We're farmers first
Saffron, walnuts, almonds, apples and spices from our family's land in Kanhama, Shopian.
I'm Vipasha Makkar. We grow saffron, walnuts, almonds, apples and the spices we cook with every day.
For years we sold our harvest to traders. It changed hands several times before it reached a shop, and by then nobody could say where it came from or what had been mixed into it. The Kashmir Pantry is our way of selling directly to you, so you know exactly who grew what you're eating.
A year on our farm
Like the terraces of a Kashmiri garden, our year steps from one harvest to the next.
March to May
Spring
Almond trees flower first, white and pink across the valley. We prune the walnut and apple trees and prepare the saffron beds.
June to August
Summer
We sow and tend the chillies and fennel. Almonds are harvested, shelled and dried in the sun.
September
Early autumn
Walnut harvest. We knock them down from the trees, dry them, and crack them by hand. Apple picking begins in the orchard.
Late October to November
Late autumn
The crocus flowers open for a few short weeks. We pick them at dawn and separate the red saffron threads by hand.
December to February
Winter
Chillies are dried and ground, and we make ver masala at home. Orders are packed through the year from our stores.
What we promise you
- We tell you which products we grow and which we buy from others. It's written on every product page.
- Nothing is mixed in. No colour, no filler, no polish.
- Shilajit and saffron are tested by an independent lab, and we publish the reports.
- If something isn't right, we replace it or refund you.