There’s a slab of Caroselle young cheddar sitting inside my refrigerator. Also, a lush tub of chilli-cumin VeggyNAISE. And, I’ve just finished making a batch of super-soft khaman dhoklas from a mix created by Superb.
All this is the result of an hour’s visit to Woodside Farmers Market, held at Union Christian School Grounds, Chetpet, on Sunday. This time around, the vegetables were conspicuous by their absence — they were supposed to come in from Bangalore — but everything else made up for it.
The venue was suffused with the aroma of food — courtesy a stall that sold a Kerala breakfast: fresh appams, cutlets, and non-vegetarian gravies. The next stall had popcorn, another handed out ice slushes.
That’s the thing about these Sunday markets… everyone’s in a happy mood and in the frame of mind to have a good time, irrespective of parking delays or traffic en route to the venue.
Who can say no when the friendly lady of Veggytable insists you try all four of the dips and the ready-to-cook mockmeat preparations? A stall sold cloth bags, useful to take back all purchases in, and Phokkisham had a rather interesting ice cream made using the milk of native cattle. I sampled the almond version. It was flaky, with bits of ice sticking to a mildly-sweet flavourful ice cream. A throwback to the basic ice cream that mothers would rustle up for kids during summer breaks before fancier versions became the norm.
Gulab’s had on offer a range of khakras and chutneys/pickles to go with it. The sweet pickle with spice-flavoured raw mango was delicious. Superb offered samples of hot varag u pongal and millet dosa served with tomato chutney and podi.
Astra Dairy sold ghee, and subscriptions to its cow’s milk, delivered home in glass bottles. Another stall sold terrace gardening solutions. Sanjivan had cold-pressed groundnut, coconut and gingelly oils and healthy-looking rasthali bananas. There was also a range of chutneys made by 101 Strawberries.
The best part? You could also do a spot of good by checking out the stalls of Mellow Circle’s Prathyasha Home of Hope for HIV AIDS Children and Y’s Men Club of the East’s Free Meals on Wheels for Destitutes. The zentangles made by the children were sold out, and about 800 meals were sponsored for destitutes.
Nearly 3,500 people walked into the school grounds for the market, and many returned with bulging bags, and some plants to raise in their homes. And, more importantly, an introduction to an organic lifestyle.
