its branches are used for cleaning teeth.

5. Neem oil is used for the preparation of cosmetics such as creams, shampoo, soap, balms, etc. which are useful for treatment of acne, to maintain skin elasticity, and skin care.

6. Neem leaf extract is useful in the treatment of malaria and blood purification.

7. A decoction can be prepared from the roots of the Neem tree and is taken to relieve fever.
The paste of Neem leaves is applied on the skin to treat acne.

8. Neem leaves are added to the bath to help the skin to maintain perfect condition, the leaf extract have an anti-bacterial properties and regular use can cure many types of skin diseases.

9. Neem helps prevent hemorrhoids by helping the body rid itself of waste and prevent constipation (which is probably one of the leading cause’s particular of hemorrhoids). If applied topically to external hemorrhoids, which will soften and help to manage bleeding and itching. Thanks to its soothing properties of anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and pain.

10. The crushed leaves of Neem are applied to lacerated wounds, because of its antiseptic properties, along with its power to promote healthy granulation tissue and scar healing.

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Ker or Kera , Kair The best fruits come from the March-April crop

                                   Ker or Kair

Kair holds exceptional importance in several north Indian communities: the tree offers shade and solace from the scorching desert sun, prevents soil erosion, feeds the locals (and their livestock), provides building materials and medicinal remedies, offers employment through harvesting, and is even considered holy by certain tribes. Indeed, newly married couples give prayers in front of the tree, and they’re often placed throughout cemeteries and crematoriums.

Origin of Ker

Identifying the precise country of caper’s origin is near impossible, and in fact, the range of the fruit’s native habitat is wide. Many variants of capers are native to the Mediterranean basin in the west, parts of North Africa, and as far east as Central Asia. As a condiment, capers date back over 5,000 years.

Capparis decidua’s native region is a bit more limited, but not by much—it’s native to several countries including Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Jordan, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa and Sudan.

Availability of Ker in India

Ker grows wild and unattended throughout India’s arid northwest regions. In Rajasthan and Gujarat, the little berry is a staple within the rural economies. Over 7,000 tonnes of fruit are produced in the Rajasthan districts of Jodhpur and Bikaner alone.

A prime reason for the fruit’s significance is the tree’s ability to survive in regions where no other vegetation can: Indeed, its only growing requirements are low rainfall, shallow soils, and dry, hot temperatures.

Ker shrubs bear fruit two to three times a year, from March through April, and again from May through July. If the shrub bears for a third time, it will occur during the winter months from October through November.Heaviest fruiting occurs right before the monsoons arrive. As a survival mechanism, highest fruiting happens during the driest times of the year.

Where to find Ker in India

Ker seldom makes its way outside of India’s desert regions of the north, though southern markets receive occasional shipments when in season. Ker then becomes available in small to mid-size stores with decent varieties of vegetables. Unfortunately, the fruits shipped to the south are typically the large, poorer quality berries.

In the north, it’s exceptionally easy to find ker—almost every menu in Rajasthan, for instance, offers a dish featuring the fruit. The berry is most often available to consumers in its dry form, though finding fresh berries to pluck from the shrub isn’t difficult. The only challenge finding fresh ker berries in these instances is getting to the fruits before the roaming camels, goats and birds devour them.

The best fruits come from the March-April crop, and the fruits from the winter crops are of significantly poorer quality

Checking for Ripeness in Ker

Ker berries ripen from a small, green berry no bigger than a peppercorn to a much larger caper the size of a blueberry. When at its largest, the fruit ripens from green to white, lastly settling on a light cherry red.

Taste of Ker

Kairi is seldom eaten out of hand on account of its bitter, acrid taste. One bite inundates the mouth with a hot, peppery sensation. Peeling the fruit helps its edibility, but not by much. This is likely because the sugar content of ker is no more than two percent. When processed by heating or pickling, ker’s pungent, unpleasant bitterness yields to the piquant, zesty, sharp flavor most people associate with delicious robust caper berries. 

Small berries are actually more desirable and tastier than large, mature, hard ker fruits. When at their infancy, ker berries are at their most tender and succulent. These small fruits fetch a much higher price in the market.

Nutritional Value of Ker

A 2009 report published in the Journal of Horticulture and Forestry provides the following nutritional values for 100g of ker:

41.6 kcal

8.6g Protein

1.8g Carb

12.3g Fiber

7.81mg Vitamin C

55mg Calcium

57mg Phosphorous

negligible Iron

Health Benefits of Ker

Ker has been used in traditional medicine for centuries. Indian tribes have utilized fruits, roots, and bark to concoct various remedies. In Ayurveda, capers are hepatic stimulants and have been used for arteriosclerosis, as a diuretic, and as a kidney disinfectant.

According to a study published in the Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, the plant acts as a carminative, tonic, emmenagogue, appetite stimulant and aphrodisiac. Parts of the plant have treated rheumatism, cough, and asthma. Pickled fruits treat constipation and other stomach ailments.

Another report titled A Medicinal Potency of Capparis decidua mentions additional uses: The bark treats inflammation and acute pain, whereas the roots treat fever and the buds alleviate boils. In Sudan, parts of the shrub remedy jaundice and joint infections.

How to Open/Cut:

Some peel large fresh ker berries before preparing, though small berries require no such preparation work. To prepare fresh or dried berries, soak overnight and then boil in salt. These steps soften the fruit, thereby enabling its use in subsequent recipes.

Storage:

Prepare fresh ker by pickling or soaking within a day of harvest. Store pickled capers either in white vinegar, brine, or keep them coated in coarse salt (see recipes below).

If purchasing pickled ker, keep at room temperature until opening the bottle. Place opened bottles in the refrigerator and abide by the listed expiration date.

