KarunaAmarnath

Miles away from the trendy coastal roads of South Goa, in the folds of the Western Ghats, @dudhsagarplantation seems to exist as an elusive blip on the map.

Almost impossibly, this thicket of green emerges from the sun-baked landscape all around it as you drive in - we arrived to a cacophony of bird calls and the heady smell of ripened tropical fruit.

Through the sustainable farming efforts of Ajit Malkarnekar and his family since the 1980s, this circular-living, horticultural project was envisioned and worked from the ground up. Fifty acres of reclaimed barren land in Karmane village, on the edge of Mollem National Park, are now teeming with life - lovingly transformed into a treasure trove of tropical plants.

The plantation had caught our attention recently, for its newly launched @ourodegoa spiced cashew feni – as a home-grown cottage distillery. We were here to witness first-hand, how cashew urrak and feni were being hand-crafted the traditional way, by Ajit and his son, Ashok.

After foraging for fallen cashew fruit, we brought them in buckets to a stomping ground where the nuts were separated, and the yellow and red fruit went underfoot.

A final crush under the weight of stones produced a clear, lighter juice, ‘niro’ - highly prized by Goans for its short shelf-life, and as a saccharine reprieve during the hot summer months. On an especially sultry April afternoon, we were sold on it (as you can see clearly!).

The rest of the juice is left to ferment in larger vats, before being distilled in their heritage copper ‘bhaan’ – first into urrak, and then eventually into an artisanal spirit - the premium ‘Ouro’ feni.

"Ouro Jivak Boro" - now that's a whole different story!

Is this on your wishlist?

#goa #urrak #artisanspirits #slowtravel #offthebeatenpath