Mohraan hums a rain song: “Aala aala vara sange pavasachya dhara/pathavani kara saya nighalya saasura.” In this lovely ditty, rice saplings — yet to be sown in the fields — are called young girls. Once they are ready to be transplanted, their passage from snug pieces of land to the expansive fields is essayed in lore as a married girl’s introduction in her husband’s home. “Saya means friend in Marathi. That’s how we personify rice saplings. These terms in folklore define our relationship with nature and food,” says Sameer Savlaram Adhikari, co-owner of Mohraan farms.

With its focus on preserving local knowledge systems, monsoons on this Shahapur farm call for celebration. The revelries unfurl in routine duties aligned with the season. From leisurely walks in the wild, kayaking in the rain-fed streams and a quick shower in the untouched waterfalls to finding greens, picking the right part of a plant and learning the secrets of cooking a wild ingredient, the food forest is a doorway to practising sustenance. Regional produce peaks between June and September, and congruently, the menu adapts to different plant-based foods.