The Farmhouse

Raj took me to his parent's farmhouse for the first weekend to relieve my jetleg in sustainable luxury. I did not know what to expect.

The Sahai family lives 2 hours outside of the city in this house. Surrounded by a spice and floral garden along the building perimeter, with a view out to 40 acres of farmland beyond, the family and about 12 employees lives off the land. The vegetable and animal farm provides all the food they consume each day while sprinkled solar panels and methane collection provide for a significant portion of their energy intake.

Mulberry plants

Families of workers live on the farm in simple huts.

Chicken coop

Poo pies drying on the edges of a well.

The staff work from 4am each morning.

While I was staying at the farmhouse, the home-cooked traditional meals were amazing. Every ingredient is harvested in the mornings and used by the next day. Fresh, filtered milk, is whipped into butter just in time for breakfast. There were curries, chutneys, and soups with a million spices and pillowy chapatis for lunches and dinners. Fresh suculant papaya, tart guava made into jelly, and sweet, buttery moon lentils for dessert. The Sahais were beyond hospitable, they were offering me a gift.

Mixed vege soup with spices for breakfast! Which woke me up nicely.

Bread pancakes fried in garlic-y, spicy, cottage-cheesy, butter sauce.

So much variety, with endless helpings.