Sorry all you budding e-farmers out there but Farmville is a
game I never really got into at all. What I do love though are Farmers Markets.
Walking through isles and carts of fresh, earthy wares. Taking in the different
stories and ideas of upcoming local brands and products and of course,
sampling. Oh I love the sampling! And the best part is that even when I'm
scoffing down gooey brownies and chips & dip I feel good about myself. Like
I'm participating in the fight for all things good and healthy.
So, when I got word of the Farmers Market that was happening
in Pune, on my weekend there, it was the first place I went to bright and early
on Sunday morning. Hey! 10:30am on a
Sunday is bright and early don’t you think?
So off I went, to market to market, cloth bag in tow, hippie
at heart, ready to meet and greet the people of Pune. The market took place at
the grounds of the Westin Hotel which is a little fancy for a Farmers Market
but nonetheless, I loved it. It was a small
area, not as large and widespread as I had imagined but cute and cozy and best
of all we got to be out-doors but still under cover from the rain.
As I walked through stalls promoting products like organic
grains, home-made sauces and chemical free produce, these are the people that I
met who made all the difference to my rainy Sunday morning…
Pride Of Cows; a Bombay-Pune based operation that delivers
fresh bottles of milk to your doorstep just 7 hours after the happy cow has
been milked. I say happy because the company ‘prides’ itself on the philosophy
that ‘Pedigree, Perfect, Proud and Pampered’ cows that are fed high quality,
healthy meals, produce the best quality milk. And so it was. Rich, creamy,
wholesome milk and guess what?! Just 3% Fat content. You cannot put a price on
an operation like this. It’s humane, well-run and offers a quality product. So
what are you waiting for? Get moo-ving and order now.
The Good Juicery; who doesn’t love a glass of bubbly….I'm
talking about fruit bubbly. Goodness that the whole family can enjoy. And for
us alcoholics, a great way to create your own little cocktail ;) It’s simple,
fresh ingredients, no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives and the
benefit of upto 2 portions of fruit in a can. Available in 3 delicious
flavours; apple, guava and passion fruit. My favourite is the guava; perfectly
pink and lightly fizzed to add that little bit of sparkle to every sip. Mmmm.
Cheeni; happy, smiling Anushka Aurora had a table of the
most delish looking baked goods that just looked too good to pass up. Cupcakes, tarts, brownies and cookies, laid out with the cutest packaging, ready
for people to pack away. So I shimmied my way over and helped myself to some of
the collection and wowww…I’ve got my order ready for next weekend! Soft, gooey,
melting moments of brownie. Spongy cupcakes with the perfect swirl of frosting.
Crunchy tart shells with creamy lemon or chocolate filling. Heaven! Oh and your
not going to believe what I’m about to tell you. This young, budding baker has picked
up all her skills from the age of 10 from You tube. Say whaaaat?! Uhh huuhhh!
You tube! That was really just the icing on the cake! One that I can’t wait to
trial very soon.
Only Priya’z; a small counter that was serving up fresh,
home-made breads in all shapes and sizes. Priya, the girl behind this bakery did
not let the fact that she’s hearing impaired stop her from talking to us about
her selection of whole wheat, multi-grain, focaccia and other delicious breads.
She supplies bread on order to those that want their daily bread to be from a
fresh loaf. Contact her on 9822306360.
Last but not least we ended the market at theindianbean.com;
an online operation that runs out of Mysore by a pair of budding brothers that source
coffee beans directly from small local farmers across popular locations like
Coorg, Kodaikanal and Mysore. What they offer is the flavour of single beaned
coffee that is fresh, fair trade and preferably organic in the form of whole
beans, coarse ground or fine ground packs with interesting names. The process is
simple; go to their website, choose your favourite coffee from their selection and
order away. I sampled the Frowners coffee; a rich, whole-bodied coffee that
went down smooth. It was just the kick start I needed to get me through the rest
of my day.
At the end of the morning, it felt good to support these passionate entrepreneurs that have
the courage to start new businesses that basically cater to providing us with
better options. My new resolution is that I'm going to try and eat healthier,
wholesome food as far as possible and I really would urge you to try and do the same.
With that done and a bag full of goodies later I made my way
to the exit and left the market a happier me. Can't wait for the next one!
Facebook:
Nice pics & write-up..:-)
ReplyDeletewere there any farmers selling fresh produce?
ReplyDeleteThanks guys! Glad your enjoying the blog :)
ReplyDelete@AshDe yes there was fresh produce being sold at the Farmers Market, but as I understood the numbers of participants were small and they hope to increase each time the market sets up shop.