Chola Cardamom Harvest 2026
Imperfect Pods, Intact Ecosystems
We waited for our Chola Cardamom for several seasons with a growing sense of uncertainty.
Every harvest came and went alongside a natural pest cycle moving through the farm. Thrips - tiny insects that feed on young cardamom pods - left behind visible traces on the outer skin. Instead of immediately reminding us of biodiversity, these marks made us pause. Not because we doubted the farm or the integrity of how it is cultivated, but because we understand the expectation on the other side. We know how deeply the idea of visual perfection shapes the way we judge food, especially whole spices. Green cardamom is expected to be uniformly green. Black pepper, uniformly black. What it takes to make them appear that way is, perhaps, another story.
And yet, this farm has always chosen a different path. The devotion with which our farm partner nurtures Chola Cardamom is remarkable. From laboriously hand-made soil-enriching formulations to traditional, indigenous methods that keep pests in balance, every effort is directed toward flavour and soil health. All of this in a spice-growing region where chemical pesticides and synthetic inputs are the norm. Which means that sometimes, nature leaves a visible trace.
This harvest too came with small, visible irregular marks. Appearance can only tell part of the story, so we decided to sample the cardamom.
When I opened the pods, I was blown away, yet again! The aroma was unmistakable and had the same freshness that our Chola Cardamom is known for. The essential oils were intact, the flavour extraordinary! Nothing was diminished. If anything, it felt more honest, more expressive of where it came from - the biodiverse, magnificent food forest perched atop Kolli Hills.
At that point, we knew we had a choice. We could wait again for the next harvest or we could accept this harvest as it is. We chose the latter. To reject this harvest would be to reject the very conditions we claim to support - biodiversity, living soil, and farming that is guided by nature. So we decided to jar the cardamom exactly as it is.
'Perfect-Looking' Produce Is Not A Marker of Quality
Life in the soil rarely produces uniformity. Yet somewhere along the way, we began to equate uniformity with quality. Smooth surfaces. Consistent colour (uniformly coloured parrot green cardamom pods). Identical shapes (bold, evenly sized black peppercorns). These have become benchmarks of quality we instinctively trust.
Sam Ratanji, a Nutritional Therapist, Chef and Founder of The Life Larder, explains why perfect looking produce is not a marker of quality.
“We’ve been trained to see uniformity as a marker of quality because of what we’re used to seeing on supermarket shelves; but that kind of visual “perfection” is usually the result of farming systems built around control; controlled inputs, controlled conditions, controlled outcomes."
"From a soil perspective, that often means relying on synthetic fertilisers rather than building long-term soil health. The plant gets just enough of what it needs to grow quickly and look good, but not necessarily the full spectrum of nutrients it would access in a living, biologically active soil."
Natural and traditional farming is far less predictable. It’s easy to mistake these marks for damage. But they are better understood as evidence that the farm is operating as part of a living system.
"In more organic or regenerative systems, you might get variation in size, shape, even colour, because the plant is interacting with a much more complex environment and learning how to protect itself (we see higher phytochemical levels in plants grown in these systems than conventionally farmed ones which is a win for our health). Therefore growing in harmony with the surroundings can make plants way more nutrient dense.”
Is This Cultural, Commercial, or Both?
But these standards were shaped by commodity systems designed to manage pricing and improve marketability, not flavour or ecological balance.
This raises a larger question: why have we come to expect visual perfection from food in the first place?
Is it cultural, or is it commercial or, more likely, a convergence of both? Over time, retail systems have standardised appearance to simplify pricing, transport, and shelf appeal. But in doing so, they’ve also shaped our collective idea of what “good” looks like.
Mallika Basu, Food Writer & Author of 'In Good Taste' agrees that in the process, modern consumers have become disconnected from what real food looks like in its natural state - varied, inconsistent, and deeply tied to its environment.
“Most of us live in urban areas, increasingly disconnected from food production and the realities of farming and what food looks like when it's growing, in the ground etc. It's a socio-cultural and to meet the demand businesses have commercialised visual perfection.”
A Balanced & Breathing Ecosystem
When you see variation on the surface, you’re often witnessing a system that is still alive underneath. Insects, in this context, are not just a challenge, they are part of the infrastructure. When their presence leaves a mark, it often signals that the ecological web is still functioning.
As per Sam, "insects are doing far more than we tend to give them credit for! On farms that don’t rely on pesticides, insects aren’t something to eliminate; they’re part of the infrastructure. You’ve got pollinators like bees and hoverflies making sure crops can reproduce. You’ve got predatory insects (ladybirds for example) keeping pest populations in check. And then there are all the insects working at soil level (like worms - my favourite!), breaking down organic matter, creating space for roots to go deeper and helping cycle nutrients back into the system."
The key is balance.
"In a diverse system, no single species tends to dominate for long, because there’s always something else keeping it in check. It’s only when that diversity is stripped away (often through chemical use) that you get the kind of pest outbreaks that then require even more intervention."
Nutrition (& Flavour), from The Ground Up
Flavour is shaped by everything beneath the surface - from microclimate to microbial life in the soil. One of the practices we often speak about with pride is the use of Jeevamrutham: a traditional soil-nourishing brew made from indigenous cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, gram flour, and fertile earth, fermented over 72 hours. Rich in micro-organisms, it boosts soil microbial activity and enhances nutrient availability.
As Sam explains:
“Flavour is essentially a reflection of the chemical makeup of a plant, and that’s heavily influenced by what’s going on in the soil. In healthy, biologically active soils, plants have access to a wider range of nutrients and tend to produce more complex compounds - these are the things that give food its depth; aroma and flavour (bitter or sweet for instance)."
But flavour is not just chemical, it’s perceptual.
The stories we hold about what we’re eating - of soil, farming practices, and origin - can profoundly shape how we experience taste. When we understand where something comes from and how it was grown, we begin to notice more. The same ingredient can taste richer, more complex, more alive, not because it has changed, but because our attention has.
In Mallika's opinion “Good taste is as much about taste as it is about being tasteful and meaningful. It's about a deeper connection with what we eat, understanding challenges with fairness and justice and doing our bit to make better choices for people, communities, society and the planet.”
This produce (the cardamom pods with pest marks) is beautiful, says Sam. The difference in varieties of aubergines for instance; all different colours, shapes and sizes; when they’re together they’re like art, and many independent shops are creating beautiful displays with heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetable; showcasing the beauty in the imperfect.”
It’s time for spices to be seen the same way. To be sold as they are, displaying their natural variation. Big pods, small pods. Some parrot green, some lighter in colour. All from the same harvest, from the same soil, from the same farm.