Kattappana: In a refreshing twist to the typical kitchen garden, Jith Joseph of Kudavanappara, Kattappana, has transformed his backyard into a vibrant orchard with rare and exotic fruits.

While most kitchen gardens lean towards vegetables, Jith’s stands out for its unusual variety of fruits. And the ultra-sweet Brazilian tree grapes (or Jabuticaba) are currently the star attraction. With their lychee-like flavour, the ripening ‘Sabar’ variety, along with Red Hybrid and Scarlet, are drawing special attention of locals and farming enthusiasts.

His orchard boasts an extensive and diverse lineup, featuring peanut butter fruit, olosapo, baraba (yellow mangosteen), strawberry pear, rambutan phyllocarp, lychee, mangosteen, milk fruit, musambi, dragon fruit, Salem mango, pomegranate, apple, longan, white jamun, orange and star fruit.

Then there is Rollinia, which bears a close resemblance to the aatha fruit (custard apple), Grumichama, Abiu, miracle fruit, Kolumb mango, and the sweet-sour Arasa boy and a unique variety of Vietnamese guava.

Jith says his wife, Neethu Eapen, his mother, Smoni, and children, Rohan and Isha, actively assist in caring for the trees. After losing their initial grape and passionfruit crops, grown on a terrace trellis, the family is preparing for replanting.

The orchard grows alongside their primary crop fields in the cardamom-rich Puliyanmala region. A dedicated water reservoir ensures steady irrigation for the fruit trees, while the family also maintains an apiculture setup with both small and large bee varieties.