Why I Still Use This Traditional Method Before Making Multigrain Flour

 

Some kitchen traditions never grow old.

For many years, I have been following the same simple method to prepare soybeans before getting my homemade multigrain flour milled. Even today, despite having modern kitchen appliances, I still prefer this traditional technique because I believe it makes the soybeans cleaner, easier to digest, and better suited for everyday use.

Freshly washed soybeans drying naturally in the sun.

Jowar drying alongside the soybeans on a sunny afternoon.

The process begins by washing the soybeans thoroughly and spreading them out in the sun until they are completely dry.

Once dry, I pulse them gently in a mixer grinder—not to make flour, but just enough to loosen their outer skins.

Then comes my favourite part.

Separating soybean husks using a traditional bamboo winnowing tray (Chhaj)—a simple technique passed down through generations.

I transfer the soybeans into a traditional bamboo winnowing tray, known as a Chhaj. With gentle movements of the tray, the lighter husks separate from the heavier beans. It is a simple technique that has been passed down through generations and still works beautifully today.

The cleaned soybeans are then mixed with wheat, jowar (sorghum), barley, gram, or other grains before being taken to the flour mill for making our family's multigrain flour.

Soybean husks separated after light grinding.

The separated husks are never wasted. They can be fed to cattle, making this an eco-friendly and sustainable practice.

Many people ask me why I continue using this traditional method when machines can do much of the work. My answer is simple: some traditional practices have stood the test of time because they are practical, economical, and effective. They also keep us connected to the wisdom of earlier generations.

This is one such tradition that continues to be a part of my kitchen even today, and I hope it remains alive for many years to come.

Do you still follow any traditional kitchen practices in your home? I'd love to hear about them in the comments!

XO

हाथों की कला, पारंपरिक सुंदरता!

हस्तशिल्प केवल सजावट की वस्तुएं नहीं होते, वे कारीगरों की कड़ी मेहनत और हमारी संस्कृति का हिस्सा होते हैं। थोड़ी सी क्रिएटिविटी और 'वेस्ट से बेस्ट' (Best out of Waste) सोच के साथ पुरानी चीजों को रीसाइकल करके हम न केवल पर्यावरण की रक्षा में योगदान दे सकते हैं, बल्कि अपने घर को एक अनूठा और व्यक्तिगत लुक भी दे सकते हैं।

Vasos feitos com  embalagens de cloro. Fixados no Pallet.

again

हस्तशिल्प केवल एक शौक नहीं है, बल्कि यह हमारी जीवनशैली को अधिक टिकाऊ और प्लास्टिक-मुक्त बनाने का एक खूबसूरत माध्यम भी है. जब आप अपनी बनाई हुई चीज़ों का उपयोग रोज़मर्रा की ख़रीददारी या सफ़र में करते हैं, तो आपकी मेहनत और क्रिएटिविटी दोनों रंग लाती हैं.

XOXO

XOXO

Best Out of Waste: Turning Renovation Waste into Useful Things

The last three or four months have been very hectic for me, as renovation work was going on in my house. It was a long… long-awaited project, which had been pending for the last two or three years. When the deterioration finally became too much to ignore, we decided that it was time to take it up.

And so began a rather hectic phase for me!

Small pieces of discarded tiles that inspired this best-out-of-waste project.

Leftover wall tiles collected during the renovation—waiting to be put to creative use.

During the renovation, I started collecting every little bit of waste and discarded material left behind by the tile work, plumbing, carpentry, painting, masonry and other work. Instead of allowing these things to go straight into the garbage, I kept thinking about how they could be reused.

And now, look at the wall tiles!

These were leftover pieces that had been discarded by the mason after the tile work. There were quite a few of them. I had actually wanted the mason to use them on the rough surface of the open veranda, but he refused. According to him, these little leftover pieces were not suitable for his work—he preferred working only with new tiles.

So, what could I do with all those little pieces?

Well, I decided to make my own use of them!

