When it comes to gurupak joy, small suddenly grows big. And no one knows it better than the unimaginable joy.
A former chef, Anand studied at Le Cordon Blue in Australia and trained at the Michelin-starred Aquavit restaurant in New York. He is now a kind of successful farmer, specializing in microgreen farming, which he serves at major restaurants in the city such as Indian Accent, Farzi Cafe and Le Bistro du Park.
Microgreens are basically salad vegetables such as rocket, celery, basil and beetroot shoots, which are picked just after the first leaves develop and can vary in height from one to three inches.
About five months ago, Anand started microgreen farming on his father’s farm in Chhattarpur as a hobby. “I was interested in their delicate texture and distinctive taste, which can range from sweet to intense. Initially, I gave some seeds to my gardener as a test, ”says Anand His first batch has pleasantly surprised him. He then equipped himself with technical knowledge, although he admitted that there was not much to fall behind, and so he began to experiment.
“Water needs to be chlorine free, the amount of sunlight and when they need to be exposed and it is important to check the quality of the soil. I made notes about how plants respond, ”he said.
Once he perfected the art of raising microgreens, Anand went to the leading chefs and they were eager to use them. Today, his herbal garden, under his company Agricultural Cress, supplies small versions of radishes, basil, mustard, coriander, beetroot and onions. The mixture also contains edible flowers such as nasturtium and apple flowers. “I am continuing to experiment in the herbal garden. It’s a special job, ”he says.