This is the proprieter of Abraham's Spice Plantation near Kumily. I know what you're saying- LOOK AT THAT EARHAIR!
Go ahead and gawk at it, I did.
AT first it was all I could focus on. But as he led us through his organic, naturally laid-out tropical spice garden, he dropped so much spice knowledge on us that I totally forgot about it. We were tasting and smelling all kinds of strange and wonderful things, and soon his excitement about his gardens, where he knew every plant and what it can do transferred to us and we felt like we were in a magical woderland. He healed Genevieve's bug bites, taught us about clove oil, Thoran (a Keralan relish made with Green Papaya and coconut you will be trying it if you come to a dinner party this summer), the secrets of cardamom and Vanilla and organic pest control. By the end, I was thinking "Don't let them make you feel bad about that earhair! That shit is natural and beautiful." I bet he can pluck out a clump of it and cure diseases.

In this pot they have a hive of tiny bees (!) that don't sting (!), and make black honey (!) that is used for Aruvedic medicine.


Cardamom seed pods.