I glued some of the leftover wall tiles onto the old waste bucket and gave it a completely different look. What was once an old, broken and almost-forgotten bucket was now getting ready for a new life in my garden.

Here is one such example—a work in progress!

I had an old waste bucket which had already served us for years. It had been a faithful companion for a long time. First, its rim broke and I repaired it. Later, its handles broke too, and I repaired those as well. Finally, I decided that it was time to give this old bucket a completely new purpose.

Giving an old, broken bucket a fresh look with leftover wall tiles.

I turned it into a garden planter/tool container. Since it is a fairly large bucket, it can easily accommodate a big houseplant.

From renovation waste to a useful garden planter—an old bucket finds a new purpose.

From an old discarded bucket to a new garden planter—one more little experiment in creative reuse.

This is just one of the many things I made from the waste materials collected during the renovation. There are several more little projects waiting to be shared.

I will share the final version of this project later, along with the method I used to make it.

After all, a little imagination can turn things that others consider waste into something useful and beautiful.

Happy crafting!

A Glimpse of Rural Life: Traditional Fuel Storage and Fieldwork in Village Kurri

A Glimpse of Rural Life, Women’s Work and Traditional Fuel Storage

During one of our village visits for a field survey, we came across this simple yet interesting structure on the outskirts of Village Kurri, Aryanagar.

At first glance, it may look like nothing more than a mound of cow dung. But for the rural household, such a structure—traditionally known as a Bitoda—had an important practical purpose.

Cow dung was not merely waste in rural life. It was carefully collected, shaped into dung cakes and dried in the sun. Once dry, these cakes were stored in such mounds or storage units and later used as fuel for cooking.

During a field visit to Village Kurri, Aryanagar — interacting with rural women and documenting their everyday lives.

Fieldwork is not only about questionnaires and data. It is also about observing the small details of everyday life—how people live, work, store their resources, care for their animals and make use of what nature provides.

Rural women travelling by bullock cart towards the fields—an everyday scene from village life.

The Bitoda – An Old Rural Practice

In villages, every part of the household's resources had its use. Cattle provided milk, while their dung became an important source of fuel and was also used in other traditional household and agricultural practices.

The making and storing of dung cakes was largely associated with women’s daily work. Collecting dung, mixing and shaping it, drying the cakes and finally storing them required considerable time and effort.

What appears to be a simple mound therefore tells us a much larger story about women's labour, traditional energy sources and the resourcefulness of rural households.

A Moment from Our Field Visit

I remember seeing this Bitoda during one of our visits to the village for our survey. It was around 11:00 in the morning when we reached the village.

The surroundings were full of ordinary rural activity. Women were busy with their daily work, and a cart could be seen moving towards the fields.

These seemingly ordinary scenes often become the most memorable part of fieldwork. When we go to a village for research, we may begin with questionnaires, schedules and data collection, but along the way we also encounter the everyday life of the people—their work, their homes, their animals, their fields and their traditional ways of managing resources.

This little Bitoda was one such glimpse into that world.

A quiet village scene: men sitting beside their cattle, with a large stack of dried branches stored nearby as traditional household fuel.

A traditional stack of dried branches stored as household fuel, a familiar sight in rural Haryana.

A traditional cow-dung storage structure on the outskirts of Village Kurri, reflecting the rural practice of preparing and storing dung cakes as fuel.

More Than Just a Photograph

Today, when many traditional practices are disappearing or changing, photographs like these become small records of a rural way of life.

The Bitoda reminds us of a time when rural households depended much more on locally available resources and made use of almost everything they had.

For me, this photograph is not simply a picture of a cow-dung mound. It is a memory of village life, fieldwork and the often-unnoticed labour of rural women.

Sometimes, the most ordinary things tell the most meaningful stories.

