Mann mei ladoo phoota

Sucheta Bhandare was born in a family of farmers in Nashikrsquos Vadner Bhairav village She didnrsquot have an ordinary childhood At a time when her classmates got dalbhaat for lunch she feasted on peanuts jaggery grated coconut roasted grams and puffed rice in her tiffin On some days she ate fruits pulses and healthy ladoos ldquoI had no option of eating junk food or anything unhealthy My family grew crops on our farm and we would subsist on just that Between classes all I could think of wasmdashwhen am I going to get home and help aaibaba on the fields The harvest period was my favouriterdquo recalls Bhandare now 35Rice FlakesTomatoes were grown in abundance on their twoacre land Located a few kilometres away from home this land was used by the family to grow almost every crop except potatoes ldquoWe had grapes papayas among other seasonal fruits lots of vegetables and even wheat And I enjoyed planting every seed There came a point where I thought I wanted to study only agriculturerdquo she remembers But she ended up graduating from a Dapoli college in commerce instead ldquoItrsquos okay I guess Not everything goes according to planrdquo she saysIn 2007 when she turned 21 she moved to Pune to pursue a BEd degree like her grandfather had ldquoHe was a teacher and encouraged me to take up the same profession But my heart was into farming I just knew I would come back to it some day And thatrsquos exactly what happened I started a small call centre with a friend but almost seven years later I realised I didnrsquot want to do it longterm So I returned homerdquo she addsRagi LadooThis trip back home changed the course of Bhandarersquos life because this was when she decided she would launch EarthPoorna In 2019 Bhandare registered her new business one that provides healthy wholesome and natural food products and works on the sustainable development of farmers ldquoYou are what you eat When I would set off on treks and bicycle expeditions during my time in Pune I was usually the only one not huffing and puffing I realised it was because of the healthy food I grew up eating Schools in metros are surrounded by fast foods stalls I wanted to intervene and help solve this problemrdquoRagiHer handson training in farming made her observe a market gap ldquoFarmers in Nashik were incurring major losses as they didnrsquot know how to price their crops Since everyone was growing tomatoes by the time these reached the marketplace the prices had to be dropped by the sellers The growers were barely making any money I managed to convince a few to start growing another croprdquoUnder EarthPoorna she has roped in a few farmers who grow ragi The millet is used to make healthy ragi ladoos ldquoThe ragi is grown without chemicals The ladoo recipe is simple and contains healthy flax seeds and jaggery Farmers are paid market ratesrdquoEarthPoorna also sells multigrain ladoos ragi ladoos with dates and a rice flakes snack ldquoThe rice flakes snack is a great combination of high fibre protein and complex carbsits gluten and cholesterol free and rich in Vitamin A and Crdquo A packet of 200 grams is priced at R200 Sixteen pieces of ragi ladoos come at R439 and a box of multigrain ladoos are for Rs 449Sucheta BhandareEarly this year EarthPoorna collaborated with Mitti Ke Rang a social venture working towards generating livelihood for women through ecommerce ldquoIn the month of June alone we sold 100 boxes The word is spreading and we are getting popular in few regions of Maharashtra Surprisingly we have a high number of orders from Delhi It has been a terrific journey and there is more to dordquoRagi ladooIngredients15 cups ragi flour34 cups jaggery13 cup cow ghee13 cup roasted flax seeds powder1015 almonds chopped13 dry dates powder12 teaspoon of cardamomMethodTake 15 cups ragi flour in a kadhai or a thick bottomed broad pan Keep the pan on a low flame and begin to roast the ragi flour You have to stir often so that there is even roasting Roast till the colour changes and you get a nice aroma from the ragi flour Do it for about eight minutes on a low flame Timing will vary with the material size and thickness of the panTo make Ragi Ladoo MixtureAdd 13 cup ghee in the flour The ghee will melt Begin to mix the ghee with the flour Keep on stirring and roasting this mixture for five to seven minutes more Again timing will vary with the material size and thickness of the pan Check the taste of the ragi flour it should feel nutty and crunchy and shouldnrsquot taste raw Switch off the flame Place the pan down Add 12 teaspoon cardamom powder almonds flax seeds powder dry dates powder and add 34 cup jaggery powder Begin to mix very well Break the tiny lumps of jaggery if any with a spoon or spatulaTo make Ragi LadooLet this ragi ladoo mixture become warm then mix everything again very well with your hands and break small lumps if any with your hands Take a portion of the mixture and shape into ladoosIf you are unable to form ragi ladoos add a few tablespoons of ghee which is at room temperature Mix again very well and begin to shape the ragi ladoos Make ladoos this way with all of the mixture Store ragi ladoo in an airtight jar or containerWhy Ragi Ladoosgtgt Ragi is a powerpacked superfoodgtgt Amazingly high in minerals like calcium iron this lsquodancing grainrsquo contains high amount of protein and Vitamin Dgtgt Flax seeds arguably the most powerful seeds on the planet are a rich source of omega3 fats and loaded with many other nutrients Almonds contain Vitamin E and healthy fatsgtgt Dry dates are energy boosters and stimulate metabolismgtgt All these combined with jaggery and ghee form a ldquonutrition bombrdquo which is a healthy way to start your day or to satisfy your midmeal hunger pangsTo order httpsmittikerangorgcollectionsearthpoorna