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A visit to the beautiful garden of one of Assam's independent small-scale tea growers. Gobin Hazarika lives close to the north bank of the Brahmaputra River in a remote area close to the Burma/India border. The images illustrate the preparation of simple formulas made from local plants, crushed garlic/chili/ginger and cow urine, which are fermented for a few days, then diluted with water and used to drench the soil around the tea bushes. Gobin uses a tool traditionally used for crushing rice - the dheki - to crush the leaves of neen and other leaves growing near the garden area. To prepare green tea, he steams freshly picked leaves, then quickly heats the leaves to stop fermentation. The finished tea is sun-dried. It's full of anti-oxidants and beautifully flavoured. The small tea coop is working with growers like Gobin to help them develop greater confidence in some of India's traditional agricultural practices, and to share their knowledge with other tea growers and farmers throughout Assam. Our involvement is also making it possible for them to find markets for their tea - in India and here in Canada. For more information about this initiative, visit www.smallteacoop.com or www.fertile-ground.org ...and if you're interested in visiting this very special corner of the world, let us know!