dry ginger

The scenario looks bleak for Mani, a small farmer cultivating cardamom in five acres of land in Kumily village at Idukki in Kerala. “We were cheated by Edavapathy (South West monsoon). If the same is repeated in Tulavarsham (North East monsoon), there will distress in these hills,” he said.

The wait for North East monsoon showers may remain futile in the picturesque cardamom hills across the Western Ghats, according to predictions by the India Meteorological Centre at Thiruvanathapuram. On October 31, in an urgently called meeting by Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, the state was declared as draught-hit.

Fennel seeds are the dried seeds of the fennel plant, which is an aromatic herb belonging to the parsley family. This herb is commonly known as saunf in Hindi. The fennel seeds are roughly 4 to 8 mm in length and each one looks like a grooved or ridged grain of rice. Saunf comes in colors ranging from bright green to pale green and tan. Like the fennel plant, the seeds have a licorice-like taste, although they are sweeter and slightly less pungent and intense than licorice.