Mahabaleshwar Strawberries

Why do some of India's finest strawberries come from this Deccan hill station?

Get Freshly Harvested Organically Grown Mahabaleshwar Strawberries on Farmizen

About the farmer - Anil Bhilare:
These Strawberries are grown completely without chemicals in the farms of Anil Bhilare. Bhilare family is one of the pioneers in the chemical free practices in Mahabaleshwar. They are following chemical free cultivation for last 7-8 years.

Strawberries are supposed to grow best in Temperate climates. But how did tropical Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra become a 'The Strawberry Garden Of India'?

The story begins with t he British brought strawberries to India in the early 19th century. Lord Auckland, the governor-general during 1836-42, is said to have grown the first modern strawberries in India, but others were also trying across the subcontinent.

Unlike fruit trees, Strawberries grew fast and close to the ground, so were easy to maintain, as long as there was enough labour. This was not a problem in India and might explain why some of the most impressive attempts at acclimatisation of strawberries to the Indian climate seem to have been done in, of all places, Thane Jail!

Prison inmates must have provided plentiful labour! In September 1884 the prison superintendent Mr SS Smith saw remarkable success with his strawberry cultivation in the Thane Jail gardens. This successful experiment proved that strawberries didn’t have to be limited to the hills of the north, but could be grown in the Konkan.

This example and expertise helped Mahabaleshwar, the Deccan hill station where the British escaped the scorching, sweaty coastal summer, become the centre for strawberries in India.

The weather was good, it was close to the markets of Bombay and, most of all, had an influx of consumers in the season. Strawberries became part of social life, with 'Strawberry Parties' becoming all the rage during the season time. 

It wasn’t only the British who were interested in strawberries. Sir Jamsetji Tata had a large estate at Panchgani near Mahabaleshwar. He had once envisioned building a jam factory  to process the strawberries from the estate, though those dreams never saw fruition.

By 1936, it was reported that over 22 tonnes of strawberries were being harvested annually, with almost 50% consumed in Mahabaleshwar itself!

The rest found their way to 'Bombay', 'Poona' and 'Belgaum'. Special consignments of strawberries were sent across India to friends and family by visitors to Mahabaleshwar.

Since Indians adore dairy products, strawberries find a natural place in milk shakes and desserts but Indians took the naturalisation of the strawberry a step further! Enter - Strawberry Basundi - a creamy delicious reduced milk dessert.

Strawberry basundi ( View Recipe ) has quietly become a wedding catering staple in Maharashtra and should now be recognised as India’s real contribution to strawberry recipes.

Mahabaleshwar Strawberries are in season again.

Did you know that strawberries consistently top the list of fruits and vegetables which have the most pesticide residues found in them.

Get organically grown Mahabaleshwar Strawberries  free from ant chemical fertilisers and pesticides on Farmizen. They are harvested to order and dispatched to you quickly.

Get Freshly Harvested Organically Grown Mahabaleshwar Strawberries on Farmizen

About the farmer - Anil Bhilare:
These Strawberries are grown completely without chemicals in the farms of Anil Bhilare. Bhilare family is one of the pioneers in the chemical free practices in Mahabaleshwar. They are following chemical free cultivation for last 7-8 years.

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