Happy Wednesday! 🌿

पुराने कपड़े से नया अंदाज़ और पुराने बैग का खूबसूरत रूपांतरण

कुछ कपड़े ऐसे होते हैं जिन्हें खरीदते समय ही मन में होता है कि इन्हें बहुत संभालकर और कुछ अलग अंदाज़ में इस्तेमाल करना है। मेरे पास भी ऐसा ही एक कपड़ा था—रेमंड शूटिंग का महँगा कपड़ा, जिसे मैंने बहुत सोच-समझकर खरीदा था।

मैं चाहती थी कि इससे ऐसा सूट तैयार हो जिसे केवल सर्दियों में ही नहीं, बल्कि मौसम के अनुसार गर्मियों में भी पहना जा सके। इस सिलाई का किस्सा फिर कभी किसी अलग पोस्ट में विस्तार से बताऊँगी।

Ramond suiting fabric

रेमंड शूटिंग 

रेमंड शूटिंग के महँगे कपड़े से तैयार किया गया मेरा सूट।

close-up

पुराने बैग को दिया नया रूप

सूट तो तैयार हो गया, लेकिन अब बारी थी उसके साथ मैचिंग पर्स की।

मेरे पास लिबर्टी का एक अच्छा लेदर बैग था, लेकिन वह काफी पुराना हो चुका था। उसे फेंकने का मन बिल्कुल नहीं हुआ। मैंने सोचा—क्यों न इसे भी एक नया जीवन दिया जाए?

बस, फिर क्या था!

पुराने लेदर बैग को नया रूप देने की शुरुआत।

पुराने बैग को खोलकर उसके उपयोगी हिस्सों को अलग किया गया।

मैंने पुराने बैग को सावधानी से उधेड़ा और उसके उपयोगी हिस्सों को अलग किया। इसके बाद उसी सलवार के कपड़े को बैग के ऊपर मढ़कर उसे नया रूप दिया।

और देखते ही देखते मेरा पुराना बैग एक बिल्कुल नए, खूबसूरत मैचिंग पर्स में बदल गया!

सूट के कपड़े से पुराने बैग को मैचिंग पर्स में बदलने का काम।

पुराने बैग का नया रूप—सूट के साथ खूबसूरत मैचिंग पर्स।

अपसाइक्लिंग का मेरा छोटा-सा प्रयोग—पुराना बैग बना नया और उपयोगी पर्स।

छोटा-सा बदलाव, बिल्कुल नया अंदाज़

पर्स को देखकर कई लोगों ने मुझसे पूछा कि ऐसा मैचिंग पर्स उन्हें कहाँ मिलेगा। उन्हें यह देखकर आश्चर्य होता था कि सूट और पर्स एक ही कपड़े से बने हुए हैं।

मैं मुस्कुराकर कहती हूँ—

“ऐसा सूट और मैचिंग पर्स बाजार में ढूँढ़ने के बजाय थोड़ा-सा समय और मेहनत लगाइए, फिर अपनी पसंद का डिज़ाइन खुद तैयार कीजिए।”

मेरे लिए पुराने सामान को नया रूप देना केवल बचत का तरीका नहीं है। इसमें अपनी पसंद, रचनात्मकता और थोड़ी-सी मेहनत जोड़कर किसी पुरानी चीज़ को फिर से उपयोगी और सुंदर बना देना मुझे हमेशा अच्छा लगता है।

इस तरह एक महँगे कपड़े से बना मेरा सूट और पुराने लेदर बैग से तैयार हुआ यह मैचिंग पर्स—दोनों मेरे लिए एक छोटे-से creative experiment और upcycling project की तरह बन गए।

अगर आपके पास भी कोई पुराना बैग, कपड़ा या ऐसी चीज़ है जिसे देखकर लगता है कि इसे फेंकना नहीं चाहिए, तो उसे एक बार नए नज़रिए से देखिए। हो सकता है उसमें किसी नए रूप की शुरुआत छिपी हो।

आपको मेरा यह प्रयोग कैसा लगा? अपनी प्रतिक्रिया जरूर दीजिए।

शुभकामनाएँ!