It is 6.45am on a Monday morning, and I am walking down a mud trail in Kandy, Sri Lanka, taking in the forest around me. I see old trees, hundreds of feet tall, layered with creepers and frilly lichen. The ground is covered with mulch; the air thick with the scent of gently decomposing leaves. There is so much to see: butterflies, orchids, palm trees with leaves the size of a billboard hoarding. So much to hear: frogs, birds, insects, humming, thrumming, pulsating. So much abundance: jackfruit, papaya, plump bananas, cloves, pepper, and cinnamon trees. Sustenance for all residents, humans and others.
This is a Kandyan Forest Garden: a form of agroforestry that blends fruit and spice trees with native forest species. It has been practiced in this part of Sri Lanka for decades, some say centuries, and has shaped the landscape of Kandy, Sri Lanka. Walking through the forest, my hands graze feathery ferns, coarse tree bark, velvety moss, and I feel the vitality of this ecosystem.
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This particular forest garden is part of Eko Land, a community initiative based in Digana, Kandy, from where we source our cinnamon. It is run by the Elegalla family, and sits on forest land that has been passed on from generation to generation, until its current owner, Nihal, took over in the early 90s. Nihal now co-manages the property with his son, Remon, and local staff that live around Digana. They started Eko Land in the pandemic, to bring economic opportunities to the region.
Cinnamomum Verum, aka True Cinnamon, is native to the island country of Sri Lanka, where it has grown wild in the central highlands for centuries. More recently, owing to its spice value, cinnamon has been planted more intentionally by farmers in the region, and many homes have a few trees in their backyard, for household use and to sell commercially.
It is these small-holder farmers, from whom Eko Land sources their cinnamon, and processes the bark into delicate quills, and our signature Peni Miris cinnamon powder. We also source our sensational Kandyan Cloves from Eko Land, but it is the cinnamon that brings me here.
Later today, I will be visiting a cinnamon farm a few hours away, to observe the harvest process, “taste some trees”, and learn some VERY SURPRISING things along the way. Click here to read the rest of Neha’s Notes from the Field
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Diaspora Co. 6631 Saroni Drive Oakland, California 94611 |
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