Scientific Name:

Capparis decidua

Capparis tomentosa

Other Names:

Caper berry (English)

Dela (Delhi and Punjab)

Injet

Karir

Karil (Uttar Pradesh)

Ker (Gujarat)

Kair (Rajasthan)

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Jamun Fruit (Black Plum) Farming And Amazing Health Benefits

                       

                                Jamun Black Plum

The jamun is an important indigenous minor fruit of commercial value. It is also known as black plum, Indian black cherry, Ram jamun etc. in different parts of India. The tree is tall and handsome, evergreen, generally grown for shade and windbreak on roads and avenues.

Jamun are berries with an oblong shape similar to Kalamata olives. They have a dark purple to almost black skin with a starkly contrasting pink or white flesh. The flesh is extremely juicy and has a flavor that combines sweet and tart with a slightly astringent aftertaste. The fruit contains a hard seed which should be discarded. When eaten, the dark-colored skin leaves a stain on the lips and mouth that can last for several hours.

The original home of jamun is India or the East Indies. It is also found in Thailand, Philippines, Madagascar and some other countries. The jamun has successfully been introduced into many other subtropical regions including Florida, California, Algeria, Israel, etc.

Jamun fruit are native to India and surrounding countries: Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The tree was introduced to the US via Florida in 1911. Jamun fruit does not ripen off the tree and individual berries ripen at different times; fruit is picked daily and is most often foraged. Jamun can be found a farmer’s markets in India and in the surrounding region.

In India, the maximum number of jamun trees are found scattered throughout the tropical and subtropical regions. It also occurs in the lower range of the Himalayas up to an elevation of 1,300 meters and in the Kumaon hills up to 1,600 meters. It is widely grown in the larger parts of India from the Indo-Gangetic plains in the North to Tamil Nadu in the South. The data about its total acreage in India are not available.

The jamun is propagated both by seed and vegetative methods. Due to existence of polyembryony, it comes true to parent through seed. Though vegetative methods followed in most cases have attained some success, seed propagation is still preferred. However, seed propagation is not advisable as it results in late bearing.

The seeds have no dormancy. Fresh seeds can be sown. Germination takes place in about 10 to 15 days. Seedlings are ready for transplanting for the use as rootstock in the following spring (February to March) or monsoon i.e. August to September.

Propagation of jarnun is economical and convenient. Budding is practiced on one year old seedling stocks, having 10 to 14 mm thickness. The best time for budding is July to August in low rainfall areas. In the areas where rains start easily and are heavy, budding operations are attempted early in May-June. Shield, patch and forkert methods of budding have proved very successful. The possibility of better success has been reported in forkert method compared to shield or 'T' budding.

Jamun can also be propagated by inarching but it is not adopted commercially. In this method one year old seedlings raised in pots are inarched with mother jamun trees with the help of wooden stands during June-July.

About 60% air layers are obtained with 500 ppm IBA in lanolin paste, provided air layering is done in spring and not in the rainy season.

Better rooting through cutting is obtained in Jamun under intermittent mist. Semi-hardwood cuttings of both S. jambos and S.javanica, 20-25 cm long, taken from the spring flush and planted in July treated with 2000 ppm IBA (indole butyric acid) give better results.

Planting

Jamun is an evergreen tree and can be planted both in spring i.e. February -March and the monsoon season i.e. July-August. The latter season is considered better as the trees planted in February- March have to pass through a very hot and dry period in May and June soon after planting and generally suffer from mortalities from the unfavourable weather conditions.

Prior to planting, the field is properly cleared and ploughed. Pits of 1 x 1 x 1 m size are dug at the distance of 10m both ways. Usually, work of digging of pits is completed before the onset of monsoon. The pit are filled with mixture of75% top soil and 25% well rotten farmyard manure or compost.

Another common way of growing jamun trees is to plant them as shade trees near the farm dwellings and wells. Here they provide a welcome shadow besides fruit.

In early stages, the jamun tree requires frequent irrigations but af1cr the trees gets established, the interval between irrigations can be greatly decreased. Young trees require 8 to 10 irrigations in a year. The mature trees require only about half the number, which should be applied during May and June when the fruit is ripening. During autumn and winter months, just an occasional irrigation may be applied when the soil is dry. This will also save the trees from the ill effects of frost in winter.

Flowering and Fruiting 

Flowers are borne in the axils of leaves on branchlets. In North Indian conditions, flowering starts in the first week of March and continues up to the end of April. The pollen fertility is higher in the beginning of the season. The maximum receptivity of stigma is one day after anthesis.

The jamun is a cross-pollinated and the pollination is done by honey bees, houseflies and wind. The maximum fruit set can be obtained by hand pollination when it is done after one day of anthesis. Thereafter, a sharp decline is observed in fruit set.

There is heavy drop of flowers and fruits within 3 to 4 weeks after blooming. Later natural fruit drop can be reduced with two sprays of GA3 60 ppm, one at full bloom and another 15 days after initial setting of fruits.

The pattern of growth and fruit development of jamun can be divided into three phases: the first phase from 15-52 days after fruit set having slow growth of fruit, the second phase from 52 to 58 days after fruit set having fast growth and the third and last phase from 58 to 60 days after fruit set having slow growth and very little addition in fruit weight.

Storage and Marketing

The fruits are highly perishable in nature. They cannot be stored for more than 3 to 4 days under ordinary conditions. However, pre cooled fruits packed in polythene bags can be stored well up to three weeks at low temperatures of 8 to 10°C and 85 to 90% relative humidity.

The fruit is packed and sent to the market almost daily. For marketing, well ripe and healthy fruits are selected. Damaged, diseased and unripe fruits are discarded. These selected fruits are then carefully packed in wooden baskets and sent to the local markets.

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