Village life · Kewzing
A cardamom and farm day with a Kewzing family
Spend a morning in the fields with your host family: picking large cardamom in the shaded gullies in autumn, sorting and drying pods, or planting and weeding in spring. A practical look at the crop that pays for much of rural Sikkim.
Photo: Brian Arthur · CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Large cardamom, sold as black cardamom, is the main cash crop in many South Sikkim villages, and Sikkim is India's largest producer. It grows as tall clumps in the shade of alder and other trees in damp gullies. The pods form at the base of the plant and are cut by hand, usually from about August to November.
If you are here in harvest season, your hosts may take you down to their plot to pick, then show you the bhatti, a kiln where the pods are dried over wood smoke for a couple of days. That smoke gives Sikkim's cardamom its flavour. Outside harvest, you might help with planting, weeding, milking or making butter tea.
This is joining in, not a staged activity, so follow your hosts' lead and accept if a task is not suitable. Wear clothes you do not mind getting dirty, sturdy shoes and long sleeves in the gullies. A small thank-you to the family, or buying cardamom from them, is appreciated.
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Questions travellers ask
Before you book
When is the cardamom harvest in Sikkim?
Usually from about August to November, varying with altitude and season. Lower plots are picked first. Drying in wood-fired kilns follows the picking, so October and November are good months to see the whole process. Ask your homestay host what stage the harvest will be at during your stay.
Can we buy cardamom from Kewzing farmers?
Often yes, directly from your host family or neighbours, in small quantities for home use. Prices follow the market and change from year to year, so ask the going rate. Dried pods keep for months in an airtight container and make a good, light gift to take home.
Is the farm day suitable for children?
Yes, children usually enjoy it, especially sorting pods, feeding animals or helping in the kitchen garden. The cardamom gullies can be steep, damp and leechy, so keep younger children on the flatter fields. Bring long trousers, closed shoes and insect repellent.
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