The fields of crocus.
Violet for twenty-two days, silent for the rest of the year.
The Valley
Five regions, one paradise.
Every parcel we send begins in one of five valleys. Pampore for the saffron. Shopian for the almonds. Kupwara for the walnuts. Anantnag for the pistachios. Ladakh for the apricots.
The Mamra orchards.
Cold nights, dry days. The almonds concentrate slowly.
The walnut groves.
Our grandfather's first planting, still bearing fruit.
The pistachio hills.
Grassy, mineral, quietly sweet.
The high apricots.
The last valleys before the sky.
A quiet invitation