Of fruits and orchards: Best places for fruit picking in India
Has it ever happened with you that you were travelling to a place in the hills but then you spot fruit laden trees and couldn’t resist stealing a few? The best part is that in most of the cases, you’re not the only one who’s doing the spotting. Confirmation might usually be in the form of a farmer running behind you with his stick, abusing you in a language you can’t make sense of. But when you do escape them and have your share of gold, you realize it was worth the effort.
We do not encourage the above mentioned exercise. However, we do suggest you to visit these locations, and try out some delectable fruits.
1. Organic Farming- Dahanu and Gholvad
Dahanu is an all season tourist destination, well connected to Gujarat and Maharashtra. This place and the Talasari talukas are well known for its famousGholvad chikoo fruits. Thousands of hectares of land is covered with chikoo(Saputo, Sapodillas) orchards. The economy of this area is based mainly on its horticulture produce. The in-house processing centre at Save Farm is where squash, jams, pickles etc are created out of fresh fruits. December to March is the best time to visit these fields. One trip which will definitely be FRUITFUL (Sorry, my bad).
2. Grape crushing and vineyards- Nasik
For the wine connoisseurs, the vast orchards by the countryside of Nasik, Satara, Beed, Latur and Sholapur are a delight. Sula Vineyards, a very famous winery in Nasik, regularly conducts visits to its vineyards. There is wine tasting other than that. You can see how wine is made, you can pick grapes off their vines, and you can also have great food and wine in one of their in-house cafes. And if these are not what get you excited, then you can simply stomp on grapes in a massive wooden tub. Try to visit this place sometime between January and mid-May. During the monsoon, one can even pick guavas in Nasik.
3. Apple orchards- Himachal Pradesh
Set against the stunning Himalayan mountains, the apple orchards on the slopes of Kinnaur, Kotgarh, Rohru, Shimlaand other adjoining towns, are a fruit picker’s dream come true. One cannot wish for a fruit picking experience as beautiful as this one. The breathtaking views, while you pick apples off the trees, taste the delicious jams prepared from those, and just stroll around the fruit-laden boughs are simply amazing. Plan your trip sometime between June and September for an enthralling experience.
4. Mulberries and Jamuns- Amritsar
Aloo-bukhara Amritsari, created by the Khalsa College of Agriculture, is a new variety of plum which is sweeter. It is more nutritious, and the seed doesn’t cling to the flesh as well. Java and Japanese plum, and the new breed talked about here, can be picked in orchards aroundAmritsar, June to July being the perfect season to do so. The fertile land is ripe for fruit-plucking, jamuns and mulberrieswaiting to be tasted this summer.
5. Strawberry fields- Mahabaleshwar
A lot of hotels in Mahabaleshwar organizestrawberry picking trips to local farms. This beautiful hill station in Maharashtra has a lot to boast about, delicious strawberries being one of them. Mapro, a really famous brand of jams, also has a strawberry festival from 28th to 31st of March. It includes not only the conventional strawberry products but also bizarre innovations like strawberry-flecked bhel puri.
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6. Squashing oranges- Punjab
The perfect antidote to cold winter mornings, the oranges in Punjab are a thing of beauty. Kinnows, sweet oranges and mandarins can be seen throughout as you discover the serene orchards of Punjab. Jayani Natural Farms in Kathera village is one of those farms which you think of settling in when you retire. This is an amazing experience during winters. During the rest of the year, visitors can pick guavas, pears, jamuns and grapefruit here. For when you are done with Punjab and still just can’t have enough of citrus rush, make sure to stumble upon the one too many orange farms at Nagpur.
7. Mango marathon- Maharashtra
The king of fruits demands a visit to its kingdom. The blistering summer of the Konkans can only be neutralized by the superb quality mangoes they offer.Ratnagiri, home to the famous Alphonsovariety of mangoes and Palshet village, which is relatively calm, are two places you should travel to. There are a lot of private, Government-run and NGO-aided hotels that give visitors a chance to stroll through orchards.
8. Cashew orchards- Goa
Goa isn’t all about parties and churches.Cashew orchards of Goa are a must visit which start with drinking the appetizing feni. Goa must thank the Portugese for introducing cashew to them, and the secret of fermentation and distillation, due to which they know about feni. Cashew processing units and feni distillation units are, thus, other things you must see while you’re in Goa.
9. Lychee leisure- Saharanpur
Dehradun is famous for a lot of things. But very few people know that a place close to Dehradun, Saharanpur to be precise, is one of the very few places in the country where you can find lycheegrowing. Yes, that translucent, sweet, spectacular fruit. A special variety called Dehradun Lychee signifies the intense relationship between lychees and Dehradun. While you are on the Lychee trail, you might want to include Muzaffarpur too.
10. Pineapple Festival- Manipur
Manipur is well known to pineapple lovers for the scrumptious variety that is available there. Around 10,000 hectares of the state land is cultivated with pineapple. The two popular varieties are Kew (large sized) and Queen (small sized). The Kew variety, known for its distinctive taste and flavour, is most suited for making canned fruit products. The pineapples here are available for 8 months, which make your chances of getting the fruit at its best, more.
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